Coconut Husk Chips As a Media.
I use all kinds of media for my orchids - charcoal, fernroot, oil palm shells, wood, moss, polystyrene chips, artificial sponge chips - and I found coconut husk chips to be most suitable. Apart from being the cheapest, compared with all other types of media, it's water retention quality and light weight makes it very suitable for me as I have thousands of seedlings and matured plants to be planted. You can refer to this site for further information nregarding coconut husk chips : http://www.ehow.com/how_8623523_use-coconut-husk-chips-orchids.html
I bought pre-cut chips from Sri Lanka, Thailand and recently Malaysia but found that most of the chips are cut too fine. It is alright for pots up to 4 inch but if you want to use it for pots from 6 to 10 inch, they tend to retain too much water causing the roots to rot.
I tried sourcing for bigger chips but just cannot find them. I then decided to make my own cutter. After discussing with one of my friends from Singapore, who is a mechanical engineer, I designed a cutter made with local materials. I bought a chopper made from spring steel (Spring absorbers from cars) which is really sharp. I then sharpened it until its like a razor. I also bought a pair of right angled stainless steel brackets with pre-drilled holes.
I aligned the hole in the bracket and made a mark on the chopper after which a hole of the same size is drilled into the chopper. The chopper is attached to the brackets by a bolt and nut. This gives me the mechanical advantage in turning the chopper into a kind of guillotine to give me enought strength to cut the relatively hard coconut husk with ease into any size I want.
Using coconut husk chips as a media is good, provided certain rules are observed:
1) The chips have to be soaked in water for a few days. This is to ensure that excess salt in the husks are dissolved in the process. As most coconut trees thrive well in saline coastal areas, the intake of salt is present in all parts of the coconut and this have to be reduced by soaking in water.
2) Watering have to be controlled. The husk must be given a dry period and must not be wet all the time or else it will decompose very quickly. Once it is dry completely, watering, even in excess, will not allow the dry chips to absorb the water competely.
3) Coconut husks decompose with time and it should be changed within a year to get the best out of it.
4) The orchid plant shoud be secured with a string when planted with coconut chips. Any excessive watering will make the chips float and this will dislodge the plant eventually.
5) The chips should be washed out periodically to prevent excessive builtd-up of chemical fertilizer. A thorough wash with lots of water and then allowed to dry should do the trick.
6) Coconut chips provide an ideal place for snails and slugs to hide. A periodical sprinkle of snail pallets (metaldehyde) will solve the problem.
Root growth is good
See how well my plants grow in coconut husk chips
The flower measures 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 cm. Petals and sepals are white in colour with thick reddish-pink broken circular tesselations. The column is white and side-lopes yellow. The lip is reddish-pink in colour. This hybrid is registered in the name of my niece ( My brother's only daughter)
I tried sourcing for bigger chips but just cannot find them. I then decided to make my own cutter. After discussing with one of my friends from Singapore, who is a mechanical engineer, I designed a cutter made with local materials. I bought a chopper made from spring steel (Spring absorbers from cars) which is really sharp. I then sharpened it until its like a razor. I also bought a pair of right angled stainless steel brackets with pre-drilled holes. 
Root growth is good
This chilli-red coloured orchid signify strength, confidence, resourcefulness,ability, and love , characteristics appropriately representative of a good friend Hazel Lee Soohoo . The flower measures 4 x 4 cm and petals and sepals are dark chilli red in colour an improved characteristic from P Tan Lee Moy. Side- lopes are orange and lips dark chilli-red.
The most common way to grow cornu-cervi is to tie it to a piece of wood or better still fern root slab. They should also be watered twice a day especially when there is no rain and fertilized with a high nitrogen fertilizer.
The roots of P. cornu-cervi are normally thick and extend out of the pot. As the saying goes the orchid plant is as healthy as it's roots and when the roots start to rot, the health of the plant deteriorates. To prevent the root from rotting from over fertilizing and watering, I grow them in relatively larger pots without any media like how Vandas are grown. The only difference is that the roots are carefully placed into the pots through a hole which I cut at the topmost part of the pot with the plant outside. I secure it with some cord to keep it in place.
Once the roots harden and starts to grow, the plant will become healthier and start to produce flower spikes. I water it generously twice a day and fertilise it with a 20;20;20 mix of 10 gms to 4.5 liters of water every five days. Fungicide and insecticides are used twice every month.
The pots are hung vertically on BRC nettings to save space and this also makes watering and spraying easier. 
DEN DOREEN LEE ( Den Penang Little Magic x Den canaliculatum). This miniature hybrid produces a relatively long spray in relation to its size. The colours are varied with different hues of brown, yellow, purple and blue. This hybrid was donated by the originator as a prize for the 50th. ACS Class of 61-63 Golden Reunion Dinner lucky draw held on 18 November 2011 at the Tanglin Club. The lucky winner was John Lee who opted to have this hybrid registered in his wife's name.
PHALAENOPSIS LEE WAI FUN.. This hybrid produces all red or orange flowers measuring 4-5cm in size. Named after the originator's sister-in-law to commemorate her birthday.
DEN THERESA SEBASTIAN
A hybrid from two very old plants - old not in age but old because Onc. Josephine was done way before I was born - producing some magnificient blooms. This hybrid is named aftre the originator's wife.
About 10 years ago, I visited a freind Jeff Mulanax, an orchidist in California. His daughter had a pet cockerel and when we were talking about orchids, she casually asked me if I could register an orchid in her name. On my affirmation she wrote her name on a piece of paper and gave it to me. As time passed, I totally forgot about this incident when one day she appeared in Ipoh with her parents and she reminded me if I had already registered an orchid in her name. By now she has blossomed into a pretty lady of 17 yrs and this hybrid was chosen in honor of her persistence.
Named after the originator's grand daughter, a joy that one cannot express in words. A prayer from many answered. A precious gift from the Almighty God. After two boys, my daughter Valerie was hesitant in having another baby. What happens if it's another boy? This hybrid with a parent plant named after her father was chosen by the family to named after Lula. Flower is small and star shaped but color is bold and full of character. 
