Stalite as a growing medium

[jsehorn]

I grow mostly Catts and I buy most of my plants from Odom's, and in the last year or so, I've noticed that the Catts I get from them are planted in a gray, porous rocky material which I strongly believe to be stalite. I've emailed Rob to confirm that this is in fact stalite, but I'm 99.9% sure that's what it is.

The Catts I have growing in pure stalite are doing fabulously, and as I have a fairly small collection (fewer than 150 plants) I have plenty of time to care for them, and tend to be a little heavy handed with the watering. Stalite works well for me because it does not stay wet for long, so overwatering is not so much of an issue.

I am looking for anybody else who grows Catts in stalite. One of the perceived benefits for me is that because it does not decompose, it would make repotting easier. My hope is that instead of unpotting a plant and removing all the decomposed media I could simply drop the plant into a larger pot without disturbing the roots because stalite does not decompose (unless of course I wanted to divide the plant).

Is this a reasonable thing to do? I understand that there will be dead roots toward the center of the plant which many people would suggest removing, but I feel like the free draining and low water retention properties of stalite would counteract any water retained by dead roots.

Does anybody have any thoughts?

[BluPeaches]

Shannara grows her orchids in stalite. I'm sure if you send her a message she can give you her thoughts.

[jsehorn]

Thanks! I'll PM her and see what she has to say.

[katrina]

I grow some in stalite but I use more lava rock and LECA.

You are correct in thinking it'll make repotting easier. I let the plant grow until it's climbing out of the pot and then unpot...shake off the loose...and up-pot and back fill. I've been doing it this way for a couple of years and while it does require more watering than bark, I find the roots are much, much healthier.

[otis 226]

I use all of the above media for my catts and a few other types. (Matter of fact I got my last batch of stalite at the Gainesville show recently). It seems to be working very well for me, especially in this hot, humid climate. I note far fewer dried or rotted roots and generally healthier plants then when grown in bark mixes. I repot pretty much as Katrina does.
Tony

[jsehorn]

Katrina is my hero.

[rcb]

I use LECA, instead of Stalite, but it is the same theory.

Will never go back to bark. Ever. Root growth is phenomenal, plant growth is great. Repotting is a breeze. Plus a lot less bugs in the pots (Yay), at least here it is.

One thing to watch out for though, when growing in inorganic medias, regular fertilizing is much more important. If you go a while without fertilizing, your plant will show it.

Remember as organic medias slowly break down, they themselves have nutrients in them for the plants. The inorganic ones do not break down, so they don't release these nutrients.

[syndywindy]

For a while I was growing my catts in hydroton but have since switched to lava rock. Hydroton was great, even retained a bit of moisture, but if I accidently tipped the pot over, I was looking for hours for all the little balls! Lava rock works amazingly well, the roots seem to grow bigger and stronger to me. Downside is having to water more often in winter, but it's worth the extra time. I use bark, but for more moisture loving plants.

[jsehorn]

Thanks so much to all of you for your tips, and I am glad to hear other people are having success with inorganic materials. I do understand that inorganic materials such as stalite provide no nutrition, so I adjust my fertilizing regimen accordingly.

Personally, I hate repotting plants growing in bark based mediums. It's such a pain to try to get all the decomposed material out of the roots, and with plants that are particularly pot bound, I find that some damage to the plant is unavoidable. Repotting plants growing in stalite is a breeze. I really like stalite, but I'll also give lava rock and LECA a shot and see how that goes. I intend to completely do away with bark based mediums over time, because my plants in stalite seem to be perfectly happy, and it creates much less work for me when it comes time to repot, and like I said before, I tend to be pretty heavy handed with the watering, so it works well for me using a growing medium that dries quickly.

Again, thank you all for your input. Orchid Geeks are the bomb digg, yo.

[jsehorn]

One last thing... does anybody know a retail source for stalite? It is listed at repotme.com, but is currently out of stock and they tell me they are not certain when they will have the medium grade back in stock, which is what I would want for my Catts. I got some of the fine grade from them, and I intend to repot my Oncidium alliance plants in that, but I think I'd need the medium grade for my Catts. Anybody know of any source other than repotme.com?

[Ray]

Stalite, like most brands of LECA, is manufactured for the construction industry and marketed to horticulture. Yes, it is stable and inorganic, but that does not mean it's "permanent". Like all potting media, it will build up minerals and waste products over time, and will have to be replaced, but that can be extended to many years by frequent flushing with pure water.

As to a source, why not contact the company: 800-898-3772

[katrina]

I get my stalite from repotme. My Lava rock comes from Home Depot (best buy out there). My LECA comes from a local hydroponics store.

I still use bark...Orchiata to be exact...and only w/a small portion of my plants. If it wants to dry between waterings it goes into one of inert mediums.

BTW - I also use some cork chunks for the catts...mostly the smaller ones (4" or less)...because it tends to hold a bit more moisture in the nooks and crannies. I've had good success with it too. The biggest downside to the cork is that it's so light and if the plants are top heavy you have to do a lot of pinning/staking until the roots get secured.

As for the hero part...I'm just a copy cat. I got the idea from Brooke a couple/few years ago.