coconut husk... long stingy looking

[aries23]

Can I use just the coconut husk for the medium in a plastic pot. Or should I add something else.
Den-phals and phals.!!! thanks

[Masdyman]

I am using CHC on its own ,have been for a few months now .So far i am happy,getting good root growth into it.

[thakshila smith]

yes you can add charcoal ,wooden pieces , etc. with coconut husks. roots grow with them madly.

[RJSquirrel]

sure you can!! I add husk to my alley mix which is 70 % bark 15 % charcoal 5% spongerock 5% hydroton and 5% of the CHC..I dont use too much of the husk bec I'm using spongerock and hydroton bec I like to water my plants..alot..So I tend to use more bark and charcoal..I don't count the lava rock and marbles that end up in the pots ..my girlfriends kid likes to store his marbles in my plants..dont ask me why..but If I keep reading about hydroton LECA and all that fancy stuff here with such great results..I might go S/Hydroponic..But what I have does well with what I have been doing so Im going to leave it alone for now and just take notes...

make note to self..be careful smelling the nodosas in bloom bec the leaf spikes will go right up yer nose and the orchid draws 1st blood...

[Kaykay]

But, after months of it really struggling and never seeming happy whatever I did/ didn't do, I repotted it in a plastic aquatic plant basket lined with coconut husk matting and nothing else. It's thriving now... I know it's a slightly different thing to CHC, but if you can get hold of it, I say it's worth it for the happiness factor for a Den phal!
Kay
x

[Ray]

The long stringy stuff is coconut husk fiber - also known to some as "gorilla hair". It is totally different from coconut husk chips (CHC).

Both may be used as a potting medium, but the waterng strategy will be entirely different!