Spectacular growth! What are your growing conditions like? water, fertilizer, medium, etc? I need to threaten my AVs that have never bloomed with a whack job if they don't show buds soon.

â¢Posted by ultra_violet
What are your growing conditions like? water, fertilizer, medium,

Medium = pure sphag
*water = RO water
*fertilizer = I don't fertilize. Salt build up from fertilizer or tap water can occur very quickly in a terr unless one has a design allowing for the media to be regularly flushed out (and mine doesn't).
*temp =70's and 80's usually
Media occasionally gets a bit dry but more typically is always very moist.

Paul, I'm surprised at how fast they rebounded. My little babes I received from you are doing great. No blooms yet, but I'm sure I'll see them soon.
Eileen

paul, is it long fiber sphagnum? or sphag peat? or chopped up long fiber? hard to see from pics!
so i assume it stays very moist AND humid? how often do you ADD water? mist or dribble?
i haven't read the prior post - so you cut off the crown and it re-sprouted? the growth rate and fast blooming is phenomenal!
do you think it's due to sphag?

Long fibered sphag.

Humidity is usually 50% or better.

I aim for always moist, but there are occasions I get busy or forgetful and it does get a bit drier.

Neither mist nor dribble but rather dump/splash. (None of this foolish hokum about "not getting the leaves wet".)

I think the rapid growth is largely due to already having an established root system.

so i read your other posts about this terrarium to get more detail.
you have sphag over scoria and open top - not sealed. i am playing with semi-enclosure now and trying to eye-ball the watering needs - for when i am not there to water.
so, on avg in winter, when it is cooler - how often do you actually add water - 2-3 weeks? how long does it go without watering and still remains moist enough to do well? and how long when it gets borderline dry? approx?
i know scoria stores a lot of water, more then just plain mix. so that must help too.
i am thinking in the future to start adding scoria to the bottom of my AV pots that i keep on wicks (i have it in other wicked pots with reg plants) .
i read irina's post somewhere, she said she puts a thin layer of perlite on the bottom of hers, on wicking mats.
so i figure scoria should be ok too and probably will store even more water then perlite. and actually plants can extract some nutes out of it too.