Hello Orchid Lovers










HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Happy New Year back to you, Robert!
Your Orchid looks perfect in your coconut planter!

Beautiful, Robert. I see you drilled some holes for the wire hanger, but are there also holes for air and drainage?

Let us know how it holds up, down the road?

Yes there are holes (3) drilled around the bottom for drainage. Will do Elaine. If it holds up well I'll make more.
RobertB

Robert, I have no source for the "full-deal" coconut "planter". I only have the empty shells and use them on some mounts and occasionally as the "pot". When I use them on mounts, I take a half shell and then cut it again in half, drill small holes to thread wire through, and then the wire goes through holes drilled in the mount-wood. I also drill 1/2" holes in various places on the coconut shell to allow for air-movement. I got the idea of using coconut shells when I visited a large, commercial orchid grower in Costa Rica (they only grew the orchid plants for the flowers and shipped the flowers all over the world). Every single plant (there were thousands of them) was growing in a coconut shell. The coconut shells were virtually free since there were coconut plantations all over this area and those coconuts were harvested for the "meat" and juice and then the shells were discarded. Those plants grow in the shells for many years and I saw none of the shells actually rotting.

I have a feeling your coconut "planters" will last for years, if not decades.

Ok, now I'll have to find a friend who has a coconut palm . . . don't see them often in the stores with the husks still on like that. In fact, unless they're growing in somebody's yard you hardly see them at all.

I would be willing to bet that the greater Miami area deposits tons of these into their landfills every month.

I have seen that a lot in the Philippines, usually they would also put charcoal in that coco container and allow the plant to attach and thrive. Or they would attach the plant directly on the trunk of the coconut tree.

I was wondering before why here in the US only coco coir pieces are being used of the coconut husk, when the entire husk can be used itself. I guess it has to do with ease of shipping.

Perhaps so, Tarev. Those coconut shells are bulky, comparatively heavy, and not compressible, so I am sure it is a shipping problem.