| Fabolusus - that was an interesting article and he brought up some good points. I can't quite buy the "different types of roots in different media" concept though. I immediately remove any phals I get in sphag and put into another media and the same roots continue to do the job that mother nature intended - as far as I can determine. We all know that these plants grow on trees in the wild with NO media, so the media we choose is for our benefit and each of us comes to a conclusion as to what type works best for us in our particular environment and our mode of plant care. I would still stick with what works for you unless you want to try a plant or two in alternates to see how you like it and how it compares with what you are currently doing. I used bark exclusively for awhile initially because I was prone to overwatering and this seemed to keep my plants alive. The longer I grow phals the more I find for me that the media that keeps moisture longer is less work and the phals seem to thrive in it - commercial growers tend to use the more dense media in order to reduce the amount of work involved (less watering). Will see long term if mine continue to do well in coir, perlite and a little charcoal ( a fairly dense mix). On another note, one of the senior members at our orchid society last night announced that he would NEVER plant any of his phals in ANY media - they are all mounted. He soaks his plants once per week and mists every day - and has succussfully done this for years. I have realized in locations like southern Florida and other tropical places that this works well, but was surprised to find someone in Oregon doing this - probably in a greenhouse though, which would mimic the conditions that they like. Enough said - good luck with whatever you choose. mike  |