Greenhrs,

Did you get your questions answered in the other thread? A fir bark mix would be better than pine. You can pick up a small amount at most big box stores. It'll be called orchid mix or bark or some such.

Mixing LECA w/ bark isn't a good idea. In another thread, the general conclusion was that the LECA holds moisture longer than other media and can keep roots too wet for too long, if I understood the thread.

At any rate, Dens need to dry out more quickly than LECA allows.

Hang in there. Dens are tough.

Whitecat8

In my limited experience, it's hard to repot those plants successfully unless they are getting a lot of light. And then they want small pots with good drainage. Be prepared for it to croak.

As hollyt says, den phals like very tight pots. You may have enough bark if you find a pot that will just barely accommodate the roots. I add some LECA to my potting mix and don't have a problem with it, but I only add a tiny bit for weight. If you don't have enough bark you can use packing peanuts to stretch the mix, just make sure they're not the kind that disolve in water. You might also cut them in half if they're too big. As Whitecat8 says, hang in there, dens are tough.

Thank you all! Indeed my den phal hated LEKA and is now moving back to a small orchid pot in fir bark thanks to your advice.

It really looks poorly now. I feel so guilty for tormenting it the way I did...

Alexandra

Another way to extend the mix and lower the center of gravity for a Den is to use rocks in the bottom and small rocks or lava rock as part of the mix. That also helps the pot dry out faster.

It never hurts to try unconventional combinations and the Den in LECA was a good learning experience. Don't feel guilty.

I will buy the bark today and repot the den in that.

Do you think a phalaenopsys would also be upset to find itself in LECA? Since it needs to dry out slower ...? I got hooked and bought myself a phalaenopsys too.

In my experience, phals want a humid root zone with a lot of air. I tried some in Prime Agra (similar to LECA) and they did not like it. Don't know what your conditions are, but I recommend NZ spaghnum mixed with some large perlite or even crumbled styrofoam, with a layer of styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pots. this works better than bark mixes for me, and is easy to repot every year. If you have very good humidity, bark might work as well.