How long should i soak orchid bark?

[en3rmax]

Hi there,

I think it's time to repot one of my orchids as the medium had broke down, i've just had my orchid accessories come, some 12cm air cone pots some multi purpose orchid mix medium small douglas fir bark, sponge rock and foam, and some focus orchid feed for blooming.

my question is how long shound i soak the bark before potting to take on enough water, i've got it in water now.

thanku very much for the info guys & gals.

[dounoharm]

i think overnite is the general recipe...gl

[Becca]

Some recommend overnight, this may be 6 to 8 hours or more, and some people recommend 24 to 48 hours. If you purchase your bark from repotme.com, they say you do not need to soak since they have already done it for you! Hope this helps!

[en3rmax]

I've been soaking the bark for 10 hours now would this be long enough to repot or should i wait longer?

[jkhom]

I usually soak the mix overnight before using.
I would think that 10 hours should be fine.

[rbarata]

I don't soak the bark but I didn't knew about it.
Anyway, I'm getting good results. Also, when repoting, if it's dry it's easier to fill all the voids between the roots.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I never soak bark before repotting with it. In case roots are accidentally bruised, cut or broken, I like to repot and leave the roots dry for a couple days to allow any injuries to heal over before watering. It seems to help prevent root rot.

[Ray]

I don't have that much patience, and if it is Orchiata, which is treated with dolomite, you shouldn't soak it at all.

Instead, I find that pouring VERY hot water on it - only enough to wet it, with little drainage - wait 30 minutes and repeat. Once it is cool, it's "open" and ready to go, and will absorb water better going forward.

[bil]

Some bark has a godawful red dye, so, I soak it a bit to see if it has.

[Fairorchids]

I never soak granular materials (bark, charcoal, perlite & Aliflor/LECA).

I moisten spaghnum mixes.

And then I water immediately after repotting. Once for spaghnum mixes, 2-3 times for granular mixes, and 4-6 times for plants in 'terrestrial' mix with chunky peat, which is hard to soak initially.