How I water Neofinetia falcata orchid in sphagnum moss

Since I received many concerned comments on the video in which I repotted the Neofinetia orchid in the Kokedama style of potting, due to the way I used sphagnum moss, here is a video in which I explain how I water this orchid.
To better understand how each of us needs to water an orchid potted this way, I find it very useful to know more about sphagnum moss. The most common things you will hear about moss is that it's water retentive and it kills roots. However, this doesn't happen if used correctly. Here is a video in which I explain more about how an orchid is more comfortable in sphagnum moss • How to use sphagnum mo...
This media is not only water retentive but absorbent. Whatever water it has it evenly distributes it throughout its mass, as shown in the little experiment in the video. If the bottom layer is wet, the upper layers will absorb that moisture and in the end the result will be an even distribution. This can be soggy wet or just moist, depends on the amount of water found in the bottom layer. This works the other way around as well.
For this reason, I just dunk the plant halfway in a tray of water for a few seconds, pull it out and that's it. The water in the pot will be evenly distributed. No need for ventilation holes since this pot is small and the moss is quite airy and fluffy. Putting all of these details together, along with the unique shape of the Kokedama which favors evaporation, you will get some great results and no rotten roots.
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[@andredumas9547]

Very interesting Danny, I just finished repotting the neofinetia that I received last week, I followed your recipe but added a layer of orchiata at the bottom and some charcoal. The base of the plant wrapped in sphagnum moss is about one inch above the rim of the pot. Thanks Danny.

[@growingthings6232]

Neos are often potted in sphagnum moss this way sometimes in more ornate pots but Danny your way is fine. I mounted a Sedirea Japonica potted this way and it loves it and grows very well. Neos can be grown like Vandas too in just a small basket . Whom ever gave you crap for potting it that way should keep their opinions to themselves.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Growing Things thanks Chris :) well no I don't mind really, it's just inspiration for more videos at the end of the day and that's always helpful :) as long as there are no swears and bashing, all is fine here I am NOT an overly sensitive person quite at all ;)

[@annehalkyard]

Dani, I'm repotting my neos here in North Carolina in the USA, and your explaination of watering moss really helped me. I understand better now the idea that you allow the moss to wick a small amount of water up so it's evenly moist and not dripping wet. Thanks again! Still watching old videos from Romania! Love you

[@orchidsadutchy4940]

Very well done and well explained. As with everything the Japanese design, it is aesthetically beautiful, but most of all it has a practical and functional reason. The raised top part is designed to evaporate the water faster. If the Kokedama potting with sphagnum didn't work, it would have even less chances of working in Japan, with the climate they have there. The key is knowing how to water it. Very good video. I hope after your explanation people will be less afraid of using sphagnum. :)

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Orchids & a Dutchy yes exactly, the evaporation is fantastic due to the raised top :D

[@seven6pro]

Loved your video. I am no orchid pro and instinctively water just like you! It works for me and I get blooms when my friends don’t. So I’m happy.

[@rachelsmith8488]

Your videos on taking care of Neofinetia have been super helpful to me. I do have a question about what to do if your on vacation, and your Neofinetia are at home. How do I take care of them when I’m gone???

[@emhartjes]

Thanks for showing us how to water sphagnum moss mounted orchids. I recently mounted some Masd. and Bulbos onto sphagnum moss balls and was wondering how to water them properly. What you have explained makes perfect sense since it's so logical.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Elona Hartjes I'm glad it helped :)

[@BennyBigIron]

Thanks for the advice! I just repotted some Japanese red maple saplings and I wanted to try sphagnum moss. Wasn’t sure how to water it at first but this helps a lot!

[@johnnysmartin64]

Im happy for you. I wish I could share pictures with you. so you could see how these roots are just going crazy. but really the moss allows a constant moisture in the air. so they don't dry out. and apparently that is one major thing is not to allow them to dry out are not allow the moss to dry out..

[@MissOrchidGirl]

johnnysmartin64 you can upload pictures on photobucket and send the link in a comment, or post them on orchidnature.com :)

[@lindagood3091]

Thank you so much for this very helpful information about orchids in sphagnum!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

+Linda Good glad to help :)

[@Susan-mo9mr]

Thank you for you knowledge and insight in caring for our plants.

[@helleasc]

You're so right, Danni. I water mine just as sparingly, just so the moss is moist and not soggy wet. But I still think, your Neo needs to dry faster than 3-4 days, mine dry in 1 or 2 days at the most, but maybe it's just me being overconcerned. I'll follow your videos with great interest to see, how it does. Especially in winter when it needs to rest. Preferably a Neo should rest at 5-10 C, but I have trouble providing that. I had them resting at 14-18 C. It made them flower quite a lot later than those of my Neo friends on Facebook, but they flowered all the same, luckily. I sprayed them very lightly in the resting period about twice a week, not more. And they were not watered at all from Halloween to Valentine. It's going to be very exciting to see, how your Neo will cope with everything. And as for the moss to those, who think, it's too much, I can only say this: it's NOT too much. The japanese Neo growers know, how to do it. And they have used the Kokodama for centuries. Happy growing!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Helle Ascanius Jørgensen yes the orchid will tell me if something is not to its liking :) in winter I think I will barely water at all though, not sure if I can provide less than 14-15 deg celsius though..

[@ingaberg1834]

+MissOrchidGirl Thank you! I like your explanations, very interesting and helpful. I'm a new orchids grower, and I'm a bit concerned about my Neo. At the end of October it had new growths started, but I forced it to the rest at 8-16 C, I spray it every morning, no deep watering. Do I do right?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

+Inga Berg hmmmm not sure spraying every morning is ok, depends how much you spray.. aim for drier rather than moist if it's cold. Spray maybe once a week or so? just keep an eye on it and see if it starts to look bad due to dehydration, it shouldn't but.. just to be safe :)

[@ingaberg1834]

+MissOrchidGirl Thank you! Will follow your advice.

[@athomenotavailable]

Many thanks for your example, I've been bewildered by the online articles that general say they water only once daily even during summer, keep their neofinetia with highly ventilated media and they orchids love it. But when i try the same and water in the morning, my orchid medium get bone dry by noon and my neofinetia dun seem to be doing well

[@ZaneLeroux]

I use the same methong woth my tolumnia, since it is in the same bot/basket, i put sphagnum moss in it, and place the bottom of the pot in water and the moss just sucks up the water anyways, your neofinitia potted kokedama style with this decorative pot look soo good i really like it :D

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Zane Leroux thanks Zane :D well I plan a better pot next year hehe :P

[@teetir1981]

Hi Dany!! Good idea,usually I pour water from top...will try this way..Thanks much!! :D

[@MissOrchidGirl]

teetir1981 pouring from the top is ok too, whatever works for you :)

[@carljacobitz6572]

I have always struggled with growing Neos in sphagnum moss - having roots suffocated or 'drowned' in the medium, resulting in rotten roots in the moss, but happy, healthy roots growing outside the moss. I don't know how the Japanese water them - I absolutely love the presentation of the mound mount method, but cannot seem to adapt it to my growing environment. For me, the moss always grows algae, turning a slimy green in the summer , and then becomes desiccated and crispy in the winter.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Carl Mayer well it is easier in some climates and harder to maintain in others. It will eventually grow algae and that is that, the drier you keep it the less algae. I think it might be a watering issue combined with environment. If you watch this kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGnPZYhnnpKfasU you will see that some roots die but it's ok :)

[@mangokim6782]

The same happens to me. I might try using the neofinetia bark mix from orchidweb. It might require more frequent watering than moss, but I've had the same problems and hopefully this fixes them.

[@Rinsuki]

I know about the Japanese method, but it doesn't work for me either. However, what worked for me was semi-water culture sort of. I basically let my plant in a glass container and only let soak for a couple of hours. Their roots are in air most other times. I soak more frequently in summer and maybe once a week in winter. I also have them on my plant shelf facing the window bay. They are putting out roots, leaves, and young ones. You might have to soak more frequently depending how dry your environment is. I also have some oncidiums, cattleyas, and my vanda is growing great even if I am in PA.

[@mirbuys777]

thank you Dani, exactly what I needed!

[@fabienneisore7831]

So how would you fertilize this orchid? Watering from the top only?

[@johnnysmartin64]

Danni. You are doing fine ..have you seen new root growth yet?mine are outside in the weather. when I got mine I watched as many videos as I could about them. but the most privileged that I was was to talk to someone straight from Japan that was familiar with them. and as I had commented before they are happy happy happy!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

johnnysmartin64 Great news :D yes there are some growth tips on this one :)

[@poodlepup1]

i have a lot of different orchids in NZ sphag moss....as they were drying out way to fast in perlite/ bark/ charcoal..... so hope i am doing the right thing by them..... how would you fertilise orchids in moss please... i use large plastic 30lt shallow long storage tubs... and mix the fertilier in the water in those and let stand for about 5mins..

[@alvinwhitley1490]

thanks for the info Danny your the best.

[@rathwulf]

Is the mound hollow? Doesnt look like it. :S

[@avryund]

I just got this orchid. Any other tips since this video?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, oh I have a million videos on neos ☺️ just type in the search bar 'missorchidgirl neofinetia' and take your pick at what video sounds more interesting ☺️

[@TiffanyLovering]

very educational! Thank you for the info!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Tiffany Lovering Thanks for watching :)

[@christinamurphy3441]

Dani is it okay to replant spagnamoss and bark together for my orchid.

[@miche7032]

Thank you for your input 😊

[@miche7032]

Thank you , I enjoyed this video . I recently bought two neos. I keep them outside & it rains a lot where I am in the summer . I was afraid of root rot , so from time to time I shelter them in a corner away from the elements . As they get bigger I was thinking of putting them in another type of media because sphagnum moss retains too much moisture , what is your take on that ?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Miche well if moss is not suitable for your environment you can always try with bark, as long as you can keep up with watering and ventilation all should be just fine. There is also the option of mounting this orchid on wood or cork :)

[@candida14972]

Hi dani can you do a video on coconut orchids maxillaria tenuifolia

[@MissOrchidGirl]

candida taylor Hi, well I only have one and until I figure out how to bloom it really I don't have anything interesting and educational to say about it :( but when I will bloom it I'll tell you everything :P

[@candida14972]

Hi thank you look forward to it :)

[@ethelbertduca8799]

hello danni , i just started my orchid collection and bought a vanda and a ryncostylis seedlings , and they have closed leaves because they spent a week and a half in the mail , how long should i keep them in water to hydrate them because im scared to kill them :/ thank you :)

[@MissOrchidGirl]

***** well the choice is yours, personally I don't find it necessary to soak them in water for days :)) I know some people do that.. depends on the media they are potted in as well. If they are seedlings they might be in sphagnum, all it takes is to keep the media properly watered, as per the species requirements. If it's in bark, I would soak them about 10 minutes when I water them, when the media is dry.

[@ethelbertduca8799]

thank you :)

[@missSamHill]

Thank you for this information

[@MissOrchidGirl]

+Giggi Og you are welcome :)

[@wetgardens7887]

that was really helpful...

[@loveplant7288]

thanks for great information..

[@MissOrchidGirl]

love plant glad it was useful :)

[@Rosemary457]

Love it, Very sicentific LOL, , I want to ask you a question about H/peroxide , You always say 3%, But her in the UK I can only find 6%, will this be safe to use on my orchids, I know I would have to greatly reduce how much to use, so it will be trial and error, What do you think, Or should I not use it, Thanks Rosemary :-)

[@teetir1981]

Hi Rosemary, I too get 6% of Hydrogen Peroxide in my place.... It's easier no big deal,just you need to dilute it with same amount of water to get 3% solution. Example,take 10 ml of 6% soln mix 10ml of distilled water( or just any water lol) you'll get 20 ml of 3% soln..easy isn't it!! :) Happy Orchiding!! Love, Puja

[@Rosemary457]

teetir1981 Thank you, I was a bit stuck, I'm still learning, lol I did wonder if it would be something simple, Thanks for the answer Puja, I love it when it's easy, hee hee hee . Love Rosemary

[@stefbrownonpointe]

Rosemary457 Hi Rosemary - in addition to diluting the 6% with water, I've found 3% at Sainsbury's chemists (in the bigger Sainsbury's) and also at Boots.

[@Rosemary457]

stefbrownonpointe Thanks hun, My son went to Boots in Basildon on Sunday and they only had the 6%, So he got me that, Basildon hopeless for most things, LOL He tried Asda and the Co-op chemist but they didn't have it either, I'll ask him to have look in Sainsbury's the next time he's near one, Or perhaps a different Boots, You can't get anything here mesh pots, bark, nothing, Oh well there's always ebay LOL :-)

[@Rosemary457]

Milan Lysak Thank's I'll have a look on ebay :-)

[@eddie-bp9xh]

i started keeping orchids and your video really helps! :) just wondering, where do you buy your orchids? XD

[@MissOrchidGirl]

+Yi Xuan I'm glad my videos help :) well anywhere from grocery shops, to garden centers and online orchid stores.

[@Aasiat82]

thanks very helpfull

[@MissOrchidGirl]

+paneeraq joelsen My pleasure :)

[@leeshaolon4920]

流石です

[@eddie-bp9xh]

ok thanks ;)

[@sweetleaff4]

F*** yeah science