Hey y'all!

What do those of you with seedlings use to repot into S/H?
I have four that are struggling to stay wet (still) and they were in sphag or a mix of sphag and chc mix but three of the four looked like crap and unpotting them showed very poor roots. To make the situation worse, the sphag was a serious breeding ground for fungus gnats. So, I put them in S/H.

I used fine Prime Agra. I thought they seemed a little wobbly, but maybe not. The pots seem so big though - the 3.5" from Ray's is what I am using.

Any insight would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Oh, Tadd? Your stonei has one new root - the other three were broken and well, now it's a one root wonder. Hope this works!

Here's a pic.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/IMG_0005.jpg

Still very much in the experimental stage myself Heather. I've just moved a fair few of mine to S/H and am using two products, one which I found locally only recently. Keeping moisture up to the plants is also an issue for me and I've been considering Rock Wool as a top dressing.

Right now though most, not all, of my S/H plants are in a small plastic covered shelving unit which is acting as a humidicrib :) The top layer of those pots is still moist to look at and touch. The ones on the outside dry out reasonably quickly - which is why I'm looking further.

Although Summer here is reasonably hot and humid - it may not be an issue then.

Cheers
Stephan

Trash it.... :) I will find a new one for ya, and you can toss it out...

Nope, Stephan they're all Paphs. Though I have maybe 7-10 phrags I've started in S/H. I hear Paphs surprisingly make the adjustment better. But with few roots to start, and gnats snarling at me....


Tadd!! Nope! not trashing honey! It is only number five or six on the stoneis, I can afford to keep it around a bit, and heck, it has a lovely new root!

I just bought another this week!
If anyone knows of a source for blooming size platyphyllums, PLEASE let me know!!

I don't have any insight or advice, but I'm getting ready to get some PrimeAgra from Ray's. I moved all of the dendrobiums (I think I have 13) I've acquired over the summer (mostly from HD & Trader Joe's, but a couple from where I work) to 'clay potting pebbles', which my garden center/place of employment no longer carries. They're out on the picnic table, watered every few days, & they have tons of root growth-new, healthy, green -one even has a keiki (is that right?) further up-I have them in tall, clay rose pots & they seem to be thriving-so I'm wondering which of the other plants would benefit from a switch from a bark mix or sphag to s/h? I'm going to see if Holly, Woods, & Vines (my job) will reorder the clay potting pebbles, which are roughly spherical, but I don't think they sold well for them(except for me!) so I may just get the media from Ray. I alway worry about the phals I have in sphag, I get most of them from Al's & they are so healthy when I get them, but they seem to go downhill (especially seedlings) for me. Currently, I have moved alot of my orchids to a mix of 50% CHC, 25% charcoal, 20% perlite & 5% stone chips -I still worry about this, as I have a tendency to overwater...

Forgot to add, I have a couple of phrags in lava rock, & they are thriving! These are the Sorcerers Apprentice hybrids I got from Oak Hill (which were large & healthy when I received them), plopped into lava rock, in tall clear plastic containers (w/ a ring of drainage holes punched about 1.5" above the base), watered 1-3/times per week & they are humungous!

I think I remember Ray saying something about 3 paph seedlings per 3.5" pot.

I also noticed that although it looks dry on the surface, the fine PA is usually damp just below. You can sorta tell by seeing where the PA stops leaving damp marks on the side of the pot from being wet.

ouch, Marcus, really?
They look happy enough but I did just repot them. :lol:

Well actually, I think that 3 seedlings per pot was for a compot when deflasking. And yours look quite a bit bigger... Should be fine. Stop fussing :D

Heather,

Orchid Web (Orchids Limited) had B/S platyphyllums ranging in price from $35 - $75. The photo is georgous. :WOW: If you can't find it using a google search, let me know & will send you the link. (It is rather long)

Heee Heee Heee, I think I'm going to exercise my credit card again. :evil: :evil:

I am just starting to experiment with s/h, but I have found that straight diatomite (Dyna Rock 2) stays pretty wet. I have all my phrag seedlings and one of my blooming size Sorcerers in a fine grade of it. They seem to like it so far. I keep them in a saucer of standing water. The water gets sucked up in about 3 days and then I water again. I have not tried s/h for paphs yet, but if you want something wetter than leca, try the diatomite. It could be too wet though. I was afraid to put anything but a phrag in it. You could always use some diatomite with your bark mixture to make it wetter.

I second the annoying fungus gnats! I have a venus flytrap and a nepethes that are getting fat off those flies! I have my other Sorcerer in a bark/sphag mixture that sits in a saucer of water. It stays wet but grows a layer of fuzzy fungus on top and those gnats ICK!!!! :cheeky: I spray the top with physan a couple of times a week to keep the fungus down.

Oh greaaattt....thanks Susan, all I needed was an excuse! :roll: There's a fischeri I've been avoiding for a couple weeks over there too.

And I just did an order from Sherwood also. I'm sick I tell you, sick sick sick!

OOOhhhhh, Sherwood. Another place for me to check out! :twisted: What did you order???

OOOhhhhh, Sherwood. Another place for me to check out! :twisted: What did you order???

Oh great! Payback is a bitch! :poke:
I got yet another blooming size stonei, yet another yellow besseae, and oh, yet another Jason Fischer - besseae 'Noyo' x Mem. Dick Clements. Peggy said they had a lot of the last on hand, in case anyone is interested.

I've been on an evil purchasing haitus since the end of August but no longer! Hahahaha!!! :twisted:

I've been on an evil purchasing haitus since the end of August but no longer! Hahahaha!!! :twisted:

Yeah....right. :poke: :lol:

No! I really have! Except one really nice roth, but even that took a bit of working.

Amazing what identity theft will do for your slipper buying habits! :roll:
Let me just say, Rob's Rules DON'T WORK in that instance.

I used two credit cards today - so far, no weird phone calls. Oh. My phone is ringing! :shock:

I shouldn't have mentioned it! It was Jerry Fischer! He was very nice.
Stupid new cards, figures....another hassle for tomorrow.

Anyway....platys in the 3.5" pots are around 10". :D

Sorry I'm jumping in so late!

Paphs are pretty forgiving, but if they are tiny, I've even resorted to making S/H pots out of the 4-oz bathroom cups.

Oh, Tadd? Your stonei has one new root - the other three were broken and well, now it's a one root wonder. Hope this works!

Ha! Speaking of your scrappy little stonei, Tadd, when watering, he sort of jumped out of the pot - now he's a two root wonder! :joy:

Here's a pic from when I potted this just a week ago tomorrow:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/scrap.jpg

That root that had just started is now about a half inch long, and another new one is starting!

TOSS it!!!!! :evil: It was bad when I got it! Good luck! I would have thrown it out but I sent it to Saint McDonald Hosptial.

NO! It's growing it's growing!!! :D

Good luck! You have the patience of a saint.... I am too impulsive.... Toss it!