Hello the Group!
Great to see ya's. I'm not sure if I spelled the genus correctly. I
have a D. magnum that just doesn't thrive here. I've had it for
years. It's in bark at the moment. I'm gonna switch it to sphagnum.
I can't seem to figure this plant out! Am I keeping it too wet? Too
dry? Too dim? Too bright? Wrong tag? lol.
I switched a Lockhartia and a Maxillaria to osmunda fiber, and that
was the ticket for them. I can't find osmunda any more. The stores I
got it at before no longer carry it. Is tree fern fiber a similar
product? Just curious, they didn't have that either.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

"bobc" wrote in message
...
Hello the Group!
Great to see ya's. I'm not sure if I spelled the genus correctly. I
have a D. magnum that just doesn't thrive here. I've had it for
years. It's in bark at the moment. I'm gonna switch it to sphagnum.
I can't seem to figure this plant out! Am I keeping it too wet? Too
dry? Too dim? Too bright? Wrong tag? lol.
I switched a Lockhartia and a Maxillaria to osmunda fiber, and that
was the ticket for them. I can't find osmunda any more. The stores I
got it at before no longer carry it. Is tree fern fiber a similar
product? Just curious, they didn't have that either.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

I just reviewed Charles Baker's advice on OrchidWiz. As always Ddc don't
like being disturbed and need a quick draining medium. And they like to be
pot bound, so use a medium that'll drain well and allow the roots to dry
off. Repot when new roots are starting.

I just broke up a large cobbianum, and luckily they are establishing
themselves well in plastic pots and bark. When I've tried to break up a Ddc
wenzelii I lost practically everything except a few leaves that are now
trying to come back, but it'll take years, if ever.

Fingers crossed for you, good luck.

As for treefern/osmunda I always thought they were the same thing, but what
do I know? They sure look alike to my eye. I'm sure Aaron Hicks will show
up and scientifically prove what a dolt I am. Again. With diagrams.

Try Roberts Supply. Echoing Steve's experience, even I have had good
success with the store, even counting I'm 2/3s of the continent away from
them. FirstRay's may be closer to you, though. I do not kow if they have
either treefern or osmunda but it takes nothing to look. Again, they are
very responsive.

K Barrett

bobc wrote:
Hello the Group!
Great to see ya's. I'm not sure if I spelled the genus correctly. I
have a D. magnum that just doesn't thrive here. I've had it for
years. It's in bark at the moment. I'm gonna switch it to sphagnum.
I can't seem to figure this plant out! Am I keeping it too wet? Too
dry? Too dim? Too bright? Wrong tag? lol.
I switched a Lockhartia and a Maxillaria to osmunda fiber, and that
was the ticket for them. I can't find osmunda any more. The stores I
got it at before no longer carry it. Is tree fern fiber a similar
product? Just curious, they didn't have that either.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

Hi Bob.
I can't be specific about Dendrochilum culture because I haven't figured
mine out either. Both of my species have bloomed but they don't really
seem happy.
I've had quite a few plants over the years suddenly do much better in
Osmunda. Some plants certainly didn't like it but if a plant isn't doing
well in bark or CHC that's what I try.
Tree fern fiber is kind of similar to Osmunda but plants don't grow the
same in them. Tree fern, for use in pots, is a bunch of very stiff,
loose fibers. I never had anything thrive in tree fern fiber. I think
the big difference is that Osmunda holds some moisture and tree fern
drains and dries quickly. Perhaps a person living in the humid south
would have better luck with tree fern and find Osmunda to stay too wet?

Steve
PS My supply of Osmunda is a huge 6 cubic foot box I ordered from
Tropical Plant Products certainly over 10 years ago. I'm going to miss
it when I have used it all up. I rarely use it in a big pot. Trying to
not use it up too fast.

Osmunda is a Genus of several species of fern. Tree fern fiber comes from
one of the tree fern species mostly Cyathea.The massive root system of any
of these can be chunked, shredded, or layered (slabbed?). Tree ferns are
much larger and can make bigger slabs. Osmunda, being much smaller is not
economical for slabs. Anyway, being an organic substance, like bark, it's
going to break done sooner or later. The amount of moisture and heat
determine the rate of degradation. Use loose, shredded fiber mixed with
Spongerock in small clay pots and it's going to last a long time. Reverse
all of these and it's probably going to break down as fast as any other
organic. I find Jim's Orchid Supplies in FL is probably the cheapest for
buying slabs. Then I can cut it as I like with a nice sharp machete. Tin
snips work. A rolling pin breaks a lot of connecting fibers for easier
shredding. In any case you're going to make a mess and end up with some fern
fiber. Substitutes are being tested since the use of tree fern has
consideranly diminished the resource. Try epiweb as an alternative. Check
http://www.firstrays.com/epiweb.htm for what it is and another story on
osmunda-tree fern.
Gary

"Steve" wrote in message
...


bobc wrote:
Hello the Group!
Great to see ya's. I'm not sure if I spelled the genus correctly. I
have a D. magnum that just doesn't thrive here. I've had it for
years. It's in bark at the moment. I'm gonna switch it to sphagnum.
I can't seem to figure this plant out! Am I keeping it too wet? Too
dry? Too dim? Too bright? Wrong tag? lol.
I switched a Lockhartia and a Maxillaria to osmunda fiber, and that
was the ticket for them. I can't find osmunda any more. The stores I
got it at before no longer carry it. Is tree fern fiber a similar
product? Just curious, they didn't have that either.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

Hi Bob.
I can't be specific about Dendrochilum culture because I haven't figured
mine out either. Both of my species have bloomed but they don't really
seem happy.
I've had quite a few plants over the years suddenly do much better in
Osmunda. Some plants certainly didn't like it but if a plant isn't doing
well in bark or CHC that's what I try.
Tree fern fiber is kind of similar to Osmunda but plants don't grow the
same in them. Tree fern, for use in pots, is a bunch of very stiff, loose
fibers. I never had anything thrive in tree fern fiber. I think the big
difference is that Osmunda holds some moisture and tree fern drains and
dries quickly. Perhaps a person living in the humid south would have
better luck with tree fern and find Osmunda to stay too wet?

Steve
PS My supply of Osmunda is a huge 6 cubic foot box I ordered from
Tropical Plant Products certainly over 10 years ago. I'm going to miss it
when I have used it all up. I rarely use it in a big pot. Trying to not
use it up too fast.

to get more detailed, osmunda is the root system of the fern, while tree
fern is the "trunk".

As osmunda breaks down, it actually feeds the plant, but mostly nitrogen.
Tree fern does not.

--

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


"v_coerulea" wrote in message
. ..
Osmunda is a Genus of several species of fern. Tree fern fiber comes from
one of the tree fern species mostly Cyathea.The massive root system of any
of these can be chunked, shredded, or layered (slabbed?). Tree ferns are
much larger and can make bigger slabs. Osmunda, being much smaller is not
economical for slabs. Anyway, being an organic substance, like bark, it's
going to break done sooner or later. The amount of moisture and heat
determine the rate of degradation. Use loose, shredded fiber mixed with
Spongerock in small clay pots and it's going to last a long time. Reverse
all of these and it's probably going to break down as fast as any other
organic. I find Jim's Orchid Supplies in FL is probably the cheapest for
buying slabs. Then I can cut it as I like with a nice sharp machete. Tin
snips work. A rolling pin breaks a lot of connecting fibers for easier
shredding. In any case you're going to make a mess and end up with some
fern fiber. Substitutes are being tested since the use of tree fern has
consideranly diminished the resource. Try epiweb as an alternative. Check
http://www.firstrays.com/epiweb.htm for what it is and another story on
osmunda-tree fern.
Gary

"Steve" wrote in message
...


bobc wrote:
Hello the Group!
Great to see ya's. I'm not sure if I spelled the genus correctly. I
have a D. magnum that just doesn't thrive here. I've had it for
years. It's in bark at the moment. I'm gonna switch it to sphagnum.
I can't seem to figure this plant out! Am I keeping it too wet? Too
dry? Too dim? Too bright? Wrong tag? lol.
I switched a Lockhartia and a Maxillaria to osmunda fiber, and that
was the ticket for them. I can't find osmunda any more. The stores I
got it at before no longer carry it. Is tree fern fiber a similar
product? Just curious, they didn't have that either.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

Hi Bob.
I can't be specific about Dendrochilum culture because I haven't figured
mine out either. Both of my species have bloomed but they don't really
seem happy.
I've had quite a few plants over the years suddenly do much better in
Osmunda. Some plants certainly didn't like it but if a plant isn't doing
well in bark or CHC that's what I try.
Tree fern fiber is kind of similar to Osmunda but plants don't grow the
same in them. Tree fern, for use in pots, is a bunch of very stiff, loose
fibers. I never had anything thrive in tree fern fiber. I think the big
difference is that Osmunda holds some moisture and tree fern drains and
dries quickly. Perhaps a person living in the humid south would have
better luck with tree fern and find Osmunda to stay too wet?

Steve
PS My supply of Osmunda is a huge 6 cubic foot box I ordered from
Tropical Plant Products certainly over 10 years ago. I'm going to miss it
when I have used it all up. I rarely use it in a big pot. Trying to not
use it up too fast.

Hello everyone, and thanks for the info. I went to Ray's site (a
wonderful place!) and saw theEpi-Web stuff. My fear is it dries too
fast. I grow on a windowsill and some weeks I just can't find the
time to water the orchids as much as they would like. I guess I could
add some Sphagnum to the Epiweb?
Steve, my Ddc hasn't ever flowered. It's biggest leaf was only about
six inches long. They slowly get more and more brown speckles, then
die. I've never been able to see any bugs, even with magnification.
I've sprayed with insecticidal soap, and wiped them with Purell hand
sanitizer, and alchohol (that doesn't look right?) ... at different
times. It is sitting alongside my other plants, but they show no
signs of damage at all, ever. It is putting forth new growth now.
The new leaves are a nice green color and blemish free at the moment.
I've started to toss it in the trash several times, but keep giving it
another chance. The only thing I haven't tried yet is to summer it
outdoors. If it lives through the winter, I'll try that.
Bob - Philadelphia, Pa