I’ve got quite a few of my 30+ orchid collection in moss, and the rest are in semi-hydro or bark and moss mixture. I have found that the orchids in moss do much better than those in the other media. I’m glad you confirmed my findings on moss. I always watch you videos, but seldom comment.
I know it’s a bit late. However. I also have orchids in a mix of spagnum moss and bark and moss mix. My first few orchids never made it cus I was new and in my climate, since it’s really cold and humid in the winter I tend to just put in 1/4 cup of water every 2 weeks and during the hot summers I water once a week. When planted in bark it dried so quickly it was ridiculous. I thought I was doing something wrong but it just wasn’t ideal media for my climate. My orchids do so much better with either a mix or just puffy moss. I always thought I was doing something wrong and one day I’d see the consequences of my wrong doing but it’s nice to know I have nothing to worry about
Thank you, l feel more confident now about what l'm doing with my orchids. I had originally potted them in bark but felt unsure as to whether they were getting enough water so l repotted them in full moss as l don't have issues with algae and they appear to be doing better but l'm still learning so every day l wonder if what l'm doing is correct. I can breath a little easier now 😁
Danni, I have followed several of your medium experiments with our own plants - mainly Phals. However, what has worked for me for the past 6+ months is to wind the Premium Spag-moss loosely through and around the roots and suspend the plants over water, so that the trailing strands of long moss (LV that stuff!!) wick up moisture around the roots yet plenty of air is also present. We usually have bloom spikes put out in the Fall, after the cooler days & nights signal time to bring the plants back indoors for the Winter. This time they have not stopped 'spiking' and several at once, all Winter long! I'm not going back to bark or additional medium. I also have to say that I live a few miles from Hausemann's and do not like how they simply yet tightly pack more moss into the pots as their plants grow. When picking the sodden stuff out, you can see the original plug as well as 1 or 2 more pot-shaped, compressed balls of tight moss. It makes for a very airless condition around the roots and prone to either not saturating the root ball when watering or rotting it. One last point: I see no difference in 'potted' roots and aerial roots, as to their physical appearance or function. The aerials just seem to be roots that didn't head down into the growing medium before reaching the edge of their pots. I personally don't like the wild, unkempt look of aerials so I put all of the roots into the lightly wrapped areas below the root ball. It works for me, as the leaves are shiny and firm, plus all of those spikes!
Thank you for this! I moved regions in the US and due to the heat blasting all winter my orchids are suffering no matter how much I water them. You are so right, bark retains no moisture whatsoever. I have used the Repot Me Imperial blend with some moss mixed in and it worked beautifully for years. I was also shocked when my slipper orchid got algae. I keep the humidity between 50 and 60 in the room. I have also found that dunking the leaves overnight helped the most when the roots perked up but leaves refused to. I was very careful with the crown. Looks like I have some repotting to do 🪴
I love watching your channel I'm learning so much and hopefully will do well with my orchids as I'm still very new to taking care of them. Would you ever consider doing a video dedicated to taking care of orchids for people who sell them. From recognizing what media they are in, to proper watering for the types of media and pots they come in from the nursery, to how to prolong their life until they go home with someone, even tips and tricks for better aeration, preventing root rot, etc. Obviously in these situations they can't be repotted but there has to be things to help care for them until they can. I work in a place that sells some orchids and they aren't very well taken care of and I would love to know things that could help these orchids. Just a thought. Thanks.
I had to switch my orchids from semi-hydro with lecca to mostly moss or just moss set ups because apparently in the desert we have 0% humidity and it's still too airy for my orchid roots. The roots stopped growing and shriveled even in that set up. They absolutely love moss though and I still have to water 2x a week even with a humidifier constantly running. It's good though finally after a year my orchids with set back are starting to recover and the ones without set back are starting to take off. Thank goodness for moss in a desert
My masdervallia, brassia, oncidiums and some of my Dendrobiums also have a mostly spaghnum moss set up, with bark on the top, they are all doing so much better since doing that, however my phals still have a 50/50 set up of bark and moss and seem to be doing well, thanks for all of your tips, they have really helped
I know very little about orchids but love them. My phal and four of my baby plants I potted in full lecca four months ago since I was concerned about gnats. Despite weekly watering and daily misting they are dying off. The roots are brown and dry although new leaves are appearing but big bottom leaves turn yellow and fall off. I just repotted them in moist sphagnum moss loosely with a small layer of lecca on top as I didn't have any bark. Hopefully this will help them to stay more moist without soaking the roots. Your videos are a God send...so very helpful. Thanks!!
Thank you for sharing your videos. I got used to do a mix of 10 to 1 Water / Peroxide in all my Bonsai, Orchids and Bougainvilleas, it keeps all algae from growing regardless of the amount of light. I do live in South Florida, so basically Swamp Tropical Weather.
I think I will try the full sphagnum moss setup and bark on top. Winters here are in Canada are very dry, humidity is rarely over 30% in my apartment... Thanks for the tips!
You know, I'm in a similar situation and am seriously considering doing this too. I manage to keep my orchids growing and blooming but definitely wonder if they couldn't be doing even better, and with less fuss. I *know* I sometimes delay watering just because it's a nuisance; maybe this medium would make it less of a chore, and a more stable environment would be appreciated by my plants.
I'm tissue culturist. In some cases, we have trouble with bacteria and fungi. At this point we have to use biocide mixture called PPM (Plant Preservative Mixture). I reccomend against algea. 0,5-1ml per liter of water.
Thank you for the helpful videos. I was just given my first orchid, a Costco generic Phalaenopsis, and even though the visible roots look good, they're in compacted, very composted looking, very wet moss inside a plastic wrap with no ventilation. Figured I'd better get it repotted after finding out that orchid roots actually like to breathe... In the meanwhile, it'll just have to settle for the slits I cut in the plastic. I'm normally very bad with house plants, so here's hoping. Kind of like the frustration when someone surprised me with a gift rabbit I didn't expect (or want). The rabbit's still doing well, so maybe the orchid will, too. (Rabbits make horrible pets if you want something to pick up and hold, and don't want your house chewed down around you.) You've provided a crash course on orchid care!
Also check closely that the crown root is not wrapped in a sponge! I stopped buying phal orchids from WALMART bc their Orchids supplier used this. Costco possibly not, so that’s a good thing. If so remove this carefully, seem to notice many Phal orchid distributors sell them in this spongy core! Mass production and cheap I guess..? 🪴🪴
Did you try maybe adding in the water of your orchids with cyanobacteria some blue exit from easylife? The liquid product usually goes in aquarium but maybe it could help you reduce the alge with orchids? I used it when i had a massive attack of cyanobacteria in my aquarium, and it saved it without harming the plants..so maybe it could work...I love your videos, so informative, so beautiful, and i have quite a few orchids in good health thanks to your knowledge and your love for them. Thank you so much😊🤩🤩🤩
Hi, yep I was thinking to try out some aquarium algicids, just for experimenting. I don't know if I'd use it all the time, but worth an experiment one day 😊
I transplanted a Coryanthes Misaii I got 3 months ago into full spaghnum. Now this is a fast-growing orchid, but still - I have *5* new growths AND a flower spike.
This video is coming just in time to save my Howeara Lava Burst puanani! The pot is GREEN with algae and I had no idea that, and not overwatering, was the cause of my root problems!
Hi, my Lava Burst was miserable for 2 years, until I put it in full moss (you can see the roots on this video). Now it's super vigorous, she likes that stuff :)))
Hi Danny, I like the idea of a full moss set up, but how do you support your Orchids in moss if you keep it loose. My Orchids wiggle and sometimes lay on their side if they are potted in a loose moss mixture. I’m sure that I’m doing something wrong, but please advise. Thanks, Olimpia
Great video! Have you considered growing your own sphagnum? It is not really a sustainable practice to harvest from natural areas and they are very delicate environments. Live sphagnum will also provide an environment less prone to algae etc because the live moss will protect itself (to a certain extent) from pathogens. Have you tried growing in live moss???
I wish I had seen this sooner, would have allowed me time to save my last few orchids. Now most of them need orchid ICU unfortunately. Iv never really managed to get the hang of repotting with bark so I sort of shut down & stopped repotting! Now embarrassingly, all my orchids are suffering root rot in broken down potting medium! Maybe I can still save a couple if I work fast.
Hi Danny! It sounds like sphagnum moss will work in South Florida. My orchids are on a shady porch with full sun about 10’ away for about 9 hours a day, no direct sun though. It’s about 95 degrees and 95% humidity in the summer for about 8 months with cooler temperatures (60-70’s) in the winter and 50-60% humidity. The moss makes since and I think I will repot this summer using your moss and bark topper method. Also, I have several orchids that came tightly packed in sphagnum moss that I think I will remove most of it so they can breath and grow. Does all that sound reasonable? Thanks for your advice! I LOVE your videos!!!
I think I'll invest on a spray can that is dark color like black and spray the inside of the decorative pot black or other darker color that match the decorative pot and I think that might solve the problem?? that's a suggestion 😸😸
I am considering putting my orchids outside for the summer. However, I am afraid of an insect infestation. I live in Chicago area...north facing patio, so it is shady. There is a wall across the way, which reflects a nice amount of light. Any comments?
Girl thank you I just got orchid plant...should I just say. Because they are at the bad stage.. so I have to look it op so I can save the orchid that is slow dying... and hopefully it work I have some experience with flowers but it is the first time I have orchid
I wanted to transplant my orchids from moss into bark, but now I dont know what to do. I bought mini orchid in moss, it never had a single algae, but it was in a ceramic cache pot, then I repotted in a transparent pot without a cache pot and algae grew. I didnt it was bad for the roots.
Hi Dani, 2 years ago I moved back to Romania from Ireland. I found very easy to grow orchids there, I took them home with me and sadly I loose a few of them.Now as I have a new home and of course lots of empty window boards I've bought lots of orchids. I was always in love with my phalaenopsis orchids back to Ireland but here in Romania I find it difficult to grow them. I don't know what mixture to use. I keep loosing them either because they are too moist or too dry. I've used a mixture with little bit of everything (bark chips, coconut chips, perlite, Leca, seramis, Sphagnum moss, big bark chips) my pots has holes in them and I use masks. I'm a bit scared to try again another mixture, and what I find on market I feel is not good enough. I have lots of orchids which are still in their pots. If you can suggest a mixture of what you used when you were here in Romania I'll be very grateful. I mention that in the hose is around 23°C and 50% humidity. Thanks!
My only issue with moss (even in the 50 50 mixes) is it's kinda hard to arrange into the center of the root mass when you have very dense and numerous roots (some Phals, Maxillaria, Onc. Sharry Baby...). Bark is easier cause you can just shake it into place. Still getting the hang of that part.
Today I got 2 orchids 🌸 from Schwerter. Both cattleya's and not in blooming size. I noticed that they are both in moss. Should I keep them this way for a while or should I repot them? I really don't like the flimsy plastic 'pots' that they come in. Plus the top is also green. There are some new canes and roots developping...
Thank you im thinking of repotting my orchid but im so scared. This ia the only orchid i have not killed and ive tried many. I just dont want to loose this beautiful plant but it is out growing its pot
Spagnum moss, unfortunately, does not work for me. I live in Southwest Florida and grow my orchids outside. I tried it after I discovered your channel but I had to repot all of them: way too humid here and the roots were rotting😡. And a lot of algae too😩
I have been Nursing a couple of rescue orchids abd they were recovering well . One even had a flower spike. I had a biopsy and my husband had to look after the orchids fir a couple of days. They were in the ikea mini greenhouse. Normally I open the top During the day and close it at night. He forgot and has basically cooked the two orchids. The leaves are almost white and floppy. Is there anything I can do to save them
@@MissOrchidGirl if You use to much it can give some trouble, but i use mostly volcanic rocks and i just add like 1/4 cup or less of peatmoss to keep humidity. I'm from central América and this is what Best works for me, sphagbum gets dry to easy. I also use peatmoss to make My Phaleanopsis and Epidendrum Keikis grow roots and works peferctly, no fungi, no bacteria, no nothing and i don't Even desinfect the wounds on the plant. It si also good to make the seeds hatch, i tried with a Laelia rubenesens and now i have some baby orchids. (Again sorry for the bad English).
What about the Coconut 🥥 hay type of material. I have heard both good 👍😊 and then 😞 things about it for repotting Orchids into. Help me Out! I'm a new Orchid grower. I currently have 3 little Phaleonopsis Orchids. I would like to give them the best. They are quite happy 😁 and I water every 7-10 days and check them for any pest. So far so good 👍. Again they seem to be happy 😁 and they're all growing but anything you can just Help me with I would appreciate it. Sincerely Yours 🤠 Mr Severance, "The Cake 😋🍰🥫🎂🥳🎈🎉 Man", "World 🌎🌍 Cruiser"&"Succulent Collector"and "Teacup & Saucer Set's and Teapot 🫖 Collector" and "Orchid grower".
This looks great, but, between how fast you are talking and the words you are using, if you have been doing that for almost a decade, great for you. This is not a video for a beginner. I'm going to look further
