I wrote:

I have a teeny tiny Renanthera monachica that is in a teeny
tiny little pot. I don't think it is happy.
................ clipped .......................

"Susan Erickson"

The basket is to allow the root area to dry. You will find
it
hard to keep it wet enough to rot roots if you have it in a
mesh
basket. Because your plant had bad roots, you may find it a
little short of good roots. You will need to provide a
higher
humidity to keep it. The basket will dry the media very
fast.
You may want to put this one close to the humidifier or mist
it
every time you are in the room. If it dries too fast for
you,
put the mesh pot in a larger clay and fill the space between
with
pebbles about the size of marbles. This will slow down th
dry,
with out keeping things wet.
Good Luck.

I have very low humidity in the house but I have this
particular plant in a open-topped glass case with four other
orchids and a gravel tray that is the overflow for when I
water. I have to water the Neofinetia every day that is just
above the Renanthera monachica so I usually give it a bit of a
mist while I am at it. No doubt that contributed to the loss
of the other roots and will hopefully preserve them now.
Because this plant is so little it is very close to the gravel
and I have it sitting on an upside down clay plant pot tray so
I think that adds a bit of localized humidity too.

The glass case does have a lid but the plants inside the case
are a bit big for it at the moment as one is a Sharry Baby that
is in spike and there's also a Zygo that will shortly bloom.
Heck, even the Blc. in the case is soon to bloom. Guess they
all like the case. I am thinking now that once the Sharry
Baby is done blooming I'll put the lid back on. The Zygo might
be done by then and I suspect the Blc might be by then as
well.

I will have to make sure I give it a squirt with the mister
whenever I water the mounted Neofinetia. Thanks for this
advice. I really liked this plant when I originally saw it at
a show and would hate to kill it. I haven't had much luck
finding culture advice for it so your comments here are much
appreciated, as are Kenni's.


- Sandy