Good bark medium

[Melody]

So I was just wondering where people here on the boards get their bark medium from and what brands they use or stay away from.

I have gotten questionable bark mix before...it would be nice to have recommendations for future repotting in bark.

[Call_Me_Bob]

dont use miracle grow!

i got mine from my OS and i dont know where they got it, but it is really nice and much better than any of the bagged mixes ive used

[RosieC]

Well as I'm in the UK I can't really recomend my vendor, even though they are good. But I've heard good things about www.repotme.com in the USA and I've heard bad things about miracle grow.

Like you I've had bad experiences in the past. I've found the stuff I can get in local stores, even if it has a brand name you might trust for other items, is just no good. They tend to be generic 'orchid compost' which is more for terestrial orchids, even when there is a picture of a Phal on the bag. When I've found more Bark based ones they have been baddly stored and already rotting in the bag.

I think it is best to buy from an orchid specialist, either when at a show, or online (or if you are luckly enough to have one locally get it from there). They seem to know the different needs of different orchids, and store the media correctly and you get a much better product.

[Royal]

I have used the Better-Gro brand "special orchid mix" for several years. It's been the best for me out of the few mixes locally available (at big box stores).

I recently ordered some Orchiata and so far I love it. If I can help it, that's all I'll buy from now on. It's easy to work with and I've seen an explosion of root growth. It is bark from Pinus radiata and it's available in other brands. You can find it at repotme.com as Monterrey Pine Bark, SunsetValley Orchids as Kiwi bark, and Cal West as Orchiata.

[rangiku]

I use Orchiata from Cal West.

[Lagoon]

Hi Melody,

I'm not a big fan of bark, I find it just abit to dry for my conditions. Although I do love the redwood, got it from repotme.com wonderful people to deal with , they got lots and media - just about anything goes there.

Royal and Rangiku .... I've wanting to try out this bark, what do you like about it and how long have you both been growing in this media?

I hear the break down on this bark is supposed to be slower

[Ray]

Since I've been stocking Orchiata, it has been tearing off the shelves! (Rangiku - why are you paying to ship it all the way from the west coast?)

It is aged - not composted - to get rid of a lot of the tannins, and is later treated with dolomite to bring the pH in the the 5.5-6.5 range.

I have quite a few plants in it, and it seems to be a great deal more stable than any other bark I've seen.

[orchidman77]

I just ordered some from Ray today (!!!) and hope I get the same awesome results! That plus S/H and my plants should be set.

[rangiku]

Hey, Ray, I know, I know! I'm ordering orchiata from you next time. It's also time to order some lights from you.

Lagoon, currently most of my phals are in sphagnum. I got the orchiata for some phal species and they seem to love it.

[Royal]

I really like how easy it its to use. That sounds silly but the uniform size makes it slip right into all the gaps in the root zone. It wets easier from day one, unlike cheaper bark that must be soaked. No rinsing or soaking needed (or you'd rinse away all the added lime).

User friendliness becomes more important to me as my collection grows.