cattmad
Well-Known Member
David, this is interesting, I have been using Van shaiks with quite good results. Perhaps my environment suits this bark. What bark are you using?
Brad
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David, this is interesting, I have been using Van shaiks with quite good results. Perhaps my environment suits this bark. What bark are you using?
Brad
emydura
Well-Known Member
Most likely. Maybe my culture didn't suit this bark. I use either Orchid Care Services bark (which is an expensive deluxe brand of bark from Sydney) or just the 8-10mm and 8-18 mm Debco bark. There is a lot of fine dust in the Debco bark, but once I have removed this, it seems to work well for me.
David
NYEric
Well-Known Member
I would like to try some Orchiata. 
both roberts flower supply and first rays orchids have it
E
Eric Muehlbauer
Guest
I'll give you some tomorrow!
K
keithrs
Guest
WoW.... This thread rocks!!!! I have several dealers around here and I was going to buy some for my Phrags but pussed out.... Mainly because I was unsure on what size to buy.
Dot, my greenhouse has a gravel floor - or maybe I should say LECA - so I am apparently not seeing the washout.
Shiva, as you probably know, there is a fairly large "cottage industry" in the US along the Canadian border of "shipping firms". A fairly large portion of my Canadian orders go to them. It saves a bundle on shipping, delivery is quicker, and if you've just been across the border for "sightseeing", apparently customs isn't an issue either.
hey ray, could you post the sizes available by their 'names', and how that translates to the usual sizes of bark here in the u.s. (as far as 'seedling' size, phal size, cattleya size etc. I've seen some of the sizes offered but don't know how each size compares to what we've had available here before
thanks
thanks
NYEric
Well-Known Member
SlipperFan
Addicted
#9 Classic - 6-9mm
#5 Power - 9-12mm
#5A Power+ - 12-18mm
#7 Super - 18-25mm
Which grade you use for what is partially personal choice, but should also take into account your conditions and watering habits. Using it straight and having a heavy watering hand, this is my take:
The #9 is a fine-rooted seedling grade; stuff like oncidiums. I probably sell more of it that anything.
Going to the opposite end, the #7 is big. I am using it for a large cattleya specimen in a wooden basket. People who pot up vandas would probably like this size.
#5 and #5A the the "medium" grades, medium/fine and medium/coarse, respectively. I use the #5 as my seedling grade for phals and paphs, moving them to #5A as they grow larger. Many would view #5 as good for mature oncidiums, reed-stem epi's, etc. I use the #5A for cattleyas in pots.
#5 Power - 9-12mm
#5A Power+ - 12-18mm
#7 Super - 18-25mm
Which grade you use for what is partially personal choice, but should also take into account your conditions and watering habits. Using it straight and having a heavy watering hand, this is my take:
The #9 is a fine-rooted seedling grade; stuff like oncidiums. I probably sell more of it that anything.
Going to the opposite end, the #7 is big. I am using it for a large cattleya specimen in a wooden basket. People who pot up vandas would probably like this size.
#5 and #5A the the "medium" grades, medium/fine and medium/coarse, respectively. I use the #5 as my seedling grade for phals and paphs, moving them to #5A as they grow larger. Many would view #5 as good for mature oncidiums, reed-stem epi's, etc. I use the #5A for cattleyas in pots.
Thanks Ray,
I had seen on your website the various sizes listed but didn't know from your experience, which size would be used for what. This will be very helpful and I've book-marked for reference
I had seen on your website the various sizes listed but didn't know from your experience, which size would be used for what. This will be very helpful and I've book-marked for reference
M
Mrs. Paph
Guest
Thanks for the size : plant type examples. I've been tossing the idea of trying some orchiata bark around in my mind for a bit now. I'm continuing to have good luck with CHC in various mixtures with charcoal and aliflor/hydroton for larger stuff, BUT it's just not holding up as well down here in OK as it did in SD and ND where I started growing orchids. It seems to get saturated in a not-so-good way faster, maybe due to warmer yearly average temps, and the gradient from top of the pot to bottom seems to be more dramatic in just 6 months to a year than up north...even more dry on top & even more water logged on bottom if that makes sense. For the most part I've just adjusted this by what I mix in with the CHC's, but I hate to stop looking at other things and experimenting when this has gotten good reviews. I just struggle to decide What Paphs would have to be the guinea pigs! :sob: I have limited space indoors, so I tend not to keep around too many sacrificial plants LoL
On a side note for Eric - I got some Ecoweb from Ray and have had fun experimenting with that. I mounted a little white/yellow mini-Phal on some, hanging/pendent style and it's rooted well with just a little patch of sphag to get it started, and made a pot/basket out of other pieces to put my one and only surviving P. micranthum in. It's not at all brag-worthy, but it has at least started growing a new leaf that is larger than the previous ones, instead of continuing to grow backward year by year, so maybe it likes the more breathable pot. So, I'd say Ecoweb is fun stuff, though I started growing only about 11-12 yrs ago and tree fern already seemed to be taboo then, so I can't compare the material to that.
On a side note for Eric - I got some Ecoweb from Ray and have had fun experimenting with that. I mounted a little white/yellow mini-Phal on some, hanging/pendent style and it's rooted well with just a little patch of sphag to get it started, and made a pot/basket out of other pieces to put my one and only surviving P. micranthum in. It's not at all brag-worthy, but it has at least started growing a new leaf that is larger than the previous ones, instead of continuing to grow backward year by year, so maybe it likes the more breathable pot. So, I'd say Ecoweb is fun stuff, though I started growing only about 11-12 yrs ago and tree fern already seemed to be taboo then, so I can't compare the material to that.
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NYEric
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking about the Ecoweb because I have a bunch of plants that have grown off their mounts and the roots are just hanging in the air. i feel that if the roots had something to grow/grab onto then the plants could spend their energy making flowers.
M
Marc
Guest
Xavier any chance that you will answer some of the questions brought up in this topic?
I'm thinking about the Ecoweb because I have a bunch of plants that have grown off their mounts and the roots are just hanging in the air. i feel that if the roots had something to grow/grab onto then the plants could spend their energy making flowers.
large cedar shingles? very inexpensive and i've heard many orchid roots like them (except one person told me tolumnias growing under lights/windowsills didn't appreciate it)
SlipperFan
Addicted
I agree with cnycharles. Cedar shakes/shingles work very well for mounting. They have a rough surface for roots to cling to, but you still have to tie the plant on it, at least until it is established. Most of my Tolumnias are in cocofiber in clay pots, but I do have one on a piece of cedar shake, and it's doing fine.
NYEric
Well-Known Member
Exactly what I was planning.
though the one person had one tolumnia that didn't seem to like cedar and did like cork, that doesn't mean that under other conditions many species might be very happy on cedar. i'd try it, since if it doesn't stick you can always put it on something else
