Bark chunks

[Dollythehun]

All. I am learning so much from you. Thank you! I've looked at the forum and don't see this question answered, so please educate me.
If I am potting into a basket and the care suggests large bark chunks to anchor it, what am I looking for? Large coconut chunks? The description says they hold a lot of water. I am not on familiar ground here. Also sources would be helpful. Thanks!

[Orchid Whisperer]

When I buy a bag of orchid bark at Lowes, Home Depot or similar store, I reserve the bigger pieces in the bag (usually 3/4 to over 1 inch) for orchids like Cattleyas that want a coarse bark medium in the pot. Coarse bark chunks usually implies some sort of fir bark, but you could probably also use coarse tree fern fiber chunks, chunks of inert material like Styrofoam (mixed with the bark), or coconut fiber chunks if you are really, really thorough about repeatedly soaking and draining them to remove salt.

Usually the coarse material is required by plants needing a dry-out between watering, and with such plants I either grow them in a terracotta pot, basket (as you propose), or a net pot to further improve drainage.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

When I buy a bag of orchid bark at Lowes, Home Depot or similar store, I reserve the bigger pieces in the bag (usually 3/4 to over 1 inch) for orchids like Cattleyas that want a coarse bark medium in the pot. Coarse bark chunks usually implies some sort of fir bark, but you could probably also use coarse tree fern fiber chunks, chunks of inert material like Styrofoam (mixed with the bark), or coconut fiber chunks if you are really, really thorough about repeatedly soaking and draining them to remove salt.

Usually the coarse material is required by plants needing a dry-out between watering, and with such plants I either grow them in a terracotta pot, basket (as you propose), or a net pot to further improve drainage.

So, the coconut husk retains salts? It's also very expensive. I never considered sorting my potting mix but, I could do that. It might be helpful to look at repotme.com? I think this is to anchor the plant?
Yesterday when I was at IKEA, they had a large bag of LECA. I bought it but, thought I would use it in a humidity tray. Is there a difference in the quality of those? I am sure if there is, these are not high quality.

[estación seca]

A few months back somebody wrote they thought the Ikea LECA is of good quality. People use it by itself as potting medium, instead of bark. It works well for this. It doesn't break down, but it will accumulate salts oved time if not flushed well. Before use, rinse well in a bucket to remove dust, then soak overnight in 1 Tablespoon / 30ml epsom salts per gallon / 3.78 liters water to exchange some of the sodium, which isn't needed, for magnesium, which is.

I haven't used coconut fiber for orchids. I've bought other plants in it. It stays wet much longer than some other media.

[WalkingHorse]

I am a big fan of using a mix of coconut husk chips plus charcoal to deal with the accumulation of salts for almost all my orchids. I have had great success with this combination.

The charcoal can be rinsed/flushed in clear water after a year or so to get rid of the salts/impurities.

[Ray]

Actually, while it may surface rinse, charcoal holds onto minerals and plants wastes in its interior crevices very well. It's better to never reuse it.

[WalkingHorse]

Perhaps...I don't reuse my charcoal other than a few chunks that get left in the mix (healthy roots attached) when I refresh my pots every year.

[Leafmite]

Any medium will collect excess, unused fertilizer and minerals if it isn't properly flushed. This can even be a problem in agriculture if there is not enough rain. When using mediums that decompose and are replaced, there is often no need to flush because the medium decomposes and is replaced before the excess salts and minerals become an issue. With other, more permanent mediums, flushing becomes much more important.

I grow nearly all my orchids in red lava rock and I have never had any issues. I also grow other plants in the same soil forever. The key to being able to do this is to flush the medium so that the roots do not get burned.