A Phalaenopsis will grow in a wide variety of substrates. The plant will produce roots that are suited to the growing media they are placed in. If you change the type of growing media (like a bark mix to Sphagnum moss), they may have to grow new roots to accommodate the new substrate. Sometimes a dramatic change can really set back your orchid or even kill your plant. If you’re going to change the type of growing media you use, do so when the plant is producing new roots so the new roots will accommodate the new type of media.
We recommend long fiber sphagnum moss for you Phalaenopsis for several reasons:
1) The moss tells you when to water….. When the top of the moss is ‘crispy dry’ it’s time to water. If in doubt…. DON’T. Your orchid has water in its leaves for times of drought. Watering too often with Sphagnum moss can smoother the roots. They need the water to evaporate to pull air down and around the roots.
2) Sphagnum moss has natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that help protect the plant from infection. 3) The wet moss around the plant provides much needed humidity in our dry home environments.
There’s nothing wrong with using a bark mix or any other media as long as you water according to the plant’s needs. If, what you are doing works for you, we don’t recommend changing anything. What we DO recommend is replacing your potting media every year. Regardless of what it is. This removes any salt buildup and replaces any organic matter BEFORE it breaks down and rots your roots.
Re-potting every year also allows you to check the roots for the plants health.
