Phalaenopsis - Should I remove the Moss?

[shakkai]

Originally Posted by weng

So what's wrong with wet moss?

I think its not enough air. It is the lack of air at the roots that causes them to die off, not the moisture. If the moss is nice and open, allowing air around the roots, the Phals seem to love it. You can grow a good size Phal in a pot with only a couple of strands of moss...

[nancy]

Hi Weng -
"What's wrong with wet moss?" People w/greenhouses seem to be able to maintain some plants in it here. Sphagnum, in my climate, maintains an acid pH for a year or less, then when it begins to compost, the pH shoots up to 8+; lethal for pretty much any orchid we can grow. Our water, rain or city, also has a pH near 8, so this does not help.
Regards - Nancy

[Dorothy]

I think Ray put it most eloquently in another post - here is his response to wet medium -
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"The important aspect to consider is what effect the water retention of the medium chokes off air flow to the roots. If it's fresh, fluffy, high-quality sphagnum, it is hard to overwater it to that point. Older, poorer quality stuff compresses really well, as does old, decomposing non-sphagnum medium.

Consider that water exists in the medium in two forms (or places)- that absorbed by the medium (and not contributing to root suffocation), and that held by surface tension between the particles. That is known as "bridging water" as it bridges and closes the airflow pathways through the medium, leading to suffocation, death, and rot.

When you let a medium dry between waterings, you're not - as we have all been brainwashed into thinking - doing that because the plant wants to be dry, you're doing it to let that bridging water evaporate or get absorbed, so you stop suffocating the plants' roots! (Hence the reason for a good, open medium .)"
__________________
Ray Barkalow
First Rays Orchids
Welcome to First Rays Orchids
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[Gwenchanter]

Perhaps thats the attraction of semi-hydroponic? it seems like unglazed ceramic would not harbor "bridging water" as much?

[Merlyn]

I too started my obsession at Home Depot and learned some hard lessons there. Got one mini, multi floral Phal, was AM/AOS awarded. Once I realized its remaining buds were not opening I unpotted to find out that it was packed so tightly in sphag because there were NO roots to hold it up !! Anyhow, there are much better and friendlier places to get orchids like an orchid society member sale/auction or orchid nursery.
I was overwatering in my earlier days and invited a society member to come over and help. She told me to wait until the top of the sphag is crunchy before watering again and that advice has helped me to this day ! I have tried a lot of different media but most of my Phals are in a combo of sphag and bark which helps stop compacting.

HTH , Merlyn