I used the entire coconut with husk as sold in the shops, I attached wire to hang it as a mount, I did not open the coconut at all, & one of them even started to send out a root. I also tried one from which I had stripped all of the husk ( for Dendrobium kingianum) & this worked really well, the plant grew in all directions, even downwards. I really would not reccomend these methods, but it was an interesting & attractive experiment as long as it lasted.