coco coir ?

[Tarragon2017]

Read alot about this , does anyone use it , is it good for soils and mulch ?

[Thelma Sanders]

It has no nutrients so basically just adds organic matter and opens up soil, or heavy compost.

[Tarragon2017]

is it good in the soil mix ?

[Cadalot]

Yep, I use it for my tomatoes to assist in holding water in the pots/ buckets and for my early spuds see Alans Allotment: Coir

[Greenleaves]

A different opinion here, I think it dries out too quick so have abandoned using it.....two gardeners, two views

[Tarragon2017]

What ratios of coir did you use in your soil mix ?

[Cadalot]

I grow spuds in a mixture of 50% Compost, 40% Coir, 10% soil and add a Potato fertiliser. The mixture is added to my allotment beds as a soil improver at the end of the season, and I have been known to add some back into the compost daleks as browns and to be re energised.

Extract from Benefits of Coconut Coir as a Grow Medium

Benefits of Coconut Coir

Coconut coir’s primary benefit that most growers boast about is its improved water retention ability, including its ability to be easily re-hydrated. At the same time, coconut coir also possesses aeration properties which is important in soilless growing. Because of these two factors, plants grown in coconut coir – or a coco coir mixture – experience stronger root and better health overall because of its neutral pH level.

This inert and sterile grow medium is bacteria free which will prevent plants from developing diseases, pest infestations, or fungus growth. Coconut coir has a natural composition of lignins, which are a natural polymer that encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in gardening capacity.

For many growers, the fact that coconut coir is an entirely renewable resource is an important benefit to consider when choosing your grown medium. Its environmental sustainability often gives it the edge over other alternatives like peat moss.

Coconut coir is a great soilless substrate to use in a tray system when growing wheatgrass or microgreens. It can also be used in pot systems for growing vegetable plants including leafy salad greens. It works great in either passive or active hydroponic systems because you can count on its ability to retain moisture.

[the big lebowski]

i like it as i have a heavy clay soil and will look to put some in my compost/manure when i get my new compost area set up ,i have used it as a mulch in the past and i found that it really open up the soil and made it alot easier to dig over and week the next year ,cheers

[Muddy_Boots]

I've bought a load of it from Home B*rgains last year mainly to add something to the soil on my plot and to aid drainage and add some vegetable matter to the soil cheaply. As i'm a skinflint I thought its better than using MPC and costs alot less to use so just put a big block in the whellbarrow, added water, wait and scattered it on the soil prior to digging. Tried to use it neat last year for germinating seeds but found it dried out too quickly to be effective for seeds and lost a few as a result.