# Orchiata/Canada



## consettbay2003 (Dec 29, 2015)

coming soon:clap:


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## NYEric (Dec 29, 2015)

Once a year like in NY area!?


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## consettbay2003 (Dec 29, 2015)

NYEric said:


> Once a year like in NY area!?



I would assume you could order it whenever you needed it.


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## NYEric (Dec 29, 2015)

Um, from whom? No, their distribution is definitely limited.


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## JAB (Dec 29, 2015)

What is orchiata?


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## Ozpaph (Dec 29, 2015)

JAB said:


> What is orchiata?



IMHO, the best orchid bark available.


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## Justin (Dec 29, 2015)

speaking US...our OS just brought in a pallet as a group order from acadian. roberts flower supply sells individual bags if you don't need a whole pallet.


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## NYEric (Dec 29, 2015)

Lots of people sell it in limited quantities, but most of their sales are like that.


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## Happypaphy7 (Dec 29, 2015)

What is the reason behind orchiata being unavailable in Canada??


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## Happypaphy7 (Dec 29, 2015)

JAB said:


> What is orchiata?



You can look up on them, but basically it is a bark from New Zealand Pinus radiata, which has been chemically treated.
They look darker and sturdier than say, fir bark, and they tend to last much longer than regular bark chips.


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## abax (Dec 29, 2015)

Best potting medium on the market anywhere.


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## troy (Dec 29, 2015)

Cal west tropical supply has it, home base is 2 miles from my house lol...


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## John M (Dec 30, 2015)

consettbay2003 said:


> coming soon:clap:



Great....I want to try it! Can you give us more information than that? When, where, who and how much? Thanks.


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## consettbay2003 (Dec 30, 2015)

Orchiata bark has finally been approved for sale in Canada and will be available shortly.


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## Stone (Dec 30, 2015)

consettbay2003 said:


> Orchiata bark has finally been approved for sale in Canada and will be available shortly.



If it's approved for Australia it should be ok scatter on the floor of the space station.


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## NYEric (Dec 30, 2015)

I'm using it. It's better than other bark, in my opinion. Unfortunately it's in limited supply.


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## phraggy (Dec 30, 2015)

Available in UK but only from One supplier ---- and it's expensive in 40ltr bags.

Ed


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## Ray (Dec 30, 2015)

Orchiata was banned in Canada because government bureaucrats were afraid that importation would negatively affect the Canadian timber industry. Sounds like someone talked some facts into them.

Happy - that "chemical treatment" is the addition of dolomite, which has nutritional value.

Phraggy - it may seem expensive at first look, but it's life span in the pot far exceeds any other bark, likely making its application cost lower.

And I carry it too.

Mike (Stone) - I have never heard the recommendation to use more ammonium than nitrate nitrogen. Is that a fact? If so, why?


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## phraggy (Dec 30, 2015)

Ray said:


> Orchiata was banned in Canada because government bureaucrats were afraid that importation would negatively affect the Canadian timber industry. Sounds like someone talked some facts into them.
> 
> Happy - that "chemical treatment" is the addition of dolomite, which has nutritional value.
> 
> ...



Hi Ray. We are paying $1 per litre!!

Ed


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## gonewild (Dec 30, 2015)

Ray said:


> Orchiata was banned in Canada because government bureaucrats were afraid that importation would negatively affect the Canadian timber industry. Sounds like someone talked some facts into them.



It's not because of a sales($) impact but rather a forest management impact.
The bark is restricted to control the introduction of insects or disease that could escape into North Americas conifer forests.
Both US and Canada have strict requirements that prevent importing lumber even with small amounts of bark attached.


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## eggshells (Dec 30, 2015)

John M said:


> Great....I want to try it! Can you give us more information that that? When, where, who and how much? Thanks.



Western Marine will be the distributor in Canada. Last time I checked, they haven't got any shipments that came in yet.


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## consettbay2003 (Dec 30, 2015)

*Orchiata*

Apparently the only issue with importing Orchiata into Canada was the size of the bags which took several attempts to meet the exacting Canadian
requirement ( go figure  )
The container will leave the last week in January and is expected to take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive at Western Marine. They expect to be able to fill orders and ship the day after the container arrives.


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## troy (Dec 30, 2015)

Canadian bacon, both the movie and ham are kosher lol...


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## John M (Dec 30, 2015)

gonewild said:


> It's not because of a sales($) impact but rather a forest management impact.
> The bark is restricted to control the introduction of insects or disease that could escape into North Americas conifer forests.
> Both US and Canada have strict requirements that prevent importing lumber even with small amounts of bark attached.



That's what I'd always understood to be the problem.....that the fire-burning hoops the CFIA wanted the importers to jump through in order to prove it was safe and guaranteed to be 100% free of insects and pathogens, was too costly to be profitable in such a small market as Canada.


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## John M (Dec 30, 2015)

eggshells said:


> Western Marine will be the distributor in Canada. Last time I checked, they haven't got any shipments that came in yet.



Wonderful! I've dealt with them before and I was very pleased with the service.


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## John M (Dec 30, 2015)

consettbay2003 said:


> Apparently the only issue with importing Orchiata into Canada was the size of the bags which took several attempts to meet the exacting Canadian requirement ( go figure  )



Yeah, well.....we're not immune from having a government agency that works in mysterious ways!  'Glad it's finally coming in. I've heard a lot of good things and I'm keen to try it.


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## Clark (Dec 30, 2015)

When I divided this-
http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35661&page=3
I reused the orchiata. It was barely broken in..........


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## Stone (Dec 30, 2015)

Ray said:


> > Mike (Stone) - I have never heard the recommendation to use more ammonium than nitrate nitrogen. Is that a fact? If so, why?



Huh?


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## JAB (Dec 30, 2015)

Gotcha. Thanks!


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## Wendy (Dec 31, 2015)

I'm game to try it on a couple plants but I'm also happy with my own mix. It's worth checking out though.


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## Ozpaph (Jan 2, 2016)

Stone said:


> Huh?



They say this in the Orchiata leaflet (? in other Orchiata thread).


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## Paph_LdyMacBeth (Apr 17, 2016)

Ravenvision is now carrying Orchiata. They had their first shipment at the Ottawa Orchid Society Show. 
I am excited to try it out!! 
www.ravenvision.ca


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## Kawarthapine (Apr 17, 2016)

They do not have it listed on the web site yet.

Do you recall prices by volume?


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## Ray (Apr 18, 2016)

Orchiata is a hard bark, so you will be tempted to soak it. DON'T!!! (Unless you want to wash away a lot of the nutrient-rich dolomite.)

I have found the following to be a good way to "open it up" to make it immediately more absorbent:

> Put the volume you need in a fast-draining container
> Dribble hot water over the bark, periodically stirring to mix it up. If you see significant drainage from the container, you're applying it to fast or with too much volume.
> Wait 15-30 minutes.
> Repeat.

When it's cool, it's ready to use.

Another tip, my opinion only: it really isn't necessary to mix it with other ingredients. Because it is graded so well, and because they offer such a wide range of grades (5, versus 3 from most other producers), that it's pretty easy to find the one that fits best for the plant and your culture.


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## Jaljala (Nov 7, 2016)

UPDATE :
For those who didn't get the news, great news, Orchiata is now available on the west coast of Canada, Vancouver more precisely ! I just got 2 40 liter bags ($43 each, which is on part with US prices after currency exchange) from the reseller conveniently located 10 minutes away from my home.. it saves a lot in shipping cost!


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## Paph_LdyMacBeth (Nov 7, 2016)

I repotted all my paphs into it this spring and I am happy with it so far! Looks like it should continue to be readily available for us Canadian's from now on


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## abax (Nov 7, 2016)

Perhaps Orchiata isn't just right for every plant or set of
conditions, but I use power#5 for all my Paphs. and
Phrags. and some Phals. and I wouldn't use any other
potting material ever again.


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