Coconut fibre mulch for potting media

[djbon]

NYCOrchidman,

Combination of both will do. I used whole coconut husk (abundant in my place), filled with crushed charcoal & old clay pot (medium size) and vanda & cat love it very much. They will grow very large with vigorous roots. The only problem, it will attract ants and termite (very true in my case), and they breakdown quite easily, mine about 1 to 2 years (except the outer shell which lasts a little longer).

[ALToronto]

I just broke off a portion of my Coco-Tek brick and put it in a bowl with water. An hour later, it's a complete mushy mess in the bowl. It’s like I over-soaked some wheat bran. What do people do with this stuff? If I rinse out all the small particles, I will have maybe 1/4 of the material left. Help!

[Vanda Miss Joaquim]

I use charcoal too for my orchids. I combine it with coconut husks and broken clay.

Charcoal is common here as a medium for orchids. It is actually burned wood chunks and they are cheap and orchids grow well with them.

Coming from where I am, we have plenty of coconut trees here. I usually collect fallen coconuts around my neighbourhood park after rain. It is moist and makes it easy for me to pull the husks out.

As for clay, I usually keep all my broken clay pots and break is someone into small pieces as a medium. I love this part of breaking the clay pots as a form of de-stress. Seriously, I sometimes drive up across the causeway to Malaysia to buy cheap claypots there due to our exchange rate. I use the claypots as my medium mix for my orchids.

That's how I have been using all these years for my potted orchids.

[Vanda Miss Joaquim]

"As for clay, I usually keep all my broken clay pots and break is someone into small pieces as a medium".

Sorry, its should be "break it some more into small pieces..."

Why would I want to break someone into small pieces?? haha!

[Vanda lover]

Originally Posted by ALToronto

I just broke off a portion of my Coco-Tek brick and put it in a bowl with water. An hour later, it's a complete mushy mess in the bowl. It’s like I over-soaked some wheat bran. What do people do with this stuff? If I rinse out all the small particles, I will have maybe 1/4 of the material left. Help!

It sounds like your coconut fiber is very fine. It could be mixed with charcoal and/or other mediums to keep it from packing down. it wouldn't be too good for baskets, though. Too messy. I use that type for cymbidium.

[BURR]

I use coconut husk in chucks.
I use very dry/old husk chopped into pieces as long as the pot is tall then wedge them down until everything it tight.
They sure hold water good.

[Vanda lover]

They really do hold water well, and at the same time the outer part of each piece is fairly dry, so it isn't sopping wet.

[ALToronto]

It looks like I should be using coconut husk chips, sold in reptile pet stores. The fibre bricks are just a sphagnum substitute, are they not? Or am I totally not getting this?

[Vanda lover]

The bricks are a sphag substitute. In fact we can buy it in Home hardware for this purpose, sold on a small bale. I add it to the garden in place of peat moss and it lasts longer.
The chunks get better air circulation. Home hardware here also sells the chunks as a mulch. I washed it several times because if it is for mulch, it likely hasn't been washed at all. It is a lot cheaper this way. I have bought the reptile stuff and you get a fraction of the amount for the same price. It may be cleaner.

[ALToronto]

Thanks, Vanda Lover! I may be stuck with reptile husks for a while, though, since mulch is a seasonal product, and hardware stores aren't stocking it this time of year in Ontario.