Potting mix in New York City ...?

[Claudia]

Can anyone recommend a shop in NYC
where to find good orchid potting medium
such as bark mix ?

I tried Home Depot but they only have Miracle-gro mix
which is too "soil-like"

Thanks!

ps
I posted this in the orchid lounge.
I try also here just in case...

[myrrh & frankincense]

You might want to check the Botanical Gardens (either Brooklyn or Bronx). I usually order mix when purchasing plants online because I haven't found a good supplier close to home.

Good luck.

[D&S Mabel]

If you haven't already, you might want to ask your local Home Depot or Lowes if they carry any of the "Better-Gro" orchid mix products (that's the brand I find in most Big Boxes down this way). These type of items may not be "in season" yet in your area and that may be why you can't find them on the shelves.

If the answer is "no", ask them to check the other stores in your area. They may even be willing to bring some in for you - our local stores have gotten very customer friendly in these tight times. I've gotten items brought in from as far away as a store in Georgia.

The Better-Gro products are a good place to start as they are relatively inexpensive, the quality isn't bad and they cover a wide range of needs. I currently use their phal mix with pretty good results.

An an alternative, I've had good luck ordering supplies on the web from repotme.com. Not cheap though...

[orkie]

Hi,

I've been able to find the Better Gro mixes at Lowe's (in Brooklyn and in Staten Island) and I've also gotten a bark mix from a Home Depot that wasn't weird, it was just bark. You should try calling around to the Lowe's and HD's and seeing if they've got, different stores seem to have pretty different selections.

Also, there are a few places in Chinatown that specialize in orchids that might have bark only mixes for sale.

Sara

[Claudia]

Thanks for the advice!

I went to the flower district on 28th street and found the "Special Orchid Mix" of Hoffman. When I opend the bag I realized that it is too coarse for an oncidium... but it will be very good for the phals.

In the end, the oncidium is still in the miracle-gro mix I found at home depot.

[whygreenberg]

Yeah, Brooklyn here. Not so many good orchid-specific places in the NYC area. I have however used the BetterGro mixes I've picked up from Lowes and they have worked just fine for me. Otherwise, I would say look to the online nurseries, etc.