I've tried it in the past and it wasn't a success on whatever plant(s) i tried.( Lost in the mist of time). Have severe reservations against using Coco-nut stuff on Phals though it works fine mixed with Bark as a potting mix with Cattleyas. There is the old standby Tree-fern, though i read recently that some Bulbos do not like it. Other possibles. Slice up that green stuff florists use and tack it on a mount. I've used that in the past and it seemed OK. Paper Bark. Make a quick trip to Florida and peel off some paperbark from the trees that have gone feral there. Just kidding! What about weathered hardwood palings? Or on the outside of basket pots? I've got a Miltonia that is growing fine and the roots are entering the potting material.

it should be fine. i pot my cymbidiums in a 1/2 course bark, 1/4 perlite and 1/4 potting soil. but thats what works for me. just keep an eye on them, check them before watering etc.

Sphagnum peat and coir have nearly identical water retention curves. They both retain about 90-95% of their volume in water at saturation and release it over approximately the same curve until they both lock water up so tightly it's unavailable for plant uptake at about 30-33% saturation. Coir actually has less loft than sphagnum peat, and therefore, less aeration. Because of this propensity, coir should be used in mixes at lower %s than peat. Because of the tendency to compact, in the greenhouse industry coir is primarily used in containers in sub-irrigation (bottom-watering) situations. Many sources produce coir that is high in soluble salts, so this can also be an issue. Using coir as the primary component of container media virtually eliminates lime or dolomitic lime as a possible Ca source because of coir's high pH (6+). Gypsum should be used as a Ca source, which eliminates coir's low S content. All coir products are very high in K, very low in Ca, and have a potentially high Mn content, which can interfere with the uptake of Fe. Several studies have also shown that the significant presence of phenolic allelochemicals in fresh coir can be very problematic for a high % of plants, causing poor growth and reduced yields. I haven't tested coir thoroughly, but I have done some testing of CHCs (coconut husk chips) with some loose controls in place. After very thoroughly leaching and rinsing the chips, I made a 5:1:1 soil of pine bark:peat:perlite (which I know to be very productive) and a 5:1:1 mix of CHCs:peat:perlite. I planted 6 cuttings of snapdragon and 6 cuttings of Coleus (each from the same plant to help reduce genetic influences) in containers (same size/shape) of the different soils. I added dolomitic lime to the bark soil and gypsum to the CHC soil. After the cuttings struck, I eliminated all but the three strongest in each of the 4 containers. I watered each container with a weak solution of MG 12-4-8 with STEM added at each watering, and watered on an 'as needed basis', not on a schedule. The only difference in the fertilizer regimen was the fact that I included a small amount of MgSO4 (Epsom salts) to provide MG (the dolomitic lime in the bark soil contained the MG, while the gypsum (CaSO4) in the CHC soil did not. This difference was necessary because or the high pH of CHCs and coir.) for the CHC soil. The results were startling. In both cases, the cuttings grown in the CHC's exhibited I just find it very difficult for a solid case to be made (besides "It works for me") for the use of coir or CHC's. They're more expensive and more difficult to use effectively. The fact that some believe peat is in short supply (no where near true, btw) is easily offset by the effect of the carbon footprint of coir in its trek to the US from Sri Lanka or other exotic locales. That's the view from here. YMMV Coir Study: https://sites.google.com/site/plantandsoildigest/usu-crop-physiology-laboratory/coconut-coir-studies Al

There are a lot of fruits and vegetables here in the US, but since they are grown in factory-like circumstances and harvested still unripened, they are so tasteless, that I rarely if even buy them from stores... It is especially evident when you can grow your own and taste it... As different as chalk and cheese... When I can, I go to Farmers' market and try to buy from small growers. They might not use the latest *icides or whatever the vitamins and hormones' names are, but their product is real and harvested at the peak of their time... If you have ever eaten really ripe watermelons, you refuse to buy any from the stores. If you have ever eaten really ripe grapes, you can really taste how sour the packaged ones are in the stores. I so miss Hungary for this. You can actually get ripe fruits and vegetables there... I guess, in smaller countries, it is easier to distribute and sell the goods faster than here in the US, so because of the vast quantities and large distances, US growers just want to go for the safe solution and harvest the goods still green, so by the time it gets to the stores, it might turn to it's ripened color, but the taste is just missing.