# CHC (preaching to the choir?)



## ehanes7612 (May 28, 2012)

so having done a straight CHC mix for last 3 years i have come to a few conclusions..(concerning watering)

not good for multi paph adults in general (difficult to get enough water to the roots ....but great for multifloral seedlings coming out of flask

great for brachy seedlings (and brachy in general)..okay for parvis as adults but not so as seedlings, especially delenatii and delenatii hybrids..they dry out too much

the mix breaking down into mush doesnt seem to be an issue (concerning root rot)as long as the bottom has excellent drainage but i have noticed that the plants have so many roots by this time that it becomes counterproductive to their ability to get enough water..repotting with massive rootballs is a pain in the ass..i suppose the plant is putting out so many roots to compensate for the CHC's ability to soak up so much water

dolomite, lime seems to hasten the process of CHC breakdown

and of course, watering has to be more frequent in general..which just hastens the cycle of breakdown (but i could never get enough water to my lowiis wthout the mix becoming slimy..which i took as a bad sign)

so with this i am slowly converting back to a traditional mix of half bark (medium), one quarter perlite , and one quarter CHC

but CHC seems to be great for helping to establish plants with few roots


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## Justin (May 28, 2012)

i noticed the same thing about bursts of root growth in CHC (for both seedlings and adult plants)...perhaps a hormone in the media? 

I too switched back to bark, both for water retention and convenience--requires less intensive soaking prior to use.


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## tenman (May 28, 2012)

My experience is that the CHC stays wet longer which means the plants don't dry out as quickly. Excellent root growth as you noted, always a plus, and it lasts for 3-5 years, easing the necessity of repotting yearly. It's like manna from heaven!


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## ehanes7612 (May 28, 2012)

Justin said:


> i noticed the same thing about bursts of root growth in CHC (for both seedlings and adult plants)...perhaps a hormone in the media?
> 
> I too switched back to bark, both for water retention and convenience--requires less intensive soaking prior to use.



i think the most plausible explanation for root response in CHC is what may happen with the humidity in the medium as it cools and heats up..providing dew at night to the roots as the medium cools down and drying out enough during the day to encourage root growth (plant responding to being thirsty), without having standing water on the medium particles all the time (as you would get on bark)


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## John M (May 28, 2012)

I use CHC right out of the bag....no presoaking or conditioning. I mix it with various things including chopped styrofoam peanuts and/or perlit and/or pea gravel and it seems to perform well for me short and long term. I can't recall anything that I've tried that won't grow in it quite well.

This is the photo section. This thead needs to be moved to the Slipper Orchid Culture section.


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## ehanes7612 (May 28, 2012)

John M said:


> I use CHC right out of the bag....no presoaking or conditioning. I mix it with various things including chopped styrofoam peanuts and/or perlit and/or pea gravel and it seems to perform well for me short and long term. I can't recall anything that I've tried that won't grow in it quite well.
> 
> This is the photo section. This thead needs to be moved to the Slipper Orchid Culture section.



i think, in general, its a great addition to any mix..providing more humidity to the roots without 'wetting' the roots


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## Eric Muehlbauer (May 28, 2012)

One of the characteristics of CHC (with paphs) that made it popular for so long is that the initial response is great. I've posted before that CHC may be a perfect mix for those willing to repot 3X a year. Its the long term results that are bad. Again, for paphs...it's still my preferred medium for most epiphytes.


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## ehanes7612 (May 28, 2012)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> One of the characteristics of CHC (with paphs) that made it popular for so long is that the initial response is great. I've posted before that CHC may be a perfect mix for those willing to repot 3X a year. Its the long term results that are bad. Again, for paphs...it's still my preferred medium for most epiphytes.



yeah and its not good to repot that often


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## Ozpaph (May 28, 2012)

I find it stays very wet compared to bark based mixes.


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## ehanes7612 (May 28, 2012)

Ozpaph said:


> I find it stays very wet compared to bark based mixes.



it gives the appearance of being wet but because of its sponge like ability it doesnt give that water as easily as bark. it is very fibrous( thus creating air gaps) at the surface of each CHC particle... it keeps the roots well aerated ..and not having good drainage in the bottom can turn CHC mushy really quick


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## orcoholic (May 31, 2012)

I was very happy when I first went to CHC several years ago. The plants put on a burst of growth. After a couple years, with repotting each year, they seemed to slow down so i switched back to bark and am very happy with the results, especially since CHC is so labor intensive.

Phrags, however, thrive and grow like crazy in CHC. I've gotten a couple awarded, and one still has the highest AM for the hybrid, even after a couple of years.


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## TyroneGenade (May 31, 2012)

I saw the problems some people were having with CHC and figured I would skip it and try something else. Inspiration came in Rentoul's old book on Slippers and Cyms where he made reference to the many Paph growers who were ignoring his advice and potting their plants mostly in crock (with just a little bark on top). So I took a Leeanum division and put in mostly crushed brick (which is pretty much the same as the clay pot shards used for "crock") with a little leaf-litter on top. The plant responded beautifully with lots of root growth and good growth. But this may have nothing to do with the crock and leaf litter. I have a NOID which I took out of the potting soil it was potted in (as bought from a flea marker vendor) and put it in a mix of inert silica gravel (Table Mountain sandstone chips) with lots of crushed leaf litter. Well, the leaf litter is gone (2 years on) but the plant is thriving with multiple leads and flower spikes coming up. (I must take a photo and post it here I'm sure someone will recognize the cross. It is spectacular for size and shape!) Similarly, my brachies potted in pure crushed brick are also doing well.

Potting these in *well draining* or quick drying medium seems to be the key. I'm not taking my chances and potting all my plants in the crushed brick with a top layer of leaf-litter/fine milled bark just to trap humidity. I suspect this medium will be good for until the plant needs desperate need of potting-on or division. Time will tell.


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## Brabantia (Jun 1, 2012)

TyroneGenade said:


> I saw the problems some people were having with CHC and figured I would skip it and try something else. Inspiration came in Rentoul's old book on Slippers and Cyms where he made reference to the many Paph growers who were ignoring his advice and potting their plants mostly in crock (with just a little bark on top). So I took a Leeanum division and put in mostly crushed brick (which is pretty much the same as the clay pot shards used for "crock") with a little leaf-litter on top. The plant responded beautifully with lots of root growth and good growth. But this may have nothing to do with the crock and leaf litter. I have a NOID which I took out of the potting soil it was potted in (as bought from a flea marker vendor) and put it in a mix of inert silica gravel (Table Mountain sandstone chips) with lots of crushed leaf litter. Well, the leaf litter is gone (2 years on) but the plant is thriving with multiple leads and flower spikes coming up. (I must take a photo and post it here I'm sure someone will recognize the cross. It is spectacular for size and shape!) Similarly, my brachies potted in pure crushed brick are also doing well.
> 
> Potting these in *well draining* or quick drying medium seems to be the key. I'm not taking my chances and potting all my plants in the crushed brick with a top layer of leaf-litter/fine milled bark just to trap humidity. I suspect this medium will be good for until the plant needs desperate need of potting-on or division. Time will tell.



Interesting! What are the size of the crushed brick used (granulometry) I will give it a try on a garden center paphio. Do you use a plastic pot or a backed clay pot. I inform you that here in Belgium it is sold a material named Seramis (clay extruded and backed 3 to 4 mm diameter and 5 mm long). It is very similar to your crushed brick and effectively I have seen good results with this material used without additives.


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## TyroneGenade (Jun 1, 2012)

Hello,

Its is largish chuncks. Previously I would just break a brick into pieces about 2-2.5 cm in diamter. Recently I bought a big bag of crushed brick of about the same size.

I haven't tried the clay balls you speak of but I believe others on the forum are using them with mixed success. I think the brick has a greater capacity to absorb water and so keep the root humidity higher.

I am using plastic pots (for the most part) but my Brachies are in small clay pots so they stay extra dry between waterings.

tt4n


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## Paphman910 (Jun 1, 2012)

When using CHC, I soak the crap out of it and use it with good results since it is only about 15-20% of my Paph mix. I use large lava rock for drainage in my 8 inch pot. It fills almost 25% of the pot with it. Then I put the big Paph in it and add a bit of the media on the sides while I add more lava rock, limestone chip, crushed coral in it. I top dress with chc and moss.

Paphman910


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## TyroneGenade (Jun 1, 2012)

Hi Paphman910, seems you are doing much the same as me except I'm using clay brick pieces and you are using lava rock. Same approach, different materials.


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## Paphman910 (Jun 1, 2012)

TyroneGenade said:


> Hi Paphman910, seems you are doing much the same as me except I'm using clay brick pieces and you are using lava rock. Same approach, different materials.



TyroneGenade, I agree! My conditions are warm but humidity is quite low so CHC is great!

Paphman910


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## paphreek (Jun 2, 2012)

When I grew indoors, I used to use a CHC mix with charcoal and large sponge rock (perlite) mixed in proportions similar to what is listed on the Antec website and had excellent results. Now, with more humid conditions in the greenhouse, I have swithched to Pinus radiata bark as my main ingredient and only add a little CHC when I think the mix may need additional moisture retention.


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## polyantha (Jun 3, 2012)

By the way: Use pure CHC with styro drainage for Paph gigantifolium. Just for those who have a fs plant. It grows like crazy!!


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## Paphman910 (Jun 3, 2012)

polyantha said:


> By the way: Use pure CHC with styro drainage for Paph gigantifolium. Just for those who have a fs plant. It grows like crazy!!



I bet they are the large chuck CHC that you use!

Paphman910


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