Water not draining from aircone pots

[swamprad]

O.K., here's a weird one. I've noticed that when I water my plants in Rand's aircone pots, the next day I can come along, lean the pot over to one side, and water drips out the drain holes! In other words, there is a little bit of water that stays in the bottom of the pot--it all doesn't drain out immediately. This does not seem like a good thing to me! So now I'm all paranoid about tipping and draining every drop out the day after watering, which is a big PITA. Anybody else have this experience?

Perhaps it's because my mix is too fine. I have been using the Kelly's Korner paph mix, which is fine bark, fine charcoal, perlite, and chopped sphagnum. I fear that there are too many tiny particles of the above, which I probably should have filtered out with a sieve before potting, that is making my mix too dirt-like, especially in the bottom of the pot. I'll just have to be careful about not watering too often until I can get everything repotted.

I'm going to make up my own mix from now on, rather than buying the ready-made mix, but staying with a similar combination of small fir bark, small charcoal, and coarse perlite (i.e.sponge-rock). That way I can avoid the tiny perlite and sphagnum.

 

[gonewild]

It is not your mix or the pot style. The same thing happens with all pots. It is because of garvity and surface tension. Don't worry about it that little bit of water is probably a good thing.

 

[Heather]

You could think about Kelley's new mix containing diatomite and CHC as well. I've had good luck with it.

 

[tocarmar]

I use their mixes as well. I buy the large 2cuft bags of the seedling mix & individual 2cuft bags of med fir bark, CHC, perlite & charcoal, diatomite & mix my own for the larger plants. Although there is the fine particles in it, most of which wash out with the first few waterings.
When I soak the mix I also strain it before I use it as that helps to cut down on some of the smaller particles.

Tom

 

[biothanasis]

Hello,
You could also add some leca in the mix so that water does not stay in great density inside the pot!! I use a mix of leca and fine to medium bark 1:1 and they seem to like it!!!! But that depends on the watering habbit and the conditions you have...

 

[SlipperFan]

It is not your mix or the pot style. The same thing happens with all pots. It is because of garvity and surface tension. Don't worry about it that little bit of water is probably a good thing.

That was exactly my thought, also.

 

[pdxpaphguy]

Or just add a couple holes in the bottom?

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Its the pot....its normal, as everyone has said. However, I'd suggest that you make your own mix...its actually more fun, and you can tailor the mix to your conditions and watering habits. I, for one, never add sphagnum to a paph mix anymore...for you, it may be OK, but for me, it makes the mix retain too much water, and, of course, its acidic. The exception for me is delanatii...it likes a wet acidic mix..so I put it in my phrag mix..I just don't let it sit in water. For me, the best mix is mostly fine bark.....lots of spongerock (I prefer #4, but that seems non-existant these days, so I settle for #3), some Dyna-rock in larger chunks (broken if too big), some charcoal, and maybe some lava rock or Leca...brachy's get extra inorganics...the mix varies somewhat from batch to batch, and I make sure I repot paphs within a year...(phrags can stay for years...) Parvi's, brachy's, actually most paphs except for barbata types get some crushed oyster shell on top.

 

[Corbin]

I see several people using fine bark. Except for my phals. which I grow in straight spag. I mainly use the medium bark. I mix in a little sponge rock and a very little bit of charcoal. I only use the fine bark if the roots of the plant are really small/fine. I have, within the last year, after reading Lance's book, started mixing in some peat chunks.

To soon to tell but he swears by it. oke:

 

[Lance Birk]

Sorry Ed, but you didn't read anything about using peat chunks in my book. I certainly would not recommend them.

Swamprad,
If you have a well-potted, homogenous medium the amount of water left in the bottom of the pot will disappear after several hours. If you use "potsherds" you'll get constant water and lots of bugs, too.

If you want a proven (over 44 years) mix that works on nearly every orchid genus and species I (and countless others) ever tried it in, see the mix I list in my book as "Pretty Good Mix." (8 parts fir bark, 2 parts chopped GREEN moss (NOT Sphagnum) and 1 part washed river sand).

It won't let you down.

 

[NYEric]

'washed river sand'

 

[goldenrose]

Eric - aren't there river sand stores in NYC? You'll find them next to the feed store!

 

[Corbin]

Sorry Lance I thought peat moss was just dead moss. What is green moss and where can I get some? I have only seen sphagnum and peat moss listed for sale by vendors. Is masonry sand suitable to use as the sand?

 

[Elena]

Eric - aren't there river sand stores in NYC? You'll find them next to the feed store!

:rollhappy:

 

[Lance Birk]

You are correct Ed, peat is dead and thoroughly compressed Sphagnum moss. It grows in bogs. It works sometimes for some orchids at certain consistencies. Freshly dead and dried (uncompressed) it works pretty well at times, but then seems to go suddenly toxic, or sour.

Green Moss is dried sheet moss that grows on trees and on rocks. I have not been able to properly identify any of the four species commonly collected and sold. You can get some at most nurseries, it is the same as that used to line hanging flower baskets you buy there. It comes in bags or in bales. It is both disinfectant and antiseptic and it greatly prolongs the onset of bacteria and fungi that consume fir bark.

And yes, washed river sand is masonery sand, the same they use for cement. It has particles of dirt, algas and probably fish poop or other decomposed organic material and seems to add some essential micro nutrients to the mix I suggested.

In case anyone missed my earlier post, I do not recommend peat moss or sphagnum moss in any mix.

I have had excellent results using LIVE sphagnum moss, firmly packed in WHITE pots (clear pots allow algae to grow which will kill the Sphagnum) for several species of paphs. Distilled water must be used to water this single medium. Growth of plants and especially roots will knock yer socks off!

 

[swamprad]

Green Moss is dried sheet moss that grows on trees and on rocks. It is both disinfectant and antiseptic and it greatly prolongs the onset of bacteria and fungi that consume fir bark.

Thanks for explaining about the sheet moss. I have read about your mix before, but didn't know exactly what the moss was. Are the disinfectant/antiseptic qualities of the moss the primary reason to use it, or does it play a significant role in keeping the mix from drying out too quickly?

Also, how do you convert it from a sheet into little particles for the mix, do you shred it with your hands or chop it with a knife?

Also, when you say fir bark, I assume you use fine for smaller pots, medium for larger pots. What is your rule of thumb for the size of fir bark for growing paphs?

 

[NYEric]

You can get sheet moss at Petland stores, masonry sand... eh!

 

[Lance Birk]

I first used the green moss to more or less emulate the mosses I saw orchids growing in while in nature. I found I could never overwater it, and it always seemed to stay just moist. It allowed substantial aeration as well. Those were the reasons I used green moss, particularly since I never found orchids growing in Sphagnum, other than cypripediums.

Recently I learned about those antiseptic and disinfectant properties which finally explained why my mix lasted so long. (I've had some orchids potted in my mix for 10 years, but don't ever tell anyone I said that).

Cutting or chopping the moss is the problem. I used to use a Hobart Buffalo vegetable chopper but now I have a ready-made source of it. You can use scissors, or even a large paper-cutter..... or whatever you can find that you can use.

For gemeral use I settled on larger-sized seedling bark, something around 1/4 to 3/8ths inch pieces, but you can adjust it for your own needs.

I also suggested silica sand as a substitute for river sand however I now realize the benefits of the latter and highly recommend its use.

 

[Corbin]

Thanks for explaining about the sheet moss. I have read about your mix before, but didn't know exactly what the moss was. Are the disinfectant/antiseptic qualities of the moss the primary reason to use it, or does it play a significant role in keeping the mix from drying out too quickly?

Also, how do you convert it from a sheet into little particles for the mix, do you shred it with your hands or chop it with a knife?

Also, when you say fir bark, I assume you use fine for smaller pots, medium for larger pots. What is your rule of thumb for the size of fir bark for growing paphs?

I'm glad I am not the only one that did not know what it was.

 

[Hera]

At the risk of sounding completely stupid, could someone post a picture of the green moss that you are recomending. Also, could I harvest moss from my yard? Is it the same or similar type? Are there bits of soil in the moss?