Subbing coconut coir for peat moss???

When making Mel's Mix, can you substitute coconut coir for the peat moss?  Saw it on the Home Depot website when I searched for peat moss.  The bags say it's better for the environment than peat moss.  I'm not an environmentalist so I don't know anything about "carbon footprints".  Has anybody tried using coir?  Does it work as well as peat moss?

OhioGardener wrote:I use Coir instead of Peat, and it works just as well.  The only difference is that Coir decomposes a little faster than Peat, and needs to be refreshed occasionally (every few years). I personally prefer Coir because it is a renewable resource, and Pet is not. But, most people still prefer peat.

Wrong!  Peat moss in Canada is a renewable resource.

https://theecologist.org/2013/jan/25/truth-about-peat-moss

Thanks so much for your comments on my question about coconut coir.  I live in the USA but it would be nice to know if there's someplace where I can buy Canadian peat moss?  Also, if I do end up subbing in the coir, should I use the same amount as the peat moss in the Mel's Mix recipe?

Slender61 wrote:Thanks so much for your comments on my question about coconut coir.  I live in the USA but it would be nice to know if there's someplace where I can buy Canadian peat moss?  Also, if I do end up subbing in the coir, should I use the same amount as the peat moss in the Mel's Mix recipe?

Check the peat moss packaging. You may find that Sphagnum Peat Moss sold in the USA actually comes from Canada.

"Canada, the world’s largest producer and exporter of horticultural peat moss, produces more than 98 % of the Canadian Sphagnum peat moss used in the United States." … http://www.sungro.com/about-us/sustainable-peat-moss/


Use Peat Moss if you can. As the All New SFG book says, it is the gold standard.

TD,

I've posted similar links on other sites/pages.  Most people automatically reject the information, based upon their belief that any information from any business entity is false.  Of course, they don't take into consideration that government agencies and entities, as well as NGOs, obtain funding from the government, including grants and subsidies, most of which originates from tax dollars. Whatever most of the public absorbs from the media is taken as truth, with no questions asked.

Still, thank you for posting some reality.  Perhaps a few of us will reconsider.

Mods, if this post is too political, please feel free to delete it.  However, I think it's important to present alternative narratives.  And this topic does directly relate to SFG and Mel's Mix.

Support the Canadian economy, buy peat moss!

deleted repeated post  .

I use coir for my soil less growth medium 220 sq feet of beds . 
It rots down faster than sphagnum moss . 
Each year I'm purchasing 12 X 120 litre bales of composted fibre to fill 15 X 20 litre tubs for toms & flowers , plant pots & six hanging basket .  I cycle the spent tub material straight on to the lowest beds and turn it in once the crops have been harvested.

Have to use  three to four of the bales of coir well turned in direct in the beds to keep them topped up but it depletes the nitrogen so I end up using dried fish blood & bone meal raked in the top of the growth medium before I plant up / sow . Obviously root crops susceptible excess growth of roots due to too much nitrogen are only sown / planted in beds that have not been fed for two years .

 Didn't have much joy in growing carrots in a bed topped up with just coir that was never fed & rested .
 This last seasons carrots were like two standard coke cans one stacked on the top of the other and slightly bigger in girt in the top third of the body when  stacked on top of each other .

 Some of the coir bales are treated with a liquid artificial or natural fertilizer  and are supposed to be good for up to six weeks of growing , so using them might upset some crops . Some coir bale sellers offer the option of a packet of mixed nutrients to sprinkle over the bale as you wet it down to rehydrate it . 


 Have to keep detailed records of everything , so I can keep pace with what bed is useable for what crop & when . 

I hope to be migrating over to Irish peat moss if I can afford it , in Ireland it is used to fuel a couple of power stations so  I'm not too bothered about using it in my garden .

You can buy coir from a hydroponic store where the cost for a Block is low. caged tomatoes  in FT. Worth, Tx. 12.00 for a large block. One will fill a wheelbarrow. 

Next, the lowest place is the pet store like Petco.  Zilla Coconut Husk Brick Reptile Bedding

I've used coconut coir in my beds as a substitute for peat and found it far easier to hydrate and mix in with compost. As shipped, it is not not as bulky as peat and stores well. There have been claims that it breaks down fast, but I have found that to not be the case, as evident by the beds not "shrinking" down as fast as the peat beds.When first introduced, coir got a bad rap because of it's salt content ( the processors used to float the husks in brackish marshes), but that has been corrected. Much the same happened to Vermiculite. It got a bad rap for it's having asbestos in it, so everyone had to use Perlite until the problem was corrected.