Growing medium for Paphs

[Faan]

Does anybody use peach, apricot or macadamia nut husks (chopped up) as a growing medium?

 

[wjs2nd]

Hmmm, not that I have heard of. I have read about rice hulls being used instead of perlite. I don't think you could use it instead of bark, if that's what your asking. I don't think it'll hold water very well for you or you would be watering very often.

 

[NYEric]

This is used for sandblasting. oke:
You can use anything as a media, I've seen plants grown in shredded plastic. Go for it; as long as the material is not treated with something toxic.

 

[likespaphs]

...You can use anything as a media, I've seen plants grown in shredded plastic. Go for it; as long as the material is not treated with something toxic.

the old saying is that one can grow anything in any media as long as one waters correctly

 

[Hera]

Check to make sure there are no harsh tannins or chemicals natural to the pits.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

I know that pits and seeds of certain fruits are toxic to parrots but I don't know about orchids.

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Check to make sure there are no harsh tannins or chemicals natural to the pits.

This concerns me also, but I have little experience to back this up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

 

[wjs2nd]

I thought, at least to humans, peach pits are toxic.

 

[Stone]

Do you mean husks (which cover the shell which cover the nut), or shells? I have read that almond shells are extremely alkaline.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

When I first started growing orchids, walnut shells was a minor fad. I remember getting an order from Bob Jones (Mt. Madonna Orchids) of paphs that had been grown in them. The fad did not last very long...even shorter than the cork chunks fad.....