Coconut husks

From: Peter Randall <prandall at networx.com.au> on 1997.10.15 at 13:19:35(1436) Re. Anthurium media and coconut husks. Coconut husks are an excellent media to grow most Anthurium's but it is essential that the husks be composted for at least twelve months, eighteen is better. Little else is needed except slow release fertilizer. +More Peter. 

From: plantnut at shadow.net (Dewey Fisk) on 1997.10.15 at 17:43:36(1438) > Re. Anthurium media and coconut husks. > > Coconut husks are an excellent media to grow most Anthurium's I agree that coconut husks are a good medium... However, watch out for excessive water retention. Unless you have a lot of chard or someother type of draining material in the bottom... You will get a lot of rot... So, be careful of the water when using coconut husks. Dewey +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at classic.msn.com> on 1997.10.16 at 00:42:43(1442) ---------- Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 1997 9:19 AM To: ju-bo@msn.com +More Subject: Coconut husks >> Re. Anthurium media and coconut husks. Coconut husks are an excellent media to grow most Anthurium's but it is essential that the husks be composted for at least twelve months, eighteen is better. Little else is needed except slow release fertilizer. Peter.<<  Dear Peter, I no longer grow Anthuriums, but used to do so many years ago in Trinidad. We used the "fresh" but DRIED husks from coconuts with no noticeable ILL efects, but do agree that the roots seemed to be "happier" and the plants did " better" when the husks had "aged" for a few months. I think that the word "composted" may confuse some growers, who will have to wait YEARS for the husks to decay to "compost". I feel that the sections of husk could just be left in a pile under a tree, for say 6 months, then could be used with great results. What say you? I would guess that the husks would work equally well for Monsteras, Philos, Etc. Sincerely, Julius Boos ju-bo@msn.com

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at classic.msn.com> on 1997.10.16 at 00:50:24(1443) ---------- Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 1997 1:43 PM To: ju-bo@msn.com +More Subject: Re: Coconut husks > Re. Anthurium media and coconut husks. > > Coconut husks are an excellent media to grow most Anthurium's >>I agree that coconut husks are a good medium... However, watch out for excessive water retention. Unless you have a lot of chard or someother type of draining material in the bottom... You will get a lot of rot... So, be careful of the water when using coconut husks. Dewey Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae<< Dear Aroidophiles-- Dewey is correct,they DO retain water, and I should have explained that we grew Anthuriums in beds on the ground, not in pots, and that the sections of husk (1/3 of a coconut) were placed around the base of each plant as they grew taller. The water retention was a bonus under THESE conditions, where the air movement dried things out in a HURRY, and hand watering daily if it did`nt rain was the norm. Cheers, Julius ju-bo@msn.com

From: "Jaime Rodriguez" <jaime at matnet.com> on 1997.10.16 at 14:12:12(1445) Hello Aroiders, Maybe I just have the luck of the ignorant. Last winter I came upon an Anthurium Clarinervium with ripe seeds, so I harvested them. I germinated them in moist paper towels in baggies and planted them in Pro-mix. They are doing great. All this fuss about coconut husks is only relevant if you have coconut husks handy. Last time I checked, global warming had not proceeded enough for the coconuts that wash ashore here to take root. I guess I am missing the fine points of the discussion. Are anthuriums more difficult to raise than I have found them to be? Is there some aesthetic reason that makes coconut husks a preferred choice? I don't know how long it will take for my plants to mature and bloom. ( I have 6) I hope to get more ripe seeds from the parent plant in a few more months. Is there a mechanism within this list for sending seeds to share? Jaime Rodriguez +More P.O. Box 871394 Wasilla, Alaska, 99687 USDA Zone 3 & 4 jaime@matnet.com http://www.matnet.com/jaime/

From: Don Burns <burns at mobot.org> on 1997.10.16 at 15:20:53(1446) Jaime, If your Anthuriums are doing OK then leave 'em alone. I am growing probably 70 species of Anthurium, none of which are in coconut stuff, and they all do just fine, including A. clarinervium. Don +More Don Burns Plantation, FL USA Zone 10b

From: "David Constantine" <drc at globalnet.co.uk> on 1997.10.16 at 18:40:16(1447) There's no need to get hung up about coconut husk for Anthurium. The main point about the coconut husks relates to the natural growth habit of Anthurium. Many Anthurium sp. grow naturally as epiphytes and their roots are adapted to a highly aerated, relatively nutrient poor, wet but not water-logged growing medium. This has implications for how to grow them well. So, for example, commercial growers of Anthurium andraeanum cut flowers (who have to grow their plants really well) use a very highly aerated, very freely draining growing medium. But what an individual grower will use will depend on where they are and what material is available locally. Thus in Hawai'i growers tend to use volcanic cinders or macadamia shells. In Mauritius they tend to use sugar cane trash. In Holland they tend to use rockwool. In Trinidad & Tobago they tend to use partially crushed coconut husks as mentioned by Julius Boos. The nature of the substrate is not very important, the root environment is. It's certainly possible to grow Anthurium in pots in compacted garden soil (I think Dewey Fisk would call it 'dirt') but in my experience they look pretty sick as compared to those growing in an aerated, freely draining medium. David Constantine +More drc@globalnet.cu.uk 2 High Street Ashcott Bridgwater Somerset TA7 9PL UK tel: + 44 1458 210607 fax: + 44 1458 210650

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