bark to use

[Sawdust]

my son got me bag of Zoo med (premium repti bark). I know its for a terrarium, was wondering if it okay for Orchids?
thanks

[Roberta]

It's fir bark, so the same stuff as orchid bark. The question (and I can't tell from the photo when I googled it) is the size. Whether it's appropriate depends on the size and what type of orchid. For moisture-loving orchids like Paphs and Oncidiums, small bark (0.5-1 cm) is good, for those that like to dry out a bit more (such as Phals and small Catts, you want approximately 1-1.5 cm. For larger Catts, 1.5-2 cm is good. Of course, you can do fine outside these guidelines by tweaking your watering schedule, adding inorganic material such as perlite, pumice, or other volcanic rock.

[Sawdust]

thanks Roberta it is the small so it should be okay

[reverseboB]

I use this bark often. I find that it doesn't hold much water initially so I find that I need to water more often the first 3 months the plant is in it. I will also add volcanic rock to it to increase the weight a bit and I find it helps with the water retention.

[RJSquirrel]

it's not heat treated like the orchiata so it will absorb more water than your typical orchid bark. It's also very small and wont allow roots to breathe when its wet.

I wouldnt use it myself unless I had some reptiles

[Ray]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

it's not heat treated like the orchiata so it will absorb more water than your typical orchid bark. It's also very small and wont allow roots to breathe when its wet.

I wouldnt use it myself unless I had some reptiles

Orchiata is not heat treated. It is composted to break down some of the resins, and dolomite is added to neutralize the pH.

“Reptile bark” is often heat treated - steamed, actually - to kill pathogens that are more likely to cause issues with critters than plants.