Potting A Den...

[rls1989]

I have a den keiki that i potted in an orchid potting mix in june but when i last watered it i noticed quite a few of it's little roots were rotten and its not growing very much even though i fertilise it. So i went to my local garden centre and they advised me to pot it in pebbles and not a mix. Should i do this or something else?

[Anton]

Look up the sphag n bag technique as this is used by most of us who are in your situation.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...tructions.html

It gives the keiki a chance to grow roots in warm moist environment, then you can pot it up and have a better chance of surviving.

[patticake]

Most folks at garden centers know shrubs and outdoor plants. They love to sound like they know it all. I wouldn't listen to their advice on Orchids. I worked for a large VERY reputable garden center years ago. This is one of the reasons that I waited so long before discovering orchids! I listened to them (and all they said was wrong ) I wouldn't pot them in pebbles. A small container with a well draining mix would be good. Water when dry. Good light.

[rls1989]

Thanks for he bag and sphag tip, but the plant does have a few inches of root, they're jus soggy and a bit black. The mix the den was in previously seemed to stay waterlogged for quite a while, if i don't use stones what else can i use instead? thanks for your help so far...

[brookn]

Hi, most of my Dends are in a bark mix, and they love it. You can treat the roots of your baby with some peroxide, and that should fix it up. If the mix it was in was staying too wet, maybe a fan pointed at it would help?

[11Orchid126]

And remember that orchids like tight pots. Make sure the pot the keiki is in is only big enough to hold the roots, and not so big that so much medium will keep the roots too wet.

[janet_a]

all my dens are in lava rock. i bought a little stratiotes seedling at the WOC; just repotted it into a 6 oz yogurt cup in a mix of primeagra and lava rock. (it had been in a mix of sphag and PA when i bought it, and doubled in size and tried to crawl out of the thumb pot.)

i got a nobile keiki a couple years ago; it went straight into lava rock in a clay pot. it bloomed last january and keeps getting bigger and looks like i will need to repot it again next summer.

the great big ones (2 - 4 feet tall) are in lava rock in clay pots.

so, your mileage may vary, but maybe you need to try LECA or lava rock in a plastic pot to start? then when it gets bigger you can go to a clay pot?

[digitalgate]

i think you need to control your watering. Use a skewer to test the media to see if
need watering. Cynthia has a sticky which teach you how to water the plant..
You might want to check that out.