Abhijit Menon-SenSomeone's growing orchids (Dendrobium?) on this coconut tree (and elsewhere in the garden, even on one PVC pipe) with coconut husks as a substrate.
Peach “Fuzz” Fae@amenonsen @CiaraNi If they weather is right, lots of orchids like growing on trees…
@mildpeach Yes, the thing that caught my eye here was the use of coconut husk (an extremely plentiful material locally) as a substrate. It's also used as a sort of mulch for the beds in which various trees are planted in this garden.
@amenonsen @CiaraNi So, its not the substrate so much that matters with an orchid. I’ve grown them on cork bark from a tree. Lava rock, recycled wine corks, old cedar shingles, even bare with nothing around the roots, you get the idea. No, the supporting environment is more important. A lot of the gulf coast states and florida support orchids out doors quite nicely.
@mildpeach If by supporting environment you mean the climate etc., then we're pretty near the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris, and there is an absurd variety of orchids native to this general area.
But I don't know which orchids these are, nor if they're native or not.
What orchids do you grow?
@amenonsen @CiaraNi Imlive in a pretty extreme environment for orchids…#NorCal so High heat and low humidity. For me, dendrobiums are rock solid. Of course, if you have the money to burn a greenhouse is lots of fun.