Bark medium

[Mikeg]

When going to re-pot orchids is there anything thaat needs to happen to the bark before hand? I was reading about it had to be soaked?

[Call_Me_Bob]

you need to soal it over nite. other than that, should be fine. make sure to buy quality medium, especially not miracle grow

[Mikeg]

Haha I didn't buy miracle grow! lol. I bought this other stuff called gardners and bloome. The orchid soil is actually soil! So I bought bark to mix in with it.

[dounoharm]

ooohhh, you dont plant orchids in 'soil'....it compacts and will choke and suffocate the roots....orchids need something porous like bark to survive.....

[Call_Me_Bob]

do not, i repeat DO NOT, pot your plant in soil. even if its mixed with bark. it will suffocate the roots, and doesnt drain well enough

[Mikeg]

It says orchid mix on it and the majority is the bark i mixed in with it. And the soil has perlite, peat, blood meal, washed sand, pumice, forest humus, and forest bark (which isn't even noticeable). So I mixed some of that with alot of the normal bark.

[Jerry Delaney]

It sounds like you may have what some vendors sell for cymbidium mix. There used to be a company Fafared (or something close to that) that also made a similar mix intended for orchids. I agree with the proceeding cautions about using such a mix. Such mixes may have their place when used with certain genera or seedlings in very small pots. As cautioned, I would find a bark mix where the majority of the mix is good hard bark. As to soaking the bark mix, some do and some don't. Both methods have some advantages and diadvantages. I imagine that the majority soak their bark.

[Mikeg]

Thank you Jerry. Would you mind telling me some disadvantages are?

[Jerry Delaney]

Well, some of the disadvantages of soaking are;
1. During soaking, components of the mix tend to separate, i.e. bark, perlite, charcoal, tree fern, etc. It's quite difficult sometimes to get wet mix "remixed".
2. I find wet mix difficult to handle. It wants to stick to everything.
3. Wet mix doesn't flow. I find it difficult to get it adequately packed around the roots (but then, I'm a real klutz).
Dry mix has it's share of problems as well;
1. Even the best of mix is dusty. I can't imagine it being a real good thing to be inhaling. One should really consider wearing a dust mask if using dry mix.
2. You really need to pack dry mix quite tight sometimes to stabilize the plant.
3. It can take some time for dry mix to start holding sufficient moisture under some conditions.

These are just some of the things to consider when repotting. Everyone has different ideas and opinions when it comes to mixes and repotting. I spent several years developing a mix that works well for me. However, others using it have sometimes found it to be a shortcut to the compost pile! I use several different mixes for different orchids, seedlings vs mature etc. You just have to find what works best for you. For example, many here on the board successfully use straight spagnum moss. For me, I should just go and throw the moss and plant on the compost pile right away and save wasting time and a pot! As I said, all orchid growers have an opinion on potting media and repotting techniques. That doesn't make them (or me) right, it just makes us opinionated!!

[orchidsamore]

I see the recommendation to soak overnight quite often. I have no idea where this idea started.

There is no need to soak overnight. It would be impossible for commercial vendors to ever soak enough to run a business.

However, it is important to wash the mix since there is a lot of sawdust and powder off the charcoal and perlite.

Bark used to be heated to burn off the dust and sterilize the mix but the cost of fuel has caused this to stop.

I like to rinse my mix in a physan solution to sterilize. Pool algaecide made with ammonium salts is a good substitute.

I pot either immediately while wet or later while dry. It makes no difference after it is washed.