There is no magic potting mix. What you use depends on Climate and other factors. I'm not going to say use such and such because there are all sorts of factors to be taken into account. The blurb on the outside of my 40 litre bag of Diatomite says mix 10/15% of Diatomite with your other potting ingredients. If you are in doubt just put some chips on top of the potting material and see what happens. It seems to be beneficial but i've got no idea why. Every orchid i own has some in the mix or chipped and sprinkled on mounts. Not that i have many mounts. Only for orchids that grow best that way. I'll say it again. Mounting means Maintenance. Again. Select potting material(s) that is right for all the variables, the plant, the pot size, your growing conditions. Treated pine bark is no good statements might be right for tropical climates and some watering habits. But look at the picture. All those orchids are potted in bark based mixes. Here is a link that might be useful: Orchids in a shadehouse

Hi, I am new to the forum and can see that this is an old thread, but I cannot see a more recent thread on this and I also have a keiki that has grown on an orchid about half a year after we bought it (I think it is a Phalaenopsis orchid, and it seemed to do well, it flowered twice during the first six months). I have only now understood that this is a keiki - we didn't realise we should separate it when the roots started growing - and now it's about to flower AND the stem with the flowers and new leaves on it is growing in the same direction as the 'air roots' are, and not in the direction of the leaves around which the new root system has developed, so it seems impossible to separate it. How can to make sure the plant will continue to grow? I would very much appreciate advice from someone more experienced with keikis - I hope the image is clear enough. Thank you! Branislava

You're very kind, Frank. :-) Interesting and resourceful don't begin to cover it! We're both what you might call "real". We don't mince words, don't own a pair of rose colored glasses, and we can survive on nothing but our wits if we have to. I gotta be honest... lesser people might have folded up shop and called it a day! You wouldn't believe the bad luck we've experienced over the years... it's like a black cloud formed one day, and has been hovering overhead, giggling gleefully at the horror it causes us whenever it chooses to strike! Where shall I begin? Let me condense it in the interest of time... we've been through a house fire, in which we lost just about everything... I was diagnosed with Lupus... we were in a horrible car accident in which I was seriously injured... and about 15 years before all of that, my husband was injured at work, when a huge factory bay door came crashing down as he was walking through, hitting him squarely on the back of the neck, causing massive spinal trauma. He couldn't walk for about a year, and has been mostly disabled ever since. Yep... it's been a helluva wild ride! But you know, life goes on. As a result of all our trauma, we're seriously poor... but what's money, really? It's a pain in the ass... and it can't buy what's truly important in life, anyway. We get by... without public assistance, I might add. Anytime something happens to us now, we laugh about it and chalk it up to our family luck! Somebody turned our horseshoe upside down, and all the good stuff ran out! ;-) Seriously, though... what can you do? Things happen. This is life. It wasn't meant to be easy. When life gives some people lemons, they make lemonade... I make lemon meringue pie! ;-) Hey, we raised three wonderful kids... we have three fantastic grandkids... and we have the greatest friends this world has to offer. We're rich beyond belief in all the ways it counts most. :-) I can't complain... well, I could, but who would listen?! I've been doing the same thing you're doing... researching plants and vendors, looking for my next victim! I'm thinking of ordering from Marble Branch Farms as soon as winter breaks... and I'm even thinking of trying more than just the Yellow Bird orchid... they've got a few different varieties that look promising. I've already started saving for a few plants! Your Staghorn Fern sounds awesome! You wouldn't, by chance, have any pictures of it you could share, would you? I'd love to see an indoor grown fern that huge! Many years ago, I inherited one that was grown in a small basket... but this was before I knew much about the growing process. Yep... I killed it. I think I over watered it. I've murdered a lot of plants in my day! It's a good thing there's no law against being a poor gardener! I think the one drawback to the age of technology is the instant gratification. People don't seem to have the level of patience they used to. No one can wait for anything. We have instant access to everything via the internet, microwave ovens and drive-thrus so we don't have to wait for food, and just about everything is made in the interest of convenience! Attention spans are short, no one wants to wait for anything, and there's a pill you can take for everything! Life has sure changed... although, our parents said the same thing... and their parents said the same thing. Progress is great... but society is trading out a lot of very good characteristics and values to have that progress. So... I don't know... and I completely agree with you... it's kind of scary to think of who votes these days! Although... there are still many decent, intelligent young folks out there willing to go the extra mile, to make a difference in the world, in a positive way. I wouldn't count out the next generation quite yet. It ain't over until it's over! ;-) Well... time to get dinner started and feed the old man! ;-) Have a nice evening, Frank!

It's a business decision. If stores give things away for free at any point and customers know this they may not buy items in the future, waiting until they know they can get it for free. Whether that is true or not I don't know. I certainly went around local nurseries recently because I knew they were culling stock and got many items on clearance. Would I have bought those if I knew every year the nursery would just give them away in two weeks and I could show up then? I think the 5$ offer was fair. I would buy some for friends and donate the ones people didn't want to a charity or just "resell" on CL.