"Have I lost my mind?"

No, the store lost their excuse sheet.

tj

I have had the same problem buying what I though would be bark only to end up with a bag of compost. I found in my area that orchid bark is usually stored outdoors with the landscaping supplies, so it sits in the rain before going onto the shelf. Now I only purchase orchid bark if it comes in a clear bag so I can see the contents.

Thanks, good to hear. I know which brands are generally okay, but this caught me totally by surprise.

Don't you just love it when they try to blame you? Maybe she stopped talking because you were looking at her, like, really.......did you seriously just say that? And rightly so

If you use good potting media for your orchids, you don't need to use orchid pots. I have at least 80 in regular clay pot.

Check out your local Orchid Society for vendors who come with good bark. If you can't do that, buy online. There are many stores which sell the proper media.

Good for you for getting your money back!

Jane

BTW, I have so many orchids I'd go broke trying to pot them all in 'orchid pots.' I search garage sales and even plants discounted at big box stores for the pots. I use baskets for large Catts or even plastic pots. Plastic works if you punch a few holes in them. Some of my best plants are in plastic.

Just get the right potting mix and don't worry about the pots.

Jane

Jane, when I say "orchid pot", I don't mean the outer pot, which can be anything from a clay pot used for any old houseplant, to something that came with a cheap plant given as a gift. It's the inner pot that I consider important, with a dimpled up center on the bottom that allows air to the roots and slots along the sides. Sometimes I keep the orchids for several years in the pots they were in when I bought them but they usually have the required ventilation. I really love the way Trader Joe's pots up their orchids. The outer "cache" pot is heavy and won't tip over. The inner pot is round but with slits along the circumference.

I too grow a great many orchids but few are in "orchid pots" as you describe. Most are just regular terra cotta pots but a few are terra cotta with side slits that are close to (and perhaps intended to be) orchid pots. As long as you have a good growing medium.......which apparently you did not find at the nursery :-)).....then a designated orchid pot is not really necessary.

I think she lost her mind. She obviously doesn't know much about orchids. Funny, I notice a lot of people at garden centers are clueless about how the plants grow. I bought a Vanda at home depot and the cashier asked me "is that the one you want? It doesn't have soil." and I replied "orchids don't need soil, they can grow on trees with their roots exposed to the air." To which she replied "Oh." and laughed. I definitely laughed too.