potting in some type of rocks (?)

[NewGrower]

I have heard (and seen) a few Orchids potting in some type of rocks. I am wondering if anyone on here has any advice about that? I am thinking it would be a lot "cleaner" on my patio ( I seem to sweep up moss/bark almost every day!) and I tend to be an "over-waterer" (athough I am working on that ha ha) and I heard that its safer to have plants in a drier medium to prevent root rot!

Any advice? Thanks in advance everyone!

[Phalcycle]

There are many things that orchids can e potted in.
Lava Rock, LECA, Perlte, charcoal, ect.
They all seem to be 'clean' as they don't break down much and have their own pros and cons

[syndywindy]

A lot of people use hydroton or LECA to grow in. For many of my rupiculous laelia, I used crushed rock as they grow on rocks in their natural habitat in Brazil. During the winter I water every few days, in summer when they are outdoors everyother day.

[NewGrower]

So pretty much anytime of properly cleaned rocks should work? We have a bag of marble rocks and then another type of round rocks (used for landscaping) and I wondered if I could try one of those IF I clean they all very well first.

My Catt is in moss right now and I am reading this might not be the best idea, I am trying to pot it in something that dries faster so I wont overwater it on accident or get root rot!

[NewGrower]

Growing in stones

I found that and it helped me a lot too!

[syndywindy]

I'm not sure I would use polished stone for growing. I think you'd want a rough type of stone that the orchid roots can grasp onto. I have some that the roots are clinging to so well, I wouldn't even attempt to pry them off. If I have to repot, I just shake off what is loose and leave the rest alone.

[BluPeaches]

Where could one get diatomite?

[Shannara]

Products like aliflor, LECA, hydroton, Stalite, Lava Rock, etc. work well because they are porous and are also sterilized. There are online stores you can purchase any of these potting mediums from. I wouldn't be able to grow the orchids I do without these types of mediums. They don't break down and rot like many of the commonly used mixes with bark or moss. When you live in a wet humid environment you need a medium that can wick away moisture relatively quick to avoid rot.

The website repotme.com carries diatomite and all the other mediums listed above.

HTH

Shann~

[NewGrower]

Yes I am coming to the conclusion here in FL its so muggy out that they never seem to dry out... My Catt seems to be suffering the most so I am experimenting with that one first. The rocks I have are a smooth and rough mix....

Wish me luck!

(I will post some pictures too)

[Shannara]

Originally Posted by NewGrower

Yes I am coming to the conclusion here in FL its so muggy out that they never seem to dry out... My Catt seems to be suffering the most so I am experimenting with that one first. The rocks I have are a smooth and rough mix....

Wish me luck!

(I will post some pictures too)

Yeah, I wpuld like to see a pic of the medium. I am curious what it is. I can tell you that I never had luck growing even in bark...it was always wet. Now my plants are going crazy. There are several geeks in FL who use these type mediums and are having great success. You just have to water frequently. It may take a month or two but once they take off the root growth is just crazy! I need to take some pics of mine and show you how happy they are now.

Shann~

[maria1971]

I actually use polished river rock to grow some dendrobiums. It works wonderfully. The root systems are incredible.


I use hydroton for mostly everything else.

[NewGrower]

Yes I put the polished river rock on top and mixed in a "gritier" rock towards the bottom/roots. I just took some pictures and will upload to my computer

I think my main problem with rot root was the fact I didnt properly clean out the roots before moving them, so it wasnt ALL my fault (my first phal and my Catt were the first 2 orchids I got, so they had some left over medium messy junk in there and had been rotted out a little already). So they were a little messy when I got them but I didnt know any better....
thanks to everyone here, I now know better!

Yesterday when I cleaned out my Catt I found all types of old junk in there, it was pretty icky!

Anyways I put my first Phal and now my Catt (as of yesterday) in these rocks.... I rather have to water everyday or every other day than risk root rot.
I figured it was a "sign" that I needed to change mediums because if its not working its time to try something else!

Thanks again for all the help!

[E-Jag]

Just remember that rocks or leca are sterile so you'll need to fertilize more often. I grow everything in Hydroton and fertilize every time I water.

[Ray]

Do not use marble, as the pH may be too high for the plants. Some use fine marble as a top-dressing for calcareous paphs, but as a potting medium, it might be "too much".