Using lava rock to pot all my orchids.

[Leafmite]

I believe that the main reasons most people fail with lava rock is:
1 Failure to flush the rock very well to get rid of unused fertilizer and fertilizer residue. This is so important since one is not changing out the medium every year as they are with bark or moss.
2 Not watering correctly.
3 Forgetting that the rock doesn't contribute significantly nutritionally to the plant.
4 Using too strong of a fertilizer when the orchid is kept too dry
5 Thinking that all orchids need the same care. It can be impractical to grow some orchids in lava rock. i.e. for me, these are: Phaius, Vanilla, tiny miniatures that prefer being mounted, Bulbos and the Pleuro that need constant moisture