Quote:
Originally Posted by ArronOB
Why not? Dissenters are the best. That’s how we learn.
Yep, agree, coconut husk is very likely. I don’t see any other potting mix inside those ones. Just a handful of sticks of coconut husk jammed into the pot like a stack of pencils. I still don’t understand the thinking behind it though.
I’m always interested in other strategies. You don’t have to think about it much to work out that the way we pot orchids is a disappointing kludge at best.
Imagine, potting a delicate plant in something which breaks down after a couple of years and starts killing the plant from the roots up.
Or if you use inorganic media then you’re using something that builds up toxins till it eventually poisons the plant.
There has to be a better way.
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From my experience, I think the wedged coconut husk potting is simply a very cost-effective way of doing it, without much thought for the future of those plants. Those Dens I had years ago were from a local discount nursery... one that I do not shop at anymore because the quality of anything other than Phals is very low, yet this is still a very popular place that gets jam-packed on weekends. If I'm remembering correctly, (this was more than 10 years ago) those sad little Dens were only $5 each when buying more than 2.
I was quite inexperienced at the time so after a few months of trying to make sad Dens happy and having no luck... I hated those coconut husks and was determined to repot. Ugh, imagine inexperienced hands trying to safely separate roots from that stinky half-rotted, yet extremely dense coconut husk. It was a mess and I felt like I was killing them the whole time.
This was all during my first foray into orchid keeping more than 10 years ago but the experience stuck with me and I wouldn't like to do it again.
There are definitely better ways.
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