The orchid you bought is a cross between a Phalaenopsis (Phal) and a Doritis addreviated (Dtps). The grey worklike things neat the base is more than likely the roots. Doritis was removed from the Phal group of orchids and both are in the Vandaceous family. So they commonly have the aerial roots you see at the top the the pot. Care will be the same as Phalaenopsis type orhids. Having Doritis in the background may cause them to bloom a few times a year, Most pure Phal's bloom only once a year.

I would like to make my own potting mix this season, but I'm very new to this and could use a little help please. I estimate I need about 8 cubic feet (50 gallons) to do all the flower boxes and planters. The flowers will mostly be petunia and begonia this year, but some others too. Can someone please share a recipe to make a potting soil that would work well for my application. And any tips that you could share to help me make this the first time. Thank you!

The problem you're having with moisture retention may be related to the size of the pots in which you are starting and/or the type of pots in which you are starting. I have found that tiny pots dry out very quickly with soil or seedling mix. As far as Jiffy peat pots go, these dry out relatively quickly, too, unless they are kept under a dome. The mix I use is Black Gold Seedling Mix because everything I've been germinating seems to do well in it from conifers to perennials.

"There is no discernible diff given how it works and the results." Hmmm, there are actually very considerable differences. A key element of Sous Vide is that the food is sealed in a bag. This retains the juices and environment within the bag and protects the food from environmental conditions outside of the bag. Vacuum sealing and keeping the food pressurized adds another bit to this (I can't remember the details but I know that there is a huge difference when something is not vacuum sealed as like many others I've experimented with this). Water has a much higher heat capacity than air. The water bath used in Sous Vide is critical to maintaining very accurate temps required for Sous Vide. This cannot be replicated with air or steam as Anova tries to lead people to believe. Interestingly, Anova promotes that their oven "does sous vide in half the time". To my knowledge this is impossible as it's the very long slow cooking time that balances the collagen and proteins in the food and produces the results that sous vide is known for. The Anova may be a great option for people to add basic CSO capability to their kitchen for an affordable price (and I'm actually considering one for my studio) but it is not a replacement for sous vide regardless of what their marketing material says.