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

I was advised by the person I purchased it from that when it
grew up a bit more it would more likely prefer a slat basket
but it was too little just now.

I accidentally dumped it over yesterday and noticed that the
roots below the surface of the loose medium were all brown and
icky looking whereas the one above the medium was shiny thick
and healthy.

Should I move it to the little plastic mesh basket I bought for
it for when it was supposed to be a bit bigger?

I suppose my answer to myself is "yes" but I have never had a
mesh basket or slat basket orchid before. I'm just a little
afraid that I'll overpot it in medium and continue to rot the
roots. I can't find much in the way of culture information for
it otherwise.

Any suggestions?


- Sandy

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 15:20:59 GMT, "Bacchae"
wrote:

I have a teeny tiny Renanthera monachica that is in a teeny
tiny little pot. I don't think it is happy.
................ clipped .......................
Should I move it to the little plastic mesh basket I bought for
it for when it was supposed to be a bit bigger?

I suppose my answer to myself is "yes" but I have never had a
mesh basket or slat basket orchid before. I'm just a little
afraid that I'll overpot it in medium and continue to rot the
roots. I can't find much in the way of culture information for
it otherwise.

Any suggestions?
- Sandy

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.

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

We do not use any media at all in most of our baskets for vandaceous plants,
in our natural high humidity. If your humidity is lower, you may need some
media, but I would suggest something that dries quickly -- big chunks of
coconut husk, or big chunks of lava rock with a little coconut fiber layered
in.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Susan Erickson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 15:20:59 GMT, "Bacchae"
wrote:

I have a teeny tiny Renanthera monachica that is in a teeny
tiny little pot. I don't think it is happy.
................ clipped .......................
Should I move it to the little plastic mesh basket I bought for
it for when it was supposed to be a bit bigger?

I suppose my answer to myself is "yes" but I have never had a
mesh basket or slat basket orchid before. I'm just a little
afraid that I'll overpot it in medium and continue to rot the
roots. I can't find much in the way of culture information for
it otherwise.

Any suggestions?
- Sandy

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.

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

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

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message ...

We do not use any media at all in most of our baskets for
vandaceous plants,
in our natural high humidity. If your humidity is lower, you
may need some
media, but I would suggest something that dries quickly --
big chunks of
coconut husk, or big chunks of lava rock with a little
coconut fiber layered
in.

Please see my reply to SuE. My house humidity is very poor but
I hope I have it somewhat improved in the micro-climate it is
in.

In the tiny mesh basket I have some cut pieces of styrofoam
peanuts, some of those ceramic rocks (I think that's what they
are) that I sniffled from some of the bigger pots I have in the
same case and a few bits of bark.

I think it'll drain pretty quickly but I will mist it daily now
when I do the Neofinetia in consideration of SuE's comments.

Thanks for your help. Hopefully one of these days I'll
actually be able to move it to a real slat basket. In other
words, hopefully I won't kill it between now and several years
from now.


- Sandy

On Thu, 04 Dec 2003 06:27:53 GMT, "Bacchae"
wrote:


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.

- Sandy


Sandy,
IF your growing in a glass case and they are that happy with the
lid off - Leave it off. The easiest way to move water from the
bottom of a fish tank into the air is drop a fish tank air stone
in and let it bubble away. This constant humidity is much better
than your mist bottle and YOU need fresh air. So don't close this
up unless you have a fan inside and a gap somewhere to bring in a
change of air. Many people with glass tanks run a fan across the
top to help stir up the air and get some fresh down into the
tank.

Good Luck

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

"Susan Erickson" wrote in message

IF your growing in a glass case and they are that happy with
the
lid off - Leave it off. The easiest way to move water from
the
bottom of a fish tank into the air is drop a fish tank air
stone
in and let it bubble away. This constant humidity is much
better
than your mist bottle and YOU need fresh air. So don't close
this
up unless you have a fan inside and a gap somewhere to bring
in a
change of air. Many people with glass tanks run a fan across
the
top to help stir up the air and get some fresh down into the
tank.

Ha. I didn't think of that, the need for circulating air.
Thank you yet again!


- Sandy