Coconut coir

Missed-Em 5/5/2021, 3:18 pm

Finally have the garden in and all is looking good (finger crossed and knock on wood). Four raised beds and 3 containers worth. Used the logs and brush under the Mel's Mix and there's already some settling from filling in the voids so I know I'll need quite a bit of fiil in the future. I'm looking into using coir ILO peat moss and notice a lot of brands, sizes etc. and all seem to get good reviews. What brands and package size would yo recommend?

Thanks, Steve

OhioGardener 5/5/2021, 4:09 pm

I buy the 5 Kg (11 pound) Coconut Coir blocks from the local hydroponics shop, usually from $10 to $12 each. Each 5 Kg block expands to 2.5 cu ft when moistened.

Missed-Em 5/5/2021, 4:19 pm

Thanks, so that would equate to 1/2 cube less that the peat moss cube?

**sanderson** 5/13/2021, 7:07 pm

Missed-Em, You can use clean sand to fill the voids between the logs and branches in the lower section, watering well during the process. Then top with 6-7" of Mel's Mix.

Coconut coir is a personal preference. idk

Peat Moss in North American usually comes from Canada :canada:

, where it is responsibly harvested. Coir is harvested in tropical countries where it's often a cottage industry, destroying the local environment, then shipped by slow boat to us.

**donnainzone5** 5/13/2021, 8:32 pm

Please consider that coconut coir has a higher pH than peat moss and will alter the pH of your Mel's Mix. Also, unless it is "washed," it has a high concentration of sodium, which is harmful to plants.

plantoid 5/18/2021, 10:42 am

I didn't know about the higher pH thanks for that info Donna .

Next time I get 20 or so blocks order I'll do a pH test on the initial rehydration of a couple of blocks and then do a few rinse & drain outs to see if it can be lowered if it is a higher pH .

I suppose lime / powdered lime tone or chalk might be added to a rinse water to lower it a bit if it is high .
Must confess I've not had or noticed any problems when using the 40 or so blocks of coir as the bulking agent in the last 10 years of so .

OhioGardener 5/18/2021, 11:01 am

plantoid wrote:Next time I get 20 or so blocks order I'll do a pH test on the initial rehydration of a couple of blocks and then do a few rinse & drain outs to see if it can be lowered if it is a higher pH .

It will be interesting to see what your results are. I tested the pH of Coir a number of times in the past, and it always tested between 6.0 and 6.5. I have never rinsed it, just added it to the compost & vermiculite. Yesterday I was checking the soil temp in the beds, and decided to check the pH as well - it was 6.5 to 6.8 in all the beds. I've always found that good compost tends to neutralize the soil pH.

I haven't used peat for years, but isn't the pH of peat normally around 4.0 to 5.0?

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