Chc
Hello,
It all depends on what you use with it, how you use it, where you grow and what you grow.
WHAT YOU GROW : I grow Parvis, Coryopetalums and their hybrids mostly hence cannot vouch for any other species and hybrids. Brachys die on me that's for sure, some hybrids with Parvi or Coryo grow well (God's Lady for one).
WHERE : a hot, humid climate will definitely be bad for CHC (see above). The same would be true for a greenhouse (see above). I grow my 168 paphs inside my house where humidity--or the lack of--is a problem.
In these conditions, CHC is stable and provides a modicum of humidity. I really recommend it.
HOW : first CHC must be prepared. Two possibilities :
---either the CHC is unwashed and VERY dangerous for plants since the salt contents is very high (see the Antec site for the long, tedious, messy mode of preparation
http://ladyslipper.com/coco3.htm) ;
---or the CHC is pre-washed. It must be rinsed thoroughly several times and checked for conductivity.
WHAT YOU USE WITH IT : I use the Antec mix in the Antec proportions (6/3/1) but I never rinse the charcoal (the dust clings to the roots and is a good disinfectant). I use perlite instead of sponge rock (i.e. large-size perlite which is unavailable here) but increasingly I tend to use fine lava rock instead (I grow inside, remember and breathing perlite dust is carcinogenic). The added advantage of lava rock is that it is heavier, and makes the plant/pot more stable.
I do not recommend using bark
with CHC because it tends to break down more quickly than CHC which is an absurdity if you want your medium to remain stable. Moreover it is difficult to find wood chunks which allow the medium to breathe--wood pellets are a big no-no for me because they break down very quickly and kill the roots.
Of course, those are not general rules applicable in all cases. They must be adapted to other situations and growers. My 2 cents...
Happy growing
F.
