Hey everybody,
I have been thinking of using coir lately. I did a search for suppliers in Canada and the 2 or 3 I found did not specify shipping costs. I did not want to go through the check out process just to find shipping...lol...usually would be found out AFTER the credit card is entered....
Been thinking of it because I sismply cannot find a decent potting soil here. I have tried every brand wal mart has, and all of em end up being dumped in the mulch bin. But maybe with this coir added to it they would be not so bad.
Does anybody have a supplier name handy here in Canada? One that lists shipping costs up front?
Thanks lots,
Lee Anne
Coir source in Canada
You can get coir here: http://vgrove.com/ Vgrove is a Canadian business near Niagara Falls. I've ordered from them-- they mainly deal in wholesale but they will ship a small order prepaid by credit card. You need to call or fax them with your credit card number and your order, and they'll tell you the shipping charges.
Compressed coir is pretty heavy to ship by mail. You may be able to get it locally (retail) at your local head shop or hydroponic (i.e. "pot supply") place.
Adding coir to a crummy commercial potting mix may not improve it. Coir's main advantage over peat is its ability to retain moisture without "crusting" on top like peat does. And it is slightly less acid than peat. Many people consider it to be a renewable alternative to peat, which is "strip mined" from bogs in northern Canada. The spent peat fields never return to their orginal state, and are "reclaimed" by mass monoculture planting of trees. On the negative side, coir is pretty coarse-- the fibres are thick and you don't really get the ultra-fine consistency possible with screened peat.
If you're looking for a professional quality mix for seed starting, try Premier ProMix "PGX" or "BX" (http://www.premierhort.com/eProMix/Horticulture/Products/GrowingMediaCat/Regular/fPeatMoss.htm). The PGX is the ultra-fine mix-- they use a 3/8" screen for an absolutely consistent, fine mix with no lumps or sticks. The BX is more of a general-duty mix for larger seeds. These are peat-based mixes sold in compressed bales at farm supply places. If you need a small quantity, you might be able to buy a bag from a local greenhouse grower. Many greenhouse operators use these mixes to start their bedding plants for spring sales. If you're strictly organic, be aware that these mixes contain a wetting agent and chemical nutrients.
If you're looking for a potting soil for seedlings or mature plants (ie. not a soil-less mix for germination) you can make your own using various combinations of peat, compost, rotted bark mulch or leaf mold, sharp sand, vermiculite, perlite, coir, and/or native soil. If you're using compost or native soil and you don't want weeds, pasteurize these first (in the oven, in a covered container).
Eliot Coleman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Coleman) has a very popular recipe for seed starting, if you want something strictly organic:
3 qts. peat moss
3 qts. compost
1 qt. perlite
2 Tb. blood meal
2 Tb. greensand
2 Tb. soft rock phosphate
water
Hope this helps.
Bev
This message was edited Dec 24, 2006 11:17 PM
WOW...thank you Bev. This will keep me reading for the rest of the night. I was mostly thinking of using it for my older houseplants that are due for repotting. I really do not want to use the wal mart stuff again, it only stays nice for a really short time, and I know I shouldn't have to repot things every 2 or 3 months.
Thank you for all the info.
Lee Anne
I've encountered coir a couple of times and have absolutely no use for it. Got an amaryllis with a "puck" of coir fiber in the kit. Was supposed to absorb the hot water and expand. It didn't. Had to add potting soil. Years ago, I bought some starting medium that was basically coir and everything I started in it was stunted.
Ann
Compressed coir that does not expand when wetted-- this happens because the coir is old. After one year in a compressed form (puck or brick or bale) it starts to lose its ability to "reconstitute". I've used coir a lot as a soil amendment and I know from experience that fresh coir expands to about eight times its original (compressed) size.
Stale coir does not fluff up as it should, provides fewer air spaces, and creates a heavy dense, very wet medium that would lead to stunted plants.
Even if your coir-based starting mix was fresh, it should have contained more than just coir, to ensure that the roots get enough of what they need: air, moisture, nutrients, -- and a pH that is not too acid. Most peat-based soil-less mixes contain an acid-buffering ingredient (lime) as well as vermiculite to improve aeration and drainage, and chemical nutrients.
Threegardeners, IMO there are a whole lot of reasons to not shop at Sprawl-Mart but I won't go into that. For a nice home-made potting soil, you could try the following. I've used variations of this mix for my house plants with good success.
- 2 parts ordinary (pasteurized) native soil if your native soil is sandy-- or 1 part (pasteurized) native soil plus 1 part sharp sand (if your native soil is clayish)
- 1 part vermiculite or perlite
- 1 part commercial compost (or home-made compost if you don't mind weeds/bugs/microherd indoors)
- 1 part peat moss or fresh coir, "reconstituted"
- optional ingredients: worm castings, shredded bark mulch or leaf mold (up to 1/2 part or so)
I'll bet the houseplants forum has many threads on mixes for specific types of housplants if you want something tailored to a certain plant species.
- Bev
Thank you Bev, just what I have been looking for.
Thanks Bev. Looks like a good mix. So, if compressed coir does not absorb water, why do they use it? When I bought my second amaryllis, I peeked to ensure that I didn't have yet another puck of coir. The rest were out in the garden last summer and have been planted in good quality potting soil and several of them are putting up flower buds.
Ann
hi viola..I think she was saying that it means it is old if it doesnt absorb the water, which is possible with some of the packaged amaryllis bulbs, you never know how long they have been on shelves.
It does sound like a good mix, now I hafta hunt down all the ingredients....lol
LA