Fir bark vs pine bark—your experiences!

[greenhouseFrog]

Curious to hear opinions developed from experience with either! In my immediate area, Orchiata reigns supreme as the choice amongst the most serious of hobbyists that grow in media, but fir seems to be the most widely available for pickup in-person.

I’ve read that fir may hold moisture a bit better than the radiata, yet the radiata may last longer because of antimicrobial properties inherent to the bark, but I’m sure there are more nuanced differences!

What have your experiences been like?

Thanks in advance!

[estación seca]

It depends on how well and how fast plants grow for you. Fir rarely lasts longer than 2 years. If you repot every 2 years it's fine.

[Dimples]

I use Kiwi bark (pine) for my orchids. Lasts forever. It looks new after a year of use. It’s wild. I use fir as an ingredient in the potting soil mix I make for my other houseplants. It also lasts quite awhile, but gets soft a lot faster. Comparing the two does feel a bit like comparing my late 2000s Corolla to a self-driving Jaguar taxi.

[oak]

I'm looking for pine bark fines/mini nuggets to use as a potting mix for some white oak acorns, and I did NOT realize finding a good source is practically a quest for the Holy Grail.

Sorry I can't help, OP.

[greenhouseFrog]

Originally Posted by oak

I'm looking for pine bark fines/mini nuggets to use as a potting mix for some white oak acorns, and I did NOT realize finding a good source is practically a quest for the Holy Grail.

Sorry I can't help, OP.

No worries, oak! It’s not like I couldn’t find pine fines/mini nuggets—I just couldn’t find them for immediate pickup in person, unlike the fir fines. Luckily for me, I actually met a guy at my local orchid society that purchases Orchiata bark by the pallet for his personal use—he’s willing to sell me a few bags! Truth be told, I’m not very patient(took up orchids as an exercise in patience),I barely do any online shopping and I hate paying for shipping

[Tony Meola]

New Zealand Fir Bark works well for certain plants. I have had good luck with it when repotting Paphs and Phals.

Paphs really do well in it, and it does not break down that quickly.

There is a big difference in Fir Bark. New Zealand seems to work the best.

[Ray]

Tony, what NZ for bark are you referring to? I am aware of Orchiata and Kiwi barks, both of which are from Pinus radiata trees.

One of the issues with fir bark common to the US - Rexius - is that it is steamed to extract the resins that can be toxic to other plants, which opens it up and makes it very absorbent, but it also leads to faster degradation.

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by greenhouseFrog

Luckily for me, I actually met a guy at my local orchid society that purchases Orchiata bark by the pallet for his personal use—he’s willing to sell me a few bags!

This seems like a perfect solution! I have been using Orchiata bark for close to ten years and have been very happy with it. The plants thrive, and oftentimes, when I have to repot because a plant has outgrown its pot, I can reuse the old bark because it shows no signs at all of degradation. I just add however much I need to fill the new bigger pot.

The only downside I can report with Orchiata is, if you are using that alone, plan on watering more often than if you are using sphagnum (a lot more) or even bark mixed with sphagnum. I don't mind because my collection is quite small.

[Roberta]

Another downside of Rexius bark... it is full of splinters. Gloves are a must when handling it. Generic fir bark has become nearly impossible to get where I live... it came from Canada, and the fires largely destroyed the lumber business, the bark was a lumber byproduct. When it is available it is much cheaper than Rexius (or Orchiata) but breaks down much faster. That issue is largely moot now, though.

[Tony Meola]

Originally Posted by Ray

Tony, what NZ for bark are you referring to? I am aware of Orchiata and Kiwi barks, both of which are from Pinus radiata trees.

One of the issues with fir bark common to the US - Rexius - is that it is steamed to extract the resins that can be toxic to other plants, which opens it up and makes it very absorbent, but it also leads to faster degradation.

Ray

The bag says Fernwood on it. The Orchid Society I belong to purchase Orchiata and Fir Bark once a year and we can order it that way. We get both the Orchiata and Fir Bark at Wholesale cost since we purchase a palat of the combined product.

A number of us have started to use it. It resists breaking down and as long as you don't pack it down like we do with bark it works on Paphs, Phals and Bulbo's really well.

We have a member who is a great Paph grower. Even he is telling us he has seen improvements in his plants since switching some of them over.