Question
Being a novice, I originally repotted the cymbidium plant which I subdivided in large pots (5 gal). After much reading about cymbidiums, I decided to repot them in smaller pots (1 gal). Is there any way I can sterilize the bark and be able to reuse them in the future for other cymbidiums?

Answer
Hello Rowena,

It is possible to sterilize used orchid bark by baking in an oven at 450 for 2 hours.  

With that said, it would be better to spread the used bark in your garden as a mulch and buy fresh new bark for your cymbidiums.  The reason I say this is because bark will break down or decompose over 3 or 4 years, broken down bark will compact around the orchids roots and slowly cause them to rot.  

If the cymbidiums you moved from 5 gallon to 1 gallon pots were not divided prior to moving to the smaller pot, you probably have saved them from ending up with rotten roots.  Plus, the cyms will be much happier in the smaller pot because the prefer having their roots somewhat confined.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.