Wasted $60 on a fancy orchid potting mix that killed two of my plants

I bought this premium bark blend online last month for my Phalaenopsis orchids. It looked great but held way too much water and the roots rotted out within 3 weeks. Lost two orchids I had for over a year. Has anyone else had bad luck with expensive potting mixes over just using plain fir bark?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia_lee10d ago

Ugh, same thing happened to me with a premium mix that was supposed to be 'orchid specific' and it turned my roots into mush. I just go with plain fir bark now and honestly my plants are way happier.

finleyfox9d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back a little here. Fir bark is great and all, but I've had the exact opposite experience with premium orchid mixes. It's all about what your specific plant needs and the humidity where you live. I've got a couple of phals in a bark and sphagnum blend that are throwing out roots like crazy, plus the bark alone dries out way too fast in my apartment. Maybe that "premium mix" just had too much fine material in it, but a good chunky one with some perlite and charcoal has been a game changer for me.