# Good Paph orchid mix



## Markedg (Feb 4, 2014)

Hi, I would like to get your opinion on what you feel would be a good bark mix for paphs, especially multiflorals. I grow in a greenhouse and the humidity is adequate. I am finding the mix I am currently using dries out too fast. I use medium bark and nothing else. Thanks.


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## Justin (Feb 4, 2014)

For years I have been using medium bark mixed with charcoal and perlite for multifloral Paphs in 5" pots or bigger. I agree it dries out too quickly. I am considering switching to a small bark mix even for the plants in big pots starting next year.


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## ehanes7612 (Feb 4, 2014)

I bought several beautiful BS roths from Orchidaceae, they use fine bark and perlite with charcoal


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## Stone (Feb 4, 2014)

I visited a grower yesterday who grows everything in fine bark. (5-7mm) big pots, small whatever! His paphs look better than mine


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## jeremyinsf (Feb 4, 2014)

I mix the small and medium bark together - my way of compromising.


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## SlipperFan (Feb 4, 2014)

What is "drying out too fast"?


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## Ray (Feb 4, 2014)

jeremyinsf said:


> I mix the small and medium bark together - my way of compromising.



Assuming the two grades are reasonably well classified, mixing two sizes actually gives you less open air space than do either of the individuals.

Fill a room with basketballs or ping-pong balls and the open volume is about 40%. Any combination actually makes it smaller.


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## Justin (Feb 4, 2014)

Ray I remember that fact from your talk in Columbus a couple years ago!


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## The Orchid Boy (Feb 4, 2014)

I like fine orchiata with a little course perlite and a little charcoal. Sometimes I like to add just a tiney bit of sphagnum. Or I might topdress medium bark with sphagnum.


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## dodidoki (Feb 5, 2014)

I have very good exparience with akadam+bark mix ( 50/50 %).


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## polyantha (Feb 5, 2014)

I have almost all multifloral species and I don't grow anything else. They like CHC, fine bark and perlite. CHC holds the water very well so your problem could be solved using it at 30%. There are some special variations for the following plants: Anitum: add sphagnum and keep the mix wet all the time and NEVER let it dry out. Adductums: little bit drier than anitum. Sanderianum: add coco husk fibre (yes, only the hairy stuff) at 10%. Ooii: is pretty easy to grow and likes a little bit more CHC up to 50%. Randsiis are doing well with a little bit more CHC and sphagnum addition. Wilhelminaes have very thin roots and they should get small bark and small CHC (i shred it before use because small CHC is not available here).


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## limuhead (Feb 5, 2014)

Have to agree with polyantha. My mix is equal parts chc, sponge rock, and bark(Orchiata) Important to use same size of each components.


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## eggshells (Feb 5, 2014)

I use chc to  but I use mulch (fine ones) I mix it with bark perlite and charcoal. Then I put some again for top dressing.


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## Brabantia (Feb 5, 2014)

No body use chunk of peat moss as water holder? Newly I bought some Paphios here in Belgium at a good producer.They are all cultivated in french pin bark (from the Landes) mixed with a little coarse peat moss.


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## eggshells (Feb 5, 2014)

Brabantia said:


> No body use chunk of peat moss as water holder? Newly I bought some Paphios here in Belgium at a good producer.They are all cultivated in french pin bark (from the Landes) mixed with a little coarse peat moss.



I'm experimenting on a few plants that I have. I mixed some HP Promix with micorhizzae with my typical mix of bark, perlite and charcoal. Its a peatmoss based I believe.


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## NYEric (Feb 5, 2014)

polyantha said:


> I have almost all multifloral species and I don't grow anything else.


 ity: that's OK, maybe some day...

It depends on your conditions, if you need to keep your media wetter add stuff that holds moisture, sphagnum, rockwool, diatomite (good luck), etc.


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## Markedg (Feb 17, 2014)

*Fine Mix*

Hi Thanks all for the information. What ratios of fine bark to perlite to charcoal do you use? I think this could be the reason that on some of my paphs, the root growth is not very good. I would assume that as this type of mix holds a bit more water, you would have to watch your watering.


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## Ray (Feb 17, 2014)

I notice that a lot of paph sellers use a finer grade of medium that do growers of other genera. I suppose the fact that they tend to be "semi-terrestrial", with roots in fine leaf litter, suggests that a finer mix is no issue. 

I have also heard that the root hairs serve to create more air space around the roots...


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## papheteer (Feb 17, 2014)

I use fine bark for pots up to 3.5 inches. For 4 and above i layer. Medium mix at the bottom. Fine at the top. The bigger the pot the more medium mix. 6 parts bark, 1 charcoal and 2 perlite. 

I have been having some success with orchiata. But I find it works better with plants that have good roots already. When repotted in it the roots just go crazy. But plant with few roots take a while to get established in orchiata.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Feb 17, 2014)

I have no problem with fine bark, even with multi's. The trick is loads of spongerock....even with Orchiata.


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## Ray (Feb 18, 2014)

I think I may experiment with the Orchiata "Precision" grade - even finer than their "Classic"


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## Markedg (Feb 25, 2014)

*Good Paph mix*

Thanks.I have another query. Here in Ireland, it is quite hard to get horticultural charcoal. You would have to get it fron england and shipping charges would make it quite expensive. Would a mix without the charcoal be okay?


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## Paphman910 (Feb 25, 2014)

main mix is chc, moss, perlite and charcoal.

I find anitum seedlings rot really easy during the cooler season with high humidity and a wet mix so I added medium bark to the mix in a larger pot.


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## littlefrog (Feb 25, 2014)

I've been using ~3:1 orchiata + sponge rock (as close to the same size as I can do), with a little fine charcoal thrown in just because I have it. I don't think the charcoal helps much, and it is pretty messy.

3.5" pots or larger get the 'medium' grade. Smaller pots get the smaller stuff. Interesting about the larger pots all using small mix, I could try that. I gave away all my bales of CHC a few years ago when I moved... So it is harder for me to try adding that back in.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 26, 2014)

Markedg said:


> Thanks.I have another query. Here in Ireland, it is quite hard to get horticultural charcoal. You would have to get it fron england and shipping charges would make it quite expensive. Would a mix without the charcoal be okay?



What about using aquarium/fish charcoal instead?


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## Ray (Feb 26, 2014)

Linus_Cello said:


> What about using aquarium/fish charcoal instead?


Personally, I'd avoid it. Those grades are "activated", meaning they have been heat treated in a manner that increases the mircroporosity to an extreme degree so that it will adsorb like crazy.

In flasking media, that's great, as it absorbs waste products and defensive toxins that may be emitted by the plants, but they are likely to be in that for a relatively short while. In potting media, the charcoal will absorb plant wastes, as well as dissolved minerals in your water and fertilizer, becoming more-and-more saturated, becoming pockets of toxins in the medium.

Yeah, at first, it "sequesters" them, but over time, its capacity to do that wanes.


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## NYEric (Feb 26, 2014)

Markedg said:


> Thanks.I have another query. Here in Ireland, it is quite hard to get horticultural charcoal. You would have to get it fron england and shipping charges would make it quite expensive. Would a mix without the charcoal be okay?


yes, it mostly works as a filter and air space maker. 


Linus_Cello said:


> What about using aquarium/fish charcoal instead?


Good if you change every year, otherwise see Ray's post.


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