Favorite chunky media

[bekendbrt]

Happy Thursday all-

I'm eager to learn about your favorite chunky media and why they're your favorites. Particularly non-media media (wine corks, broken terra cotta chunks, etc.) and your experience with them.

I live in Miami and the humidity in my growing space is always astronomical, which despite the obvious benefits is also an occasional annoyance (I can hear the groans of disgust from those of you growing in arid regions ).

Strong air movement and net pots have all served me well, but finding the right blend for those plants needing a quick dry at the roots remains elusive. Over the years I've found that most all of my orchids fare better with super chunky (1.5"+ particle size) media in sparse amounts over anything else, but media this size has been difficult for me to find- my local suppliers don't quite have what I'm looking for.

I've experimented with lava rock, charcoal, and LECA this past year. A few of my Dens took well to the lava rock, and the charcoal gives me mixed results. My plants seem to uniformly hate LECA. The charcoal is messy and I have concerns about it neutralizing compounds in my fertilizer.

So what works well for you?