100% Coco?

Steven J.

Steven J.

Active member
Hello everyone. I'm hoping I can get some help with this one. Do you think I could over-winter my 40+ seedlings in 100% coconut coir? I want to avoid buying more soil if possible. I just need to up-pot them all quickly and I have plenty of coir. Maybe I could add some native soil as well.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
I would not. Coco coir does hold less water than peat, but you really need something for aeration in there. Otherwise you risk the roots rotting, especially if there is any rain.

If you can mix in at least about 30-40% perlite or pumice, that would help a lot. Coco coir also doesn’t seem to hold onto nutrients as well as peat, so that’s something to consider for if you want to keep them in it.

Also be careful of any salinity present in coco coir and that it is thoroughly washed.
 
I can't even get coir here for less than 3 arms and 5 legs but I think either coir or peat might not be ideal on their own. Native soil might work but it depends very much on the native soil. I'd be more inclined to add some sterilized compost... especially if you're bringing them indoors. 

I know they have different properties but I consider both coir and peat moss (something we have loads of here) to be empty filler. If the plant requires more then it needs to be added. Aeration is another concern as noted above but with what and how much depends on the compost you use. Perlite is my favourite.... but if you want to avoid spending extra money and it's not too heavy, sharp sand will take care of drainage 

Food for thought. I sense you want to use what you have without spending more money on small plants before the winter.
 
Thank you for your input TorontoJoe. 

The seedlings are in pure native soil right now. They have been since last December. Yes, I do wish to spare soil expenses to get more cuttings this season  :D
 
Steven J. said:
Thank you for your input TorontoJoe. 

The seedlings are in pure native soil right now. They have been since last December. Yes, I do wish to spare soil expenses to get more cuttings this season  :D
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I hear you. The prices for mix are outrageous.

I would only suggest that if they are in native soil now there's no reason to believe they would suffer from continuing in the same soil. Adding coir (or peat) to that to loosen things up I don't think would be an issue either. 

My only caution here is if you're moving them from the outdoors to indoors. Carrying in pests (and their eggs) without natural predators is a mistake I have made. Sterilize anything you bring indoors. 

FWIW... I've not done it for overwintering figs, but I've made some prettt good mix from peat moss, compost and native soil
 
@Figology
Very cool! I actually read a post about kitty litter, so I bought 2 bags to experiment with  :D

@TorontoJoe 
Nice! That is good to hear. Thank you for the cautionary statements. I think I will try out that native mix you said and keep them outdoors. We'll see how it goes.
 
I never used it before. Just bought some to try with cuttings. How big are the seedlings? I sprout mine in plain peat. After they sprout they go into small square pots. I will have to measure them. But I think they are 4in. I use a peat/perlite mix for these pots. Once I need to up pot them from these pots. They go into 1gal pots filled with the same mixture that I use for all my trees.
 
GoodFriendMike said:
I never used it before. Just bought some to try with cuttings. How big are the seedlings? I sprout mine in plain peat. After they sprout they go into small square pots. I will have to measure them. But I think they are 4in. I use a peat/perlite mix for these pots. Once I need to up pot them from these pots. They go into 1gal pots filled with the same mixture that I use for all my trees.
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Hi, Mike. The seedlings are super stunted from my neglect  :blush:
I put them in plastic cups last year, and they are still there. They only grew about 8 inches.

May the strong survive  :D
 
I agree with the above, coir alone compacts and you will end up with very anaerobic soil.
Roots would die for sure...must have well aerated soil, lots of perlite perhaps if you were to use it.
 
ktrain said:
I agree with the above, coir alone compacts and you will end up with very anaerobic soil.
Roots would die for sure...must have well aerated soil, lots of perlite perhaps if you were to use it.
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Thank you for the tip. I am up-potting them now, and I do smell some aerobic activity going on. Poor things  :blush:

It is very cool that they are alive and have thick roots though  :D
 
GoodFriendMike said:
Very nice! What fig or figs did you take seeds from?
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Thank you. I took seeds from all kinds of figs for this first round, so they really could be anything. Going forward, I will be more selective. This was mostly an experiment, but I'm loving these little guys.
 
@"Steven J."#188 
I am not a big fan of using Coco Coir @"Inflorescence"#181 advice about thoroughly washing the salinity out of the coco before using it was a very good suggestion. As was adding perlite to increase aeration @"TorontoJoe"#1 reminder not to take outside pests indoors was great advice as well.. I actually recommend starting with your indoor propagation Center in the very beginning of your gardening day to avoid bringing/importing any insects from your outside garden indoors. I recently did go with 50/50 Pro mix, and thoroughly washed coco coir for a Uline bag mid summer fig pop propagation experiment. That was suggested by @"Figology"#21 I got good roots on all 30 cuttings so I will try Coco again for fig pops. Mostly Steven I've been using my same potting mix for 8 years now, but that's only for outdoor up potting. It's a quick draining peat moss compost mix with some topsoil, and high aeration. LOL I'm certainly the least experienced member who has written on this thread.
 
Figless said:
@"Steven J."#188 
I am not a big fan of using Coco Coir @"Inflorescence"#181 advice about thoroughly washing the salinity out of the coco before using it was a very good suggestion. As was adding perlite to increase aeration  @"TorontoJoe"#1 reminder not to take outside pests indoors was great advice as well.. I actually recommend starting with your indoor propagation Center in the very beginning of your gardening day to avoid bringing/importing any insects from your outside garden indoors. I recently did go with 50/50 Pro mix, and thoroughly washed coco coir for a Uline bag mid summer fig pop propagation experiment. That was suggested by @"Figology"#21 I got good roots on all 30 cuttings so I will try Coco again for fig pops. Mostly Steven I've been using my same potting mix for 8 years now, but that's only for outdoor up potting. It's a quick draining peat moss compost mix with some topsoil, and high aeration. LOL I'm certainly the least experienced member who has written on this  thread.
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Very cool. Thank you for your in-depth response. I will be trying to leave leave these little guys outside for the Winter. Hopefully most of them make it through the Winter.
 
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