OFE Orchid Supplies, Miami, FL.

I've noticed a few orchids which I think contain this Stalite media. Wow, this stuff is hard to track down. It can be found under various names, however. The three I have found so far are PermaTill, Volebloc and Soil Perfector. This is being sold as a soil conditioner and vole repellent, but not necessarily being promoted as an orchid media.

From the descriptions it sounds like it is lighter weight than lava rock. I would like to try some to add to a mix. Might have to look for it at the local hardware/garden center.

Not sure if those you mention are actually the same thing as stalite. It's a slate...small and very small pieces...I find it to be heavier than lava.

Repotme carries small and medium size...
Orchid Potting Media

I still haven't made a decision on if this is a viable media by itself. It seems to dry out faster than bark but I don't even know that for sure. I have several catts in 100% stalite and a few other catts with a stalite/bark mixture.

Plants are growing, but results are inconclusive so far.

Oh, heavier than lava rock? OK...

Check out the last paragraph. This is also what I found by researching the production facility, which is in North Carolina...

Gardens at Post Hill

The thing is, depending on how it is marketed, i.e. for applications requiring large amounts, or on the other hand for limited niche horticultural uses, the price point is determined, which can be quite highly variable in range.

Interesting. Clicking that link led me to this - more info regarding Stalite.

We specialize in soil conditioner, green roof soil and structural soil.

Stalite
 

Stalite remains my "Base" media of choice after 5 years of use but do not recomend mixing CHC with it. The CHC
breaks down too fast. I am using Orchiata to differant ratio's now.
Stalite from the local gravel yeard has gotten very dusty. It is not dirt but ground up stalite, I believe from handling with big machinery. Stalite is very sterile because it is shale, popped like popcorn at 3000 degrees.
It is best to wash well before use - just drill holes in a bucket and run water thru it till the small stuff is washed out - or pay big bucks - whatever floats your boat. Washing in a small cement mixer is the best way.

Well, it's 4 years later and i've ordered another 15 pounds of Stalite, and most if not all plants in Stalite are still alive. An uniflora I repotted today that was hidden in an opaque pot revealed a thriving root system with good penetration through most of the substrate area, but concentrated along the inside walls of the pot. This results in the famed pot within a pot of a strong and pot-borne plant once the plastic is removed.

Not sure if I can even swag a guess at the moisture retention properties, but i'd say the stuff performs relatively similar to traditional bark cultures. The moisture seems to be consumed faster in Stalite when the ambient temperatures are high for some reason, but perhaps more ideally consumes moisture more rapidly or more consistent over time when ambients are on the low end of the toleration scale.

Weird stuff. Still undecided, but from a price point I paid 15 bucks for 15 pounds on Amazon, as long as I didn't get jacked.

I've never heard of it before. Glad it's working for you however.

Safe T Sorb is $6 for a 40lb bag but i prefer a bigger size in my orchids. Been using this stuff in my bonsai mix and top dressing for aired plants . For orchids I use straight leca in clay pots with a top dressing of seramis to hold more moisture throughout the pot. It would be nice if there was a section in this forum for listing orchid media compatibility.