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

[astrid]

Hey everyone!

I have had a recent potting disaster and have decided I want to buy a giant thing of potting mix so this never happens again.

Where can I get something like 8 quarts or more of a good mix of medium bark and charcoal and perlite for maybe $20?

I am having bad luck with storebought potting mixes. One went moldy with my plants in it, the second was infested with flies, hence why 4 of my orchids are dying in sphagnum while the 2-day "express shipped" mix that I ordered has taken over a week to arrive...

Where can I get that?

Or where can I get a nice big bag of bark chips?

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips!

I can mix in charcoal and sphagnum on my own, but the bark chips are proving hardest to find.
See my video if you want to see how bad the black gold mix is...

[Subrosa]

I got a large bag (2 cubic feet) of pine bark at Sears two years ago and still have about half left. It's sold as mulch. It's a bit chunky as it comes out of the bag, but I just break it up as needed. I don't remember exactly what I paid, but it was definitely less than $5.

[Ordphien]

I got a large pack of coconut coir at my local nursery.
Still going through it.
Also sold as mulch lol.

[RJSquirrel]

repotme.com carries most of what you might need and in large quantities.
I dont see a quantity of buttload listed but that might just be a local measurement

your plants arent going to die being left unpotted for a few days, weeks. The plants dont need the media but we need it for them ya see. I have seen people hang dendrobiums out with a string on sill for weeks and months with no damage to the plant. I have a c. deckerii started to bud out, I checked it and ooops it was one I had soaked ants off it and forget to put mix back in the pot. The roots just hanging out in the pot now budding out. I think Ill leave it be if it happy

I dont like to run out either. I buy one them 40 lb bags of dyna rok (The material is sedimentary rock consisting of the fossilized remains of unicellular fresh water plants known as diatoms. It consists of approximately 90% amorphous silicate, with the balance made up of other mineral elements essential for plant growth.).
A yard bag of orchiata (orchiata uses a unique natural processing method that destroys harmful pathogens and toxins, and leaves behind beneficial micro-organisms to create a high-quality, long lasting, consistent growing substrate) and a large bag of charcoal (medium..the large is too chunky and its hard to break up without a grinder)..

so about 125.00 bucks a few years back and Im still working it in the plants.

I know its more than 20 bucks.. The Better Gro Special orchid mix is okey for your needs. Use the 'special' not the phal mix. bout 6 bucks a bag.

[Leafmite]

I use red lava rock or Aliflor (a type of expanded clay balls). A huge bag of red lava rock costs around $6 here and lasted about two to three years. The Aliflor was a little more expensive per amount but it works better for those orchids that like a little more moisture. I paid about $5 for a box of this. The best thing about both of these is that I won't need to replace my medium every year as it doesn't decay. The second best thing is that because it doesn't decay, I never need to worry about the medium in the middle becoming compacted and holding too much water.

[Orchid Whisperer]

The Better-Gro "Special Orchid Mix" is usually available at large home improvement stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and is a mix of fir bark, charcoal, and sponge rock (sponge rock = similar to perlite). I have had good results with this mix. You want to be sure that it has been stored properly by the retailer (bags not out in the weather, etc.). This stuff is fairly inexpensive. It does not last as long as orchiata-based medium, but does hold up reasonably well for a couple years. Maybe $6.00 for 8 quarts?

If you want to go a bit pricier, try Calwest Tropicals Orchid supplies, orchid potting mixes, spaghnum moss, neem oil, humidity trays and more. They have rexius and orchiata bark and mixes as well. Another site to check is Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Home Page.

A site that I have heard others recommend is Repotme Orchid Supplies from rePotme.com - Orchid Mix - Orchid Pots - Orchid Care - Orchid Fertilizer and they have a good selection but IMO it is quite pricey. Maybe a place to go if you are looking for something that can't be found elsewhere at a better price?

Good luck!

---------- Post added at 10:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Leafmite

I use red lava rock or Aliflor (a type of expanded clay balls). A huge bag of red lava rock costs around $6 here and lasted about two to three years. The Aliflor was a little more expensive per amount but it works better for those orchids that like a little more moisture. I paid about $5 for a box of this. The best thing about both of these is that I won't need to replace my medium every year as it doesn't decay. The second best thing is that because it doesn't decay, I never need to worry about the medium in the middle becoming compacted and holding too much water.

FWIW, I have used the black scoria ("lava rock") and it works great too; great for Encylias. I know that other lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) type materials (like Alifor) can be bought locally from Flora Hydroponics (they have a store here; I think they also do mail order).

[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!

[Orchid Whisperer]

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!

Carrie, where did you order that from? Just wondering who carries larger volumes of orchiata.

---------- Post added at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------

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!

Carrie, if you don't mind me asking, where did you order that from? Just wondering who carries larger volumes of orchiata. Do you recall how much was in the big bags, & cost?

[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.

Others replying to this thread have given you some good choices for alternatives to bark if you can't readily find it. It may also mean that you would have to water more frequently however.

[cbuchman]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Carrie, where did you order that from? Just wondering who carries larger volumes of orchiata.

---------- Post added at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------



Carrie, if you don't mind me asking, where did you order that from? Just wondering who carries larger volumes of orchiata. Do you recall how much was in the big bags, & cost?

We ordered directly from the manufacturer. Minimum order is one pallet. If you need more specifics, I can ask the guy who did the ordering.

Where are you located? I know Silva's Orchids also will order Orchiata for customers when they order their own stock. Parkside (on PA) is also offering it. You can also check out repotme.com and Kelley' Korner for really good potting mix.