any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

What you pot in depends on what kinds of orchids you are growing as well as
your weather/growing conditions. We use different mixes for different kinds
of plants. For catts & dens, it's 2 parts lava rock, 1 part charcoal, 1
part coconut husk ships. For oncidiums, it's 2 parts coconut, 1 part lava,
1 part charcoal. And for phals, we mix sphagnum moss and bark, 50/50. We
use no medium at all for most of our vandaceous plants. There are also some
plants that we find grow much better mounted than potted.

If you give us some more info, you'll probably get lots of suggestions. At
present, all I can say definitively is that no, BBQ charcoal is not going to
be appropriate in any mixture.

Good growing,


--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"keith" wrote in message
...
any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you
get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

What is everyone's thoughts on Prime Agra? I have thought of using that for
my dends. Can it be used by itself? I don't want to deal with decaying
bark and such since I have some health problems and I can't stand sphagnum
moss.

Shell

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
news
What you pot in depends on what kinds of orchids you are growing as well
as
your weather/growing conditions. We use different mixes for different
kinds
of plants. For catts & dens, it's 2 parts lava rock, 1 part charcoal, 1
part coconut husk ships. For oncidiums, it's 2 parts coconut, 1 part
lava,
1 part charcoal. And for phals, we mix sphagnum moss and bark, 50/50. We
use no medium at all for most of our vandaceous plants. There are also
some
plants that we find grow much better mounted than potted.

If you give us some more info, you'll probably get lots of suggestions.
At
present, all I can say definitively is that no, BBQ charcoal is not going
to
be appropriate in any mixture.

Good growing,


--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"keith" wrote in message
...
any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you
get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

i have a den,catt, phal.were are the potting materials purchased from any
suggestions? i live in england ,uk.i dont know of any local suppliers,i will
purchase a variety of material & mix for each orchid as suggested!When i
find a supplier.
thanks keith

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
news
What you pot in depends on what kinds of orchids you are growing as well
as
your weather/growing conditions. We use different mixes for different
kinds
of plants. For catts & dens, it's 2 parts lava rock, 1 part charcoal, 1
part coconut husk ships. For oncidiums, it's 2 parts coconut, 1 part
lava,
1 part charcoal. And for phals, we mix sphagnum moss and bark, 50/50. We
use no medium at all for most of our vandaceous plants. There are also
some
plants that we find grow much better mounted than potted.

If you give us some more info, you'll probably get lots of suggestions.
At
present, all I can say definitively is that no, BBQ charcoal is not going
to
be appropriate in any mixture.

Good growing,


--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"keith" wrote in message
...
any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you
get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

i also thought that the potting media was mainly to provide support,as
these materials have little food value,is it mainly preferences that the
grower finds works for them.
keith
"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
news
What you pot in depends on what kinds of orchids you are growing as well
as
your weather/growing conditions. We use different mixes for different
kinds
of plants. For catts & dens, it's 2 parts lava rock, 1 part charcoal, 1
part coconut husk ships. For oncidiums, it's 2 parts coconut, 1 part
lava,
1 part charcoal. And for phals, we mix sphagnum moss and bark, 50/50. We
use no medium at all for most of our vandaceous plants. There are also
some
plants that we find grow much better mounted than potted.

If you give us some more info, you'll probably get lots of suggestions.
At
present, all I can say definitively is that no, BBQ charcoal is not going
to
be appropriate in any mixture.

Good growing,


--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"keith" wrote in message
...
any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you
get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

Kenni gave good advice on the "it depends" part.

Barbecue charcoal - no
Most is hardwood charcoal, not the stuff made from pine chips sold for
grilling.

Mulch bark - no
That's usually pine, too. Fir bark is the standard, although it's hard to
find good stuff nowadays, so most people have been moving to coconut husk
chips.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"keith" wrote in message
...
any advise on potting mixtures,I have read in the RHS encyclopedia use 3
parts bark chippings,1 pt perlite,1 pt fine charcoal.Can the charcoal be
ordinary barbeque charcoal washed,can the bark chippings be the sort you
get
from garden centres (for mulching)or does it have to be sterilized?
thanks keith

On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 20:48:09 GMT, "Shell91"
wrote:

What is everyone's thoughts on Prime Agra? I have thought of using that for
my dends. Can it be used by itself? I don't want to deal with decaying
bark and such since I have some health problems and I can't stand sphagnum
moss.

Shell

Shell -
We pot Paphs and Phrags in prime Agra and keep them in Semi
Hydro (S/H). I have not used it inplace of volcanic rock which
is what I generally find Den's potted in. I don't like volcanic
rock because it can be obsidian and have very sharp pieces.
I woudl suggest CHC which is coconut husk chips. It lasts for 2
years + often. Or I would think you could mount some of your
Den.s Not the tall canes from Lowes or HD.

Have you read about the S/H on Ray's website? www.firstrays.com
he has a section of notes on lots of things like chem-free pest
control. Well what we think of as Chem. Yes, I know alcohol is
a chem product, too.

Maybe someone else has another idea for the Den's you have.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Thakns for the information. I definitely don't want to use too many
chemicals. I have a chemical caused respiratory problem and even air
fresheners can set it off. I may try the cocnut husks, with some charcoal.
I have read some of Rays information and I hope to be able to order a few
things soon
Shell

"Susan Erickson" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 20:48:09 GMT, "Shell91"
wrote:

What is everyone's thoughts on Prime Agra? I have thought of using that
for
my dends. Can it be used by itself? I don't want to deal with decaying
bark and such since I have some health problems and I can't stand
sphagnum
moss.

Shell

Shell -
We pot Paphs and Phrags in prime Agra and keep them in Semi
Hydro (S/H). I have not used it inplace of volcanic rock which
is what I generally find Den's potted in. I don't like volcanic
rock because it can be obsidian and have very sharp pieces.
I woudl suggest CHC which is coconut husk chips. It lasts for 2
years + often. Or I would think you could mount some of your
Den.s Not the tall canes from Lowes or HD.

Have you read about the S/H on Ray's website? www.firstrays.com
he has a section of notes on lots of things like chem-free pest
control. Well what we think of as Chem. Yes, I know alcohol is
a chem product, too.

Maybe someone else has another idea for the Den's you have.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

It was Ray who opined:

Barbecue charcoal - no

I might be wrong, but here in Malaysia we use barbecue charcoal as our main
medium for most 'aerial' orchids. From their blooms, we know they loved it.

--
It is unfortunate that "Yes" will never concur with "No".

From the 'unquotables' of:-
Just Nice.

Could it be that the Malaysian charcoal is made from coconut husks? That
would not be the same as our charcoal in the States or Europe and might be
good for the orchids.
--
Reka
http://www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."
--Winston Churchill
"Just Nice" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
It was Ray who opined:

Barbecue charcoal - no

I might be wrong, but here in Malaysia we use barbecue charcoal as our
main
medium for most 'aerial' orchids. From their blooms, we know they loved
it.

--
It is unfortunate that "Yes" will never concur with "No".

From the 'unquotables' of:-
Just Nice.




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 19.08.03

Maybe I should have been clearer, as here in the US, the vast majority of
"barbeque charcoal" is so-called briquettes fashioned from fairly finely
ground pine bark and chips, often with a binder, and occasionally with fuel
added - no, not good for orchids at all.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Just Nice" wrote in message
...
It was Ray who opined:

Barbecue charcoal - no

I might be wrong, but here in Malaysia we use barbecue charcoal as our
main
medium for most 'aerial' orchids. From their blooms, we know they loved
it.

--
It is unfortunate that "Yes" will never concur with "No".

From the 'unquotables' of:-
Just Nice.

It was Reka who opined:
Could it be that the Malaysian charcoal is made from coconut husks?
That would not be the same as our charcoal in the States or Europe
and might be good for the orchids.

Genarally, Malaysian charcoal is made from mangrove hardwoods (Rhizophora
and Bruguiera species). It is extremely sterlile and last for decades. It
could be used over and over again. (Aerial)orchids grown using this medium
do not fear over-watering. It is common for us here to water our plants
twice a day.

Young/new repotted plants roots are usually carefully/lightly wrapped in
coconut husks to retain moisture. Thereafter, the charcoal medium is the
orchids' best friend.

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 12:45:37 +0800, "Just Nice"
wrote:


Genarally, Malaysian charcoal is made from mangrove hardwoods (Rhizophora
and Bruguiera species). It is extremely sterlile and last for decades

In the US, "charcoal" usually means charcoal briquettes that are made
from compressed sawdust, some petroleum products, and heaven knows
what else. Definitely not suitable for potting orchids. I think any
real hardwood charcoal would be fine for potting orchids.

deg

Hi,
Yes the charcoal we have here in Singapore and malaysia r made from hardwood
trees. The ones in the US r usually traeted with a chemical to make them
burn faster. We have got those smokless charcoal here, but they cost a lot
more than the locam ones.


jon

"Dewitt" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 12:45:37 +0800, "Just Nice"
wrote:


Genarally, Malaysian charcoal is made from mangrove hardwoods (Rhizophora
and Bruguiera species). It is extremely sterlile and last for decades

In the US, "charcoal" usually means charcoal briquettes that are made
from compressed sawdust, some petroleum products, and heaven knows
what else. Definitely not suitable for potting orchids. I think any
real hardwood charcoal would be fine for potting orchids.

deg

the question still hasnt been answered what charcoal & bark can be used?

Ray" wrote in message
...
Maybe I should have been clearer, as here in the US, the vast majority of
"barbeque charcoal" is so-called briquettes fashioned from fairly finely
ground pine bark and chips, often with a binder, and occasionally with
fuel
added - no, not good for orchids at all.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

. . . . . . . . . . .
"Just Nice" wrote in message
...
It was Ray who opined:

Barbecue charcoal - no

I might be wrong, but here in Malaysia we use barbecue charcoal as our
main
medium for most 'aerial' orchids. From their blooms, we know they loved
it.

--
It is unfortunate that "Yes" will never concur with "No".

From the 'unquotables' of:-
Just Nice.