Orchiata Mix

[Arizona Jeanie]

HiOrcDen
I strongly suggest doing a "scientific" side-by-side comparison of various potting media.
I have a small collection of Phals, I've tried various bark mixes and pot types. Pretty much anything chunky is better than moss for me.
Two years ago I tried out some Dalton's Orchiata. Pricey, but it's a very high quality product and I have a small collection. The plants are loving it. Leaves and roots look great, and all are blooming well. It holds up well. I suggest giving it a try, I've been impressed with the results.

[WaterWitchin]

I need to read the thread where rbarata uses "sphagnum balls." Sounds like my kind of twist to do the job for certain plants, plus easy removal when repotting.

Have been growing everything in SH for quite some time. If I use a bark medium, it's always Orchiata. After trying numerous bark mixes "back in the day" I found Orchiata and never looked back. Plus I bought two different sizes in bulk and still have plenty. Orchiata is the closest organic medium I've used to using an inorganic medium like LECA, etc.

My grow space changed a couple of years ago, and I've been experimenting with reverting some genus into a bark mix and a couple into straight sphag since my environmental conditions have changed. Main reason being able to water everything at the same time depending on needs of the particular genus. Main experiments are with Maxillaria, some Cymbidiums, and Catasetum.

[Dimples]

The #3 Kiwi bark from SVO has been as fantastic as everyone suggests (I’m only 20-25 miles from there). My phals love it and I can sift it to get the smaller or larger pieces depending on the pot size. I sort through it out of habit but it really is ready to go out of the bag.

It’s hard enough that I can and do water freshly potted phals very frequently, daily in summer and almost daily in winter, but my growing area is very bright and 75-83F (summer) and 72-80F (winter). Once the bark has been in use for awhile it holds more water and I can extend the interval, but I’m still watering about 2-3 times a week for ventilated quart sized pots. I’ve begun reducing the number of side holes in my pots to slow the drying rate to see if I can water a little less often.

[sweta]

Originally Posted by HiOrcDen

So when shopping for Orchiata mix for my Orchids, is the brand at all important? Is the Orchiata (which was purchased by Dalton's) brand necessarily better than others, and if not which other brands might be as good, at a better value?

I have seen the 'Perfect 'Plants' mix which is very highly rated by about 6,000 reviewers on Amazon, and the next closest is just a few hundred purchases. Of course this could just be that the ones that've sold hundreds have been introduced to Amazon recently.

So again, what might be the best brands, if there's a difference as long as it's real orchiata? I have heard of Orchiata brand, and also rePotme... any other suggestions? Or should I just go for the best value?

Oh one more thing, the Perfect Plants mix has added charcoal, sponge Rock, pine bark, coconut chips, in small portions. Is this advantageous?

I've been ordering orchiata bark(Daltons) and I've been very happy with the quality of product and their service. This has been by far the best bark that I've seen so far. And you get a bonus free gift if you spend more than $35 which is awesome. I've also tried the MWP fir bark but that didnt meet my expectation but Rexius fir bark is good. I also like the cZ garden supply store orchid bark on amazon the quality of their bark is great as well and its cheaper than orchiata bark. I remember ordering my first orchid potting mix by perfect plants on amazon https://a.co/d/7P44ae1. That was a disaster I had an infestation of fungus gnats.

[estación seca]

S/H is the abbreviation for semihydroponics.

[Ray]

I may be incorrect, but I believe Wayne (orchidmix.com) has passed away, leaving a big gap in the supplies world.

CHC (coconut husk chips) is certainly not new. Granted, I am not looking for it, but it seems that there is far less discussion about it these days than there used to be. One of the issues with it was the retention of salt. I don’t know if the plant naturally accumulates it or if, as I’ve read, salt water is used in the processing, but either way, it pays to soak the stuff for a long time with plenty of water changes prior to use.

[Roberta]

I used to use coconut husk chips for Cymbidiums, but over the years quality dropped - it broke down even faster than small bark. I would not use it for much else, stays too wet. Along with the need to wash it well.