Bob: I have to say I was skeptical at first planting 3 toms per lay flat bag, did not think there was enough coir in them or deep enough for toms; but, they are holding their own so far, of course, I'm using your fertilizer on them every other day now, and then just watering every other day. The ones in the 5 gallon bags must have huge root system for them to be coming right out of the bottom of the bag like that, I'm going to leave them as is until told otherwise though.
joy
Coir Block use directions . . .
Wow - forty posts to my query . . and Im truly appreciative.
Have been away from DG. Got news of my sister going in for cancer surgery tomorrow - removing several organs . . .and she refuses to talk about it!
Back to my coir - yes I got from instagarden and will be getting the nutrients- soon.
wonderful hearing about the fish fert too . . just another WhoKnew moment!
Gosh I do love the conversations we are privy to at this DG forum.
am sure thankful I finally joined and started to actually participate.
coir is fluffed, perlite a'waiting.
I really DO need a collapsible container to mix large quantities of soil.
for now I'll use that storage container.
thanks again All!
sorry to hear about your sister...probably just to scared to talk about it...gardening will help you deal...virginia
I use coir with worm castings. I put coir in my worm farm beds to add/hold moisture and I ship worms in coir. my tests show that a "650g" (label weight, but usually weights 550 g) will hold almost 2 gal of water.)
If you are raising worms, coir is an easy way to top off trays for a good fit to the next tray.
Jeff - compostcritter.com
I was at Lowes Tuesday and they had large tubs on sale for $4 excellent for mixing your coir.
and off to lowes i go . . .
. . .and I was wondering if coir could be used for outdoor plantings.
we have this Carolina clay down here, Im told IS actually soil.
Sometimes - to plant something at the required specified depth
- you hit what is called "BullClay".
Its tan/ gray with the texture of some unfired moist potting clay!
The stuff never actually becomes soil.
It is either that thick neavy mass or hardens to a rock
- sometimes than, you can try to break it into particles
- uggggh so much effort for a small shovel of dirt . .
so using coir in the ground would be great -
- at long last I no longer have to lug those heavy bags of soil around my yard!
this thread gets better and better!
I would imagine the coir would be perfect for setting a bed and loosening the soil. The same effect as peat only coir really holds the moisture longer especially if you mulch on top of your bed. My plants truly love the coir and I am very proud of my roses and veggies and I know what you mean about dragging those large bags of mix! It is a pleasure to carry those 12 lb bulk packs and fun to hydrate them.
I'm having more luck with the coir if I mix in some perlite and punch a few extra holes in the 5 gallon grow bags for better drainage, we've been getting lots of rain here as of late. I thought we were getting a break and I could spray with fertilome triple action plus but it rained and I used sevin today. I hated to do this also; but, had to move the lay flat bags to the weed cloth area on the ground from off the table as the toms are getting tall enough to stake now and that was impossible where they were, I moved them to the ground so I could put the stakes into the ground, but, it also puts them closer to the bugs.
joy
Wonder if you could ship rooted tomato seedlings in a Ziploc bag of damp coir? Cut a pvc pipe sleeve taller than the seedling, tape off one end, plant the seeding, seal the other end, into a Ziploc bag, into a bubble wrap envelope and mail.
Ok. Who's game for trying this? DEVOTA?? Where are you?
Yesterday, I was transplanting some volunteer tomato seedlings and noticed how wonderful the "dirt" was that they were growing in. After some thought, I remembered that this was the raised bed that I had put coir in two years ago - along with compost, Black Kow Manure, etc. The soil in the other beds is good, too, but not as good as this one. They have peat moss, etc. I am now convinced that coir is a better soil amendment than peat moss.
Another Coirvert (coir convert), Go Honeybee
Gymgirl: I have both the tall variety and the bush type variety growing in the lay flat bags. The strawberry season is almost over though, and will probably replace the 2 EBS and 1 GP with the tomatoes from the lay flat bags, will make things a little easier on me, my shoulders are so sore from those watering cans. I also have 2 revolutionary planters where the two tomatoes in them died; I think I will transplant a few more into those and let my sister have a go at them.
joy
Hey, BocaBob - do you have the finer type of coir? Not the chunky type. Incidentally, I used to grow hundreds of African Violets (sold them on E-bay) and they were grown in coir/worm castings/perlite and vermiculite.
Honeybee NC
Yes.
just DE-lighted to read the use of coir in the ground too.
finally used my first coir application at the too frequently mentioned mail box location.
read the horrors of MiracleGrow (after what I read i guess it IS a Miracle anything grows!)
after which I did the whole rock garden mailbox all over again adding the entire 5 gallons of coir.
I was shocked and almost heartbroken to see how very dry those plants and roots were!
Coir to the RESCUE!! . . . another coir-vert - yes!
I actually got my hon interested in the product.
I did three Dianthus Neon semi-circle around the mailbox front area.
A ClematisPresident angled from the back of the post onto a 4 inch trellis
attached to the front of the post.
a rock at 3 and 9 o'clock with PurpleVerbenea on the left another rock and two ArtemesiaSilverMound.
this is a first or me using coir and making a rock garden.
Im going to let it set tonite. it is supposed to rain: PlantYippie!
tomorrow I will add the fabric, edging rocks and mulch.
sorry i have strayed off topic . . .
Bob: I'm setting up a AWS next week probably, and will have it hooked up to a timer for everything. Here is my question though, I do like your fertilizer but due to my shoulder, it is impossible to use the watering cans anymore. Lowes has a sprayer, like the MG one where you put the fertilizer in it and it mixes with the water; only, this one you can adjust how much you want to disperse in ozs. Would that one work ok? And if so, what setting should I use? That way, when I want to fertilize my plants I could just use the one sprayer, the rest of time use the AWS on a timer? How has everyone else been using the fertilizer?
joy
BocaBob, what is the dilution rate for your fertilizer? I didn't see any instructions with it. I didn't want to make a dumb mistake. Love the Coir! I think I need to order more.
joy- The manufacturer strongly discourages mixing the fertilizer into a concentrate, and then dispensing it. He says it locks up some of the nutrients. I can't give you any advise on how to set a sprayer for it, because I just don't know. I'm pretty sure everybody using it is following my directions. Some maybe mixing the fert into a large trash can like I do and pump it to the plants through a irrigation system eliminating the watering cans. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Bob
Hi Lynn,
For every gallon of water, mix INTO the water 1/2 teaspoon of fertilizer for seedlings and young plants. For established plants use 1 teaspoon. Also add into the water 1/4 teaspoon of epsom salt for either formula. Feed plants once or twice a week. You can use as a foliar feed or soil drench.
Bob
Bob, you sure were up early this morning. When adding your fertilizer into the water does it have to completely dissolve or will there be particles left in the trash can?
Amy
Depending on the quality of the water used (also hardness, etc) some of the fert may not completely dissolve. Don't worry about it at all.
Bob
Other directions.. Do not place in ears or other uncomfortable places.
Although coir will stick to your hands when you don't want it to, it is not recomended for use as a bikini. Coir tends to wash off in large quantities under water!
This message was edited Jun 4, 2009 1:47 PM
Qunx: LOL
Bob: Ok, so here it is, I have well water, I have the money put aside to hook up an AWS system. So; so do I have my guy hook up a rainbarrel type device to run the water through and then mix the fertilizer in the rainbarrel and at what strength? I can not use the watering can anymore, not with my shoulder acting up. Should I also add a water softner? These things I need to know if I'm going to keep using the fertilizer. I'm going to have the AWS system hooked up on a timer that will water for 5 mins intervals, 3 times a day, does that sound right? It's been getting pretty warm up here lately and I have already been watering them first thing in the morning and at night else they go dry. Today though, we got rain all day long.
I have to get this done before next week.
joy