Hi Rachel,

No, peat isn't a good mix. It's probably one of those EA (Exotic Angel) plants with the awful soil. I'd change it using an all-purpose mix with a lot of perlite added to aid in drainage. Good luck with your new Hoya!

Denise in Omaha

I got some new hoyas this weekend that are planted in coconut husk, perlite, orchid bark and broken up styrofoam peanuts....absolutely no soil at all. I have been using less and less soil myself in place of more bark and perlite, and am now considering adding the coconut husk, after I do some more research. I have a few months to decide, now is a down time for me and the plants, everyone is coming inside, but in the spring I plan on some repotting...anyone know a good coconut husk source?

As for your new compacta, careful with the water, let it get a little dry between waterings, give it good light, and watch for mealy bugs!

I didnt realize coir (coconut husk) was so hard to find.....I would check a hydroponics store.....that is where I found mine, and I haven't found it hard to find at all. Where do you live Ines?

Tracy

Jen - I got my coir (coconut husk) from an online orchid store. Wish I remembered the name but I don't. I think I got the link from a thread on DG...it was a thread where someone showed some plastic pots they bought from the store, and gave the link. Hope that helps!
Gabi

Hi, you can get coir from a pet store. People use for Lizard bedding

I haven't really looked for it yet, but from memory, I don't think the basic garden centers have it, or Home Depot...we have a hydro store at the shore, but they sell mostly established plants and minimal supplies, and they use the clay aggregate method, I don't think they sell all kinds of hydro supplies. Tracy, I live in southern NJ - not too far from Philadelphia. There may be a hydroponics store somewhere in the city too.

Thanks for the tips, I will try the bigger pet stores and see what I can find, I don't buy much online, but like I said, I have time till the spring so I can shop around...

Do you all USE the coconut husk in your growing mix? If so, how much, and how do you like it?

Rachel, good luck with your compacta, I loved mine, not everyone does, but I think they are beautiful!

I used to use it, but the hoyas started looking poorly that were in it, so I repotted into mix without it and they do better. I don't know if it was the coir, but I don't want to take chances. I have heard of others having troubles with it also. Something about too much salt or something in it. Anyway, now I just use equal parts potting soil, big chunky perilite (#3 grade), and orchid bark with a handful of fine charcoal thrown in. Works great on hoyas, they love it.

That is pretty much what I am using now Marcy, though I don't have to add the charcoal, the orchid bark I buy comes mixed with charcoal and some type of lightweight pumice type rock. I do remember way back reading something bad about the coconut husk, maybe on msn? I have 3 new hoyas that came potted in the coconut husk and bark and perlite, and the grower (asiatica) told me that he had just repotted them recently, so they wouldn't need to be repotted again till next spring or summer. So I suppose that gives me time to observe and do more research.

I've been using coir for a long time. I mix it with about 1/3 perlite. Sometimes I throw in some orchid bark, but not often. I've read that the kind you get from pet stores is the kind that's higher in salts. I was told by a reliable commercial grower in our local C&S club that you need to make sure it's from Sri Lanka as that's the best (doesn't need to be flushed or strained for long fibers...) I buy mine from the source below, 10 bricks at a time. (In fact, I'm down to one brick now so it's about time for me to order, too!)

I love the stuff. I like the fact that it doesn't break down like potting soil, so you aren't constantly having to repot plants. Hoyas tend to be a little more sensitive to having their roots disturbed, so anything that keeps them in the same pot as long as possible is a good thing.

Denise in Omaha

Here is a link that might be useful: Carolina Gro-Bricks

I used to use coir but it turned out to be a bad move. After about 6 months it killed every single AV I had potted up with it (they turned a sickly yellow before biting the dust). After doing some research it turns out that most coir is LOADED with salt, though there are a few sources that are OK. I was really upset with myself for listening to all the hype about it without testing it on a small number of plants first. :( If you do go ahead and try it, soak/flush it for seaveal days using lots of fresh water. :)

Shiv - It's not necessary with the coir I use. I don't grow AVs. so can't give an opinion about coir & AVs. But I do know that I do not have a single plant in anything but coir & perlite (around 400 plants including about 50 Hoyas, the rest mostly Haworthias, Aloes, Gasterias, Euphorbias, jungle cacti such as Rhipsalis, Cissus...) As you suggest, I wouldn't make a major change without testing on a few plants. How one waters and how much heat/humidity one has could make what works for one differ from what works for another. I want to stress again what the commercial grower told me - stay away from any coir that's not made in Sri Lanka. So that's been my main criteria and I've never tried any that WASN'T from Sri Lanka.

Denise in Omaha

I have heard all this before! I just didn't remember the details. Shiver, I am not surprised that the AV's don't like it...they have such delicate and sensitive roots. If I decide to use it, I will definately find a "low salt" version and will be adding it to bark and perlite, not just using the coir by itself.

ines:

I also got a couple of hoyas from asiatica planted in the coir, styrofoam peanuts mix...I left them in it for a couple of months, but ended up re-potting them in my usual soil, orchid bark, perlite mix...the coir mix was super light-weight and the plants kept falling over; also I found I couldn't get it really moist unless I let the pots soak in a bucket of water for a couple of hours...I think it would work well under super humid conditions, or in a greenhouse where you hit everything with a hose a couple of times a day, but under regular potted-house-plant type conditions I found I didn't like it...I'll be interested to see how it works for you...it's definitely and interesting approach..

Shelley

Shelley, you are right, the pots are very lightweight and drying out quickly. I don't mind having two or three that dry fast, but all of my plants would be a little much! Whether I decide to add coir to my mix or not, it will only be a small percentage...and even if I don't use it, I will wait to repot these new plants in the spring, as it is starting to get chilly here and the "growing" season is coming to an end.

Can I ask what you got from Asiatica and how they are doing?

I got the hoya carnosa "red flower" form, and a hoya incrassata...they were both good size healthy looking plants, although I have to say they have put on no new growth at all in the past 3 months...truthfully, I think they stayed just a little too dry for the first couple of months in the coir, and just last week I re-potted them in a soil mix and moved them inside (our growing season is ending too, sigh), so at this point I'm not expecting any growth until probably next Spring...

I would definitely order from Asiatica again though, just order earlier in the Spring and re-pot right away to give the plant some time to acclimate before the big move inside...What did you get?

Shelley

Oh, I had that carnosa red flower on my list but changed my mind....I will get it eventually. I got davidcummingii, waymaniae, and what I think is merrilii, though I am waiting for the flowers to open...of all the pics I have seen of merrillii, there is just something different about this one. The leaves don't curve under around the edges and it is heavily flecked with silver. It's huge though, which is one of the main reasons I chose it. Waymanaie is a little smaller. Both merrilli and dcummingii are about to bloom. He had less than a third of the hoyas he sells at this fair.

I don't live far from Asiatica, so I will be going to an open house there soon. Maybe in the spring. I like it better that way, I would rather hand choose and I would love to see their greenhouses etc. The owner was very very nice, and I definately will order/buy from him again.

I haven't used my coconut husk chips (coir) yet, and I'm not really sure if I ever will. I got a small brick because I was thinking of mixing it into my mix, but truth is I really like my current mix (regular potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark).

Anyway, I'm happy to say that I checked my brick and it is from Sri Lanka...so thanks for that info Denise.

I still don't know whether I'll ever use it, but it might be fun to try out. I once bought a hoya that was growing in pure coir (it was sold in one of those small black plastic pots with square holes throughout the whole pot), and I just couldn't stand how fast the coir dried out. I didn't feel comfortable using that medium...but I'm sure once you get the hang of it, it gets easier to use it.

sberg,ines,sorry to but in but,do either of you have the website or address of "asiatica" they sound good to look at anyway.thanks,molly

I have used coir and coconut husk chips for my orchids in the past and I have also used it as an additive to soil based mixes including perlite and small grade bark for some hoyas.

After a lengthy discussion on the orchid forum we discovered that some coconut hush chips are washed in sea water when they are being processed so they contain very high concentrations of salt. If you are using the chips it is best to soak them overnight and change the water several times to reduce the salt content or you may find that your plants do poorly. Another problem is that the ground husks often referred to as coir can break down very fast under certain conditions and cause the mix to hold too much water. I like the coco husk chips better than coir as they last much longer and they help keep the mix open. I have to admit that I have had poor results with coir and would not use it as a significant ingredient in any of my potting mixes again.
The best places to get coir is at hydroponics stores or pet stores and the husk chios are also often available at most pet stores.

Mike