Coconut fibre mulch for potting media

[Weekend Gardener]

I started growing orchids when I was growing up in southeast Asia. There we used coconut husks for some non-terrestrial varieties. I am wondering if the coconut fibre mulches that are sold in dried compressed 'cakes' can be added to orchid mix, especially for the Paphiopedilums. The reason is that most of the readily available orchid mixes are too coarse and do not hold moisture well. I have been using sphag to ameliorate this, but since I used coconut fibre on a regular basis and they seem to have moisture retention properties, I am thinking of using it as a sphag substitute.

[escualida]

I don't have experience with this but I think it shouldn't be a problem.

Welcome to the board

[cbuchman]

Since you described this as a brick of coconut fiber, I think I have used it in the past. I tried it straight up and didn't like it - I found it broke down quickly. I haven't tried it mixed with standard fir bark which might help. That's the only experience I can offer. Maybe someone else will have more to say. Good luck!

[Cym Ladye]

I have been using a combination of different sizes of Coco fiber with varying amounts of coir for 5 years now, and contrary to what Carrie found, I discovered that it just does NOT break down quickly. Plants outgrow the pots in this media long before the mix breaks down. It also easily lasts twice as long as traditional bark, the one exception being Orchiata.

Cym Ladye

[Bud]

if you cut the mulch into small pieces and mix it with your other media...it will work

altho I prefer coco chips instead of the mulch

they dont decay easily....it has moisture retention and the roots love them

[Weekend Gardener]

Cym, that's why I am thinking about it. What I recall from my youthful days is that the husk has the strong, durable long bristle fibres, and these are matted with shorter mattress fibres. The bristle fibres were used for ropes, mats, etc and seemed to be very resistant to rot. The bristle fibres decompose faster. I am hopping that the bristle fibres will make it last longer than sphag.

[greengarden]

I use the very course chunky mulch block in almost all of my mixes that I make up. 50:50 with some bark for cyms, dendrobs, oncids, etc and I vary the amount depending on how much moisture they like. For my masdevellias I put them in a finer mix at about 50:50 and then the top inch or so of the poot is pure sphag, they have been going nuts and the Masdevellia barleana which I have been told is supposed to be painful to flower puts out numerous spikes every year with no more effort from me than a shower from the hose a couple of times a week. I put my deflasked seedlings into a 50:50 mix of fine coconut coir and perlite and they have been going nuts in that!

[Vanda lover]

I have been using coconut chips because it's hard to find some mediums here. I was able to buy a bale of it in the Home hardware store. The only thing is, because I have read that it can contain salts, I have washed it well. What a pain it the butt to wash and dry it all! On the bright side it is cheap. They also have coir which is to mix in to soil to use in place of peat moss. I used this without washing it and have had no problems. I also buy lump barbecue charcoal to mix in.

[Stray59]

Hi weekend gardener!
Hey Vanda lover - I have never heard of charcoal chunks before - how well does that work?
I myself have switched over completely to coco husk of various sizes. There is a compressed 'brick' of the coco husk that is being sold exclusively for orchid medium, but it is somewhat expensive.
Living in Indianapolis I have the luxury of going to various nurseries and hydroponic stores within easy driving distance. I have found that hydroponic suppliers have large "bricks" (12"X12"X5"), in a variety of chunk size. I paid $10.00 per brick, much cheaper than the smaller orchid-specific bricks; plus, I was able to get medium chunks for my larger orchids and a seedling size that is great for the smaller ones.
I have blended it with other medium such as bark, and it works very well, but most of my orc's are in straight coco chunks or fiber (the ,ong fiber allows more air flow - my plants love it!). I also bought a bag from a nursery that was sold as mulch. It has a large variety of size in it, from small fiber to larger chunks, and it seems to hold the water better for my moisture lovers.
My house is very dry by nature and the bark was just not cutting it, even with sphagnum mixed in. But the coco is great at holding the moisture in all the sizes of pots I have it in.
Others will have different experiences, but I swear by it. I think it is a good idea to be sure and soak and rinse it well before you use it. I add mild fertilizer to the water and it seems to help the transplanting stress.
So, yes, coco husk is being used in orchid growing a lot now.
Let us know what you decide and your result!
Steve

[Vanda lover]

Charcoal is often an ingredient in orchid mixes. My vandas love it. Combining it with coconut hush or/and sphag helps to keep the air circulation good and sweetens the mix.