What we try to teach in our classes [plug: next session is scheduled for
July, Sat. mornings], is to vary your potting mixes by plant needs so as to
get as many as possible on the same watering schedule. We believe in the
KISS principle! [Which is not to imply that any of us are stupid, just that
most of us are busy ... ]

If you put your catts into the same mix as your phals, you will have to
water the latter more often than the former. If you make the mix for your
phals, paphs and phrags more water-retentive, you can water them all the
same.

Here at the nursery, we accomplish by using mostly the same ingredients, but
varying the proportions: Catts, Dens, and others that need to thoroughly
dry between waterings get 50% lava, 25% charcoal, and 25% CHC. Oncids,
which like to stay a little more moist, get 50% CHC, 25% charcoal, 25% lava.
This keeps all of them on the same schedule, with only one other schedule
for the vandaceous which we mostly grow essentially bareroot.

Good growing,


--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Shell" wrote in message
m...
I've changed nearly everything I have over to lava rock and I have a few
questions.

1. Do paphs and phrags do well in lava? (thought I'd ask first before
just
changing since these are my most expensive plants)

2. Will a bulbo do ok in lava?

3. How about phals in lava?

4. Is there anything that shouldn't go into lava rock?

And a last question not about lava rock. I have a dend. unicum which has
lost all but one leaf and has all these little bitty wiry looking slightly
knobly new growths on the canes. Now these canes are small, less than 12
inches high, and I know that dend. unicum looses its leaves when its about
a
year old. The question is since these growths are all up and down the
canes, could these be flower spikes forming? If so I expext a major bloom
from this plant


Shell