• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

media All about coco coir growing in pots

There seems to be a lot of confusion(me including) about how to treat 100% coco coir as a growing medium, so i want to discuss about it in this topic and i would like you all to talk/know about it.
 
 
IMG_20180224_114256_1.jpg

 
Coco coir is not a soil and instead should be treated like you would with plants growing in passive hydroponics. Coco coir wants a constant supply of moisture(this doest mean wet, as there is a huge difference between moist and wet) and fertilizers to make it work at it's best.
 
The tricky part is how to keep the coco coir moist without killing the roots in the same time. Using a air pruning pots seems to be a good way for keeping the coco coir moist without killing the roots with too much wetness, but there are other ways too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJoYdeTuFdQ
 
My newest discovery in coco coir growing is to use a capillary matt+seedling trays with uneven bottom section and terracotta pots to supply the coco coir a constant moisture and nutrients without making it too wet for the roots to feel happy growing in it:
IMG_20180224_102851_1.jpg

 
How to make this terracotta self watering system is found here:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/67427-seed-starting-system-using-plastic-water-bottles/
 
If you mix coco coir with a some kind of other growing mediums like peat or similar, then you treat it more like a soil and not as a pure coco coir.
 
dragonsfire said:
faster growth, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, nitrogen and copper provided by the coffee.
 
That sounds really nice and also the terracotta pots have a lot of various minerals in the clay, so maybe some of those minerals will also dissolve in the fertilizer mixture and feed the chilis...This is of course all for science.
 
Just started my seeds in coir and perlite. First time using coir, thanks for the info. I figured after the seeds popped I'd give them a dose of watered down nutes, this solidified that thinking
 
I still think it is best to top water the chilis growing in coco coir to wash away any build up salts and let the coco coir dry up a little between watering before adding more water to it. This is the safest method so far and it always works.
 
Back
Top