Citrus Growers Forum

Billy1had · Posted: Wed 21 Mar, 2007 3:03 pm

For those who live in the greater Houston area and are interested in trying the CHC mixture, Houston Garden Center has started to carry a compressed brick which when soaked expands to 2 cubic feet. Price is $ 12.00. I have also seen them at PetSmart for use as reptile bedding, as I recall price was around $9.00 for almost 1 cubic ft dry mixture.

Bill

Millet · Posted: Wed 21 Mar, 2007 10:54 pm

Bill, are you sure that those are Coconut Husk CHIPS? From how you are describing them it sounds like Coconut Coir, which when soaked expands to 2 cubic feet. Coconut Coir after soaked looks like peat moss and not chips.

Millet

frank_zone5.5 · Posted: Thu 22 Mar, 2007 10:51 am

Hi Millet,

The CHC that I bought from Crystal company look like chips when they are wet. they are the size of a dime.

Frank

Millet · Posted: Thu 22 Mar, 2007 5:39 pm

Frank, CHC can be purchased in three sizes, 1/4 inch chips, 1/2 inch. chips, and 1 inch chips. You must have purchased the 1/2 inch chips.

Millet

Billy1had · Posted: Fri 23 Mar, 2007 3:04 pm

Hi Ho!!

They are chips. I have purchased from other companies in the past. These are chips, albeit small - maybe 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. Both the reptile bedding and the Houston Garden Ctr chips. They are soaking as we speak and look just like the ones I purchased 2 years ago.

Bill

Billy1had · Posted: Fri 23 Mar, 2007 3:40 pm

Hi Millett -
After reading your post, re coir, I rechecked the packaging. It does contain coir, but again, most of the chips are 1/4 to 1/2 with some as big as an inch and a half. They are a little fuzzier than what I purchased last year, and, I will probably have to soak and treat them longer than those I purchased from Crystal, because it does not say they are washed.

The product can be located at: www.theoriginalmulchblock.com

Pls advise your thoughts.

Bill

Millet · Posted: Fri 23 Mar, 2007 6:04 pm

Bill, The Crystal Company is one of the few (the only one that I personally know of) that pre-washes their CHC, but just as importantly they compress the CHC chips under high pressure. The compression accomplishes two objectives. First, it aids in squeezing out more of the soluble salts, and importantly the compression also cracks the chips which allows the chips to be rehydrated almost immediately when the grower waters his trees.

Millet
Anton von Leewenhoek
Founder of Polyembryony in Oranges 1719