I also have found coco coir to be excellent for seed germination. Coir is going to be superior peat for this for the same reason a paper towel is. It actually allows the seed to stay consistently moist. Peat dries out faster and doesn't have a reliable pH. You also don't have to worry about a bunch of sticks with coco. No nutes necessary for germination. The seed has its own food. Problem is, you have to transplant pretty soon or use liquid fertilizer if you use a medium without nutrients. I make soil blocks with a coco coir/vermicast/sifted compost mix so I don't have to worry about a quick transplant. Coco also won't mold or grow moss and algae on it like peat moss does. At least not until you put nutrients on it. It's just you adding the nutes instead of a pump. There is a very good reason peat isn't used for hydroponics but coco is. Coco is more stable, nearly all brands desalinate as they know the hydro industry is their number 1 customer - so normally no worries concerning salt, and it it's great for aeration because it doesn't break down as fast as peat moss. In fact, I sterilize, desalinate, and reuse the coco for my hydro plants. It lasts at least 3 growing cycles of tomatoes and many more for lettuce (shorter cycles is why). For anyone thinking, "But I don't do hydro," keep in mind that potted plants that require liquid fertilizer is hydro. It's just you adding the nutes instead of a pump. I hold no illusion that coco is more environmentally friendly. I did, because I fell for the media hype. But the reality is otherwise and I now definitely recognize this.

At the time I wrote that, I was experimenting with cocopeat, but I have found it to be very detrimental to healthy root formation and plant growth. I have abandoned using coco products of any kind, for a few different reasons. First, they are not the "green" products they're touted to be, unless you already live where coconuts are produced. There's a large energy footprint involved in processing the material, and shipping it to various places around the globe. Second, it's normally processed using seawater and other chemicals, I believe... and one must spend a good amount of time rinsing it free of anything harmful to plants. Thirdly, it holds onto moisture at a higher rate than I'm happy with, and roots require an exchange of produced gases and fresh oxygen in order to maintain health. I use a medium made from fir bark pieces, granite chips, turface, and coarse perlite... with all pieces comparable in size. There is a very good article on mediums and water retention at the Container Gardening Forum, written by a professional called "tapla". I suggest you go there and do a search within the forum for "Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention", and it will give you all the information you need to know about healthy roots, how soils work, the differences between growing in the ground and growing within containers, soil recipes, and so much more! In fact, it's so in demand that it has been re-posted over a dozen times after reaching the limit of 150 posts. I don't have a direct link for it, but I know it will be easy for you to locate. The soil I use is called "Al's Gritty Mix", and there's another one dubbed the "511 Mix" which most people use for growing in large pots outdoors. I tweak my medium mixes depending on plant type, where it will be placed, how large or small the pot is, etc... Everyone has differing opinions on the issue, and there are many variables to consider... but it helps very much to have a wide variety of information so you can make an informed decision on what to use. I would absolutely change out the pot to one with good drainage... excellent drainage is key. This is one of the reasons I've abandoned coco products and moved toward a gritty, bonsai-like medium for growing in containers. It's much healthier for the roots, and plants can't be healthy without healthy roots. While you're at the Container Gardening Forum, I would also suggest doing a little reading and looking around... there are many wonderfully informative threads and posts regarding using a grittier type of medium. Keep in mind that the gardening industry is like any other... profit is the bottom line. So, what retailers sell is not necessarily what's best for your plants or bulbs. I wish someone had told me a lot more about container growing decades ago... but we simply have to accept that like anything else, there are tons of myths, old fashioned ideas that have nothing to do with plant health, and a lot of misinformation floating around. It took me a while, but after reading the article and doing a little more research on the side, I came to the conclusion that everything tapla said is supported by science, basic physics, and common sense. What have you got to lose? :-) Give the article a read... and see if it doesn't make you think a little bit more about what you grow in. I learned a lot, myself, just through that one article, and it made me really want to learn more! Hope this helps! :-)

I have taken no precautions against frost in the past. I'm technically in zone 9b, but live on a barrier island in Vero Beach, FL, so I have ocean to the east of me and a saltwater estuary to the west of me which moderate the temperatures. There are many larger coconuts around my area, however, admittedly few of them look as impressive as what you would typically see in the Caribbean. Coconut palms are even used locally in some public parks...so apparently I'm not the only one who isn't too worried about the cold. I recognize that there is a real chance that we may have a severe winter at some point which could kill my palms. I understand that in the late 1970s many large royal palms and coconuts froze to death in my town. I am prepared to use the frost cloth that is sold in farm supply stores to protect my smaller palms in the event of a forecasted frost. So far I have not had to do this in the three years I've been in my house.

This thread became resurrected when I was googling around for a substitution for Coco liners.. they were dirtying up my house and deck.. Plus the birds love to make nests out of the liners and pull the liners apart all over the place.... So this particular thread popped up ....and I'm glad it did.. But now when the comments pop up in browser form I have to go through the entire thread to receive the latest comment. Any way around this?something tells me this is a dumb question .