Orchiata Bark Quality Control

[cherrypuff]

Hi guys, I recently purchased a bag of Orchiata bark through Amazon. I opted for the "Power" size, 3/8” to 1/2" bark.

When the package arrived, it was fully covered in dust. The bark itself was sealed within the pink Dalton's packaging, but the tiny air holes in the bag left trails of dust everywhere. Even as I poured the bark out, a large dust cloud came out with it.

Additionally, I've noticed that some of the bark pieces don't look like Orchiata, as they are much more yellow.

Lastly, many of the bark pieces are very very very thin, to the point where I can easily snap them in half.

This is my first time purchasing Orchiata Bark, so I'm not sure if this is the norm, or if I just received a bad batch. If anyone could weigh in on this, I would greatly appreciate the input!

Photo of the Orchiata Bark:
Orchiata Bark Authenticity - Album on Imgur

[estación seca]

I can't address Orchiata since I haven't bought any.

A lot of vendors sell counterfeit and fake goods on Amazon and eBay. Look up blue monkey face orchid seeds. I just made that up but I bet you can find them. Reviews can be fake, even in large numbers. It's difficult to find high quality vendors of high quality products. I don't think the online market places are very concerned about counterfeit goods, since they still make their cut.

Edit: You could try to contact the company producing Orchiata and ask whether that vendor is part of their standard distribution channel.

[nemesis]

First, I buy from Kelly's Corner, and I use the Super grade as I mostly grow Cattleyas. For plants with fine roots, I add some different things to the bark. I have been using this bark for 3 years and have never had an experience like the one you are describing. I swear by the stuff.
Kelly

[Roberta]

I have been buying Orchiata regularly, from a local supplier and that doesn't sound like what I have ever gotten. I agree with ES, follow up with the distributor, it may not be the real deal. Did you order a full-size bag (40L)? A smaller size likely repackaged and could be anything.

Suggestion... Sunset Valley Orchids sells Kiwi Bark in 50L bags, price comparable to (or maybe even a bit lower than) the 40L Orchiata. I don't know what shipping costs. (When Amazon offers "free shipping" especially on larger items, they often just "bake in" the shipping price into the item price) The #3 size of Kiwi bark is comparable to the Orchiata "Power" size.

[Dimples]

Kiwi bark is amazing. I was fortunate to work 10-minutes from SVO and started my orchid journey with excellent bark. I’ll be paying shipping for it now.

[Ray]

The stuff in the photo looks like Orchiata to me, but dried, which I never got back when I bought, resold, and used the stuff. I don't recall a lot of thin pieces, though.

I suspect that after Daltons bought the product line, they started perforating the bags to allow them to dry, reducing weight and shipping cost, and that if you properly rehydrate it, it'll be a lot like the Besgro version.

DO NOT SOAK IT, as that will remove a lot of the dolomitic lime used in curing. Instead, put some in a tray and slowly pour hot water over it, mixing to get it all surface wet. Wait 10-15 minutes and repeat. After 2 or 3 repetitions, it will probably plump up and become less brittle.

I wouldn't worry about the odd-looking pieces in any case.

[Mountaineer370]

I've been using Orchiata for close to ten years now. The original company, Besgrow, sold off their Orchiata line to Dalton's somewhere along the way. Nowadays, the Dalton's Orchiata is often repackaged and sold in small quantities by many retailers.

Since I use so little of it, I end up buying the repackaged stuff in smallish bags. I have noticed a difference in the product from back when I first started using it. The bag I have right now does indeed have a few chunks here and there of the lighter-colored stuff in your photo, though I don't think I have as many. I've always been a little puzzled by what exactly that is, but it's never been an issue for me. I figure when you take thick bark off a tree and cut it up into small pieces, there's bound to be some color difference.

The dust is something I find annoying. I've never had a bag as dusty as what you describe, but it is dusty enough that I thoroughly rinse the bark before I use it. I don't soak, I just use a colander and the spray nozzle on my sink to rinse it because I don't want all that dust inside my pots.

Still, I'm happy with the performance of the product over the years. I have thought about maybe trying the Kiwi bark that many here use and like, but right now, my four-quart bag of Orchiata will last several more years, as my collection is very small, there is no room for more plants, and the Orchiata can often be reused even when I repot because a plant needs a bigger pot.

By the way, I have never had it arrive in a bag with holes. And even after sitting in the garage for a couple years, there is still a bit of condensation on the inside of the bag, so I know its moisture content is still good.

[Arizona Jeanie]

I think the lighter colored pieces are chunks of wood. They must toss the bark into a chipper, sometimes the bark is still attached to wood. It does come from real trees, after all. I pick out the wood chips and use the bark for the orchids.
When new, it doesn't hold much water. After about a year it softens up a bit, and doesn't need to be watered as often.
I'm in hot dry desert, and will water two to three times a week in summer. (ES has it hotter!) Still once a week in cooler weather. They're doing great in Orchiata.

[gdupont]

I've bought this product on Amazon and my experience is the same as yours. Doesn't look perfect and super dusty. It does the job though.

The only prep I do with it is that I use a strainer to get rid of all of the dust. There is a ton of it and I worry about it suffocating the roots. The strainer fixes that easily. Along the way, I pick out the particularly thin and odd-looking bark pieces. Also, I mix it with large charcoal and large perlite, which helps buffer some of the problems. It has served me well!

The kiwi bark from Sunset Valley Orchids is quite good. I've been using it for about 6 months. I actually still don't feel like I don't have a perfect handle on it, though. It appears to hold very little moisture, which is interesting. I think the idea is that as you use it over a year or more it degrades a little and can start to hold moisture in a more typical fashion.

I have Cattleyas growing in it, they seem happy. I also have Phragmipedium species growing in it, and it took them a while to get used to it, but I am seeing a lot of roots now.

Tim Culbertson uses kiwi bar for the majority of this plants I think and everything I've bought from him is beautiful. I'm sure it's great stuff! Just has a little bit more of a learning curve than I expected, that's all.

[Dimples]

In my experience, Kiwi bark holds almost no (significant) moisture at first. When I was in north-inland San Diego County in CA, I could soak my phals. in new bark every day for an hour or more, and still wake up to dry bark the next morning. It begins to hold some moisture after a a few months. Regular soaking helps at first, but it takes time regardless of how you water. I love the stuff.