Coir-based compost & brassicas

[Cutecumber]

I was just wondering what people's experiences are of using coir-based compost for sowing.

The last two years I have used some mostly-coir compost which is lovely and fine, clean, and easy to use in two-inch square cells. You have to keep your eye on the water level, as it seems to suddenly go dry, but otherwise I really like it as a first medium. I pot on to peat free organic compost within a month.

One thing I have noticed is that my brassica seeds seem to take a while to germinate - they normally do germinate, but they seem to take longer, and are more erratic than in the days when I used the "grown up" compost.

Any thoughts on this? Is the coir too acidic, perhaps, bearing in mind that brassica plants need a relatively high PH?

Could all be random, but I'd be interested if anyone else found certain seeds work in certain compost types better than others.

[Two_Sheds]

Au contraire, I found my seedlings are a day or two quicker to sprout in coir than in the multi-purpose. It does dry out quicker tho, so now I am blending the two together.

[Cutecumber]

Interesting ... I shall keep experimenting. I tend to use coir for the smallest seeds and then add some other compost for larger ones, in larger pots. When I transplant things, the roots seem to be very good in the coir, so no complaints really.