Using coconut coir as starting medium - which organic fertilizer?
kitty_m
12 years ago
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digdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agogreenthumb_5
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Organic seed starting medium
Comments (2)Most of your commercial seed starting mediums contain slight traces of fertilizers especially ment to get seeds/seedlings off to a good start. To have a truly "organic" blend, you'll have to make it yourself. Here's a basic peat starting mix for you: 2 parts coconut coir or peat moss; 1 part vermiculite; 1 part perlite, 1 part dehydrated steer manure; and 1/5 part dolomite lime. The lime is used to raise the pH of the naturally acidic peat, also provides calcium and magnesium, Espoma brand of pelleted is excellant! To prepare the blend, start with the peat and dampen thoroughly. Add next ingredient, mix, dampen and blend again, continue til you have it all together in the amount you need. It is highly advisable to wear a mask when making the medium to avoid inhalation of dust(s) associated with perlite and lime (if a powdered form is used). Making your own will not be cheap: think you'll find costs of everything, overall, will be very close to purchasing something already made up. If you want to try a commercial blend that contains micorise (helps in root formation), a 16 quart bag of Pro Mix Ultimate Seeding Mix can be gotten thru www.greenhousemegastore.com for $12.95 plus $5 s/h. This is the BEST I've used yet, and you can't find it everywhere! Item number is: SO-PM-USM so you can find it faster if you want to look at its contents. Hope I've helped a bit...GOOD GROWING!...See MoreCoconut Coir?
Comments (27)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....See MoreAnyone using coco coir and perlite as a medium?
Comments (6)I use coir with perlite or straight. I amend it with EWC and compost and feed with mineral salts. I reuse it at least 4 times before discarding it by simply cutting the old stem and root ball out and just dropping a new plant into the hole. I can garden almost exactly like you would with soil in containers. I hand water drain to waste and drench with compost tea. When your done with it, you can till it into the ground. 100% organic....See MoreCocunut Coir--seed starting
Comments (31)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....See Morecapoman
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agosolid7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agomorz8 - Washington Coast
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agosolid7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agogrubby_AZ Tucson Z9
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agocooperdr_gw
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agosun forum
9 years agosun forum
9 years agosun forum
9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years agomaxjohnson
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years ago
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