article worth reading

[beanluc]

Originally Posted by playtime8978

I cant say I totally understand it all but I am guessing that my pure bark medium is not the best for my phal

Actually what I thought I understood from the article was that bark-potted phals would just need regular, consistent feeding with higher nitrogen than P/K. And that an amendment with a little peat could improve moisture retention and nutrients, if you wanted or needed such improvements.

Personally I think plain bark is mostly fine. Actually it's my own favorite pot medium for epiphytic/lithophytic orchids because of its fast drying, which helps avoid root rot in a pot. (For this reason I don't include any peat.) Also my superstition is that epiphytic orchids instinctively WANT to feel bark on their feet!