I did quite a bit of research before ordering my coco coir, or cocopeat, as it is commonly called... Anyone interested in purchasing cocopeat should do the same. Make sure you are aware of the different grades, such as shredded, long fibre, short fibre, ground, etc... and the different methods of preparation of the product, such as whether or not the excess salts have been removed, before you order anything... and keep in mind that cocopeat comes with no nutrients whatsoever. You will have to add your own fertilizers as you hydrate the cocopeat. That said, I ordered some large bricks from G&G Organics and Hydroponics located in Compton, California. There are many Hydroponics stores and websites that carry coco coir products. Google Hydroponic growing medium, or coco coir, or something to that effect, and you should find many places that sell this product. Be prepared to spend a little cash, as the good stuff isn't that cheap. You get what you pay for, though... and why would you want to use a cheap product on an expensive bulb? I hope I did it right... the link to G&G Organics should show up below. Here is a link that might be useful: G&G Organics and Hydroponics

There are a lot of fruits and vegetables here in the US, but since they are grown in factory-like circumstances and harvested still unripened, they are so tasteless, that I rarely if even buy them from stores... It is especially evident when you can grow your own and taste it... As different as chalk and cheese... When I can, I go to Farmers' market and try to buy from small growers. They might not use the latest *icides or whatever the vitamins and hormones' names are, but their product is real and harvested at the peak of their time... If you have ever eaten really ripe watermelons, you refuse to buy any from the stores. If you have ever eaten really ripe grapes, you can really taste how sour the packaged ones are in the stores. I so miss Hungary for this. You can actually get ripe fruits and vegetables there... I guess, in smaller countries, it is easier to distribute and sell the goods faster than here in the US, so because of the vast quantities and large distances, US growers just want to go for the safe solution and harvest the goods still green, so by the time it gets to the stores, it might turn to it's ripened color, but the taste is just missing.

I use coco-coir pellets for starting my peppers (peat is too acidic, along with the non-renewability factors), and I've run some tests on them (as well as on old leftover peat pellets), and my results show "Great for germination, but get them out ASAP!". My last batch was 3 broccoli seeds. Two I planted in straight soil, one I planted in a coir starter. After the coir sprouted, I cut the fabric liner off and dropped the whole pellet into the same soil mix I used for the other two. They kept pace with each other until just after the first true leaves. The two that I grew in straight soil shot up and thrived, the one that was in the coir stunted and eventually died. No yellowing, just came out one day and it was laying over dead. Pulled it up to examine the roots, they never did grow out enough to reach the real dirt. Right now I have peppers I've got started in coir, had the first one come up today. I carefully broke most of the coir away leaving just enough around the nice fuzzy white roots as to not damage them and put it into a starter pot with real soil. So, long story short, coir is an excellent way to start seeds. Keeps them nice and moist without being soppy wet (even if you leave the base of them in standing water), but there's no nutrients in there at all, not even enough to let the plant grow deeper roots. Break your plants free and give them the real thing.

I am certainly not a worm expert but I seem to recall there is more than one type of red worm and often mistaken for the Eisenia Fetida (red wiggler) even by sellers. See if this video helps... I do know IF worms are happy they will not try to escape - so something must not be to their liking if you see them climbing out. I do know mine seem to like it quite moist - more so than other worms. Red worms are content to remain working for you in conditions are to their liking. Provide them food, moisture, and suitable bedding material and they will happily stay in their bins or outdoor colonies. However if their bedding gets dry or too acidic they will try to escape. If you don't feed them they will go looking for food. Snipped from here http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/Red-Worms.html Maybe they don't like the peat moss as mentioned earlier. Then again it could be something else even moisture or temperature. I know I out mine out in the garage last nite and it got down to 52 deg - when I opened the bin I did have a few trying to climb out. Put them back in the cellar and they seem happy again. HTH