Substrate for paphiopedilum 2012

Slippertalk Orchid Forum

Help Support Slippertalk Orchid Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Hakone

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
3,092
Reaction score
268
Recommendation from a renowned orchid grower, I plant seedling of paphiopedilum in Kanuma. I'll be watching these development. Selenipedium was also trying to grow in Kanuma.



 
Interesting and keep us updated, I read on orchideenkultur.net that some other people do / tried this as well.

Are those sukh seedling in the first picture?
 
Photo Nr. 1 Paph hennisianum album
Photo Nr. 2 Paph helenae album
 
I have thought of trying Kanuma Hakone. It is expensive here! Have you tried Akadama?

Akadama stores more water, pH value is higher than Kanuma. I'll mix this summer Kanuma with Akadama 1:1. Yes, Kanuma is expensive. But Australia is closer to Japan.
 
What is kanuma? It looks like corn kernels.

Kanuma is a volcanic clay sub-soil. Quite acid and used in Japan for azaleas and indoor plants etc. It is mined from the side of a mountain. Akadama is red coloured and harder and sometimes fired. It comes from the same area but is higher in the soil profile. You can find them in various grades at your local bonsai supplier who imports from Japan. I think that's right Hakone?
 
Kanuma is a volcanic clay sub-soil. Quite acid and used in Japan for azaleas and indoor plants etc. It is mined from the side of a mountain. Akadama is red coloured and harder and sometimes fired. It comes from the same area but is higher in the soil profile. You can find them in various grades at your local bonsai supplier who imports from Japan. I think that's right Hakone?

yes Sir,
 
oh okay. I was thinking that kanuma, akadama and diatomite were fairly similar 'clay potting products'. I didn't know that they have different moisture and pH properties... does anyone know if turface has acidic or basic pH properties and how much water it holds in relation to kanuma, akadama and diatomite? I still haven't potted up my arietinum seedlings and am not sure which media to use for the soil
 
Looks like I'll be joining this trail as well. Today I bought a acmondontum from Popow which is allready planted in this substrate. Currently looking into expanding this trail with a few plants that I currently have issues with.
 
Last saturday I drove to a Bonsai nursery that is close to were I live to buy some Kanuma. Unfortunately they only had the fine grade so I only bought a small bag.

Yesterday I used it to repot a small growth of Paph. lawrenceanum in it, and I repotted my sukhakulii in it. I've reported about this plant before on this forum as they both seem to want to grow up out of the substrate. I hope that they start making roots now.

Still in doubt if I'll let my acmondontum in this substrate. Popow reports good results and I don't mind testing this substrate with the plants I mentioned earlier but I'm not that keen on testing it with a plant I recently purchased.
 
Still in doubt if I'll let my acmondontum in this substrate. Popow reports good results and I don't mind testing this substrate with the plants I mentioned earlier but I'm not that keen on testing it with a plant I recently purchased.

The plants are not grown in that substrate, they are kept, it is a difference... If you get a mature acmodontum, and want to grow a couple of leaves, keep it nice until it's sold, akadama or kanuma will do it. If you want to get a complete root system, and grow on the long term, then it is not suitable...
 
The plants are not grown in that substrate, they are kept, it is a difference... If you get a mature acmodontum, and want to grow a couple of leaves, keep it nice until it's sold, akadama or kanuma will do it. If you want to get a complete root system, and grow on the long term, then it is not suitable...

Ty for your input.
 
I'm from Japan, so I'm somewhat familiar with those media. Kanuma is pretty specialized soil. Unlike Akadama (which is mildly acidic), Kanuma is highly acidic, so they are used for acid loving plants like Azalea and bonsai of rhododendron (Satsuki). For some Japanese/chinese temperate zone Cymbidium, Kanuma is used. So it is interesting to see how paphs would do in highly acidic media. Akadama can be used for more general plants (e.g. some people use it for orchids). Both of them retain water well.
 
I'm from Japan, so I'm somewhat familiar with those media. Kanuma is pretty specialized soil. Unlike Akadama (which is mildly acidic), Kanuma is highly acidic, so they are used for acid loving plants like Azalea and bonsai of rhododendron (Satsuki). For some Japanese/chinese temperate zone Cymbidium, Kanuma is used. So it is interesting to see how paphs would do in highly acidic media. Akadama can be used for more general plants (e.g. some people use it for orchids). Both of them retain water well.

Do you have experience with kyriu ?

thanks
 
I guess I have finished testing of different substrates for paphis and stay with my simple mix :p. Though, interesting to read progress in this new substrate.
 
I guess I have finished testing of different substrates for paphis and stay with my simple mix :p. Though, interesting to read progress in this new substrate.

What is your simple mix ?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top