Orchiata bark 8.5 L
Aged, heat-treated New Zealand pine bark, 12–18 mm.
Orchiata is New Zealand Pinus radiata bark, aged and heat-treated before it is bagged. The process strips out the resins and compounds that burn roots in fresh bark, and at the same time kills the pathogens: what is left is a professional-grade substrate at a balanced pH.
What you are paying for over garden-centre bark is durability. This holds up for years in a pot without crumbling, so the structure of the mix stays as it was on day one instead of collapsing after a season — which is why it is the standard among orchid growers.
The 12–18 mm grade is the right one for roots to run through: it holds moisture on the surface and lets air through the gaps.
Sizes and prices
- 8.5 L bag — €19.95
Specifications
- Composition
- 100% New Zealand Pinus radiata
- Processing
- Ageing and heat treatment
- Grade
- 12–18 mm
- pH
- Balanced
- Pathogens
- None, thanks to the heat treatment
- Life in the pot
- Years, without crumbling
- Volume
- Resealable 8.5-litre bag
- Suitable for
- Orchids, aroids, epiphytes, terrariums
How to use it
On its own for orchids and epiphytes, mixed for aroids. It does not need soaking like sphagnum: use it dry and wet it in the pot. It also works as a base layer in terrariums and vivariums.
Used with
- Coarse perlite 8.5 L — 8.5 L bag €17.95
- Chilean long-fibre sphagnum 300 g — 300 g pack €24.95
- Anti-spiralling aroid pot — Ø 18 × 20 cm · 3 L €3.95