NZ spragnum moss vs bark! I'm talking Phals
 

Whats the experienced members choice? Please support your choice. Thank you Kman :)

I think its a matter of choice I find that bark gives the roots something to cling to. I have a Phal in moss and is just as happy as the ones in bark.

I perfer bark with packing peanuts if it was to answer your question

I think what you use also has to do with growing conditions, there is no 'better' one. People in cooler climates are more likely to have trouble with sphag, because it will dry out slowly and unevenly. In warmer climates sphag works out better, and may be perfect for keeping moisture loving orchids happy. It also depends on watering habits. Heavy waterers will often have trouble with sphag.

As for what I use, it depends. I use sphag for the very small orchids (so the pot dries out fast). Most orchids get bark with various additives, and others get a 50/50 mix of bark and sphag. After trial and error, I have figures out what works best for me for each type of orchid.

an organising tip - try and keep the orchids potted in different media together so that you don't end up under- or overwatering. Keep to a minimum schedule - like watering all of them at least once per week and then additionally based on season/humidity/media/requirements.
I have coco-chips mix, seedling mix, sphagnum moss, fine fir bark and general orchid mix - all used by different orchids, but even phals in 3 of these.

I use only sphagnum for phals, but choose the pot depending on the roots conditions.
If all the roots are healthy and nice - they are fine in plastic pot. If there is some root damage - I keep them in clay pots or net pots, so it dries much faster.
In all cases I choose the smallest pot that can fit the roots and let the moss dry out completely between watering.
I chose moss over bark and chc because it is easier for me to define when it is totally dry. I grow indoors with humidity 60-70%.

I think Camille is right, it depends on all factors mentioned.

For my location, sphagnum doesn't work well. We only have a couple of months where it is truly hot. The exception is with some of the masdies.

I'll add to Camille's comments: Not only is the choice of medium highly dependent upon your growing conditions, but you personal habits play a role, as well.

If you like the "mess with" your plants, so water a lot, you're probably better off avoiding sphagnum. If, on the other hand, you prefer to admire them from afar, it is worth considering.

One significant trick to using sphagnum is keeping it "fluffy" and preventing it from packing down. When that happens, it holds water too well within the voids, suffocating the roots.

My personal preference is bark... My reasoning is that it is harder to kill the phal off in. This is because if the sphag is packed too tight it creates a fatal environment when watered, even when it is not packed very tight it can become fatal. Bark dries out much faster and more evenly and allows the much needed air to the roots. Just my :twocents:

Before I switched to s/h I used bark and sphag mixed. Usually the pot had peanuts in the bottom with a thin layer of sphag over that to keep the bark from falling through. Then I used mostly bark for the next layer with about 25% sphag mixed in. Then I topped that off with a layer of sphag. They loved it. Was high maintenance potting though, and I had to change.