Where to get a buttload of good epiphyte potting media for less than an arm & a leg?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Carrie:

Thanks for your reply. As it turns out, a member of our local orchid society saw my post and mentioned that one of the other members of our OS (not a member of orchidboard) "knows a guy" that is an orchiata distributor. I don't know anything more than that right now, but that might be a good way to go for me. Still, thanks again!

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by cbuchman

Do you belong to an Orchid Society. Our OS ordered a pallet of Orchiata Bark for a very reasonable price. The bags are HUGE (multiple years' supply for me), so some people split a bag. Another good reason to join an OS!

yep - that's what our OS did too.....

[Leafmite]

We are very fortunate to have Wayne Roberts of Roberts Flower Supply as a member of our Orchid Society. He has a great selection of mediums and pots and if we email him, he kindly brings it to the meetings. Naturally, that is where I buy my NZ sphagnum moss and Aliflor.

[Joseia]

I have bought orchiata from repotme, but lately I have gotten it from First Rays for a much more reasonable price. I bet Ray can sell you a buttload lol.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by sweetjblue

Black Gold Orchid Mix is considered a soil-less potting medium and is recommended for terrestrial to semi-terrestrial orchids such as Cymbidium, Paphiopedilum, and Phaius among others.

If I was growing an epiphytic Paph or a lithophytic Paph, I wouldn't be using the Black Gold Orchid Mix presented in the video. For the epiphytic Paphs, I'd just use straight up good quality bark. For the lithophytic ones, I'd just use a combo of limestone and bark for those that grow on limestone, or granite and bark for those that grow on granites.

If the Paph is known to grow in humus, then that's probably when I'd use the Black Gold.

There are so many different kinds of Paphs, it wouldn't be easy to generalize their culture.

A little bit off on a tangent, but I just wanted to give my .

On topic though, I don't think it's necessary to store a "buttload" of bark medium for the purposes of repotting unless you have a buttload of orchids to use them with. Maybe a semi-buttload might be the better money saving and resource preserving solution? I've bought a big bag of bark for about $6 or $7 before, and that is more than enough for a collection of over 50 orchids.

[astrid]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

On topic though, I don't think it's necessary to store a "buttload" of bark medium for the purposes of repotting unless you have a buttload of orchids to use them with. Maybe a semi-buttload might be the better money saving and resource preserving solution? I've bought a big bag of bark for about $6 or $7 before, and that is more than enough for a collection of over 50 orchids.

Well, I guess my idea of "a buttload" means something like 16-24 quarts on hand. It is kind of a ridiculous amount, but after losing a plant in this last set of shenanigans, I'd rather just err on the side of caution.

I now have about 2.5 quarts, and 1.5 quarts was enough to re-repot 4 of my plants, so I should be okay for the next year.

---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:07 PM ----------

Originally Posted by sweetjblue

Black Gold Orchid Mix is considered a soil-less potting medium and is recommended for terrestrial to semi-terrestrial orchids such as Cymbidium, Paphiopedilum, and Phaius among others.
As you found out it does not work well with Phalaenopsis. It can be done, but it does take time to learn when and how to water when you use it. I have found it to be worse than tightly packed sphag when used with phals. Repotting would be more frequent than when using either a bark based mix (which this particular Black Gold product is not) or sphagnum, as the soiless mix tends to become compacted rather quickly.

Black Gold has Sphagnum Peat Moss in its mix which is a entirely different animal from Sphagnum Moss. Peat Moss is a soil conditioner often used in gardening to amend soil. It IS sphag moss, but it has been allowed to degrade to a point where it becomes peat which as you've found, is a much finer product.

This is where your problem lies, in the confusion between the two mosses. Black Gold is a good product when used for its intended purposes.

I knew not to put my plants in a pot full of dirt which is what I got when I bought the "orchid mix" from black gold.
That is why I picked out individual bark chips for a few hours and made a potting mix with those chips, some charcoal, and a little bit of sphag.

Then I watered my plants and the next day the chips from the new bag grew a .5cm tall layer of white fuzzy mold.

Additionally, Black Gold advertises itself by putting a phalaenopsis on the front of the bag, and also saying on the front of the bag "Ideal for epiphytic plants" which is just a load of lies.
I thought when I felt the bag that I felt a bag full of bark chips, but I was very mistaken.

Black gold is a terrible product and I would never ever ever recommend it to someone with epiphytic plants.

Finally, I only repotted one phal with this. The rest were brassias and oncidium types.

I got a better mix now, spent more money, and I have mixed it with varying amounts of sphag appropriate for whatever plant I was potting. Now things should get a bit better.

[Ordphien]

Black gold type media is what I prefer for fine root orchids, like brassia and oncidium.
It's also great for my zygopetalum and dendrobium.
In fact out of all my orchids the only ones I wouldn't use it on is phals and cattleya lol!

But I also find that most traditional media, like bark, spells death for my orchids.

[sweetjblue]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

If I was growing an epiphytic Paph or a lithophytic Paph, I wouldn't be using the Black Gold Orchid Mix presented in the video. For the epiphytic Paphs, I'd just use straight up good quality bark. For the lithophytic ones, I'd just use a combo of limestone and bark for those that grow on limestone, or granite and bark for those that grow on granites.

If the Paph is known to grow in humus, then that's probably when I'd use the Black Gold.

There are so many different kinds of Paphs, it wouldn't be easy to generalize their culture.

I was trying to give an example of the types of orchids that could possibly use this type of mix, but by no means meant every such plant could or should.

Thanks King for further clarifying.

Judi

[hcastil3]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Carrie:

Thanks for your reply. As it turns out, a member of our local orchid society saw my post and mentioned that one of the other members of our OS (not a member of orchidboard) "knows a guy" that is an orchiata distributor. I don't know anything more than that right now, but that might be a good way to go for me. Still, thanks again!

I LOVE orchiata ,just bought a 40 L bag .

[Ray]

I think what most are ignoring is that Black Gold might be spectacular under some growing conditions and watering regimes, just not yours.

I sell a ton of Orchiata, and I find it to be the best bark ever.