I have Phals growing in three different medias right now, all doing well. Being new to this, I'm trying to find what works best for me. I've got one blooming in the small orichiata bark, three in sphagnum moss, and one in Better-Grow Phal mix.
I do have a warm mist humidifier blowing toward the Phals with a small fan. It keeps the area around 75 degrees and 50% humidity.
For a Phal? I use a small orchiata bark with perlite for my Phals and Onc. type plants. Phals don't tend to do well wet all the time, at least that has been my experience. Saturating the Phal weekly provides enough water for these types. We are fairly dry half of the year (low humidity) and I haven't had any problems using bark for my Phals.
I had a phal in a 3 inch pot in small fir bark and the media dried out in a few days. I had been watering it every week and noticed it was extremely under watered when I upotted it. So for beginners, I recommend lightly packed sphagnum moss for phials in pots smaller than 4 inches.
Just something to keep in mind, overwatering and underwatering can look very much alike...and I've learned the hard way that I've tended to kill 'em with kindness rather than neglect.