potting questions

[andalusianluv]

hello everyone,
what are your thoughts on tindara's orchid supplies aircone pots?

also has anyone used their diatomite mix?

any suggestions for a ready to use mix for paphs/phrags?

thanks,
brandon

 

[SlipperKing]

Never heard of the company but aircones is all I have

 

[andalusianluv]

thanks........what potting mix do you use? or do you make your own?

 

[SlipperKing]

I make up my own

 

[goldenrose]

Aircones are aircones, not matter who makes them! They don't make them big enough for alot of my plants, why do they stop at 6"?!
I make my own mixes as well.

 

[andalusianluv]

how do you make your own paph mix?....(unless it's a big secret) lol

 

[goldenrose]

Quite easily! I start with a basic bark mix that I get locally, it has fir bark, peat & perlite. It comes in fine, for seedlings or medium, which is bigger chunks. I have charcoal, perlite, sphagnum & hydroton. Depending on the plant, what are it's roots are like & how you water will depend on if I leave the basic mix alone or add to it. I have a tendency to overwater, so I will lightened the mix so it drains quicker.
I'm trying some paphs in Lance Birk's mix, seeing I have plenty of green moss in my yard! So far, so good!

 

[Ray]

Brandon,

There is no potting medium formulation that is perfect for all plants, as the plants themselves have different needs, and your conditions and overall culture play a huge role on what works. Take Goldenrose's comment as an example - "I have a tendency to overwater, so I will lightened the mix so it drains quicker."

While I'm sure it doesn't cover everything, reading my piece on Choosing Potting Media might be a good starting point.

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Thanks for the link to your article Ray!

 

[andalusianluv]

thank you for your help...... i guess i'll just have to see how my plants grow and adjust accordingly.
i do have one more question though. if i see a plant doing poorly in a media.....how often can i repot it? for example i repotted 2 phals last year...one phal is doing great and even blooming this year, the other isn't doing as hot. can i repot the poorly growing plant?

 

[likespaphs]

they're your plants so you can repot them any time you want. i don't see much of a need to repot more than once a year with my media but that's mostly because the mix i use lasts a while and with my watering practices, the media doesn't break down quickly. someone else's watering practices may make the media break down faster or more slowly.
repotting more than once every few months may not have much of a benefit, though. and, depending on how rough one is when repotting, it could set the plant back...
but that's just my thought

 

[goldenrose]

thank you for your help..........
can i repot the poorly growing plant?

Sure, why not!

 

[andalusianluv]

ok, thanks.....i cant wait for my new book to come in......i have so many questions, lol