Phal losing leaves

[NatalieS]

There is lots of really good information in this thread. It shows just how differently people grow their orchids.

Personally, I don't think we can tell someone what media is best to grow their plant in (something that's been stated already in this thread). We can only explain the existing guidelines, give our personal experiences, and then let the person decide if it's applicable to them and their growing conditions. Each person's environment and growing style is unique. Even plants of the same species differ in their vigor and tolerance depending on their breeding. All you can do is experiment for yourself and observe closely how your orchids respond. There are many signs you can look for - pleated, crimped, or floppy leaves, successively smaller growths/leaves, the presence of insects like springtails which indicate too much moisture, etc. The symptoms of over-watering can often be the same as the symptoms for under-watering so observation is key. Sometimes the only thing you can do is pull the plant out the pot and see what's going on with the roots and media.

Of course, it helps immensely to research the plants natural habitat and how it likes to grow in nature. It's always a very good place to start. However, some orchids have been grown and bred in cultivation for so long that they are more tolerant of different conditions, or even adjust their seasonal growth habits depending on which hemisphere they're in. Again, all you can do is observe the plant and try to adjust your culture accordingly.

Anyway, I digress! From my experience, LECA and bark are not a good combination. I used to use LECA with bark because I too thought it would open the mix. But in all cases I found the bark broke down far too quickly because the LECA was staying wet for far longer. It holds water too effectively. So no more LECA with bark for me! Like others have said, LECA is best used by itself with S/H.

Oh, I have never had a problem moving plants from one medium to another. Bark to sphag, sphag to bark, bare root to sphag, bark to mounted, whatever. BUT, I will say that I typically only change medium if I notice that the plant isn't growing well in its current medium. This could be down to my watering habits, whether or not the plant prefers to stay evenly moist, the size of the plant, season, etc.