Medium Mix?

[Styx]

What do you recommend as a medium mix (percentages of what) for Phals and Paphs? I’ll be repotting soon and I’d like to know what to use.

[Diane]

I think a lot of it depends on your environment, but I grow all mine inside my house, and I use fine to medium bark on all of mine. A little perlite mixed in with the fine, nothing with the medium. Phrags get medium to large bark, no perlite. I know folks who grow in sphag, I have never even tried it -

[Styx]

What kind of bark? And how much perlit and how large?

I live in Utah, so it's rather dry. But waterings can be changed to accomidate drying out quickly.

[Diane]

I always use 'Orchid Bark', which is available from most nurseries, even the big box stores. Don't use landscape bark!!! It is often very salty and full of other items. For adding perlite - I add about 15% of the total mixture. Some folks use charcol. I also put a single layer of platic packing peanuts in the bottom of the pots to ensure drainage.

Most orchid societies offer bulk bark for sale to raise funds..

[Styx]

Good to know, good to know...

[orchidaddict789]

Sphag dries out a lot less quickly than bark, and it's okay to use if you have dry air and don't overwater. But I think bark is the "safest"...

[Lore]

I like to use the "Orchid Mix"~ bark, charcoal, & pearlite. I didn't like the sphagnum that much. After I repotted a phal, that was originally in sphagnum, to the orchid mix, it has done so much better.