WHICH ORCHIDS Prefer SERAMIS?

When Seramis became available in the USA, the question that quickly followed for most growers who had gotten their hands on it was: "Ok, now what? Which orchid do I put in this thing?"

Taking cues from our European orchid growing friends and compiling information from YouTube and blogs alike, I quickly realized that the answer to that particular question was subjective. Depending on your own growing environment ( read: greenhouse or windowsill? High or low humidity? Growing zone? Under lights? Natural lighting etc) the answer to the question would vary!

So here is a log of what orchids I chose to grow in seramis.

ZYGOPETALUM Redvale "Pretty Ann" ( likely mislabelled and may be Revdale?)
Purchased from www.ecuagenara.com.
Arrived with plump bulbs but....rootless. They ( the plant packers) seem to trim off all roots for imports from this Ecuadorian seller.

As you can see..this orchid, though rootless in May 2016, has roots crawling over the side of the pot and is in bloom! 6 happy buds on display!
I was amazed at the root growth in this medium as my other 2 zygopetalum which I purchased at the same time, from different vendors---are not in bloom and have not thrived as such, despite having a better root system than Pretty Ann.
Was it the Seramis?

Enc. Alata ( left) and Tolumnia Genting Pink Lady ( right)

Enc. Alata also arrived rootless from Ecuagenara in May 2016. It has put forth new roots into the Seramis substrate and has a fantastic new growth that is almost to full maturity as of Nov 7. 2016. The new growth is also taller than previous growths!
I feared for this plant as it had a soft bulb, which I removed upon arrival but it has also thrived!
The TOLUMNIA was my very first orchid of that type: purchased from www.orchidsbyhausermann.com
It arrived with a completely desiccated root system. Hausermanns is a stellar USA based orchid nursery. So I notified them of the plant' s condition, I was promptly sent a replacement--FREE of charge. However... I decided to take a chance in Seramis. To be fair, Tolumnia orchids are not typically potted in such a media. Charcoal is preferred by many growers, second in choice only to mounting the miniature plants. So seramis--- which is rather moisture retentive-- was indeed a gamble!
Thus far, it is putting out roots! I was told to expect very little from an ailing Tolumnia...but thus far, this one is happy!

PAPHIOPEDILUM vinicolor and Encyclia Cordigera Pink.

The paphiopedilum is a purchase from www.orchidsbyhauserman.
It was originally a very healthy plant, purchased in spike in Dec.2016. With it's fleshy, hairy roots-- it is a moisture lover. I planted it with a few top roots exposed ( not a good idea as they ended up drying out) but it has LOVED Seramis! It put out a lovely new fan (a.k.a: " new little plantlet/leaves) after it dropped its bloom in April and the fan seems almost fully mature!

The encyclia cordigera ' Pink' was also virtually rootless after its arrival. ( another import from Ecuagenera). Seramis seems to provide sufficient, balanced moisture to the plant's few roots that it had and within a month, new roots and a new growth could be seen. It is a little way off from being able to bloom but it is definitely thriving!

HOYAS!
Here is H.Multiflora and H. Tsangii/ DS70 ( both purchased from www.violetbarn.com)

These are young, rooted hoya cuttings that are planted in a mixture of Seramis and perlite. Many hoyas prefer a gritty mixture that is free draining and will not keep their fragile root systems overly wet. Seramis did the job! I have a few hoyas in orchid bark mix and perlite. I even have a hoya Australis ssp Tenuipes in a soil/ bark blend that is doing well. But at the next repotting I'll be switching them to Seramis because fungus gnats do NOT LIKE SERAMIS! And that, my friend is a major plus!☺

Lastly...
My seedling Sharry Baby orchid.
Another oncidium that loves moisture and will let you know it has been kept waaaaaay too dry with its pouty display of wrinkled leaves. Et...voila! See wrinkled leaves?

Seramis holds water well...but it dries perfectly well too. So for those forgetful ones that may miss a watering day...or two? The media will go light pink= bone dry.

SUMMARY:
Seramis has worked out well for me and my houseplants. Oncidiums, phalaenopsis, paphiopedilums, zygopetalums and tolumnias are thriving for me in this media.
Orchids fine/ fragile systems, like onc. Twinkles, and tolumnias will appreciate even balance of moisture. Phalaenopsis will enjoy moisture ratio but would benefit from plastic containers instead of pots--- since combo of clay and Seramis would keep their root systems cool in temperate climates. Cool growers like Nelly Isler and masdevillas would potentially love the combo of clay pots and Seramis too!

For reference:
I am a windowsill grower in zone 6. I use supplemental grow lights as well. I water once a week and fertilize weekly, weakly; flushing the media the 4th watering.
Some people may be hesitant to put cattleya orchids into the smaller granuled Seramis. But in the spring of 2017, I'm hoping to try my luck with cattleya in the smaller granules. Barring that? Keep your eyes locked on the germandeli.com website because here's hoping they are able to stock large granuled Seramis type media...soon!
Fingers crossed!

The Grow lights I use are perfect for windowsill growers and those using shelves.I have one t5 2bulb from www.htgsupply.com. I also have a 4bulb t5 set from Amazon.com They can be found here:




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