best potting media for onc. alliance intergenics

[remo]

Hi, Guys...
I'm wondering if there is a best potting media for onc. alliance intergenics.
When I've potted them up I put them into bark and it seems that they want a lot more than that. Thanks in advance.
Remo

[kiwiorchids]

hey remo, here in new zealand, sphag does the trick. If you arent comfortable woith straight sphag moss, even though it seems the onc. do, its fine to do a 40/60% mix, with more sphag then bark. i think they enjoy constant moisture around their roots, as the roots dry or rot in bark here.

[remo]

thanks, Jordan

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Remo, it all depends on your watering schedule really. We water twice a week in the hot months and once a week in the cooler months. Almost everything we grow - grows in a bark mixture. We use several different sizes depending on what the plant needs. Plants with p-bulbs hold more water, so they get a more open mix. Plants that do not hold as much water naturally, get a smaller, tighter mix so that they do not dry out quite as fast. We keep constant air movement on the plants, so we must maintain the watering schedule to avoid plants drying out too much.

Cheers,
BD

[Ron-NY]

I have found that many Oncs want to climb out of their pots, so, I have have given some the opportunity and have mounted them, growing them on treefern plaques. previously they were in a bark mix

[Ania]

The only way I can grow them is in S/H.

[remo]

Thank you all so much for your replies. When I have acquired them they all seem to be potted in a kind of mix of small bark, peat, moss, who knows what! And I've heard that the larger, fatter the root structure (phals, catts, etc) the looser the mix. The intergenics I have all seem to be potted in a very tight mix and they seem to have fine roots. I don't see the mix breaking down so much as I see them just becoming completely root bound.
Do you think it would be ok to simply pot them up one size with a fine mix?
Remo

[cindiras]

Sounds good, Remo. Match the potting mix to the size of the roots, fine roots, fine mix, larger roots, larger chunks in the mix. Even with S/H, I use smallet pea size pellots for the oncidium alliance and the larger marble size pellots for catts and phals.

[remo]

Thanks, Cindi, I figure is the grower has it in a small, laomy mix ti is for a reason, n'est pas?
Remo

[cindiras]

Indeed! The oncidiums that I have, seem to grow out of their pots within 6 months. Lots of fine roots in the air above the potting mix as they grow up (literally- UP!)