No experience, but personally if there's potential for the mix to turn toxic with one misstep, its not a mix I'd be interested in. I'd rather stick with sphag or S/H for moisture lovers.

At this point I have 10 identical twins set up in SM/redwood ships for comparison and will make some more tomorrow.

Nick

It's been 2 month and today I inspected the 'identical twins'. There appears to be no noticeable difference in growth at this early stage, both the ones in moss and the ones in redwood chips are showing several new leaves emerging. In a couple of more month should be able to judge the length and vigor of the new leaves.

Nick

I agree with terpguy. Why risk your plants?

For a few years, I have used a mixed product from OFE which is primarily tree fern fibre and redwood chips. It works well. It lasts longer than bark mixes in my conditions. Other than that, there is nothing special about it.

James Rose is using redwood chips? I'm still trying to get used to his famed "gorilla hair" that he uses for Lycastes! :) What is that stuff?

--Stitz--

oooops!
I think that I just answered my own question.

Gorilla hair=Recycled, shredded redwood bark from what I can quickly learn using Google. Maybe, it works well in Calif. I'm not a big fan. I replace it at the earliest, reasonable opportunity. It's too dense and it retains too much moisture for routine use in Maryland.

This forum needs an "edit" feature available to the OP, original poster!

--Stitz--

I just learned that Tom Perlite took all his Dend cuthbersonii out of redwood and put them back in SM. I was told that his reason was he could not keep them wet enough.

For what it's worth.

James Rose is so sold on the stuff, he bought an entire palate of it which he won't share, would not sell me a bag. I'm not sold on it in any way, just trying something new which seems to last from what I hear. No one in my society grows cold stuff, I have no one to compare notes with. I therefore keep my eyes on what the cold growers around San Francisco are doing and try some of their methods.

Nick

Nick, you refer to 'cold-growing- orchids.
In General (if one can even say that) is it reasonable to say that cold-growing orchids want to stay moister than say an oncidium or cattlaya? Where can I find information and a list of cold-growing types? For instance, I have a terrible time getting a Miltonopsis to bloom, though the plant grows lots of green leaves. I believe the light level is right. Could it be the temperature? Same problem with Zygopedelum, Paphs, or Odontoglossums. My phrags are doing just fine.

Thanks,

Helga.

There is no easy answer to your question. Most vendors tell you exactly the temp rerquirements of the plant. Example: I'm bidding on a Masdevallia coccinea and here is what is said about it by the seller--

Culture: It is a cool to cold grower and like all cloud-forest plants, it requires good quality water and year round moisture. It should be moist, but not soggy. I fertilize them with 1/5 strength fertilizer most of the year and a bit lower strength in winter. I grow this plant potted in fir bark, but some prefer to grow in moss in a terra cotta pot. This species does not do well with constant high summer night temperatures and needs to cool off at night to thrive.

Pretty well self explanatory. The altitude at which the plant is found is a give away, at 3,000 meters there are not too many warm growers. Most cloud forest plants like to be moist all the time. Pleiones on the other hand, even though they grow high up in the Himalayas like a completely dry winter rest.

To check out a plant, I go to Jay Phal's site at http://www.orchidspecies.com/indexco.htm or go to the web page of vendors, Andy for example, who tells you precisely the temp requirements of each plant. You can also just google the plant and get a ton of info about each individual one.

Miltonopsis are tough, if they like you they are wonderful, otherwise most frustrating. If you do well with Phrags, you should have no problem.

Nick

Its been 5 months plus since I created several pairs of Masdies as described above. The growth appears almost equal but the redwood chip group has slightly more new leaves. I pulled a couple out of their pots and again the redwood chip one had more roots.

I have discussed this with several 'experts' and all of us conclude the following:

For my type of watering, the redwood chips may be better. I soak them every day and the Sphagnum Moss ones may do much better if watered every other day or even 3 days apart. This does not apply to Draculas who cannot get enough water but to Masdies and Pleuros.

I have heard it said more than once that there is no right way of watering or potting. Decide on your priority then supplement accordingly. If you want to grow everything potted in bark, fine, water accordingly. If you choose to water daily, also fine but choose the appropriate potting method, potting in bark would kill your plants.

At this point I'm not saying that redwood chips are better than SM, I am beginning to suspect though that for my style of watering, they may well be. That does not mean you will have the same experience.

Nick

It's been a year now and I unpotted all the Masdies. Well at least I'm 75% complete going through the entire collection. It is apparent that the Masdies are doing better in Sphagnum moss than redwood chips. Quite a few were 'floating' on top of the chips without sending the roots down. Lots of new leaves but poor roots.

I'm redoing all of them in moss only. Odontoglossoms and other Onc types appear to like the chips better. All of my Masdies will be in clay pots in moss with a couple of Styrofoam peanuts over the bottom hole which I enlarged to be at least 1/2" in diameter.

Nick

Thanks for the update, Nick. As a newer grower, I have been able to do your experiment only with a couple of plants- oncidiums which grow like weeds anyway- splitting and putting them in coconut chunks versus semi-hydro. For me they do better in S/H. But like you said, every grower does things a bit different.