"keith" wrote in
:

i am starting to get confused ,as a lot of growers use different
methods & give different answers!i have read in the RHS garden
encylopedia(which is like a bible for gardeners)that pine or fir bark
are a excellent potting medium with some additions to keep the mixture
open & prevent it from becoming sour.a suitable compost mix is as
follows:3 parts medium grade bark(dust free),1 part coarse grit or
perlite,1 part charcoal pieces and 1 part broken dry leaves or fibrous
peat substitute or peat. Ray says dont use pine?i can understand why
not to use bbq charcoal due to poss added fuel etc,but why not pine?
anyone got any comments on this mixture, as like i said it is from the
RHS book,& what they dont no isnt worth knowing!
thanks keith




Keith this web page has lots of links to UK orchid suppliers some with
their own pages.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~johntrueman/Orchids.htm

I use more or less this mix but sub coconut husk chips for the fir bark as
fir bark got pricy in my area.
3 parts medium grade bark,1 part coarse grit or
perlite,1 part charcoal pieces

Hope this helps
Dusty