Ferns at the county fair changed my potting mix forever

Last September at the county fair in Des Moines, this old grower had these massive ferns that looked unreal. I asked him what his secret was and he just pointed to a bucket of crushed pine bark, no regular soil at all. He said ferns need that chunky bark for air flow around the roots, and I switched my indoor ferns over that same weekend. It's been 6 months now and the new fronds are twice as big, I even added some to my pothos pots. Anyone else use bark instead of regular mix for their houseplants?

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sanchez.mary22d ago

Crushed pine bark, no regular soil at all" got me curious. Did that old grower mention if he had to adjust how often he waters, cause bark drains way faster than regular mix. I tried something similar with my orchids but they dried out quicker than I expected. Also, did you keep the same pot size or did you go bigger, cause I feel like bark breaks down over time and then you're back to square one. Just wondering if there's a trick to knowing when to replace it or top it off.

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