S/h update-6 months later...

[vcuchick]

Well,

it's been 6 months since I repotted 7 of my 8 plants (I know- novice here adding plants slowly) into S/H...it's been an interesting road- some good/ some very very bad...My Oncidiums seemed to have taken to S/H like ducks to water, my Phals- not so much...some root rot, some crown rot, and one weird case of sunburn, and here you go- My project in-progress.

(I'd love some feedback)

First the NOID PHALS:

Plant A- Pictures 1-3 are before shots, 4-6 were taken yesterday. (This plant sufferent the full root rot and is still growing a new root system)

[vcuchick]

NOID PHAL Plant B- a rescue plant I got from a coworker who had it in nasty crown rot, this poor plant wasn't good to begin with, here's my attempt:

Pictures 1-4 (before and during S/H transfer), 5-7 taken yesterday...

[vcuchick]

Den N. Yellow Song 'canary' -

Pictures 1-4 (before & during S/H transfer), #5 (taken in July after I tried to use leaf shine and ended up loosing many of the leaves from some kind of bacterial rot), 6-8 taken yesterday.

No new canes growth on this plant in 2009.

[syndywindy]

I was gung ho with S/H in the spring. I now have repotted some back into bark mixtures. My phal's never were in S/H only because I had heard they didn't do well, so I never tried them. With the exception of one, all my oncidium varieties did well and are still in S/H. Most of my catt's started off in S/H and have done extremely well. A few I repotted back to bark, not because they weren't doing well, but they didn't seem to be doing anything. I think it's a lot of trial and error to see which orchids will work for you and the culture you can give them than anything else.

[vcuchick]

Onc MTDM Ruffles 'scent of a woman' -

pictures 1-3 taken before & during S/H transfer

Pictures 4-taken in July 2009

5-7 taken yesterday

[vcuchick]

Onc Sweet Sugar-

rescued plant from big-box-store in early 2009- this plant was not blooming. Doing pretty good. New pbulbs and nice happy leaves...hoping for blooms in the spring. (had this plant less than 1 year)

[vcuchick]

Den biggibum v compactum x sib---

purchased online in July 2009, transferred into S/H upon arrival. (pictures 1 & 2) Old blooms gone, plant now thriving and blooming to beat the band. (#3-7 taken yesterday)

[vcuchick]

Soooo,

what do you all think? Should the Phals go back into bark? or should I give it a few more months and see what happens? (NOID PHAL A did shoot up a flower spike in August, but I cut it back to allow the plant to concentrate on root and leave growth...) What about the other plants?

Any big S/H growers who can give me additional suggestions or tips?

[whalloper]

Thanks for a great update with all the picktures!! I tried it for about 2-3 months and a lot of my phals are in the ICU at the moment. I cant say it was 100% for sure because of the s/h (Im still a newbie) but they all lost a huge portion of thier roots due to rot. I thought at first the LECA would stay too dry, so I used the reservoir (which I know now I probably shouldnt have). I didnt check their roots until much damage had already been done unfortunately. I know I probably could have done things differently, like more air circulation, no reservoir etc. I tried 2 Oncidiums as well and they SEEMED better, but I think that was only because they were getting help from their pseudobulbs which shriveled over time.

So, I put the really bad ones in lightly packed moss, and the rest in bark/coco husk. They are all in slightly warmer temps (75-80) as well. I try to really let the medium dry, they they get a good 10 minute soak with KLN rooting hormone and half dose fertilizer in their water. That was about a month ago and Ive had new leaves pop up on a bunch and the roots look nice and green except for one

[mehitabel]

Originally Posted by syndywindy

I think it's a lot of trial and error to see which orchids will work for you and the culture you can give them than anything else.

Hi, vcuchick. Thanks for taking the trouble to post such a complete update. It should be very helpful to lots of people.

I couldn't agree more with Synda-- orchids thrive when there's a balance of growing factors with the medium you're using and your own habits and preferences. It takes time to figure all that out-- it really is trial and error that each individual person has to go thru.

About your plants: they look pretty good to me. Can't see whether there are any roots or not, but you mention on O Sweet Sugar that there are no new growths. The new roots come in on the new growths. What I find really useful in stimulating roots is to put a thin layer of sphag on top of the medium, even s/h. I push it right up against the place where new roots will come in. The sphag keeps more moisture in the top layer of medium, and provides a humid atmosphere for roots to form in. New roots grow right into the sphag, especially Oncids, where the roots are tiny and thin. The sphag becomes crispy in between waterings, but still does it's job.

About the phals-- can't see whether you have any roots or not. If you have roots, they're fine. They look as if they are starting to take. They may actually be better off left alone, but you're the best judge of that. The sphag layer will help new roots to form and stay alive. I believe sphag has root stimulating and rot inhibiting properties -- that's how it acts in thin layers.

A dilute solution of superthrive and a little fertilizer in a spray bottle and sprayed on the underside of the leaves might help, too. But be careful that they dry before dark.

Lookin good is my vote

[myshka]

last spring i went gung-ho into s/h as well. my oncidiums are flourishing, but my phals are barely alive. it seems that s/h in my conditions is horrible for phals. i just repotted most of them today into a bark/moss mixture. i plan on mounting the rest of them.

[exasperatus2002]

I tried it too. My Phals didnt do well with it and lost one but All the Cattleya's I switched over are doing great as is my Psychopsis.

[orchidlover55]

That was great, the Den biggibum v compactum x sib is so pretty.

[vcuchick]

Thanks gang!

Orchidlover- my Den bigibbum var compactum just won SECOND place at the NCOS Show table today and is headed off as a selection for the NCOS exhibit at the Susquahana PA Orchid Show later this week! Sweeeet! So exceited!!!! (My first baby to leave the nest...LOL)

Quick question- where can I find Sphag moss for the tops of my plants?

[mehitabel]

Congratulations! !!! What a thrill.

Sphag -- I've seen small bags of it at HD, but if you can't find it locally, you can get a small bag of very high quality sphag at Carter & Holmes. Oak Hill also sells small bags, but noticeably lesser quality. (Oak Hill is what I'm using now).

Cal-West also offers the very high quality.

[patticake]

It depends on the growing conditions of each grower. I LOVE s/h for certain plants. For others, it's not so great. It truly is a trial and error situation.

[flyfishdoc]

I transferred all of my orchids to S/H at the beginning of August. I transferred phals, oncidiums, dendrobiums, paphs and cattleyas. I have had very good results with all of them. I had some lower leaf loss on the phals, but I have had large new leaves and good root growth. I have not looked at the roots in the LECA though. Even if they died, there are new ones growing well. I have 20 plants, and I did not do well with other media. I have not lost any plants in the change over, and have had super growth of bulbs in the catts and oncidiums since the transfer, with more blooms in 2 months than I had in the past year on a few of these. I think I was a habitual under waterer in the past, and I don't have that problem with S/H

[orchidlover55]

vcuchick, that is great I bet you are really proud of that I would be. I am proud for you too.

[Dendian]

Contratulations on the award, that is GREAT! It really shows how great your plant is doing, when it gets awarded.

I hope you did find the moss somewhere. I have found some of the good stuff at our local Lowes, just look for the light colored stuff, not that dark fall apart stuff. It is not NZ, but is from Chile and endorsed by the AOS. I haven't seen any of the "live moss" green stuff around...

I have transfered catts and Onc to S/H and have been pleased with the results so far. Most have grown new roots (the Onc roots have taken off). I have had new growth on all catts, some even going two directions (those that will, are). All the Onc p-bulbs look good, as opposed to some in bark which look sort of shriveled. I may change them all over, after I see how the S/H does during the colder winter months.

[oncidiumlover]

Thanks for the in-depth post, I just potted my first sharry baby tricolor in s/h this week, I bought it as a bare root division at the fall orchid show last week, so far so good. The best sphag I've ever used is the AAA new zealand from repotme.com.
Big time congrats on the award, WOOOOHOOOOOO. I don't know if I could ever let one of my babies leave the house though, I'd be up all night worrying, lol.
Great job, Great pics.
Thanks again.

[tangers40]

i've actually had great success with my phals in s/h. i am currently growing exclusively in s/h for all species i have. the only ones that haven't done well are 2 smaller/mini plants (laelia/sophronitis harpophylla and ascf. twinkle), which i'm actually going to be mounting tomorrow. they haven't taken well to s/h but everything else i have is actually going well. all my phals have wonderful new root and leaf growth, and 3 are spiking, whereas i had none of either while using bark. most everything else i have i acquired recently, so the jury's still out there, but i have yet to actually lose anything to s/h.

[Ray]

Patti is right about the impact the rest of your conditions can have. VCUChick grows her D. bigibbum in it and gets an award. I - the inventor of the culture method - kill them if I try S/H.

Generally I find that phals in S/H do really well if kept quite warm; less so if allowed to get cool. Don't forget that evaporative cooling from the moist, airy medium contributes to that, especially in a dry, home environment.

I would suggest bottom heat for the phals - they'll kick into high gear root growth shortly if you go that way.

[exasperatus2002]

Originally Posted by Ray

Patti is right about the impact the rest of your conditions can have. VCUChick grows her D. bigibbum in it and gets an award. I - the inventor of the culture method - kill them if I try S/H.

Generally I find that phals in S/H do really well if kept quite warm; less so if allowed to get cool. Don't forget that evaporative cooling from the moist, airy medium contributes to that, especially in a dry, home environment.

I would suggest bottom heat for the phals - they'll kick into high gear root growth shortly if you go that way.

That makes sense Ray. Ive killed 3 Phals trying to switch to s.h. By the window, it can get cool at night but all my Catts are loving it. I've got active root growth and new PB's developing. I just divided my Guaranthe aurantiaca last nite to put it in s/h.

[kazjak]

I myself have had poor luck with most Oncidiums. I on the otherhand have 12 Phals all in S/H doing well. 2 of them didn't and had to go back to bark. Den's and Catt's love it no matter what.

[flyfishdoc]

I was watering my plants yesterday and one of the phals was so loose in the LECA that I poured out the LECA and repotted. I cut off 4 dead roots, and stuck the remaining 6 or so wet but green roots back in. For me, phals do well in S/H. I am sure others have also lost roots, but the leaves are doing well and growing a healthy shiny green. I agree, some growers do well with one medium, others do not. I am doing much better with S/H than anything else I have tried (less than 2 years of experience) and S/H has revived most of my plants. Other mediums are near fatal for me I am thankful I found S/H and tried it