ANOTHER COCO COIR CONVERT!!

Ok,
I have been secretly riding TPlant's coattails regarding how wonderful BocaBob's Coco Coir is. Until I used it for the first time today to sow my 'mater seeds in BocaBob's Amazing Seed Starting Kit. THE COCO COIR IS AMAZING!!!!

The Coco Coir hydrated in a tub of very warm water (for hand comfort), from dried-block to ready-to-plant stage, in 30 minutes. And I didn't have to manipulate or massage it in any way. Three hours later, the coir below the water was still warm!

Planting was easy as squeezing a handful of coir like a wet sponge and filling the potting nets with what resembles spongy coffee grinds. And it has a mildly sweet smell, fresh!

One of the most welcome benefits of using the coir is no more DIRTY hands or grungy fingernails!!! The course coir rinses off under plain old running water, and doesn't stain your hands in any way. About the only side-affect I can see from using the coir is "wrinkly" fingertips from dredging the coir from the water and squeezing it!

Once you experience the coir, you'll understand how the root system from ANY plant will not have to fight it's way through. Root veggies will have absolutely no problem pushing down into the coir. You'll have the straightest carrots you ever grew!

BocaBob, put me down for a lifetime supply of Coco Coir!

And the coir brigade marches on!! This stuff works good, looks good, smells good and with care should last a long time. I hydrated two 5 gallon grow bags yesterday, mixed with per-lite in approximately a 60/40 mix (60 per cent coir-40 percent per-lite) and completely filled an 18 gallon Rubbermaid container. The per-lite is not necessary and may just be un-necessary expense on my part but I am still experimenting for a mix that will grow just about anything I may wont to grow using automated water/fertilizer system. Of course, BocaBob is already doing the same thing with amazing results but what the heck........Why should he have all the fun?

The 32 gallon trash container has the same mix in it. It started out with a few inch's of mix in the bottom and I hydrated two more 5 gallon gro bags and mixed with perlite to fill it. I have two more 18 gallon totes and one more 32 gallon trash can to fill. Lets see now, naught and naught makes 10 and decipherate the hypotenuse and that figgers out to about 118 gallons of mix when all totes and trash cans are filled. That ought to be enough to get me started.LOL.

Go get-um Jay

Gymgirl, I was intending to ask how hard it was to hydrate the coir. I think you just told me.
Just when I thought I had it figgered out Jay.

Devota,
Like I said above. I just sat the starter kit block of coir into a round (deep) foot tub I bought from the dollar store and filled it with hot water. The coir actually starts to hydrate as soon as water hits it, and actually LOOKS like a sponge expanding. You can kinda guestimate how much water it will soak up but it really doesn't matter. You just continue to grab handfuls of coir until you get as much out as you can out. BUT DON'T STOP THERE! I guarantee you there's probably another five good handsful in that water! Go get a fine strainer and start scooping! Tap the scooped coir into your hand and continue squeezing. See? Told yah! Just about five more good handfuls, right?

I'm gonna start converting my potting mix over to coir with the next three new EBs I use.

Linda

Here is a picture of dry coir block in bottom of 5 gal bag.

Here is two bags just set into water in a container. That container is a 5 buck concrete mixing pan from HD. You can just walk away and do sump'n else while the block absorbs water from the bottom which I am doing for the sake of taking these pictures.

30 minutes later the block has hydrated all except about an inch and a half section of block. Pour a little water over the top and you are done. I am just going to let them sit there. They will be there when I need them, ready and rearing to go. Very little fiber comes out the drain holes in the bag but if you really wont to save every little smidgen, you can do the kitchen strainer thang and save that little smidgen too.

I'm rarin' to go. Now if the weather would cooperate. I'm glad to see how it's done. Now I have to talk to Bob about drip systems.

Question here? I was thinking about setting a block of coconut coir into a bucket of warm water and using a colander to strain it with? Would that work? I also have these strainer type scoops which are perfect, but rather small. Do you squeeze the water out, and how well do you squeeze the water out when you are adding it to an earthbox or other container?
joy112854

Joy, I dont see any need to squeeze any water out, unless you just like to play with the stuff. It will only hold so much water and even when it is fully saturated, it is still aereated enough for plants get air to their roots. To me, it just doesnt feel too wet when fully saturated. Maybe there is some literature somewhere that talks about squeezing the water out but I dont recall reading about that. It can only hold so much water and will drain off any excess like when you are watering a container from the top.

Joy, Jaywhacker is absolutely right. And if you use a strainer and skim the surface and dredge the bottom you will get a lot more from the block. A strainer works perfect. Another simple way is to put the block in any container with small holes in it. Pour water in it and when the coir is fully hydrated all excess water drains away and it is ready to use. Perfectly moist and yummy.

BocaBob

Joy, If there is concern about wasting any coir that may be in the remaining water, you can use that water for watering other pot plants.

Jerry

No just concerned about getting it wet enough is all, and not too wet if you know what I mean. I was going to put my blocks in bucket of warm water; but how much water do I use per block to let it sit in? The block absorbs it right?

Bob: The coconut coir that is in the seed starter kit? How do I hydrate it? Do I need a certain amount of water?
joy112854

Joy, The instructions on the label of the brick I have says to add 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 gallons of water and soak for 15 - 20 minutes.

The brick that comes with Bob's kit will probably have similar instructions for hydrating.

Jerry

Joy,

I recently started some seeds with BocaBob's amazing kit which as you know has a small brick of coco coir. put the brick into a medium plastic tub and set it in my wife's bath tub (she was not home), ran hot water into it until it was about half full or so. the coir fully expanded in less than 15 minutes without any help from me. yes there was some extra water, but I just tipped the tub and poured it thru a colander and let it drain. no clean-up required, so no tracks left and no explanations needed. absolutely no problem. it took longer to pack the 50 cell tray than it did to prepare the coir. amazing, but true!

ok. so I LIKED playing with the coir and squeezing the water out....so?:~)

Joy,

DON"T WORRY, you can't mess it up. It's foolproof !!!!!!! When you come down here I will personally show you. Now that's SERVICE.

BocaBob

Whew!!!!!! Boy, Im glad you got that coir out of the bath tub before your wife got home, Fiddle. You are living dangerously.

And Gymgirl........hope I didnt hurt your feelings about the coir squeezing. My bad. It is perfectly alright to squeeze the coir...........and the Charmin toilet tissue too. Ev'body to they own thang, I alluz sez.

Jaywhacker,
"We cool."

Bob: Great, I'm sure I'll get some answers when I see you and you can show me some things, remember, I'm just a beginner here, gotta take it slow and easy here.
joy112854