Kiwi Orchid Bark

Bag Size

Bark Size

Price

From $6.50 NZDincl GST

Kiwi Orchid Bark is available in various graded sizes

  • No. 1 is approximately 3 to 6mm in size. It can be used for young or small plants.

  • No. 2 is approximately 3 to 9mm in size. Suitable for 2”-3” pot size. Used for Disa and Masdevallias orchids. Often used for orchids that have been deflasked.

  • No. 3 is approximately 8 to 20 mm in size. Suitable for 4” to 5” pot size. Used for small to medium-sized cymbidiums, cattleyas, vandas and phalaenopsis, etc.

  • No. 4 is approximately 20 to 25 mm in size. Suitable for 6” to 8” pot size.Used for larger cattleya-type orchids and cymbidium mixes.

  • No. 5 is approximately 25 to 50 mm in size. Used for larger orchids that need to dry out between watering.

Kiwi Orchid Bark Grades

Kiwi Orchid Bark is a hard, clean, uniformly graded and is suitable for growing orchids and other epiphytic type plants.

Exported worldwide, it is considered by many top orchid growers as a premium product for growing orchids. Fred Clark, Sunset Valley Orchids, rates it as the best orchid bark he has used.

Processed in a custom-designed facility to manufacture high-quality bark products, i.e. all bark is stored on a hard surface and under shelter, ensures that the bark is dry, clean and sterile. Kiwi Orchid Bark is produced from renewable, managed plantations.

Kiwi Orchid Bark is harvested from mature slow, grown Pinus radiata trees.

The bark is very clean, with hardly any contamination from soil and dust.

It is ready to use out of the bag. No soaking or washing/cleaning is required. However, some growers do presoak the bark, and this can be an option should you wish to do so. Presoaking for a few days will remove some of the waxes, oils and tannins. Soaking will also soften the bark and improve the absorption of moisture. 

The bark should last 3 to 5 years which is a great bonus as it allows the plant's roots to develop in the pot fully.

Many orchid growers report that the main reason for repotting is because the orchid has outgrown its pot and not because the orchid media has broken down.

Used World Wide By Top Orchid Growers

Fred Clark reports that he has completed two trials of three years duration using Kiwi Orchid Bark on Cattleyas, Australian Dendrobiums and Paphiopedilums and reported the following:

  • At the end of the third year almost no visible sign of bark decay.

  • The pH remained stable.

  • The root systems were in near-perfect condition.

  • Upon repotting the orchid, plants showed little setback (i.e. excellent root system) and the orchids quickly re-established themselves and continued to grow well.

Kiwi Orchid bark used for a dendrobium. Goof roots after 1 year in the pot

Kiwi Orchid Bark - excellent root development after 22 months

Physical Attributes

  • Consistent size

  • No fines, dirt or other shredded bark products, dust and contaminant-free (i.e landscaping bark normally contains these and generally not a good choice for orchids).

  • Not composted

  • Slightly water-resistant due to resins found in the bark.

  • Very Hard - slow decomposition lasts longer.