Reptile Bark??

[Troythediver]

It's called Zoo Med Repti Bark. You get 4 quarts for 7.99. Has anyone used this? It's 100% fir bark triple washed, dustless, and uniform in size. Also, they don't heat treat it, so it supposedly holds moisture better.

I have two mini phals and one regular Phal in it. They seem to be really thriving.

Then I bought some Miracle-Gro Orchid mix and was very turned off. It had dirt and bugs in it. Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Also, the size distribution was all over the place.

[kindrag23]

Miracle Gro orchid mix is crap *pardon my french lol*. My Leopard gecko's loved it, and I am thinking that the smell would keep the bugs away, if your phal's are doing well I am thinking it should work, maybe add some styrofoam pieces in there to help keep it from possibly impacting.

[Troythediver]

Good idea about the styrofoam. I'm nervous about switching two new cattleya hybrids to it because the pieces are smaller and I have no experience with cattleya. The nice thing when I was potting in it was that I could put the roots into the empty pot and gently shake all the bark in, and so I was quite certain that no damage befell the roots when doing the Phals.

[kindrag23]

Cattleya have rhizomes that sit on top of the soil, or potting media with their roots gently laid in there, and the media put in around them, you will most likely have to stake them to keep it upright until it becomes stable, they like bright bright light even direct light. But if they have been in a store then you may want to work towards slowly moving them towards direct light.

I know some people mount theres as well, my schomburgkia (a type of catt.) are mounted and seem happier then ever. Ummm also they need extra Calcium and Magnesium. I and several Ob members (in fact they are the ones who recommended this brand to me) is called MagiCal by TechnaFlora it is a liquid you can use once or twice a month when soaking your plants.

Catts need the extra calcium and mag for added immunity from black rot and bacterial infections. I started using it on all of mine and I am seeing a great difference in all of my plants. Especially my schomburgkia. Good luck and Good growing!

[Island Girl]

I don't see why it wouldn't work, I have some cedar bark, Repti-bark brand or something like that, that I plan on using... You could use large/coarse sponge rock, or lava rock, or LECA to reduce compaction of the bark. Styrofoam peanuts would work too, just make sure it's not the kind that dissolve in water (made out of cornstarch, Eco-friendly). The Catt-types may prefer larger/coarser media, than that, but you could add in stuff (see suggestions above) to make it dry out faster.

[Troythediver]

I live in Ohio and the unifoliate Catt. is nearly touching the glass of a south window. If my phals do well being watered once a week, should I being watering these more or less if I choose to go with the same media albeit with the addition of some styrofoam peanuts?

[kindrag23]

Umm not sure I would use a shish kabob wooden skewer to see how often you may have to water. New media new watering schedule.

[naoki]

Zoo Med barks which I have seen are "fine/seedling" grade bark. Or do they have something similar to medium grade bark? It sound like that it's working well for your environment, but it is generally easier/safer to use coarser media with more frequent watering (dries out completely in 2-4 days) when you are starting out (in my opinion). In coarse media, there is more air space, and roots don't get suffocated easily.

[Troythediver]

Thanks for the advice all. I think I will end up compromising by trying to add some larger pieces from another source to the reptile bark.

[Ray]

Zoo Med bark is steamed to sterilize it, so is fairly soft and porous. It's intended to absorb critter excretions and be thrown away, so does not have to have much of a life span.