Well now, thinking I will give this a try on a few orchids and see how that goes. Thanks for testing the waters Millet, still too new at all of this to be experimenting. Hope all is well for you

I have changed to Miracle-grow garden soil this year & everything has been doing really well. Very nice mix.

Hello Millet,

So would you use this instead of CHC's if you had to start over or re-pot all your containers?

Robert

Unfortunatelly all that is not available in europe ...

I bought mine at Walmart.

I will try larch next year. I bought one bag by mistake instead of pine-bark.
/Robert

Poor cedar!

Thanks for your post Bob!! I would add that another + is you don't have to do the extensive conditioning of the chips before use... That as well as the cost has kept me from the CHC..
Gina *BabyBlue*

Hi,

Cedar mulch contains traces of cedarwood oil. This volatile oil is a plus for repelling citrus insects such as mites, scale, mealy bugs, etc. Since it also has an acid pH, citrus thrives well in that soil environment. One other comment, some cedar mulches are artificially colored red/black/gray for visual effect. In my opinion, for potted plants, these colors may be toxic at low levels if you are consumming the citrus fruit. Better to stay with pure natural cedar wood mulch/chips.

Nicky

i have never used ceder mulch as a medium because it is not available here and what differentiate it from other types of wood chippings? and will other types of wood chippings do the same job?

Interesting Ideas there with the new mixes. Would mixing different plant and wood products together be a source inoculm that may infect potted plants? Or does the cedar wood deter this from happeneing.

I think I may buy some cedar pet bedding to add to a mix along with the cedar mulch and peat based potting soil to try.

I'm just wondering if there is a toxicity to worry about if too much cedar is used?

I'm also curious how well it may actually repel typical citrus pets.

so in your opinion is there an advantage to using the cedar mulch over coco chips? it seems a bit cheaper than the coco chips that I have been using which is this: http://www.aurorainnovations.org/coco-chips.html
I saw some cedar mulch at home depot for less than $5.00 for 2.0 cubic feet when the chc is costing be around $10 for the same amount.

pine bark is available here in europe and I use it successfully for my soil mixes ...

In pet stores they sell pine saw dust for animal bedding. Will that work as potting media?