I use coconut husk chips--the coarse grade--for larger (adult) cymbidiums, and as Des indicated, it works very well, staying nice and airy while retaining lots of moisture. I don't add anything to the pots other than about a one inch layer of styrofoam packing peanuts in the bottom for drainage, and I haven't had a single cymbidium lose its roots. I do, however, soak the coconut at least three times in a large five gallon bucket filled with RO water, which gets changed every twenty-four hours. Supposedly the chips (according to the vendor) are clean and salt free; however, I would rather err on the side of being cautious than lose a plant to salt poisoning. For smaller cymbidiums, I would imagine that the smaller grade coconut chips would work just as well for them.
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