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Coconut husk chips

killerplantsguy

killerplantsguy

I have been using coconut husk chips as a major component in potting mix for Nepenthes and some others.  I soak the material for several days to remove unwanted dissolved salts, dust, fines, etc.  Have been discarding the chips that sink to the bottom of the container, as I have always done with orchid bark.  However, this amounts to roughly 25% of the cocanut chips.

What are some of you other growers out there doing?  Are you discarding or using the "sinkers".

Thanks for any thoughts,
KPG
 
I use them all. Also, rather than soak CHC several days, I soak it for a few hours, drain, refill the water and repeat a few times.
 
Thank you, Bruce. That sounds like a better method.
KPG
 
I haven't grown orchids and my experiences with orchid bark are limited; my question is: why wouldn't you use the ones that sink? I'm just curious.
smile.gif
 
Hmmm, don't the ones that sink hold more water?

BTW, orchid bark is not the same as cocobark/husk. (I think)
 
The sinkers do hold more water, but that can mean the bark has already degraded.  And orchid growers have to be very careful about the water-holding capacity of an orchid mix.

CHC is acts differently than bark because it does hold lots of water.  But that water retention can be a problem.  When I first started using it, I put lots of plants into it, using a 50/50 (or so ) mix with sponge rock.  The plants seemed to be doing great and I kept putting more and more plants in it until I started losing plants towards the end of their summer outside.  The problem is that they might get rain for day after day and even a 50% sponge rock mix starts getting moldy in the middle.  I've never seen so many dead roots.

I still use the same 50/50 mix in shallow baskets, but now mix in a lot of bark or lava rock when using it in a pot.  Any more than 25% CHC in a pot seems to seems to be inviting trouble.  But only because I can't control the water while my plants are outside.  In a greenhouse or wherever over-watering isn't a concern, CHC must be pretty awesome because it seems to last for years.
 
Very interesting, Bruce. Like I said, I don't have much experience with using bark in mixes, but I'll be sure to keep this in mind. Thanks!
 
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