Vic,

You can make up your own pretty easily from "standard" garden store goods.

ProMix HP (a Canadian product) is a good starting point, and with
horticultural perlite, you can lighten it up to your needs.

Personally, I cannot grow anything (orchidaceous) in the stuff....

--

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


wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 May 2005 23:03:15 -0400, Don wrote:

After looking at the list of growing media at
http://www.vex.net/~jyd/TAVS/Docs/orchids.htm and viewing the photos
at http://www.kkorchid.com/1medium_potting.asp I'd have to guess that
you're right and it is some type of peat mix.

Your mix sounds somewhat like the "mud" on Rob's site.
http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm
I have been testing this mixture for about 8 months now and so far it is
out performing all the other "normal" media that I use. Much to my
surprise! When I pot up new seedlings I put a few into this mud and the
others I pot in normal media for the plant. It is still to early in
this test to declare a winner but so far the mud is way ahead.
Thanks Rob!
I am in southern Ontario as well, so my growing conditions may be
somewhat like yours.
All the best
Don

It certainly does sound like my plant is in mud. g Now I just need
to find a supplier who will sell me an amount slightly smaller than
your average dumptruck load. I'm guessing all I need is a handful or
two, so that means the mixture probably comes in 10 pound bags.
--Vic

wrote in message
...
| On Fri, 27 May 2005 23:03:15 -0400, Don wrote:
|
| After looking at the list of growing media at
| http://www.vex.net/~jyd/TAVS/Docs/orchids.htm and viewing the
photos
| at http://www.kkorchid.com/1medium_potting.asp I'd have to guess
that
| you're right and it is some type of peat mix.
|
| Your mix sounds somewhat like the "mud" on Rob's site.
| http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm
| I have been testing this mixture for about 8 months now and so far
it is
| out performing all the other "normal" media that I use. Much to my
| surprise! When I pot up new seedlings I put a few into this mud
and the
| others I pot in normal media for the plant. It is still to early
in
| this test to declare a winner but so far the mud is way ahead.
| Thanks Rob!
| I am in southern Ontario as well, so my growing conditions may be
| somewhat like yours.
| All the best
| Don
|
| It certainly does sound like my plant is in mud. g Now I just need
| to find a supplier who will sell me an amount slightly smaller than
| your average dumptruck load. I'm guessing all I need is a handful
or
| two, so that means the mixture probably comes in 10 pound bags.
| --Vic

Stony Brook Orchids http://www.stonybrookorchids.com/ in NJ grows all
their orchids in a 4:1 mixture of peat and perlite. I have seen them
at shows selling small bags. Their flowers were quite impressive. I
couldn't find any ordering info on their site, but their email is
.

da wrote:
On Fri, 27 May 2005 23:03:15 -0400, Don wrote:


After looking at the list of growing media at
http://www.vex.net/~jyd/TAVS/Docs/orchids.htm and viewing the photos
at http://www.kkorchid.com/1medium_potting.asp I'd have to guess that
you're right and it is some type of peat mix.


Your mix sounds somewhat like the "mud" on Rob's site.
http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm
I have been testing this mixture for about 8 months now and so far it is
out performing all the other "normal" media that I use. Much to my
surprise! When I pot up new seedlings I put a few into this mud and the
others I pot in normal media for the plant. It is still to early in
this test to declare a winner but so far the mud is way ahead.
Thanks Rob!
I am in southern Ontario as well, so my growing conditions may be
somewhat like yours.
All the best
Don


It certainly does sound like my plant is in mud. g Now I just need
to find a supplier who will sell me an amount slightly smaller than
your average dumptruck load. I'm guessing all I need is a handful or
two, so that means the mixture probably comes in 10 pound bags.
--Vic


I could send you some of the mud that I use if you like, or you can buy
small bags of the components at any large garden centre, CTC, Borg, or
other similar outlet and then mix your own. This will yield enough mud
to repot dozens of orchids. You will have every reason to go out and
buy more orchids to use up that left over mud.
All the best
Don

On Sat, 28 May 2005 20:34:36 -0400, Don wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 27 May 2005 23:03:15 -0400, Don wrote:


After looking at the list of growing media at
http://www.vex.net/~jyd/TAVS/Docs/orchids.htm and viewing the photos
at http://www.kkorchid.com/1medium_potting.asp I'd have to guess that
you're right and it is some type of peat mix.


Your mix sounds somewhat like the "mud" on Rob's site.
http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm
I have been testing this mixture for about 8 months now and so far it is
out performing all the other "normal" media that I use. Much to my
surprise! When I pot up new seedlings I put a few into this mud and the
others I pot in normal media for the plant. It is still to early in
this test to declare a winner but so far the mud is way ahead.
Thanks Rob!
I am in southern Ontario as well, so my growing conditions may be
somewhat like yours.
All the best
Don


It certainly does sound like my plant is in mud. g Now I just need
to find a supplier who will sell me an amount slightly smaller than
your average dumptruck load. I'm guessing all I need is a handful or
two, so that means the mixture probably comes in 10 pound bags.
--Vic


I could send you some of the mud that I use if you like, or you can buy
small bags of the components at any large garden centre, CTC, Borg, or
other similar outlet and then mix your own. This will yield enough mud
to repot dozens of orchids. You will have every reason to go out and
buy more orchids to use up that left over mud.
All the best
Don


Thanks Don,
I'll try looking around here first. If I can't find it, I'll take you
up on your offer.
--Vic

Don wrote:
After looking at the list of growing media at
http://www.vex.net/~jyd/TAVS/Docs/orchids.htm and viewing the photos
at http://www.kkorchid.com/1medium_potting.asp I'd have to guess that
you're right and it is some type of peat mix.

Your mix sounds somewhat like the "mud" on Rob's site.
http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm

That's Harvey's site, actually... But there is a link to it on my site.

I have been testing this mixture for about 8 months now and so far it is
out performing all the other "normal" media that I use. Much to my
surprise! When I pot up new seedlings I put a few into this mud and the
others I pot in normal media for the plant. It is still to early in
this test to declare a winner but so far the mud is way ahead.
Thanks Rob!

Glad you like it. For the record, there is a new version of 'Mud' on
the block now, using Scotts 360 MetroMix as the base. That has some
percentage of coconut coir in addition to peat. Supposedly, it doesn't
expand or contract in the pot. Which is a big plus.

Dick Wells (Hilltop Orchids) uses the same mix for everything,
cattleyas, phrags, paphs, phals... He is the one who gave me the new
recipe, and I know he grows good phals. Don't know that I would try it
on cattleyas, but I'm doing some experiments with paphs and phrags. So
far, I can't really tell. But it has only been a month or so for that
experiment. The phals love it.

I don't have the actual recipe handy, but I used ~3 parts metro mix, 1
part perlite, 1 part small charcoal. I tinker with that until it looks
right. Dick adds in some seedling bark. I'm not so convinced about the
seedling bark, I've never liked bark in peat mixes. I think you could
substitute straight coco peat for the metro mix, but you would have to
add more perlite (metro mix has some additions).

I've moved all my phals (like I care about phals.. *grin*) into the new
mud. The major benefit is that even the 12 year old neighbor kid with
no orchid experience was able to repot the plants easily. He hasn't
quite learned how to use my other mixes (coconut chip or bark based) yet.

I can make some 'hobby bags' of my mud mix, if you are interested.
E-mail me. It is easy to make, but sometimes it is hard to find the
metro-mix.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

Rob wrote:
Thanks Rob!


Glad you like it. For the record, there is a new version of 'Mud' on
the block now, using Scotts 360 MetroMix as the base. That has some
percentage of coconut coir in addition to peat. Supposedly, it doesn't
expand or contract in the pot. Which is a big plus.

Dick Wells (Hilltop Orchids) uses the same mix for everything,
cattleyas, phrags, paphs, phals... He is the one who gave me the new
recipe, and I know he grows good phals. Don't know that I would try it
on cattleyas, but I'm doing some experiments with paphs and phrags. So
far, I can't really tell. But it has only been a month or so for that
experiment. The phals love it.

I don't have the actual recipe handy, but I used ~3 parts metro mix, 1
part perlite, 1 part small charcoal. I tinker with that until it looks
right. Dick adds in some seedling bark. I'm not so convinced about the
seedling bark, I've never liked bark in peat mixes. I think you could
substitute straight coco peat for the metro mix, but you would have to
add more perlite (metro mix has some additions).

I've moved all my phals (like I care about phals.. *grin*) into the new
mud. The major benefit is that even the 12 year old neighbor kid with
no orchid experience was able to repot the plants easily. He hasn't
quite learned how to use my other mixes (coconut chip or bark based) yet.

I can make some 'hobby bags' of my mud mix, if you are interested.
E-mail me. It is easy to make, but sometimes it is hard to find the
metro-mix.

Rob


The phals have been doing far better in the mud. The cattleyas in mud
seem better in clay pots than plastic. The dendrobium, brassia,
miltonia, etc. have been doing well but not as out standing as the
phals. I haven't tried any paphs, vandas or phrags.
The last batch I mixed used pro mix as the base with perlite, sharp
sand, a little vermiculite all blended so that a hand full of wet mud
will not pack when pressed into a ball. The sharp sand is screened to
remove all the small, fine stuff. The next batch I will try a little
coconut coir.
This stuff has been working well for my small potted trees as well.
Thanks Rob for opening my eyes to a new way of thinking about growing
orchids. I had always used the old tried and true media, everything
grew ok. It has been fun testing something new and seeing the changes.
All the best
Don

Don wrote:

This stuff has been working well for my small potted trees as well.
Thanks Rob for opening my eyes to a new way of thinking about growing
orchids. I had always used the old tried and true media, everything
grew ok. It has been fun testing something new and seeing the changes.
All the best
Don

I use the Scotts mix straight out of the bag for my (very few) potted
citrus. Seems to work ok.

Rob


--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit