Coir is good stuff, but unlike general purpose compost it contains no nutrients, so you'll need a coir feed for seedlings that you use from 3-4 days after germination and another feed for mature plants when they're a few weeks old onward. I should add that I've not used coir for a long time, I found it a bit too much effort with feeding, and as coir drains so easily plants kept drying out as I wasn't watering often enough. If you keep on top of it, it's good - but I found it no better than ordinary MPC
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Cannot think why anyone would even consider using that stuff, an odd time when I buy small potted plants they are potted up in it, as they dry out so quickly, I immediately repot into proper compost or else the plants do not prosper!
If it were any use at all, the locals would spread it on their own ground to improve the soil or what ever the tree are growing in, not export it though that no doubt gives them additional income!
Hi debs 😊. I've never bothered to use coir for seeds. As Pete says, there's no nutrients in it so you'd have to add some to the mix. Too much faff for me.
I just get a fresh bag of seed compost every spring, pay about £3 for 20l in wilko, but I sow loads. A bit of sieved MPC would work just as well if you don't need much.
Thanks for the advice all I will just go for seed compost I think. I have lots of seeds to sow and I thought the coir might be cleaner to use. Hadn’t thought of he other issues. Can’t wait to get sowing!
I think one reason it gets used is that it's very light to carry, so if you don't have a car, or any other transport, you can get it home easily! Other than that, I'm not sure there are many advantages for most seeds/plants.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think it's a case of horses for courses. Coir comes into its own for commercial tomato growers, lettuce growers and the like. Coir contains no nutrients itself which allow the grower to precisely control the amount of fertilizer the plants get. Monitoring how much of the nutrients are used each day allows the grower to feed plants heavily without over feeding to maximize the harvest. Which generally speaking is too much faffing about for us home growers A good seed compost is best
PS - don't be in too much of hurry to get sowing - there's not enough light for seedlings this time of year. I don't start sowing until early March.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
PS - don't be in too much of hurry to get sowing - there's not enough light for seedlings this time of year. I don't start sowing until early March.
I totally agree. Very often early sowings get all leggy and limp as they are at a stage when they should be outside, but the weather hasn't caught up. Better , IMHO , to leave sowing until later.
Pete - you're right. It's also hard for 'ordinary gardeners' to get swept up in the merry go round about new products which are deemed to be magically different. It's like the diet industry. A lot of smoke and mirrors. I also agree about sowing too early. Again, it's very tempting when there are super duper propagators and heat pads etc to get them germinating and growing quickly, but you then need somewhere to put those 5 million seeds that have germinated...
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
I should add that I've not used coir for a long time, I found it a bit too much effort with feeding, and as coir drains so easily plants kept drying out as I wasn't watering often enough. If you keep on top of it, it's good - but I found it no better than ordinary MPC
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I just get a fresh bag of seed compost every spring, pay about £3 for 20l in wilko, but I sow loads.
A bit of sieved MPC would work just as well if you don't need much.
Other than that, I'm not sure there are many advantages for most seeds/plants.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Coir comes into its own for commercial tomato growers, lettuce growers and the like.
Coir contains no nutrients itself which allow the grower to precisely control the amount of fertilizer the plants get. Monitoring how much of the nutrients are used each day allows the grower to feed plants heavily without over feeding to maximize the harvest.
Which generally speaking is too much faffing about for us home growers
A good seed compost is best
PS - don't be in too much of hurry to get sowing - there's not enough light for seedlings this time of year. I don't start sowing until early March.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Very often early sowings get all leggy and limp as they are at a stage when they should be outside, but the weather hasn't caught up. Better , IMHO , to leave sowing until later.
I also agree about sowing too early. Again, it's very tempting when there are super duper propagators and heat pads etc to get them germinating and growing quickly, but you then need somewhere to put those 5 million seeds that have germinated...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...