What about peat moss, it's finer than those other mixes and it drys out quickly.
Peat moss has no nutrition. It can be a component of the mix, but not the primary material. Perlite is added to the mixes I have seen to facilitate drainage. But only humous or osmocote (sp?) a fine moss has material that will feed, decayed leaves, (leaf mold) that they grow on in the wild are parts of a terrestrial mix that will work with these. Peat moss will hold moisture, not something I am sure they need since they must drain rapidly, too. Sphagnum, another possibility to add to the mix in lieu of peat moss I have seen in the forums some claim is the best way to kill them off (holds too much moisture around the seedlings for too long).
I sure need a good terrestrial mix for the seedlings.
Try
view link . They are located in Miami. Look at the special fern mix as opposed to their terrestrial or seedling mix. They have various other media besides the mixes but you have to buy the quantities offered of each individual media and it wouldn't be cost effective. There is another place in Apopka (the name eludes me and I am still in Maine.) If I don't get back to you, check listings for orchid supplies in Apopka on Google. If you still can't find what you need send me a PM and I'll try to think of someone who can mix a small batch to your specs at a reasonable price and send it to you.
(It's been very cool and rainy here. I'm not gonna complain because it's been way too hot in Florida. Went to the beach today and wore jeans and a sweater!)
Thanks, nana. It's a great resource with so many supplies I have been looking for but never found until now -- and all in one place, too.
Yesterday I finally found a source for humus -- about 2 hours away near Tampa -- by the yard @ $25/yd and a wide range of organic growing supplies, too. They have bagged quantities, too. The pre mixes sound like a good idea, so in the next few weeks I will have some time to research and see which is closest to their natural growing medium. Everything I have read says it grows on leaf mold, humus and fast draining medium. In my search for the proper medium I am learning a lot -- including how to spell humus right. LOL! I never knew charcoal was that expensive, though. A burning barrel is beginning to have appeal.
So far I haven't killed off the seedlings and all but a couple are still completely green and looking ok. The largest ones are the ones who didn't take the shock that well, but the rest appear to be doing ok in their improvised incubators of medium and zip lock bags. I took your suggestion and potted those of similar size together, separating the batch into four pots, using the split-a-pot-in-half, laying a few on the medium, then more medium, more seedlings then taping the split halves together and placing the split pot into another one. The split pots I compressed which left room in the larger pot for moistened sphagnum for additional humidity -- then I placed the contraptions in zip lock bags. Since opinions varied on whether to keep totally air tight or punch a few holes I hit a medium by keeping the bags closed and opening every other day or two to take a close peek at them, then zipping the bags closed again. It will be a learning experience to say the least. A small one I ordered from Hawaii arrived the other day and after feeding, I placed it outside in the humid high 80's and 90's we've been getting. It is on a shaded porch with a few cats and a vanda, getting filtered morning light and shade in the afternoon heat. The flask contained 40, so we'll see how many I can keep alive.
Without your encouragement and valuable, I would have never attempted this seedling project. Incubating this endangered, relatively rare species I feel is such a responsibility that I dare not screw up!
Charcoal mix can be gotten in the pet stores. Check that out, it goes in fish aquariums but is the same stuff. Briquettes charcoal that you burn needs to be burned and have no lighter fluid or chemicals to make it burn.can be used in the orchid mix with other things, perlite, bark etc.
I have killed the 2 orchids I brought back from Hawaii, they did not make it, still cold her and guess that the right temps and fert mixes were not right for them.
Thanks for the tip about where I can get hardwood charcoal. I never thought of the pet stores. I have used briquettes in my large cattleyas and big cymbidium pots, but of course, they are way too large for seedlings and have a tendency to go to powder when they're smashed.
Perlite is recommended as well as humus, leaf mold which I finally ran down. A couple of pet stores are nearby, too, also one specializing in salt water fish and acquariums.
So sorry about your orchids from Hawaii. What varieties were they?
If you wish, check out the link I posted for orchid varieties culture sheets. They give not only the countries where grown, but temperature and moisture ranges for each country -- and of course, the medium they grow in. Very, very detailed and I found most economical. If you send in $10, you can get 22 sheets.
