Hi everyone, I am sure there are other CHC users who will comment. Beg your pardon for my long-windedness...and I want to get a shot out to cool dude Al :) I don't personally have any concern about toxic residues in CHCs; of course in countries with different or no regulations on chemical use I do sort of wonder, but I somehow don't think that coconuts are a crop ridden with pests and thus end up significant pesticide exposure. Heck are they even a crop? (I thought they just fell into the ocean and were scooped up lol)...If anything they might have a bit of bacterial load if they were floating in nasty contaminated seawater but prolly nothing your plants could transmit to you...no worse than what we prolly already use in our containers and gardens, lol. Plus, I seem to think reptiles are sensitive to stuff like that and thus prolly wouldn't do well if their bedding was a mess of DDT or something else equally yummy :) Any reptile people out there? (lemonsforchams I think...?) I have to be perfectly honest in saying that I do not care for CHCs. I tried chcs because I want something that can take a rainy winter outside and something that I will not have to reaplace in a season or two. I have read of many people on these forums that just love them , but I have had poor luck with them. I have tried chips from different distributors; and I soak/rinse them to death; I've done what I can for a cation/salt exchange; I've tried pure chcs and chcs mixed with peat; I remove most to all of the original rootball soil; the result is the same--too wet. I know, it's weird, they seem like they would aerate well and they just don't. Now, I haven't tried the *recommended* brand from St.Louis, and I haven't done the exact recommended chemical wash (where you get that stuff is still a mystery to me), but I somehow don't think that is the key. I can go for at least a whole month without watering and I live in a dry (and often windy) climate! That's got nothing to do with proper prep, I'd bet. I've tried at least 7-10 plants in it--mostly citrus and amaryllis and they universally do poorly save for one--and that one I have NOT had to water in the last 3 weeks (!) and somehow it is ok, not counting on it to do well in the long term. The plants that are long-termers like the citrus just sort of sit there (no response to fertilizers) and slowly decline over a few months--have lost one, another 2 looking like they're gonna die and so I moved them out recently, a few others that may be circling the drain. I don't care for the coir/ground husk fiber for the same reason--stuff just rots so quickly in it. I am thinking of trying the chcs on plants that don't care if they sit in a moist wet environment--maybe guava or calla lilies. Not sure yet. As a result I am experimenting with a mostly inorganic/largely inorganic medium. (Al's been right all along :) However, I am going to try a mixture of Turface and CHC's--I actually need something that has better water retention and so these may do the trick. I bought a little Meyer lemon that is gonna be my guinea pig, poor thing. It seems that everyone has their favorite mix and I think it has a lot to do with exactly what your goals are and also I am beginning to feel that climate will play a role in it too--not just moisture regulation but also speed of decomposition of your soils and thus lack of aeration/too much water retention and subsequent rot...and then another addition to the compost pile :( Just my experiences. Am not prepared for any sort of backlash from chc lovers :) Oh yeah be sure to soak and rinse at least a few times--they're supposedly loaded with sea salt and that needs to come off. And when it comes to pricing--not too bad at a local garden center where I can get it "over-the-counter" for--I believe--1 cubic foot or so for maybe 14 bucks. I also bought from a direct importer in southern CA for about 18 bucks for a huge bale (I travel to L.A. quite often)--I think 3 cubic feet, compressed, but it sure seems like more than that once hydrated and deompressed; I think it is 20 lbs dry? Can't recall for sure. And I think this place has reasonable shipping prices, can't really remember now, email me if you want their contact info; they're an orchid supply importer. HTH. Shuttin up before someone lobs a coconut at my head.

Tropicbreezent, you certainly have mild winters. I guess it's because you are in an equatorial climate that changes very little temperature wise. Here in North America, even as far south as Miami, Florida, the all time record low is 27F, but their normal low in January is around 59F and their normal high in January is around 76F. Here in Corpus Christi, Texas, the all time record low is 11F. Where I live on a small peninsula (Flour Bluff) a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico on the far east side of Corpus Christi, I would estimate the all time record low to be around 13 or 14F. Our normal high/low at the airport (about 18 miles inland from here) in January is 66F/46F. Where I live, I estimate the averages for January to be 64F/50F. At Brownsville, about 130 miles south of here, the all time record low is 12F (Brownsville is about 26 miles inland from the Gulf), and their averages for January are 69F/50F. The lower Texas coast can go for 15-20+ years at a time without getting into the teens, so for those living on the immediate coastline, like where I am at, we can grow coconut palms for 5-10+ years at a time between coconut killing freezes (freezes in the mid 20's or lower). The Mexican Tall variety of coconut palm is probably the most cold hardy in the Western Hemisphere. I estimate it to be hardy down to 26F. The one in Brownsville in the above photos has survived several nights in the mid to upper 20'sF over the last 10-15 years, and has even survived a couple of inches of snow at Christmas 2004 (the first measurable snowfall Brownsville had in 105 years). There are some of the Malayan Dwarf varieties (green, golden, and yellow), and hybrids between the Mexican Talls and Malayan Dwarfs that are grown on the lower Texas Coast. The Malayan Dwarfs seem to suffer the most here because as I estimate, they are only hardy to about 28F and probably can't take week long cold snaps in the 40's and 50's as well as a mature Mexican Tall can.

My personal suggestion is to either: 1) Buy a wagon that you can keep the pot on, move it in and out. 2) Build a structure around it or cover it during the winter. 3) Move somewhere from St. Pete Beach or further south on the west coast, or from Indiatlantic Beach south on the east coast. I'm about 5-6 hours south of you, a very reliable zone 9a, and I can tell you they are still a fool's errand here in Lakeland. Just from my own experience, even using a Jamaican Tall, putting it on the south side of a house didn't keep it alive through a single winter. To keep one alive here, I have to cover it or bring it in any time the temperatures go near or below 45F. Getting them to live here is a challenge enough, without even worrying about fruit. The coldest place I've seen them actually do well is around the lake in Sebring (9b/10a). That's another 2 hours south of me. I'm not sure how many are still alive down that way after our two very chilly winters before this last one. Even at Vero Beach, anything west of I-95 is either fried or darn close to it. If you are still bent on trying it out, make sure you keep the thing covered anytime the temperatures are predicted to go anywhere under 45F. It might keep the ground warm enough, and the frost off of them. Better yet, go to the career sites, find a job in Southeast Florida and save yourself the headache.

jaxboro,,, I actually got it off ebay. Im pretty sure they are still being sold (only got it for about 4 or 5 dollars w/o including shipping). If you want to know the sellers name I can tell you. I hope your palm gets some growth soon. As long as its condition begins to improve, there is lots of hope. Im sure by now the weather is getting pretty warm down there so I guess if any new growth is coming, it will be soon. I wish you luck!