This is a quick post to show what I have found works GREAT for phals.
Moisture retention is excellent - NO FLOPPY LEAVES - EVER. Must be careful not to overwater!
Mix is approximately 75% coir, 20% perlite, & 5% charcoal. The coir comes in a brick and expands significantly. Note: I cut a small piece off the brick that weighed 69 grams and then broke it apart and checked to see how much water it held - I will try to show pic in next post - now 463 grams. So you see the media is now approximately 85% water!
First pic in this post is of supplies I use - coir from a local hydroponics store - all coir is not created equal! Good coir is well washed/rinsed and has good fiber content. Unless you know your coir is good quality you would be well advised to rinse very thoroughly yourself. I noted the website for what I use is americanagritech.com. I have repotted about 40 plants and still have about 25% of the bale left. Agricultural charcoal and perlite are purchased from a local garden department in a department store - available at many places. Some people like larger perlite which is available in large bags at our hydroponics store. The charcoal comes just a little chunker than I like, so I break it up a bit with a hammer in a zip lock bag. 2nd pic is of the media closer view - including the mixed version.
3rd pic is of the plant I am repotting as a gift to someone - note the condition of this plant after being in this mix for 13 months. I put styrofoam peanuts in the bottom - it provides an extra layer of protection against me accidently leaving the pot in a thin layer of water, helps to assure good drainage, and good air for the roots in the bottom. The phal roots seem to like it - they can attach to it and wrap around like you cannot believe! If you use them be sure and DO NOT use the type that turn to goo when wet.
4th pic is of the same plant with the previous media and peanuts just shaken off. I have not put any water on the roots to wash anything at all off. Notice there is not one single bad root in the lot! Happy happy plant
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5th pic is of the plant all potted up and ready for shipping! Soon to be on its way back east. Yippee!
Maybe this will spark some additional conversation and comments among us?
mike