Tigrinum in Semi-hydro?

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Yes, I've had a larger size seedling in it for several months. I bought it from Paphiness. I'd have to check the tag to see for sure how long its been in s/h. It seems happy. I don't suggest trying it with small seedlings, though. :< But, I don't have luck putting tiny seedlings and deflasked seedlings in s/h. I'm growing them up in a chc mix and then when they get say 3 to 4 inch. leaf span I transfer them over.
 
This is a 2 growth BS plant I received as a seedling from Sheerwood Orchids in 2002 or 2003. I have 2 from the same batch, and compared to its buddy it tends to cycle roots. I'm ready to try something new with it.
 
Last few years I've been repotting in CHC /sponge rock/charcoal/ with a bit of chopped sphagnum. It grows roots during warmer months and tends to loose some of them over the winter. It's added and lost a few growths, and it's done the typical tigrinum bud blast a couple of times. I checked my records and see I got it in 9/2002 (bitty seedling). Maybe I'm just being impatient, but I figure it should be more stable and up to a 1/2 dozen growths by now.

This past fall I potted its buddy up in Lance Birk's "pretty good mix" which is a basic bark mix with a portion of coarse sand in it. A lot of my barbatas have been switched into this mix with pretty good looking roots developing (using clear aircone pots). The tigrinum in this mix is making lots of new roots, but it's always been the better root producing plant of the pair.
 
I don't know if this is adding to it, but I also top dressed with some live moss (which also looks happy) and about an 1/8 tsp of bone meal.
 
This past fall I potted its buddy up in Lance Birk's "pretty good mix" which is a basic bark mix with a portion of coarse sand in it. A lot of my barbatas have been switched into this mix with pretty good looking roots developing (using clear aircone pots). The tigrinum in this mix is making lots of new roots, but it's always been the better root producing plant of the pair.


I have been wondering about that mix. It just seems counter intuitive.
 
I have been wondering about that mix. It just seems counter intuitive.

The sand doesn't seem to be that much of a modification. I thought it would wash out pretty fast, but it stays in just fine.

Given the info I've been looking up on Phosphorus, I would also throw a dash of bone meal in the mix too. I've been top dressing with it, and things seem pretty happy. Obviously everything does fine for at least 6 months after repotting in just about anything, so check back in about 2 years.

I also modified my desalting program for CHC to do the final soak with a mix of calcium and magnesium phosphate. I expect that to preload the CHC with the good stuff to promote root growth with repotting.
 

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