I'll bet that the mix holds too much moisture.
Can you tell us what kind of a mix you used, or better yet post a picture of the mix?

Fine-grade "Orchid Bark" (fir bark), mixed with a bit of Perlite or Pumice, works great.
The key is superior drainage and aeration - you want a mix that can be watered frequently
without holding excessive amounts of moisture.

Josh

I'm not sure what the mix is, I purchased the plants in a large do it yourself store. The soil (?) feels spongy when wet and then feels hard and packed when dry. I purchased Perlite and looked for Orchid bark. The orchid bark I found seemed very large so I'm holding out until I find the correct size, is there a certain brand or name? I am planning to repot plants Sunday after an exam....yep, exam on Sunday.

I use E.B. Stone's fine-grade Orchid Bark.
You don't want the medium or large sizes, that's for sure.

Josh

I started using orchid bark as well for my Thankgiving cactus. Works great, should have switched years ago.

Well Entero,

I can't really help you with these, as I don't grow them well (yet) myself.

I am just posting to inform you that your description of your current mix sounds exactly like what peat based mixes tend to do & why many of us try to avoid it. It's soggy when wet, they dries out so completely & hardens off, that it become impossible to wet.

If you choose to change mixes, you'll likely need to soak the plant to soften this rootball enough to get that mix off the plant. I suspect the center of your rootball is completely hard & likely bone dry, essentially depriving the plant of water.

Some of the coir mixes behave that way, too.