Using Lizard Fir Bark as Potting Medium

[Ducky87]

I was at the Local Petstore earlier today, and was looking at the condensed coconut bark blocks that you rehydrate with water to start some seedlings for my garden in this spring. Anyway, I ran across what seems to be a really good sized (small) pure fir bark that you use as bedding in Lizard cages. The stuff I found was a smaller grade that I usually have found, however it looks like the size fir bark that my first ONcidium came potted in. Would this be a good size to use as a Medium for some Orchids? maybe if i airated it with something just to give it some more air in case the bark pieces ore too small?

Thanks all!

[scy]

This came up in another thread recently. http://www.orchidboard.com/community...y-orchids.html

I had questions about potting medium, and another member of OB (Ryan) uses the bark/coconut husk chips from the reptile section of the pet store as medium and says they are high quality as reptiles are sensitive to chemicals and salts.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by Ducky87

I was at the Local Petstore earlier today, and was looking at the condensed coconut bark blocks that you rehydrate with water to start some seedlings for my garden in this spring. Anyway, I ran across what seems to be a really good sized (small) pure fir bark that you use as bedding in Lizard cages. The stuff I found was a smaller grade that I usually have found, however it looks like the size fir bark that my first ONcidium came potted in. Would this be a good size to use as a Medium for some Orchids? maybe if i airated it with something just to give it some more air in case the bark pieces ore too small?

Thanks all!

[Ryan.Walsh]

The stuff I get is called Repti Bark from ZooMed. It can actually be screened to get a few sizes of bark out of it. I usually get about a 3:1 ratio of small bark to medium bark out of the bag. I use the small bark in mixes for seedlings and small moisture-loving plants and the medium bark in a mix for pot sizes up to about 5 inches. I've also used Zoomed's CHC and it worked well. These mixes are made to go into cages with reptiles and herps, many of which are notoriously susceptible to environmental contaminants. The reptile and herp people are just as crazy about their babies as orchid people are

I've used this stuff for at least 3 years now without any problems. The only orchids that don't go into a mix with this bark are my really big Cattleya's and Angraecum's which get a mix with Better-gro's bark (available at Lowe's) that is quite a bit larger.

Locally I can get both bark mixes for about a $1/quart. Occasionally (~2x a year) the pet store will run a buy one get one free deal on reptile bedding in which case I stock up and can get 16 quarts of bark for $8

[Ducky87]

Thanks guys. I thought it looked lime a good size for orchids. I will try this when its time to repot!

[Ducky87]

Is this Lizard Bark suitable for a Phal? I noticed the phal i bougth the other day from the store has some dead roots at the bottom. it's still flowering though and the sizes in the medium it's in and fir bark i bought dont' seem so different. should I try to find a bigger bark for the Phals?