[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Well, I am of a different opinion. But it may not be fair for me to comment, as I no longer use bark, but a mixture of peat and perlite. For both mixes I prefer to pack the material very well into the pot. The result of doing this will help the moisture to wick thru the pot so that there is less tendency to have part of the bark/mix wet, and the rest dry. Also, the rule of thumb has always been that the plant should be firm in the pot, and you ought to be able to lift pot and all by just lifting up on the plant. If this pulls the plant out of the pot, you have not packed the bark well enough. If the roots and bark are wet and you have worked the bark in between the roots to a degree, the additional packing will hopefully only bend the roots, not break them.