So I should have a glass of wine and share it with the Cat's ? Which cat,
The Red Emperor or the Maine Coone?

Thr Phal's seem to be a it less sensitive to drying out than the Cats and
Dendrobiums (based on watching mine). would that be a correct general
observation? Watching these over the last year, they seem to prefer it if I
let the medium get dry just a 1-2 inches down and then water them. The phals
seem to like it if I let the medium dry 3-4 inches down (4-6 inch pots).




"tenman" wrote in message
...
BruceM wrote:
In your personal experience, what is a good medium for Dendrobiums and
Cattleya's?

I have several new ones and a few older ones. The older ones were
repotted in Better Gro Phalaeonopsis mix, a general purpose mix of Fir
bark (about the size of a quaerter), hardwood charcoal, and a bark like
peat material . BG had several other mixes for orchids, the big
difference being no Peat in the others and one had a smaller bark chunks.


The cats seemt to do okay in it. They grow, new shoots, Several Kekei's ,
no flowers on any of the older ones (on one sI have had 1.5 years ). The
dendroibiums appear to hate it. Most of them sit there, a couple have new
growth. The Phal's go crazy in it. Looking at the books, it seems this
should be a okay mix, but experience is always better.

Also, for watering: In general do Cat's and Den's like more water than
Phal's? I water them on the same schedule, and some are oky, other show
signs of needing more water such as wrinkled new growth, shriveled
pseudobulbs, etc
I use both a 2/3 medium bark/ 1/3 #3spongerock mix and a 2/3 large CHC/
1/3 #4spongrock mix for mature catts in clay pots (small seedlings are in
a finer mix in plastic). In the bark they are potted harder (tighter) and
the CHC is used as a looser, more open mix (which creates issues of how to
physically immobilize the plants). Both have worked ok, though in clay
pots and my traditional dry conditions, the CHC has an edge. That said, it
will depend a lot on your humidity levels and as well on temps and light
as they affect metabolism and how much water the plants use. Dens I have
in 'seedling mix' of 2/3fine bark and 1/3 #3spongerock in clay pots potted
tightly.

A common misconception from which I myself once suffered concerns water
levels. Orchids are water-loving plants when they are in their growth
phase and with optimum conditions. Some such as vandas and catts don't
want to sit in water constantly or be soggy but they do need copious
amounts of water - the confusion is in thinking they don't need water
because they don't want to stay wet. Ideally they should be wet, then dry
and then wet right away again (during growth and in the daylight). The
problem is that we stick them in pots and limit the air movement around
the roots and packed medium and then we have problems we blame on water.
So in culture, it's a balance you're looking for based on all those
variables. This second glass of wine is making me loquacious.