Custom Orchid Potting Mixes: Materials, Ratios, and Personal Preference

Looking for a "secret" Phalaenopsis mix beyond standard Uni-Grow fir bark. Do you add sphagnum, tree fern? What's your winning recipe?

Many Materials Work

Osmunda fiber, pine/redwood/fir bark, coconut coir/chips, sphagnum moss (NZ, Chilean), horse manure, chopped tires, gravel, volcanic rock, sand, dirt, oak leaves, pine needles, vermiculite, perlite, charcoal—even no pot (mounts).

My Standard Mix

• Fine to large fir bark chips (size matches root thickness).
• 15–20% large perlite (heated volcanic rock).
• I return to bark because I know it best.

Watering Follows Media

Water retention dictates frequency. Choose media suiting YOUR conditions and habits.