| The bottom line of all this seems to be that phals will do well in just about any growing medium if the watering is OK. I have phals that are in bark, others in sphag, others mounted. All grow and bloom. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. What you need to watch out for, especially with plants in sphag, is damage from overwatering by the box store, garden store, or other similar outlet. Even if the plants were healthy when shipped by the grower, ignorant employees may pour water on the orchids every day, along with the tomato plants. The resulting root or crown rot may not be obvious at the time of purchase, so it is good to exercise caution when buying from sources that do not actually grow orchids. I know one of our local home improvement stores sells hybrid phals and dens for $20 plus, abuses them terribly, and when they're dying puts them on a sale table at 10% off! Not sure what they're thinking. |