Should Growing Cattleyas in Wine Bottle Corks Be a Crime?

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by SG in CR

I'll use them whole when using them to fill large pots/baskets. If I'm potting in small containers I'll chop them up. They seem to be pretty hydrophobic at first but get wet just fine once they have a bio-film on them.
I've reused media with corks that have been in use for well over a year and they seemed to be fairly solid still. So I don't know how long they will last but in combination with charcoal and chunks of broken terracotta I figure the substrate will last longer than I can keep a growing orchid in a container.

I have a small Vanda growing in a shallow wood basket. I used chunks of cork bark from an irregular shaped flat as potting media. After several months it is still repelling the moisture. I think the cork may outlast the cedar basket.

I don't drink wine, so I'd have to buy the corks. But from what I've seen, bulk wine corks may be cheaper than most potting media.

-Keith