Sun Bulb 5002 Better-Gro Special Orchid Mix, 8 Quarts

This stuff is awesome and miles above the major competition. It has no soil at all, just the fir bark, chunky perlite and lava rock. Yes, some pieces are a bit big but it’s still a very good product and price. I mix with succulent and cactus soil for my tropicals, mostly aroids, and it’s great.

I use this orchid mix to mix in with my soil for my houseplants. IT has everything you need all in one bag. Super afforadable and quality stuff. perft size bag for my needs. makes mixing my soil easy. never noticed any mold in any new or opened bag.

I've gotten the orchid bark mix from the hardware store before and often times I've ended up with little flakes instead of chunky bark bits. The bag that I got was mainly big chunky bits. There is charcoal and some perlite in there. Those will hold less water than bark, in case you needed to know.It's a good solution for me since I don't feel like spending so much on orchid mixes. I live in growing zone 9 and for pots 4" and below, this mix will hardly hold any water and dry up within 2-3 days. If you want to water less frequently, it's best to mix in little bits of sphagnum moss. I think this mix is decent quality and I like to pick out the pieces by size or material depending on my needs.Anyway, it did not come with mold and so far the pieces have been consistently good.Update: I needed another bag and got this again. Still a great price and the material is still chunky and great. I prefer this chunky medium.I first got the Miracle Gro bag from the store and I mostly got flakes. I got this brand again. Huge immediate difference. There’s so much bark. And it’s all good pieces. I’ve gotten more experience with orchid growing and I use this medium for my phals, dendrobiums, and cattleyas. At first the mix is hard to keep moist and that’s normal. I soak the pots or water frequently. Eventually the mix will start holding water better.It’s a great economical mix. I think it’s good for about 3-4 years. Orchiata bark is said to last for 5-7 years but probably most orchids would require repotting by then anyway.

Really like the high-quality materials in this orchid mix - wood chips to soak up moisture, absorbent material to retain moisture for longer periods, and extra material to keep the air flow around the roots. The pieces are a bit large for my taste, especially for smaller orchids, though not a deal breaker. For bigger plants, this is the perfect blend.

This is a great mix that my orchids love. I do find some of the bark pieces are way too big, like 2” long, but I was able to break most of them into smaller pieces. Now I have tried both this Better-Gro Special Orchid potting mix and the Better-Gro Phalaenopsis potting mix and I prefer the Special mix. I will be buying it again.

My plants love it. It helps make my soil nice and chunky. It keeps well. Never find any bugs in it

Every so often you need to repot orchids or you want to start a new one. This is what I use. I've had no problems. The quality is great and it's not too dusty.

I've used this bark for many years; it's a great product. I'd give it 5 stars for quality, but they now charge ~$20 for 8 quart packages and I used to pay $6-$7. I switched to Miracle Gro bark which is in the $6-$7 range.