Any Coco Grower Questions? PART 2

I likum tomato stinkum Devota! And skunk, gasoline, and puppy breath too!

Puppy breath... yes, gasoline, yes; can't agree on skunk but I have a friend who likes it if it's fresh..must be that whole "musk" thing.
Coir, on the other hand has a fresh smell but not like the earth does after a spring rain.

Finally finished planting my coir garden for this season. This is an Amy melon that is sprouting already? Happy to see they are doing so well.

My snow melon is sprouting also a litlle behind Amy but that's OK. When they and Amy get larger I'll use the EB trellis's to make them climb which can be done with this variety. As you see I don't have the same amount of space that I had last year but I will gain more space after clean up. By the way they are both honeydews.

This message was edited Apr 25, 2009 11:48 AM

My Tendersweet stringbeans are doing very well. Healthy and strong. Hope I have the same results as BocaBobs as I love fresh stringbeans.

Thank goodness my peppers survived the windstorm as of last week I wasn't to sure! Still windy as it usually is here at this time of year.

Okra starting to pop up also. Only planted six this year as eight gave us to much okra and a lot was wasted as my DIL did not have time to cook them all.

Everything's looking great Ted! Good to see you "back in business", LOL!

I'm trying dark moondreamer. As I said it is good to be active again as All I was able to do was stay inside because of the school construction of their new cafeteria and the dust. I developed Bronchitis. Now everything is neat and clean except for my garden. This is part of my melon garden, no where as near as big as last season but that to is OK as last season I was feeding ice cold melons to the construction crews.
Last year I went all the way to the end of the driveway but that drain they put there kind of slowed me up as I have nine empty EBs just now but I do have plans for tomato season come October because then I can grow all kinds of veggies in the cooler weather.

These two are my Sweet Beauty Hybrid corn. I've always had great luck with everything especially corn so tender ,large and sweet. This is the only crop that I use 15-30-15 fertilizer other than 10-10-10.

I'm going to use one of BocaBob's large Stackers and place it in the center and plant it with sweet smelling flowers to attract bees in addition to my roses to attract bees for pollination. Have to go to Lowes or Home Depot to see which flowers the bees like and then buy that variety. I'll use a piece of screen wire to cover the larger hole where the post protrudes and fill it with coir as my entire garden is now coco coir.

LOL @ pot ghetto, that's a more honest assessment. hehehe

Good looking setup Tplant.

You know things are getting bad when you start dreaming about your containers. I planted okra seeds 2 days ago and dreamed I had 2 inch okra sprouts last night. Got up to go check this morning and no okra sprouts, it seemed so real. :)

Pugzley -- You really have it and it is contagious!

I was able to work in my rose garden today and the weeds were horrible. The roses are in containers which also contains coco coir. I haven't been able to get to it for a couple of months and the weeds were unbelievable but it was a lot easier and faster pulling them out than it was from my former mix. Inspite of it all they still look beautiful as I was able to complete everything today . Tomorrow I will rearrange and also take pictures for this forum and also for the rose forum. This was as construction began. It looked alot neater then. Big difference today.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2009 2:33 PM

OK, I need some "Coir 101 for Dummies and home-made 5-gallon buckets" advice (and I've read & re-read both threads and I'm still confused). It's my 1st time for both, so please be gentle ;)

DH made containers from our endless supply of kitty litter buckets which are placed within our screened area (ala BocoBob, except further north). I had a stash of MG moisture control potting MIX w/slow release fertilizer and unknowingly used it in these "open" buckets for tomatoes. (When I say "open" - I didn't do the lid/mulch cover. As we usually get daily summer downpours in Ocala, I take advantage of it.) Anyhow, even if this is "wrong", our tomatoes are going gangbusters!

So...I used up all the MG and now have a 5 kg block of BocaBob's coir hydrated, and want to plant bell peppers & self-pollinating cucumber plants in 5 gal. HM E-buckets EXCEPT - using my new stash of coir.

This is where I'm going nuts.

I hear ya'll talking about "straight" coir, using BocaBob's fertilizer (with epsom salts) , doing a perlite/coir mix, adding dolomite lime, 10-10-10 fertilizer...and...it's confusing.

Am I correct in reading "straight" coir requires EITHER regular liquid fertilizer -OR- the recipe of "2 cups dolomite lime/2 cups 10-10-10 fertilizer/1/2 cup epsom salts" to a 5kg block of coir? Is there a rule of thumb depending on what kind of veggies you're growing?

Thanks in advance :)

Here are my tomatoes on 4/9/09:

Here they are on 4/19:

I dont mix anything in mine...well at least till Im running low. You still put the 10-10- 10 strip of fertilizer and mix the lime in ( I do that cuz I have it, not sure if necessary). Treat it just like the jungle growth or MG mixes. You dont add anything to those either...except the lime and the strip of fertilizer at the top. I dont add or use spsom salts at all. Of course, Im a faithful Spray and Grow user.

I havent seen what Bob says, so I dont want to disagree.

I get one box and maybe a few pots. I do pack it tho.

Coco-Tek 5 kg blocks fill up 3 e-buckets for me.

denisemb, I never thought about using kitty litter buckets as grow-containers.... that's ingenious!! I'm using easy lift gro-bags this year, and I'm going to start saving the kitty litter buckets so that next year I can use those, too (I'm sure I'll be ready to grow more than the 4 plants I am this year!).

I've also been trying to figure out how to prep my coir for my plants, which are due to arrive within the next week. I'm going to use 18 gal bags, so I'm not sure how much fertilizer to use per bag, or if I even had to do anything more than just put a handful of fertilizer (I got PlantTone-- I can't seem to find TomatoTone locally) in the hole where I'm going to place the plant, mix it in just a little then plop the plant on top. I'll water in a bit of lime as well, but other than that I've seen that there are so many different ways to do this that I think I'm just going to figure it out as I go! I will be watching the replies to your question, though, because I'm still looking for ideas! :o)

denisemb --- Keep doing what you are doing cause your plants are beautiful and for a person that "Supposedly" doesn't know very much you are doing just fine. I suggest you stay away from the moisture control mix because as you said you get plenty of rain in Ocala as I do down hear and you don't want your mix to continually hold water as it must drain or you will be subject to all sorts of problems. As far as a 5kg of coir it will fill one and a half true earthboxes not buckets such as yours. Can't tell you much about buckets as I don't use them. I use 25 gal containers for my roses and can fill most of two.

Now as for fertilizer, if you are going to use the buckets as I see in your perfect showing, use liquid fertilizer and I use BocaBobs fertilizer half teaspoon per gallon every other or so watering. Use 1/4 cup epsom salt with coir for your bucket and also mix in 1 cup of dolomite lime and wet it in lightly and then plant your plant and fill with coir to 3 inches from the top leaving room for mulch to prevent weeds. They love being mulched.
Hope I helped and not confused?

You guys are great! Thanks to everyone for clearing things up :)

I think I'm just lucky so far with the 'maters, but it sure is fun watching them grow so quickly. I'm eager to get started with coir - the drainage aspect is appealing as I have a tendency to over-water.

Liannenc - our litter buckets are just over 4.5 gal. We kicked around the idea of using a 3rd "bottomless" bucket in the top to increase the capacity, but figure it's close enough. Rather than using Solo type cups or pond baskets for the wicking chamber, husband found some heavier plastic ones at Dollar General (4/$1) and he just drilled a bunch of holes in them.

Thanks again, everyone!

In praise of coir: I have friends that live near Deland, Fla who raise tomatoes commercially and they do it with hydroponics using only coir for their medium. They love it because they don't have to worry about soil bourne disease, it holds just enough water but drains quickly and of course the nutrition is perfect, [a solution much like BocaBobs.] the growth is intense and the coir is clean, doesn't break down for years and can be used repeatedly. Their inital outlay for the coir is off set by years of service they get from it.
Many growers in their area use hydroponics and coir as their medium.

When I use Bob's gro bags for my tomatos and peppers, fill them with coir and water with his solution, I am practicing a form of hydroponics.

Let's hear it for COIR!

What have been saying all this time? Coir works!

Yeah Ted, you were right. Love the stuff. When is our buddy Bob gonna make us some tees that say I'm a coco-nut?

oooooh yeah, I want that t-shirt.

Well, the hydrated 5 kg block filled two buckets, could easily have done a third and STILL have some left.

You guys have created a monster ;) I'm gonna end up growing vegetables I don't even LIKE just to play with this!

Once a coco-nut always a coco-nut, I say. rt is that squash in the bucket?

D, It's cantaloupe

Oh, right. You are in a warm climate. I can't plant melons for a few weeks. Looks lovely.

Thanks D. This is my first time with Bob's coir. I made an e-bucket for a friend a couple of days ago and I used your wickin sleeve. Turned out real well. Now I am going to California to make some buckets for my DIL. I will use your sleeve for them as well. This such an exciting way to garden...so easy too.

I wish I had an EBucket too.....rtl850 can you fly by Texas and make me one too? LOL! Hey, where is my Gymgirl, I've been missing her the last few days?

You anywhere near Willie Nelson, I might come if you are.

Well, you figure Willie Nelson can only be about 8 hours in any direction . . . Here that is close!

Hey Dreamer et al! Thanks for missing me! Been laying low this weekend. Storm yesterday was just what God ordered 2 keep me inside 2 get some rest. It was perfect weather! Super hard thunderstorm Friday night and I slept like a baby. Cool breeze. Just enough sunshine Saturday morning 2 let me go out and put down my Black Cow and plant some bush beans, 2 strawberries (only cause Aunt Beatrice says I can grow anything), and some more bell pepper plants. Then more rain 2 water it all in and run me back inside. Rented "Slum Dog Millionaire" and "Nights in Rodanthe". Highly recommend Slum Dog. Maters growing everywhere. Resigned 2 not getting New trellis but will work with what I have already. Devota, glad 2 see eSleeve product expanding 2 West Coast! Warms my heart. I knew it would be a winner! Work on that patent 'fore the EB folks come out with a genuine EBucket with your eSleeve Wick!! Hugs and nightie night! Linda

Devota,

In some of the posts above they talk about your wicking sleeve. If you don't mind sharing could you explain this concept? I am still a little confused on why the plants need quick drainage but also the coco coir to "hold water better than peat"?? I am new to all this gardening stuff but love it.

Amy

Ascholz,
The coir actually holds some of the water sort of like Grape Nuts does after it sits in the water, but then it allows excess water to quickly drain through like coffee grind!

You tell um Gg cause after my loooong day in the garden I don't have a brain in my head. [glad you had a restul weekend.]