Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Have You Used 100% Coir in Covered Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPs)?

If you've tried using 100% coir as growing medium for SIPs, we're eager to hear about your experience.

A compressed block of
coir: fiber from coconut shells

Both Bruce and I have used some coir, along with a larger quantity of peat and a little perlite, in previous years, but haven't yet tried all-coir as planting mix.

Coir seems to retain more moisture, and in a covered SIP like the ones we use, we're concerned about soggy growing medium.

Covered SIP
Leave info in comments or email us. And thanks...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've used straight coir in containers and last year I used it in a SIP and didn't notice any problems with the sogginess of medium.

FYI: if someone just needs a little they can get it at any big box pet supply store where it is sold (brick-shaped) as reptile bedding. Kind of inexpensive and I've been using it to cut the more expensive potting mixes for my containers. Saves a ton of money.

oldgrowth said...

I hesitate to use 100% in a closed system like sips because of the enhanced water retention. I have recently been using it as an additive around 50% to an existing potting soil. Just my opinion, but because we are NOT wanting a super-saturated medium makes me go with the 50% mix.

Life in Savannah said...

newgrantorleans

I will be trying the SIP for the first time this year. I have already but a brick of the coir and hope to a combination of 50/50; 30/30/40-hoping between those two combinations by results should pretty good. Plus I have some much dirt that I want to recycle(can you recycle dirt?) I decided on the mixtures.

H2 said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone.