Promix is quite likely too dense for orchids that aren't terrestrials...isn't this more of a peat-perlite soil-like mix? Are you sure it's not just very fine bark or decomposing bark? Phals don't mind when you repot, really...but if you want to save the blooms you should probably wait until they're done. The mix you have makes me nervous but hey if they've been in it for 18 months and they're fine, then 3 more months won't be too huge deal imo :)
-CAl

Calvin it appears many Phal. commercial growers in the US are going to the ProMix type media and away from the packed sphag. They love the ProMix because they can water much less - like weeks between watering.

Pepbob when you make the switch the bark will be a much drier environment and you will have to adjust your watering accordingly.

Personally I hate ProMix even for starting seeds (non-orchid) unless I use a mixture of 50/50 with perlite. And fungus gnats LOVE the ProMix.

Brooke

Pro Mix is a big no no for Orchids..really, for most home gardeners, they like to do too much TLC for their beautiful orchids, and that could mean - well, I didn't water the plant for 10-14 days, so time to give it a drink regardless etc etc..Pro Mix is too heavy, holding too much water compare to bark mix, and I have clients with very bad experience with this mix. The grocery, big box stores may like it because they don't need to water the plants for weeks, but, for the owners, the over care, too frequent waterings = quick deaths and big disappointment...I agree with all the above posts that after the repotting, you have to adjust the watering schedule..and yeah, all those fungus gnats...amazing swarm you can have with over-waterings and some rots...ouch.

Thanks for responses, i THINK it is pro mix, it is a very fine material that does stay wetter longer, iam gald they are in plastic see through pots, besides feeling the heft of them i can check out the roots visibly. thats another question i meant to ask i was just planning on putting them back in the same pots again, there ae a lot of viable roots on the plants and if they were another type of plant i might say they were root bound or on there way..whaddaya think about that. leave them in the same pot or go a little larger? iam really excited that they are reblooning, they ae not a first rebloom for me, but reblooms for me seem to be few and far between! thanks again!

Pepbob1,

Sounds like you have made up your mind about switching to bark and I agree with the others that you will need to water more frequently. I have been using Promix with much success for more than 10 years. I grew phals in bark for more than 15 years with just average results and then I purchased some small plants growing in Promix. At the end of one year the plants growing in promix were larger and stronger than any of the ones growing in bark. I switched and now have over a 1000 plants growing in the Promix HP. I think it helps deliver more moisture to the roots and consequently the bottom leaves stay on longer. More leaves = more stored energy = more flowers. You must avoid the temptation to overwater, but Promix has some very good advantages over other media. It is cheap, it is easy to use, it comes off the roots when you repot without causing any damage and it wicks excess salts to the surface where they can be easily removed before they cause any damage. I have include a series of photos, so you can see for yourself. The first on is a mature Phal with a LS of about 20 inches.
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The second one is a close up of the roots. The third and fourth photos are of a first bloom seedling growing in a 5 inch pot.
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The next photos show compots of Phals in promix at 1 mo, 6 mo and 1 year. The smallest ones in the new compot are just barely differentiated protocorms. The largest ones in the oldest compot will be moved up to individual 5 inch pots this spring.
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I also grow other things in promix. Here is a phrag that is doing quite well and the next photo is a compot of Catt Schilleriana. These will be mounted this summer, but right now they are doing just fine.
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Anyway, there are many ways to skin a cat or to grow an orchid. Promix works for me. Mike

WOW! orchid 527, iam wondering now if indeed it is Promix, there is NO perlite etc in the mix that the phals are potted in.Maybe it sweepings off of the potting room floor, LOL, it is very fine with just a few nuggets of what may have been bark. Iam sure they have been in those pots for several years i may rethink this little venture, the reason i was potting out of the stuff they are in now is because of all the negatives ive heard and read about Pro Mix. I most assuredly WILL be repotting the plants but now i have something else to think about as far as potting mix goes.Iam going to e mail you privately also Mike if i can do that through your Garden Web page.

Phals love Pro Mix and grow well in it. There might not be any perlite in it as there are more than one blend of the product. One of its drawbacks is that the mix absorbs fertilizer well and holds it for a long time and therefore can become sour very quickly. The plants should be repotted every six months or so. If you repot into bark, you might consider adding one-third sphagnum moss to keep the roots as moist as they're used to being in the Pro Mix.

Pepbob1,

Orchid126 is correct in that there are several types of Promix. I use the Promix HP. There is also an entire family of similar products called Metromix. Many of these do not have perlite. I have not had the problem of excess salt with the Promix HP. Some of the perlite eventually floats to the top of the pot and excess salts get deposited on this perlite by capillary action. You can tell when this happens because the perlite turns orange or brown. I just brush it off and add new Promix. Seems to take about a year before I see this happen. FYI, I have extremely hard water and use a variety of fertilizers, including the Michigan State formulation. Please feel free to get in touch by email. I would be happy to answer any questions. Mike

Brooke - I have had similar problems with fungus gnats and promix...which is why I try not to grow anymore terrestrial plants close to my orchids anymore.

Mike - that is amazing.Your plants look great! It is pretty hard to believe that phals can thrive in that stuff but definitely worth experimenting with.

-Cal

Thanks all! iam glad i posted my inquiry. I think the nursery that has the "Phal Mix" has a mix for terrestrrial orchids also, i'm gonna check it out if for nothing other than my heightened curiosity about these differnt potting media for phals. a mix of the terrestrial mix and the new bark pobably wouldnt work either i dont think because the terrrestrial mix might just wash though the bark, right? I had thought of adding some Spag. moss to the new bark mix if i switched. I'll be going to the nursey tomorrow, Sunday, i'll keep you posted! Thanks again, of couse if anyone else has any comments on their experience of switching potting media for phals, pros and cons, i'd be intereted in their in put as well.

I've also used Promix both on orchids, annuals and seedlings. Great root growth.

Pepbob1, I always add some sphag to bark mixes for Phals. Also CHC if you can get them. Online ordering makes life easy. Aussie Gold, mixed with bark also works as it has Promix in it.

I have a few Phals in sphag, but always move them to a lighter mix when time to repot. I would suggest adding sphag to bark if you plan to repot soon. Also, keep the plants in the same pots unless they have totally outgrown the present pots. In your zone, it will be too dry to grow Phals in straight bark. Buy a bag of sphag or Coconut Chips and mix it into the bark.

Great shots, Mike-

Jane

thanks Jane! i'll ty and remember all this info when i get to the nursey this afternoon! I might come home with one of each of whateve thry have. LOL! More later...

After all that! I went to the nursery yesterday afternoon to get the "Phal Mix" i was interested in and they were sold out! I did pick up some spag, and some "Jacks Classic Orchid Fertilizer" for growth and also for bloom, I have never tried those. I also picked up some "Alaska Mor Bloom 0-10-10" for an Epiphyllum of mine, ive seen that fert. mentioned on an Epi site. The nursery said it would probably be a couple of weeks until the Phal Mix was back in stock so i may just wait until the N H Orchid Society show next month to pick up some supplys there.Waiting 3 or 4 weeks isnt going to kill me or the plants, i hope! Thanks again for all of your input, i find this site such a tremendous help!

Wow! Orchid 527. Your pictures are living proof that ProMix works. I am a beginner and would like to know where I can purchase this. I live in Phoenix and last week picked up three dendrobiums. They looked very healthy, but had fallen out of their pots, which had tall spikes with spent flowers. I know that orchids are expensive, so for $1 each, I thought that I would rescue them. I bought the bark mix, cut off some dead roots and transplanted them. After your fantastic pictures, I want to change to ProMix. Thank you in anticipation.

Lizanne,

Promix works for me with Phals, Phrags, some Paphs and most seedlings. I have never tried it with dendrobiums and the few that I have are potted in bark mix. I'm not sure Promix would be the best choice. If you want to experiment, Promix HP is used by many commercial greenhouses. It comes in large bales, but you might be able to purchase a smaller amount from them. I believe Promix HP is nothing more than ground Canadian peat + perlite + surfactant + fertilizer. I'm pretty sure that the sufactant and the fertilizer are both washed out after a few weeks, so you could probably make your own equivalent by mixing peat and perlite. Another attractive alternative would be to get some Metromix with coir. I have been doing some experiments comparing Promix HP and Metromix based mixes and the results are interesting. I will post some photos in a day or so. Sorry I can't be more encouraging about dendrobiums in Promix HP, but I just don't have any experience. Mike

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed response. Your pictures have been very encouraging, and as a newbie I am taking notes. Since I just transplanted, I will wait for six months and transplant again. I will add the peat and perlite to the bark mixture that I have, which includes charcoal and perlite. I am looking forward to the new pictures. Again, thank you.

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed response. Your pictures have been very encouraging, and as a newbie I am taking notes. Since I just transplanted, I will wait for six months and transplant again. I will add the peat and perlite to the bark mixture that I have, which includes charcoal and perlite. I am looking forward to the new pictures. Again, thank you.

Schucks! I guess i waited too long to repot my phals, at least for one of them! I repotted one last night and there was only one viable root in the whole pot, there are however 3 or 4 aerial roots out of the pot. The plant is in spike now, but has shown a maked slowing down as far as progressing to full bloom. The spikes do show the unopened blooms etc. i bought some Miracle Gro Orchid planting mix yesterday that I would never PERSONALLY use now that ive opened it, it is almost like the stuff i just took the phal in question out of, to me it is "Like" Pro Mix, iam an "avid" waterer some times so this would not work for me AT ALL i dont think. The plants in question are NOIDS that i got at a green house a couple of years ago on sale they have rebloomed for me which iam grateful for but i will know now, i hope to repot sooner especially on discounted or sale items, they must have been in the same potting medium at least 3 years. Shame on me! The NH Orchid Society Show is soon in Feb so will pick every vendors brain fo the "Perfect" Potting media for ME! HA HA HA! Only if there was such a thing..The oiginal potting media i was going to get for phals never arrived at the green house i was originally going to get it from. i think what i will do is get a bark based mix and add some moss to it as suggested. Wish me luck, and thanks again!