led lighting and coconut husk.

[goldnugget]

this spring i changed from bark to husk,and t8 to led lighting,with mixed results(cats indoors).
I'm just looking to see if anybody has tried this and with what results. i know the plants stay moister longer,and i"m having a hard time excepting led lights,it just does not look like it will work, although most of my plants seem to be growing.
Any info would be helpful.
thanks

[tucker85]

I've had good results with coconut husk in the past. I've switched to hydroton now but that's because I grow outdoors in Florida and it's often too wet for coconut husks. I know one grower down here that has good success with a combination of coconut husk chips and hydroton. My oncidiums and some of my smaller cattleyas grew very well in coconut husk. Probably the only drawback is that it's hard to remove from the roots when you repot, but that's not really a big deal. I don't know about LED lights. It's interesting that your plants are growing well. I'm not sure LED has been out long enough for people to have much experience with it. It would be interesting to research the light spectrum and intensity of LED. Keep us informed about how it works for you. Good luck.

[silken]

You may already know this, but I heard it at our orchid society meeting and was surprised. Before using coconut husks you should rinse them thoroughly 2 or 3 times. Apparently, in the tropical countries where they are harvested, often the locals rinse them in salt water from the ocean as it is plentiful and they are often sold in this state. The salt will burn the roots of your orchids. So a good rinse should prevent that.

I've almost given up on them as I seem to have caused root rot using them although they were usually mixed with a bit of sphagnum moss and pearlite. I'm now trying a mix using bark instead and trying not to keep my plants so wet!

[Masdyman]

I am using CHC and happy with the stuff i am using ,i don't think anything else is needed to mix with it like moss or perlite these will only retain more moisture when the CHC will hold enough on its own .

[chromebright]

I have a 90W UFO style LED growlight and am using it to supplement my 400W HID lamp in my 4x4x8 sunhut growroom. I also just purchased some Coco chips and am starting to use them.

Where I live it is rather cool year round so the HID lamp provides just the right amount of heat during the day. The LED light, as you are aware, is pretty cool-running. You didn't state where you happen to live or what the temperatures are in your grow area.

I am starting off using the coco chips (washed at least 5 times prior to use) in net pots so I can monitor how quickly the chips dry out. I'd rather have to water more often than have to guess how wet the chips below the surface happen to be. I planted a bare root Brassavola David Sander in the chips and we'll just have to see how it goes.

[orchids3]

Two comments: Are electric lights really the best way to heat an area? CHC is good stuff but does breakdown faster than claimed at least outside in Florida. Again - its good stuff.

[goldnugget]

just a short note on the lights,they only draw 7 watts,and do not appear to have much light,but you cannot look right at them as they are really bright,it's concentrated light.

[chromebright]

Originally Posted by orchids3

Are electric lights really the best way to heat an area?

I can't answer this question for everyone, but in my moderately small, enclosed space, the HID lamp provides just the right amount of heat during the daytime. Measuring with a max/min thermometer, I find the daytime temperature to reach 80F and the nighttime temperature (with the lights off and no added heat in the building) to be about 58F. I have a small fan running 24/7, and a small humidifier going during the day.

That is why, when I wanted to add more light, I went with the LED as it does not burn as hot as the HID lamp.

As far as coco chips (CHC) go, I think it is important to observe closely how quickly the medium dries (and breaks down) and those factors are dependent on heat, humidity and air movement. In FL, the humidity is high, the rainfall is high and the heat is high so one would expect, as you have observed, that the CHC used outdoors breaks down more quickly than in other locations. In my growing environment I can control pretty much all the conditions and so the behavior of the CHC will probably be different than in FL or other places.

[johnblagg]

I use to use hid in my old grow area and the lights when on supplied all the heat needed and at night a small electric heater took over....since I was using small electric heaters for the entire house and only heated the areas I occupied and left other rooms closed off it was actually very effiecient to get light and heat from the same amount of electric used ....

[Masdyman]

I have put 22mm diameter holes on each side of my pots to keep an eye on the husk for watering and increase airflow in the bottom of the pots .
I did the holes by heating up 22mm copper tube & burning a neat hole through .
This has increased the drying out time but in winter in the UK this is what i need.