Well, mildew is fungal, if I'm not mistaken (I could be). You wouldn't want
any kind of fungal substance in that pot, IMHO. And if I'm wrong about that,
still, who wants "stinky" around the Phals? Anyway, I agree about bark and
moss. I do not use any bark at all, because I have no feel for it and don't
like to dig the stuff out when I repot. Spaghnum has its place, especially
when trying to rescue something and give it some new roots.

As far as the repotting is concerned, Aliflor is a piece of cake, especially
with Phals. To be sure, Aliflor can get wrapped up in roots, but considering
the way Phal roots grow, it's not much of a deal. It's more of an issue when
repotting a Catt or Den that has overgrown its pot, but even then, it's a
walk in the park compared to bark. And it doesn't break down, so repotting
can be put off for a much longer period of time than with bark or moss.

Having said all that, one of the safest ways I've found to grow Phals is in
a slat basket, hung tipped so that the plant cannot retain water in the
crown, and in that case I use spaghnum moss. It dries out quickly in my
environment and the plants which I grow that way love it. One of the big
problems with moss is using it in plastic pots. The **** stuff never dries
out that way. I have a huge Phal in clay and spag right now, and it dries
rather quickly. Still, when it's finished blooming, into Aliflor it goes.

Anyway, there are as many media for orchids as there are orchid fanatics
like us. Never hurts to try something new!

Diana