Did I do the right thing?

[Dido]

Not long ago I transplanted two Phalaenopsis ocrhids into small pieces of pine bark (about 0.4" in size) with some lava rocks. Did I do the right thing? Will it be OK? It seemed like the orchid was purchased potted in small pieces of bark.
For another orchid I would like to use the same stuff, except add some sphangnum moss. Is that a good idea?

[orchidea]

I think you have to listen to your orchids. You did the right thing if they are doing OK. Phals have no medium and are not potted in the wild. We are potting them (most of the time) to provide similar conditions to the nature where they grow. So, to make it short, it all depends on your conditions. I can see you are in Lithuania (!!!). It should be humid enough there I suppose.
The medium stays moist longer if you add moss, so you have to water your plants not as often.
Small bark and lava rocks sounds like a good medium to me. Fir bark is the best. I think pine bark is not retaining moisture as good as fir bark (I could be wrong). I usually add more things to it, but it's very dry where I am. Some of my phals are in Sphagnum moss only.
I hope you pre-soaked your bark before using it, otherwise water just runs through it without leaving any moisture at the roots for much longer than one or two days. Just water it more often if that's the case.
Let us know how your phals are doing.

[mehitabel]

Hi, Dido

Good advice from Orchidea. What works for one climate/orchidist doesn't always work for another. We all have to try out certain media and find out what works for our situation, habits and watering schedule.

I add sphagnum moss on top of the bark to stimulate new roots. Other people mix it with the bark as you plan to do. It takes a while to gain some confidence in what you're doing.

[salaite]

Labas Dido,

I'm lithuanian too, nice too find u here, can't wait to see your collection, welcome to the forum.

[Dido]

I only have two Phalaenopsis orchids: I purchased one in the middle of April, and another just a couple of days ago. So I don't have a collection, and don't intend of having .

Yes, I did pre-soak the bark overnight in hot water, I read about this in Orchids for Dummies.

Actually, I'm not sure how the transplanted orchid is doing in the bark, I transplanted it just a few days ago. Although seems like the new leave that was growing, and is about 5" in size, has stopped growing.

As far as humidity goes in Lithuania I can't say much about it, although as I only water a Phalaenopsis orchid as the roots turn gray-ish in color, I can say that the first orchid retained green roots after watering for about five weeks, so I guess we can conclude that it's pretty humid, although I do spray them with water often, so a lot of sprayed water gets on the medium. And I'm always watering by sitting the whole pot in water for about 10-15 minutes. Also such long drying durations make fertilization difficult.

Speaking of fertilization: how long should be after transplanting before it's OK to fertlize a Phalaenopsis?

Also, I do not like the idea of growing a Phalaenopsis in 100% sphagnum moss...

[kmarch]

You've been reading Orchids for Dummies, which is good. Some members here have highly recommended that book. I believe you will get good advice form that book.

The most important thing is giving the phal the conditions it wants. Look in your book, look at the phalaenopsis culture sheet here on the forum, or get a phalaenopsis culture sheet form AOS | Members Only Area. A culture sheet is a list fo conditions (light, temoerature, moisture, etc.) hat your orchid wants. It is possible to use many different potting mixes and still get good results.

Since you have only just recently repotted, it is too soon to tell if your orchid is doing well. Just watch it. dont' let it stay too wet but don't let ti dry out either.

Regarding fertilizing your phal, I'd use a weak, balanced fertilizer. after you've watered your orchid and it has drained, turn around and water it again with fertilized water. Just use a watering can (don't soak) and let the excess drain away.

[salaite]

if you had a mixture of bark and sphag you could get away with less spraying and watering...which is good if you lead a busy life

[Dido]

Well spraying is actually more for the leaves

[ashley89]

i am new at this too and just repotted my phal a couple days ago but was reading online and one web site told me that a phal orchids dont like water on their petals or leaves is that true?

[Dido]

Originally Posted by ashley89

i am new at this too and just repotted my phal a couple days ago but was reading online and one web site told me that a phal orchids dont like water on their petals or leaves is that true?

I don't know... It's not recommended to spray water on the blooms because some brown spots may show up. But I haven't read anything about them not liking water on the leaves.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by ashley89

i am new at this too and just repotted my phal a couple days ago but was reading online and one web site told me that a phal orchids dont like water on their petals or leaves is that true?

They are perfectly fine w/water on their leaves and petals. Think rain.

What you want to watch out for is watered trapped in the crown of the plant for extended periods...this can cause rot.

[grandmapenguin]

Originally Posted by Dido

I only have two Phalaenopsis orchids: I purchased one in the middle of April, and another just a couple of days ago. So I don't have a collection, and don't intend of having .

Yes, I did pre-soak the bark overnight in hot water, I read about this in Orchids for Dummies.

Actually, I'm not sure how the transplanted orchid is doing in the bark, I transplanted it just a few days ago. Although seems like the new leave that was growing, and is about 5" in size, has stopped growing.

As far as humidity goes in Lithuania I can't say much about it, although as I only water a Phalaenopsis orchid as the roots turn gray-ish in color, I can say that the first orchid retained green roots after watering for about five weeks, so I guess we can conclude that it's pretty humid, although I do spray them with water often, so a lot of sprayed water gets on the medium. And I'm always watering by sitting the whole pot in water for about 10-15 minutes. Also such long drying durations make fertilization difficult.

Speaking of fertilization: how long should be after transplanting before it's OK to fertlize a Phalaenopsis?

Also, I do not like the idea of growing a Phalaenopsis in 100% sphagnum moss...

Dido are you saying you only watered after 5 weeks

[Dido]

Originally Posted by grandmapenguin

Dido are you saying you only watered after 5 weeks

Yes. Is that bad ? The orchid then started growing a new leaf...

[patticake]

Whatever works for your conditions. If you're spraying heavily, that may be all that it needs. The leaves are very slow growing on Phalaenopsis. One or two leaves in a year is normal. Keep us posted! We love hearing about new 'chids!! Also, as Katrina stated, water pooling and sitting in the crown isn't a good idea, but the leaves love water! Orchids for Dummies is a good book, too!

[Dido]

Well, I don't think crown rot is a big threat to me, it is pretty warm in my apartment, and rot mostly occurs at colder temperatures, plus after I spray the leaves with water they dry out in less than an hour, so they don't stay wet for long.

By the way, is three months appropriate time to wait after transplanting to start fertilizng again?

[katrina]

If the plant has healthy roots...it goes right in w/the rest in my fertilizing schedule. I don't wait.

If the root system is exceptionally compromised (unfortunately,there have been a few) then I do wait until I see new root development.

[caoquendo]

Nice thread... Thanks!