Lesson learned...get quality media!
 

I try to live by the mantra, "waste not, want not".

Awhile ago (i.e. before I knew better), I got a bag of Espoma Organic Orchid mix - thinking, it's "organic" so it must be great!

So, when repotting my phal recently, I decided to use the Espoma mix for bark to add to my New Zealand AAA sphagnum moss. I wanted more control over the media ratios than the pre-mix allowed, so I decided to just pick through it for what I wanted. What I found was a dusty, dirty mess from the abundance of charcoal and...well, what looked like dirt. After some time bent over the kitchen sink rinsing and picking, I finally had enough bark chips to make something happen - but not before throwing out 4xs as much junk, mushy pieces of bark, and rocks...YES, ROCKS.

Lesson learned...buy good quality material up front. You may think you're saving $ by buying these pre-mixed, mass produced bags...but you're not! Do a little research, ask around on this site, figure out what you want in your mix, and buy it from a reputable site. Otherwise, you're wasting your $, time, and energy...all of which could be spent enjoyin' your plants!

good lesson to learn....i buy premium fir bark from kellys korner or repotme.....its worth the shipping and wait....gl

Rocks can be good. I grow mostly in lava rock. I wonder if the dirt-like stuff was the company's organic fertilizer? I use some of their fertilizers on my regular plants and it is pretty good stuff. Yet, I agree. If a mix makes you feel uncomfortable, it is best not to use it. Now I am intrigued. :)

Lava rock is good. I have several plants in s/h in lava rock and they love it. It's great for epi.
I recently bought some sphag from a garden centre and I didn't look at it closely enough. The quality is terrible. It's full of grass and other bits of junk.
You really do have to look closely. It's a shame that some orchid mixes aren't in a clear bag. Miracle grow is like potting soil, not good at all for anything but terrestrials.

Do any of you belong to orchid clubs? The folks usually buy in bulk and everyone goes in on the price plus shipping. I feel you should mix your own instead of buying from a box store not knowing what you are getting. I buy bark from Sunset Valley Orchids and a big bag costs me around $20. Same with sponge rock. I get lava rock in the mts and charcol from home cheapo. 25# bag is $15. My water (RO) is out of a machine by the Riteaid for .30 a gallon. I just think orchid clubs are your best friend.

It was definitely not lava rock or Dyna-Rok...and the ingredients list only fir bark, perlite, and charcoal, no fertilizer. The perlite wasn't even the chunky perlite that I've seen used for orchids - it looked more like the small, spongy perlite that goes in soil mixes. Maybe their other products are better...but I was disappointed with their orchid mix. :( I agree Vanda lover, mixes should be in clear bags!

I'll definitely be checking into orchid clubs! For now, there's an orchid/tropical plant specialty store I found that has been very helpful...and, as I found out yesterday, sells quality media! (yeah for local stores and not forking out for shipping!)

As it turns out, I ended up potting in sphag moss and not using any of the bark...*sigh*

I wish our Home depot had the selection you guys get in the States. We used to be able to get clay pellets but they stopped selling them. The only orchids available are phals and cyms. They don't even have orchid mix.
I don't drive so I don't belong to an orchid club. The nearest one is 30 minutes away. Maybe I'll find someone to go with through our garden club.

Rocks of many kinds are actually great for growing orchids. I use lots of granite, quartz, and sometimes marble for certain things, the only real drawback I've seen so far is the weight. Sandstone and shale also seem promising, though I haven't had much chance to experiment with them yet. There's a pretty wide diversity of mixes that will work for most orchids provided you tailor watering and feeding to fit the medium.

I like mixing my own media to suit the particular plant I am potting based on the size and type of plant and the type of pot or basket. Each potting situation varies so much, so I don't even think I would ever mix up a large batch of media for future use unless I was planning on potting 50+ orchids that were all exactly the same.

So I just keep bags of LECA, charcol, and CHC on hand, and just change the mix depending on the orchid or use one of these by itself as media.

I agree. There are so many kinds of orchids and it is better to vary the mix accordingly.