Does anyone use turface?

[JerseyGirlBecky]

Does anyone use turface in their potting mix? My cousin has over 200 bonsai trees here and uses it in his mixes. He has several of his own mixes .
Just curious as I have never heard it mentioned for the orchid mixes.
Becky

[tolumnia]

I don't. But now that you've mentioned it I could see it being really nice for fine rooted orchids. A lot of people I know use it in their aquariums, I thought about it but went another direction. From what I know researching it from that point of view it should be a rather quick to dry should hold humidity for a long time. My biggest 2 concerns would be not enough air space between the particles and the fact that it's a fairly heavy medium (like sand) which might spell trouble for delicate roots. If you try it try it on one orchid to see how it works and please keep us posted.

[BikerDoc5968]

Can't say much for orchids, but I've used it for a number of years for my succulents and cacti in the mix. It will add weight as has been mentioned and for me it drains fast. I also use it as a top dressing on the desert plants.