Can you raise Phalaenopsis with coconut shells?

Phalaenopsis has fleshy roots and likes loose and breathable substrates, but it is not resistant to waterlogging at the same time, so the matrix we prepare usually requires strong water permeability and is not easy to cause stagnant water in the basin, otherwise it will not inhibit the root respiration of Phalaenopsis. At the same time, it will also lead to the phenomenon of rotting roots of Phalaenopsis.

As we all know, the coconut shell is not only highly permeable, but also very breathable, and it also has a certain ability to absorb and retain water. Perhaps, many basin friends can directly use coconut shells to raise Phalaenopsis. But in fact, coconut shells can not be directly used to grow Phalaenopsis. Why?

This is mainly because the volume of coconut shell is relatively large, put into the basin is too loose, leaving too much gap, so the root effect of Phalaenopsis is not good, which will naturally lead to its root growth is not good. If coconut shells are really used, it is not recommended to be used alone, but with other plants such as peat soil and rotten leaf soil.

In this case, peat soil or rotten leaf soil can be placed in the lower layer for Phalaenopsis to take root, and the coconut shell can be spread on the upper layer. In this way, it will not cause too many too large gaps in the root of the plant in the basin, which is more conducive to the growth of the root system, and will naturally improve the absorption capacity of the root.

Of course, it is usually recommended that the coconut shell be replaced with coconut bran and then mixed with plants such as peat soil to form a mixed substrate, which can be used as the potted soil of Phalaenopsis. In this way, not only the basin soil has high looseness and strong air permeability, but also a lot of nutrients can be obtained from the soil. If you only use coconut shells to raise Phalaenopsis, it is generally not easy to raise Phalaenopsis.