What size pot and what soil for rajah?

[Hans Breuer]

Hi,

my rajah now seems to have acclimatized enough to dare a repotting. The plant is nine and a half inches (ca. 24 cm) across. What size pot should I go for? I know rajahs should have pots wider than their diameter. How about depth? Same as with bicals (Bigger Is Better)?

And since I'm at it - what soil have y'all found best for N. rajah?

Thanks!

Hans

 

[swords]

Hey Hans,

Sounds like your rajah is doing well! I like to have mine potted in a rapid draining, chunky media so it can't compact and deny the plant good air circulation. I start with a blend of orchid bark and charcoal chips and progressively add handfuls of shredded spahgnum and mix until it looks like there's a good even blend (maybe a bit more bark and charcoal than spahgnum). I like watering my plants heavily and often which helps simulate the root flushing rains of their habitat. I feel that this really helps them grow a lot faster rather than just dribbling a bit of water to keep the soil moist. But if you water alot and are using pure sphagnum you'll have soil too wet and risk rotting the roots.

My rajah is about a meter in diameter and the only thing I could find to pot it in this last january is a dish drain tub for a sink. It is about 18" L x 12" W x 8" D and full of holes since I like using the Net pots but they don't make them in rajah size. BTW the horizontal roots on my rajah were almost as big around as my little finger, larger than any of my Phalaenopsis orchid roots! I hope I get a pitcher soon it's been a long time (last one last year was 8").

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

Quote[/b] ]My rajah is about a meter in diameter

I would love to see a picture of that! and somthing to compare the size of it!!!

 

[fc3srx713b]

man thats huge! but how many leaves does it have?

mine is a piuny 8"

 

[swords]

You can kind of make it out in this pic (the best I have at the moment) It's the tall thing sticking up/propped up inside the terrarium on the left side.

If the lights were on I could tell you the exact # of leaves but I think there are six, possibly seven. The most it ever had at one time was ten and that was when it was a lot smaller It MUST grow leaves faster once it reaches the vining stage. mine looks like a vine but it's still just a decumbant rosette but so long that I propped it up so I could have my other plants in there too! I need to cut the top and root it as I have no larger chamber of these temperatures (nor room for a larger one). I'm just scared to! It made many basal rosettes (up to 4 in one year) as a small plant but once it hit 2 ft in diameter it quit making offsets. For a size comparison the blue drain tub it's potted in is 18" long and so is the leaf over it. at the top. It seems to have "stuck" at 18" leaves for about a year or so. Being so close to the lights may be keeping it's growth compact. Like I said, a pitcher would be nice!

 

[Hans Breuer]

Thanks very much for your elaboration (and your picture!), swords - that's a great help!

Hans

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

WOW very nice swords