Post by vraev on Jul 31, 2016 13:04:42 GMT -5
lol! Thanks guys. Too much praise...but it was my dear friend Butch here who was the one who taught me how to properly consider the conditions and grow plants... we go way back from around 2007. I used to always grow things in wet media with mostly sphagnum. B taught me that having an open media is the way to grow these plants...and his advice has allowed me to grow everything from cephs to neps and helis (I still need to learn much from both of you masters here... my heli growing still requires lots of improvement). I cannot take credit for things that I have learnt from the amazing CP community and all the advice they have shared. I wouldn't be able to grow or even have the plants I have without all the amazing friends here and elsewhere. I still have issues having plants growing long term. The true test comes now... I am currently still away in India... once I go home... I need to repot my large neps into fresh media and clean up the tank. The plants are squeezed into the tank and need some room to breathe and grow. This is when I have lost plants like a N. villosa from BE that I grew to about 6" diameter from a 1cm small plant. Fingers crossed.
Thanks. I basically use a mix that I typically just eyeball (proportion-wise). Contents include Dead long fiber sphagnum moss, perlite, orchid bark (medium grade) and a handful or couple of Better-gro orchid mix (contains more orchid bark + sponge rock + charcoal). I then add a top dressing of live sphagnum moss that i use a scissors to chop up to the top of the pot.
I typically first mix up the contents...wash it quickly with some water and dispose of the water to try and remove some salts etc due to tiny particulates (dust) in the media bag.Let me know if u need more info.