charcoal

[beezermommy]

FYI - we had a speaker at our local sunrise orchid society last week. He grows only dendrobiums (wholesale). He pots in medium grade charcoal ONLY. He claims that dendrobiums need this to hold onto and everything else gets them too wet. I am going to buy some and try it with one or two. Anyone else have any thoughts on this...

[katrina]

If it's a den that wants to dry out between waterings...seems to me it would work great. It would be similar to potting in only lava, leca...I have many catts in straight leca or lava and they are doing beautifully. It requires more watering but they really seem to do well in these types of medium.

I wouldn't use straight charcoal for dens that want to be moist all the time and/or those that need a lot of moisture though.

[Orchidementia]

I would not try that with D cuthbertsonii or laevifolium or ceraula or victoriae-reginae or biloculare or ... You get the idea. There are too many types (sections) of dendrobiums to say one-size-fits-all. That might work with phalaenanthe-section hybrids (what are often called den-phals), and I use a lot of charcoal in the mix I make, but unless he was VERY specific about which dens he grows this way, I'd look up the culture for the plant in question before trying this.

[rcb]

to reiterate Katrina and orchidementia, this would work for some Dens. For other Dens it would be a death sentence in my growing area.

If he is growing wholesale, chances are he is growing the cloned common Phal-type Dens. Which pretty much would survive anything.

[beezermommy]

Actually he grows dendrobiium species. His name is Mac Rivenbark from Mac's Orchids in south florida. Thanks for all of the responses. I guess I will leave everything as is. My dens seem to do OK. Don't flower enough, but I need to fertilize more often.

[dave64]

beezermommy give them more light not more fertilizer most Dens like high light as for just charcoal I think it would kill most plants over time

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by dave64

beezermommy give them more light not more fertilizer most Dens like high light as for just charcoal I think it would kill most plants over time

Not all are high light - many I grow are low light (ceraula, yeagerii, dichaeoides, limpidum, etc).

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by beezermommy

Actually he grows dendrobiium species. His name is Mac Rivenbark from Mac's Orchids in south florida. Thanks for all of the responses. I guess I will leave everything as is. My dens seem to do OK. Don't flower enough, but I need to fertilize more often.

This guy?

Southern District of Florida - Press Release

FORT LAUDERDALE ORCHID DEALER CONVICTED IN INTERNATIONAL SMUGGLING OPERATION
August 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Eddie McKissick, Miami Resident Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lee Huttenbach, Special Agent in Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations, and Anthony Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced that defendant Mac Rivenbark, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, pled guilty today in United States District Court in Miami in connection with the illegal importation of more than 1,400 orchid plants from the Republic of the Philippines in February 2005, contrary to the Lacey Act, Title 16, United States Code, Sections 3372 and 3373.

... seems he doesn't "grow" that many orchids.

[jayfar]

Originally Posted by Orchidementia

This guy?

Southern District of Florida - Press Release

FORT LAUDERDALE ORCHID DEALER CONVICTED IN INTERNATIONAL SMUGGLING OPERATION
August 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Eddie McKissick, Miami Resident Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lee Huttenbach, Special Agent in Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations, and Anthony Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced that defendant Mac Rivenbark, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, pled guilty today in United States District Court in Miami in connection with the illegal importation of more than 1,400 orchid plants from the Republic of the Philippines in February 2005, contrary to the Lacey Act, Title 16, United States Code, Sections 3372 and 3373.

... seems he doesn't "grow" that many orchids.

Looks like he lucked out and got 18 months probation.

Florida (US) - orchids / [OGD] sentenced for illegal importation - FreeLists

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by jayfar

Looks like he lucked out and got 18 months probation.

Florida (US) - orchids / [OGD] sentenced for illegal importation - FreeLists

That press release was one of the first hits I got on him when I looked him up. Destruction of habitat is one of my pet peeves.

[Orchidchick]

Originally Posted by Orchidementia

That press release was one of the first hits I got on him when I looked him up. Destruction of habitat is one of my pet peeves.

Why? Why? With all of the advancements in Orchid reproduction, do some growers still resort to the devastation of fragile ecosystems by the removal of rare native species? What a slimeball! He should never be allowed to sell orchids again.

[brianb]

There are not many orchids of any description that are not grown in pots in the tropics in charcoal . It's our standard medium.

[angie]

Originally Posted by brianb

There are not many orchids of any description that are not grown in pots in the tropics in charcoal . It's our standard medium.

Same for us in the Caribbean. Most of us use a 25-75 mix of Charcoal to Aliflor/LECA.

[lmartiny]

I'm more casual in my approach. I buy the special bark mix at the big box store for the most part. I do like to get a hold of some coco chips for certain things.
Ouch! for the news on this grower. But maybe cut him some slack. He did a crime and was punished. Perhaps he learned his lesson is now back to just legitimately trying to make a living in what he knows how to do best. People make mistakes.