Orchid culture in TW and SG - Red Pine bark

Hmm it gets a bit annoying at times when you can read read read but can't post because tio disabled.

Let's get back to AG's question on YYYY TW can grow their plants in pine bark and not SG growers.

Let's take a look at TW's culture methods:
- If plants are grown in TP, they have wintering where the temperature drops below 25 oC for about 40% of the year. If grown in other parts, they have a lower ambient temperature than SG. This low temperature actually slows down fermentation - potting mix will last longer.

- The average life span of the plants from TW exported is normally 1 year - when the plants are in the final potting stage for about 6 months and budding, they are sent over to be sold as potted plants. The normal practice in JP and TW is that once the (mericloned /mass produced) plant has finished flowering, they are dumped. SG people usually tries ways and means to rescucitate the plant and continue to grow them in the original potting mix - thinking what's good there is good for here. Mainly aesthetic, not functional and practical in our climate. If you look into the pots grown by collectors, they do not use fir bark. Usually osmunda, treefern or NZ/Chilean/Argentinian/Canadian sphag. SG, we use charcoal as mainstay.

- The processes in TW commercial nurseries are very tightly controlled (some of them have annual visits from USDA) almost all their potting mixes are autoclaved and water purified. Autoclaving potting mix will slow down break down as you lower microbial load. The purified water helps in leaching of the salts before they build up and starts depositing.

If you look carefully at the exports from TW, the collectors' items are rarely potted in fir bark - unless required. Mericloned stuff may be potted in ticking time bomb mixes - china sphag or fir bark or peat.

If you have a hefty plant like Grammatophyllum speciosum the last thing on your mind is repotting. It's a massive operation - need to hold one partay to ask people help you lift the plant one. In fact, the one at Mandai Gardens was sitting aroung for about 2 decades before they decided to split the plant into soooo many puny pieces.

PS - pH changes are some times used to trigger flowering but if control not good, it comes swan song flowering.

A painful lesson learnt by the Laojiao orchid growers during the hey day of fir bark imports - better not repeat the same olde silly mistake.

A look at the entry requirements.