Controlling moisture in Orchid pots with sphagnum moss

Today we go back a little to yesterday's video, but this time we are addressing sphagnum moss mostly!
▼▼▼More info below!▼▼▼
Sphagnum moss is a pretty versatile growing media for orchids, but it does take some trial and error before fully understanding it.
The major difference between moss and other popular media is its capacity to store and whick water. Moss will never have layering issues, not anything damaging anyway. Watering moss can be done with a predefined quantity of water, rather than soaking it or running a big quantity of water through the pot.
Here are more ways to improve orchid media • Customizing Orchid med...
Here is how I watered my Neofinetia in moss • How I water Neofinetia...
Fertilizing and how to do this properly for each orchid is where experience will take a toll. Moss will deliver water and fertilizer continuously, so the quantity of fertilizer should be adjusted.
Seramis moisture indicators bit.ly/2EtuuXQ
#MissOrchidGirl #Orchids
Music:
Ikson - Up Here
/ ikson
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Orchid Nature
P.O. BOX 29002, CY-1620, Nicosia, Cyprus
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✿ My environment:
Subtropical climate, hot summers and mild winters
60-90% humidity, always breezy
Growth space is kept at min 17C and max 29C
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✿ What I use in my Grow Room:
Media:
LECA - Pokon or IKEA
Bark mix NoName + Coconut coir IKEA
Sphagnum Moss - Spagmoss from Besgrow bit.ly/2LSZjEx
Fertilizer and suppliments:
MSU Orchid fertilizer for osmosis / rain water bit.ly/2LS2bSg
Orchid Focus Bloom (when I need something low in N)
Pots, containers, baskets:
DIY self watering pots and masks from local flower shops
Lechuza self watering pots amzn.to/2wIUWq2
Decorative Tolumnia pots bit.ly/2NbOfY4 (affiliate link)
Wooden Vanda baskets bit.ly/2NfIlWI
Lighting:
LED shop pannels from Leroy Merlin, 4000k
Tertial lamps from IKEA
Orvibo WiFi Smart Plugs amzn.to/2MLSR7T
Shelf units:
Shirley's Simple Shelving bit.ly/2qAcS1r
Lerberg and Mulig from IKEA
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✿ See my video playlists!
/ missorchidgirl

[@dream.fiiend]

I'm a moss lover as well, you just need to know it's properties to manipulate it. I think that the whole purpose of using moss is to make a humidity chamber/zone underneath the root ball for the roots to go bananas. They are truly tropical plants after all. Water. The amount of water is critical, like you said, but the sciencey bit is because it takes so much light/infrared radiation to excite those liquid water molecules in to gaseous water molecules. That was my Ted talk, thank you. 🥱🧠💪🏽❤

[@natashabanks13]

I resisted sphagnum for so long, but now it's my favorite media! I have my orchids in terracotta pots, with extra holes drilled in the sides for aeration and 100% sphagnum

[@rowand2263]

Hi Danny. Very timely vid. It's time to repot my neofinitia falcata. It is in spaghnum but it's time to change my set up for it a little bit. It's in a self watering pot with a constantly full resevoir. It's been a year anyway but it's constant wet. So I'm still going to use sphagnum and self watering pot just not a full reservoir. Thank you. You may have just saved my neofinitia! Thank you, Rowan

[@BradMondel]

My secret for orchids is to use half leca and half moss. I put leca at the bottom to wick excess moisture from the moss. The clay balls absorb moisture stronger than the moss. That is why leca at the bottom is ok.

[@orchidgarden3124]

I do the same. I also throw some charcoal in the mix.

[@alienrobotcommando]

Insider tip: the stuff that makes the blue color in the stick, sometimes it takes it a few uses to get "broken in". If it doesn't change over a couple of uses, then yeah, maybe it just won't go full blue.

[@oishd6077]

I loved this video. 😊

[@Justusorjustone]

I love love looove moss...

[@bradmiller9584]

I used to HATE sphagnum moss too, but more recently, have been finding myself using it in combinations or alone more and more- especially with oncidiums. Good info here!

[@southpark4151]

Me too. While some growers do use 100% spaghnum, I prefer to use a mix. A slip-up with watering with 100% spaghnum and waterlogging will just end up with the yellowing result - and the need to pull the plant out to avoid point-of-no-return drowning. It's a matter of grower preferences obviously. As long as the system is kept under control, then ok.

[@paprikagirl5496]

Thank you!!!!!

[@Energy15Real.2uning1n]

Wish I had known this sooner. I had a young Miltonia in moss and found it's bulb rotted. What a sad day. I know better now.

[@narak2share]

I potted my phals with Spagnhum moss very very loose in clear plastic pots which has so many holes for ventilation and drainage. As a result, the is dry within 2 days. I feel it’s good for my orchids.

[@Monika-hs2ob]

Hi! Please excuse the long comment in advance - just want to give you all the infos :) You did mention the rather cool enviroment isue with spagmoss - it sadly applies 100% on my setup. I live in the north of Germany and have a few rootless orchids to care about. Almost all of them have already formed little new roots in the hydroponic system but stopped growing as soon as they reached the harsh surface of the pebbles. I recently watched one of your videos where you explained, that fresh roots mostly can't manage the harsh conditions yet. So a switch to a snug moss enviroment would help the roots to develop better and more easy - makes sence to me! So I prepared a fluffy (not compacted I swear) and rather moist than wet moss bed (I use the same moss as you) and placed the orchids on top. Now some of the orchids created a very light layer of fluffy whitish stuff on the rhyzomes - I assume its mold or something simmilar. At least it would make sence because we didn't reached the temperatures where the required optimal evaporation process begins yet. So I thought that I could grab my botle of hydro. peroxide (3 %) and spray the effected areas every now and then till we either reach the optimal temperatures or the roots are big enough so I can transplant them in the pebble setup. What do you think about this?

[@laurieklem7051]

Honestly I thought those sticks were hugely overpriced for what it is , Thank you for the moss primer - it's helpful - I have some now and I agree it's really helpful for some that are sensitive to rough rocks of Leca )

[@Twigarati]

I also grow in seramis ... clean it etc.. yes it’s a pain in the derrière but I do see results for my ‘little ones’ ... when I read up about the moisture sticks I was put off, because... that is just a marketing / sales ploy without any reason / substance like a water gage would have... am glad that you did not invest in these sticks and kinda happy that, based on your experiment (for which I thank you) ... my intuition proved correct ... IMO .. eyes and weight of pot are a better gage than the sticks ☺️

[@bobirceaveronica]

This video comes right on time for me too ! I just bought sphagnum moss in an attempt to save my poor tolumnia babies and 3 oncidiums that I don't know exactly what they are, but they are all doing terrible in leca ! :( Some months ago I was bragging about how good tolumnias were in leca... :( they are doing terrible, they lost all they roots and they are soooo dehidrated ! I jumped with conclusion that they love leca... They hated and I've noticed very late ! I hope at least one or two will make roots in sphagnum moss. Poor of them, they are almost dead because of me, and they were so beautiful and healthy when I bought them one year and half ago ! Also I recently purchased an Ionocidium Popcorn Haruri from Orchids Deluxe, it looks very good and healthy, but I'll be damn if I know how to look after this one ! I bought it because when I looked for some information about it someone wrote that is similar to Phalenopsis in care... but, surprise, when I've received it I saw that is potted in some kind of dark soil, that doesn't look like bark and also has a top layer of sphagnum moss ! What should I do ?! Should I pot this one in sphagnum, leca or soil ? It appears to have some root burn on the arial roots, I don't know the situation of the roots inside the pot. I don't dare yet to repot it. What should I do, Dani ? I don't find good and sufficient information about this orchid and I would be so dissapointed to lose it ! Can you help me ? Do you know anything about this kind of orchid ?

[@TY-ob7fz]

Hi Danny. Thanks for this video. Guess my learning curve is quite steep and always had problems with moss and having a tendency to let it dry up too much and too often. Also with inexperience don’t know which brand to use as different brands have different properties and the brand coming from Florida become limp only after six or eight months looking pretty sad. Your analysis is always on point and like a good science teacher make learning fun. Will stock up on bestgro New Zealand moss and am offering my bettergro orchid moss for one of your give aways in the future if you like.

[@antonstroms407]

Question: could anyone lead me to the video on what went wrong with seramis? It seems ideal for my climate and I'm interested in what ways it didn't work out for Danni. Thanks!

[@GodfreyCua]

I’m using sphagnum moss exclusively to grow roots for my recently re-potted phals because of root rot. Hopefully, it will work. 🤞🏻 Anyways, i also bought that seramis moisture indicator and had that initial problem, then i found out that at the back of the stick, just below the head, are holes. Flushed some water in it and ‘voila!’ Completely blue! Therefore, on the head of the stick should be sticking out. There are two sizes actually. Luckily, i bought the little ones.

[@tannerburroughs1207]

Hi Dany! I’m experimenting with a mixture of moss and vermiculite for my vanilla. She did not enjoy chunky bark to much. What would you recommend?

[@ImprovCrafting]

Have you ever used moss with a mount, wicking from a reservoir? ...Very useful information; I'm learning a lot from your videos.

[@juliabrownwell1088]

I can not find a neo. orchid anywhere...will you ask your viewers in the U.S.. where they find theres? Thanks so very much. Love your tiny ones.

[@j.d.8075]

Can you get live Sphagnum Moss there?

[@pawsitiveleader8710]

can you use wick or resivour with new zealand moss. will it wick up or stay soggy at the bottom?

[@matthewcooper26]

How do you recommend caring for a phal that is growing bloom spikes? I have two small phals growing spikes and a large one with 2 spikes! I decreased watering to once every 10-14 days and stopped adding fertilizer to the water (I normally water once a week and fertilize 1-2x a month). I appreciate any advice you can give me, I have learned so much from your channel!

[@orchidgarden3124]

You don't need to change your routine during blooming at all.

[@ninapickles9]

I believe the plant actually benefits more of the fertilizer when it's growing, not when it's just in full bloom.

[@mitch201211]

Hi lovely can I ask if I can use coco husk an bark an moss in layer s on my seedlings an my Cambria orchid

[@ntanyadji]

How about rock wool? I'm thinking of using it and i think they're equally water retentive like moss. Any inputs? Thanks

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, the experiment is still in progress :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/poeYdoKglrV-Y5o

[@56chrsbri]

Miss "O" girl. There doesn't seem to be much ventilation for the roots in these pots ?

[@neonx9184]

Hi, i think its late for a comment here but, i'm new orchid grower, in particular i love phalenopsis orchid and i bought 5 phal at the supermarket, some of those plants have a bad root system so i started to watch all your videos, and i love your hints, i'm 19 years old and italian, so you now have an italian follower, i want to ask if you can reply on a comment to help people in difficulty with theyr orchid. Thanks in Advance.

[@maycasiguran7645]

Can I place the LECA at the bottom and spagnum moss at the top.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, you can do whatever mix you'd like ☺️

[@macizoc9496]

OVER 9000?!!!!

[@MrHamcake]

Not much overlap in these two hobbies I guess!

[@vivimannequin]

DragonBall reference

[@Misschitlee]

Hey, my dendrobium phalenopsis leaves are becoming yellow and dying away soon ..loosing almost 1 leaf a day ...its fairly new and the media look okay so I kept it as it was. The root system and psydobulbs looks okay ,however as it is completely mounted on a wood piece,i am unable to remove it.. What can I do about it.. The yellow leaves looks limply and a very little amount of soggy.. I really want to see it flower once before it dies... What can I do to save it?? Please reply

[@Misschitlee]

P. S I tried removing the bark media, however even after I wet it, it is not coming off..it had been growing it in a bark and charcoal media . The new bulb looks okay without any leaf loss however all the other bulbs are almost bare

[@naomimade]

Hi Danny! I tried to join your group but my membership fee was refunded..?

[@Twigarati]

7:52 ... did you mean to say ‘bottom layer with styrofoam’ as opposed to moss? As per Motes... ‘contrary to public opinion, placing something at the bottom of the pot for “drainage” works, but not from the drainage aspect (as many growers explain) but is actually because it reduces the depth of the pot’ ... (?) I grow in SH / self watering / lava rock / moss ... but I just had the YES 💪🏼 moment when I watched a Motes class and he mentioned the ‘reason’ why packing base of pot as opposed to what was ‘out there’ for reasons of drainage. Not having a ‘go’... just making sure I understand correctly 🙃

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, I said pretty much the same thing ;) just that I did not want to reduce the size of the pot, so I advised using full moss with no bottom layer.

[@Twigarati]

MissOrchidGirl my apologies for not getting it then! 😬... thank you so much for replying ... I struggle with commenting on your videos because your are so thorough but my head gets ahead of itself ... as in this case ... 😬... sorry 🙃

[@emilydewsnap]

You could say moss is a.... mosswesome medium 😜

[@sherryporsch9349]

It’s all so confusing.

[@KAMJKJ]

1st 😎🤭🎅😁

[@TY-ob7fz]

I'm nineteenth