Mini Phalaenopsis with two keikis

[Orquiadicto]

Look at this cute little thing. It has two basal keikis. I changed her from sphagnum to bark, leca and lava rock medium. I always kill plants in sphagnum.

[catttan]

Very lovely mini phals. I too have killed quite a few that were left in the original sphagnum.. I now mount my phals and they seem to like it.

[Orquiadicto]

If it surviveswinter, I'll mount her in spring as well. I've got quite a few mounted, but it's a bit difficult when watering. I've brought them inside now. It's starting to get a bit chilly at night.

[zainal abidin]

So nice mini Phal wish it will with you I like it.

[MeDeL]

Very lovely mini phals. I too have killed quite a few that were left in the original sphagnum.. I now mount my phals and they seem to like it.

Sphagnum is only popular to temperate and cool countries. It isn't tropical and it rots if stays damp in warm environment for long. It is not ideal to be used as potting medium in tropical outdoors unless you will plant your Phals inside a home or nursery with cool air-conditioned room. I only use a few of it when mounting a Phal but not as a full or half potting medium; still I prefer black or green moss than sphagnum. Imagine in tropical Malaysia as well as here in the Philippines, we usually water our Phals daily or thrice a week, so sphagnum which hold much water is critical to our Phals. Mounting a Phal is ideal in a warm and humid tropical environment because the roots are well aerated and healthy. But mounting requires me to water everyday so I prefer potting the Phals in hanging nylon/fish net baskets with coco husks and charcoal as medium. I use clay pots before but I think fish net baskets will aearate the roots well than closed pots. A good ventilation for Phal roots is a factor in watering plus warm climate to prevent them from fungal infection. Unlike sphagnum, coco husks doesn't rot that fast and holds less water so I can water the Phals at least twice or thrice a week. My grandmother use unwashed or unrinsed coco husks and I saw no harmful effects with her orchids and ferns. But to be sure, I still split the coco husk in thin strips, soak and rinse them thrice before using them as potting medium to my Phals. I saw no difference with washed and unwashed coco husks. I just waste my time and energy in rinsing the unseen "salts".

[maggs]

Cattan I have some phals that I have mounted because of root rot and the plants have taken on a really great look, just have to make sure that they have gotten enough water when the sun is a little too much, so I soak them in a barrel of rain water for about fifteen minutes so that the piece of wood it is on will get soaked and I do not bother after that, just a weekly fertilizer not too strong either

[Orquiadicto]

The ones I've mounted get a daily misting when hot and at least two or three times a week they get soaked. Now that temperatures are not that high anymore, I've taken them in and I'm giving them a "shower" 3 or 4 times a week. They hang about 1 meter from an east-south-east facing window, so they get a lot of light the whole morning, but no direct sunlight. I keep fertilizing them once a week. It's their first winter with me, so I don't know if I'll be successful.
The ones I've mounted are Phalaenopsis (3 hybrids and 1 species ellina, I think]), Maxillaria tenuifolia, Oncidium Twinkle 'Fragrance Fantasy (in bud right now), a back bulb from an Oncidium Jiuhbao Gold 'Tainan' that's started a new growth, a back bulb from a Colamanara Massai Red also with a very little new growth. I think that's all, but perhaps I forgot one (I'm at work right now, so I can't go and have a look).

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Wow, how lovely. I love the tiny blooms on this compact phalaenopsis orchid!

cheers,
BD

[Orquiadicto]

Thank you Bruce.

[MattWoelfsen]

Lovely Phal. I have this plant too. I bought it in sphagnum moss, after a month, I decided to re-pot in bark mix. After a month, I re-potted back in sphagnum moss. The plant lost many green and healthy roots. Three months later, since back in sphagnum moss, the plant has grown back more roots, and two leaves. Lesson learned: if it came in moss, it should stay in moss! I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USofA. I have Phals. in bark and in sphagnum moss.