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I've been reding that coconut husk chips are a great supplement to bark and charcoal for Phal's. I live in SE Michigan (Detroit area) and about the only place to get these chips is from outstate sources at significant expense factoring in S/H. Anyone out there using these and your sources and would like to find someplace locally where I could purchase them?????? Any help is greatly appreciated. Please PM the details.
I cant help with where to get it but it will need to be treated before is is used.
The treatment is as follows :-
soak the chips in water for 24hours and then drain.
refill container with water and add a handfull of Calcium Nitrate,and soak for 24 hours .
drain and refill container with water and add ahandfull of Epsom Salts and soak for again for 24 hours.
drain and refill container,soak for 24 hours again,drain and it is ready for use.
The reason that it requires this treatment is that it is full of salt that water will not get rid of.It is also deficient in Calcium and Magnesium.Calcium and Magnesium has the ability to remove the salt and has a stronger attraction to the coconut than the salt,so the salt is removed and replaced by the calcium and Magnesium.