WHO will help me will get reward from god.
 

So hello everybody Tommorow I am getting my new phal :blushing:replacemnt for the dead phal if you remember on the last thread.So I have sphag aand granite stone About the size of your eyeballs and coco husk and marbles so which media should I plant it in and I need a few tips and plz plz plz dont mesion bark as a media we in kelantan dont have it.
And I need fertilizer tip
My fertilizers are clay ball,volcanic soil and slow release fertilizer specially for orchid and chicken manure so plz hlp me on which how fertilizer and the meddia
About the pot I have lots of transparent pots so dont talk about pot

THANKS IN ADVANCE:biggrin::waving

I suspect the climate where I live is much drier than yours, so, it's hard for me to advise. I grow my Phals in either bark mix, or spaghnum moss. When potted in moss, I put some styrofoam in the center of the root mass to help the spagh dry evenly. For some reason, I've had mostly bad luck potting Phals in coconut husk chips, tho do have one doing well in them now.

Try talking to someone at Ooi Leng Sun Orchids. They are located in Penang. I don't know how helpful they will be but they are a big vendor that comes to the US. If you don't try, you won't know if they will help you.

www°aaorchids°com
OOI LENG SUN ORCHIDS Nursery & Laboratory
873 Sungai Dua,
13800 Butterworth,
Penang, Malaysia.
Voice : +604-5643630

As Sonya/WhiteRabbit said, we don't have the same growing conditions and what works for growers from other parts of the world might not work for you. You need advice from people in your region. There are probably other orchid experts in Malaysia, you just need to find them.

In your climate, mounting might be a good alternative to potting. Find a piece of natural hardwood (do you have teak wood? Teak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) that can support the orchid, place a small pad of sphag moss below and on top of root and tie it all together with fishing string, lady's nylon stocking, plastic netting or some other material.

Look at these pictures of mounted Phals. https://www.google.com/search?q=moun...ed=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

And a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmlXYxLocc

Um hello, so my climate is ten times dryer than your climate, can you imagine I need to water my orchid three times a day.I think you will understand my climate now.for the mounting I actually do like mounting cause you need to water too often which you will get fed up, I tried mounting once and just threw it in the bin.and how much does phalaenopsis cost there

I've looked up your region's climate in a previous thread, remember? Your average humidity is 80%, wild orchids grow mounted naturally on your trees.

I don't know if you are purposely being difficult but I GIVE UP!!!

Perhaps other members will help you.

I first thing is I am not being purpossely making it difficult.80% humidity is in jungle not city so I just ask for the potting media idea wheter spahgnum moss plus what I had told not about temperature and I dont like mounting I told you that I dont mount my orchids right s8 thats it
Up to you wheter you want to reply or what

Hanying

I like to mix 50-50 sphagnum and perlite, using the transparent pot you already have. Pack in medium tight, just strong enough to hold the plant upright. Marbles too big I think. I find coco husk hard to control.

Water it, feel the weight. Wait until moss top layer is dry. Wait another day or two to get the moss under top layer to be dry. Getting it dry is also good for the roots to grow well.

When dried, feel the weight. Notice how light it is compared to when watered fully. That should give you an idea when to water it again. Water it fully now.

It will not always be the same time timing, weather conditions affect how long it dries. I like to feel by weight rather than inserting fingers or sticks to test moistness.

As for fertilizer, I prefer inorganic, no smell, like Phostrogen or Gaviota 67, which you should be able to get from Malaysia. I use 1 teaspoon per 10 liters every week, or 0.1 teaspoon per 1 liter, of either one.

I am not keen on Slow Release, I prefer more control.


.

I was under the belief that all of Malaysia is considered a tropical climate with high humidity and high heat throughout the year. Is this not correct?

What part of Malaysia do you live?

Perhaps people can help if they have more details of your growing conditions.

There are a few members on here from Singapore (Debrasoon, Stth) who will have similar growing conditions to you. Do a quick search and read their posts and you'll pick up some ideas on orchid culture for your part of the world.

Since I know he has trouble in English, I located him based on his IP. He's in a coastal city on the east coast of Malaysia. According to the weather forecasts, high temps these days (and most of the time apparently) are in the low 90s (30-34C) and humidity 70-80%. So while it may be dryish there (as he says) in terms of rainfall right now, it's a humid place. Temps and humidity seem to stay about the same year round, with a lot of rain in Nov to Jan.

Having no experience with that sort of weather (my climate is cool and humid) I can't advise on the potting medium. But based on this, maybe others can advise?

Oh katrina, you are not correct and not wrong either.It is a tropical country but not as humid.Example you water your orchids and need to water it again and again in one day so how it couod be that humid.Your thoughts are correct that the humidity is high but not at housing estate or city or any where it is only humid in the deep jungle and I was shocked to see my wheater channel that says its 70% humidity.So its not an idea to mount them.I live in kelantan so its hotter here

Ok.thanks camille

Um camille the rain fall was kind of yesterday and it is very dry here not as you think

My father explained to me that once or twice the humidity might rise till 80 percent for a short while and it goes of

Hi MisterOrchidGuy,
Petang yang baik! I have to admit I'm as confused as some other OB'ers as to exactly what the issue is regarding your growing media. I'm guessing you live in or close to Kota Bharu, in the very north of Malaysia and on the east coast. I've just checked the humidity levels for Kelantan and average relative humidity is 80%. When you talk about "humidity" are you referring to rainfall?
You might want to do what some other OB'ers suggest and track down growers in Penang/elsewhere in Malaysia/Singapore, who might be able to help you better.
I was born in Kuala Lumpur and spent my childhood in KL and Ipoh, Penang, Tanjong Tualang and Kajang (FABULOUS satay!) The reason I mention this is because we had orchids all over the place - growing on wooden uprights, in terracotta pots with holes in them on the verandah (w/coconut husk), and my Dad had a slightly shaded orchid house, where if I remember all his plants were mounted. Perak and Selangor temps/humidity pretty much the same as Kelantan, I think.
Anyway, good luck with your project and let us know how you get on.
Selamaat tinggal.

I think I understand what you mean there MisterOrchidGuy, when you say it is not humid..but it is more humid there than here in my location. I grew up in the Philippines, and as our Asian neighbor, we share similar conditions. Right now it is boiling, sizzling summer there so it feels very hot..but it is humid hot. The humidity actually intensifies it. Tropical plants of various forms are growing around there with ease, since it is still a tropical environment. In my former home country, we were raised there to always water the plants everyday, of course except during the 6 month rainy season. It is now that I understand to help the plants survive the intense heat. Here in the US we do not do that simply because of the 4 seasons and various microclimates too.

Anyways, your question is what media to use. Most orchid growers that I know of in the Philippines would use a mix of charcoal and coco coir since there are lots of coconut by products there. Then they put the orchids in claypots with lots of holes. There are lots of sources of claypots there too. You said not to talk about pots, but you have to adjust your way of planting. Adjust to the plants needs..not to what you prefer.

They would usually position the orchids in a semi-shaded area, like under a tree or sheltered by mesh netting to protect the plants. I would still follow watering the plants every day there at the start of the day, not at night, since evaporation is way faster there and the plants really transpire a lot. But you have to protect it from intense monsoon rains when it comes. In the forest these plants would be sheltered by the huge tropical leaves of the trees and other tropical plants when it rains. Phal roots are fat and succulent, so it wants to dry up fast, needs lots of air circulation at the root zone, so clay pots is best option in your hot and humid climate. As to fertilizer, well, not familiar with what you use, but typically half the dose of whatever is recommended.

My Phals here, I have been using clay rocks and lava rocks and hygrolon, and it works well with it too..they love that airy feel at the root zone.

There was another poster here in OB who grows such fantastic Phals in Vietnam..I remember him saying add calcium too and he tries to keep his plants dry so they are in a covered area.

Hello both of you, selamat petang and kelantan is very hot.like kl I have been there yesterday it was soo much more cooler and you do not even to stay in the aircond like here in kelantan.Kamusta tarev,thanks for your advice.selamat po

You are welcome MisterOrchidGuy! Walang anuman :)

Malaysia is humid even in the city, as it is in Singapore where I currently am, that's for sure, 60% to 100%. However, the high temperature of 30-34 dries media fast (or wet laundry for that matter, even in shade).

If it were a lower temperature, it would be perfect. But we have to work around our conditions. With only 1 or two phals, a terrarium environment could be good.

MisterOrchidGuy, pots should suit your needs well, and sphagnum mixed with perlite (perlite to allow more air, and easier wetting of the media when it dries out for the next watering). That should last you between 1 week or two before watering again, it all depends on the weather, wind, pot size, etc.

A pot size of 3" should last a week, 4" to 6" even longer. But I would match the size of the plant to the pot size.

Try to have them under morning sun only. No morning sun ? Then filter out the afternoon sun with some sun screen filters.

Thanks