Peat Moss vs Coco Coir

[tqn626]

I know they're essentially the same almost. Coco coir is more of a renewable source but has to be washed multiple times because of all the salt in it.

Is there any other differences I should know? I've been using coco coir.

[rnewste]

How are you using it? In a regular container or SWC system?

Raybo

[tqn626]

SWC, pot, ground.

I wash it out 2-3 times. I heard you can soak it in a nutrient solution, yet to try.

[rnewste]

In a SWC I would recommend peat moss. I found coir retained too much moisture when I used the coir based Sunshine Advanced Mix #4 last year. I have now switched all my SWC systems back to Pro-Mix BX peat based material.

Raybo

[RayR]

Coco Coir differs from Peat Moss in a couple other ways, Coir has only marginally more N and P than Peat Moss, but neither is significant enough to affect plant growth. Coir does however contain a significant amount of Potassium, up around 2%, Peat Moss has an insignificant amount of K.
Coir is naturally slightly acidic, around 5.5-6.0, Peat is even more acidic. Dolomite is usually added to increase the PH, The added Calcium and Magnesium also benefits coir in that it will also help balance out the high Potassium level. The general rule of thumb with coir is to avoid adding fertilizers with high K because an accumulation of too much additional potassium can lock out other nutrients like Magnesium.
I'm sure Raybo is right about coir in an SWC, in a convention container with bottom drainage I don't any problem with too much moisture retention.

[Wi-sunflower]

I know one of the arguments FOR coir vs peat is that coir is renewable. But several of the Canadian peat companies have shown that peat is also renewable, just slower to renew.

My argument against coir is what is the carbon footprint for coir ??

What I mean is - obviously coir is going to take a whole lot more fuel to ship to the USA from the Pacific or India than Peat is from Canada.

So if they are both renewable if managed correctly, isn't peat the better choice for us here in the USA ??

I don't know if there are local sources of peat in AU, but for them coir would probably be better.

Just something to think about.

Carol

[MileHighGuy]

Don't worry at all about the NPK That's not what this is for.

The Sphagnum Peat Moss Bales are alive under a microscope and that is really good!

The Sphagnum peat moss has a higher CEC which is Paramount to any container garden as the Higher Cation Exchange Capacity will allow for more nutrients to stay in the soil mixture for the plant to use.

The current mining of sphagnum is at .02 percent of the 270 million acres that are in Canada. The Coco is shipped from very far away and would require more fuel to use. It is also typically much more expensive for a quality product. Look at what the major nurseries are using... Peat Moss.

They don't have time to break up the crazy dense bales of Coco and then properly rinse it so that it doesn't harm the plants. Coco coir also grabs calcium and magnesium and makes it unavailable to the plants so much more is needed and that isn't good either.

For these reasons I love Sphagnum Peat Moss!

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WNCZE 10 May 2012 Coconut Coir
Purchased coconut coir from Home Depot for $7.95 per brick. My use is in the garden for selected plants, and to use in my home potting soil mix. I find the modern Sphagnum peat moss to be almost a powder and useless for my purposes. One coconut coir brick expands in about half an hour to about 2 cubic feet. I tried a test mixture with my potting/starter soil and consider it ideal. It has some texture. Apparently there are different types. This happens to be designed for mulch, so is a bit more coarse than just the hairs of the coconut shell. I consider it perfect for my applications.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TQJJD 3 May 2012 Coconut coir (Beats Peat Brand)
This is the fibre from the hulls of coconuts which are abundant in many parts of the world. It is a totally renewable resource. It is used as a replacement for peat moss. Coconut Noir has as pH of 7 (neutral), excellent water retention properties, and has some body or long fibres, hence aeration properties. It is sold in compressed bricks, which is activated by placing in water for about 30 minutes, and the usual package (four bricks) expands to 3 cubic feet of product. My application is as an addition to my home made potting soil. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?PLAMH The present sphagnum peat moss sold is a powder due to the current processing (slurry dried). It use to have some fibre but this is no longer the case.I consider it useless for gardening operations.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UFJVP 8 September 2009 Peat moss and Coconut fibre comparison.
When using peat moss, usually the product is added to the medium straight from the bag. Experience has indicated that it does not mix well when water is added. There will be many dry pockets in the mixed medium. Peat moss a few years ago use to be more coarse in structure. Now the product is processed in a slurry and dried then bagged. This process destroys the old coarse structure. The peat moss is not readily hygroscopic. Its use has been discontinued in my garden area.
I have found coconut fibre to be ideal for my home potting mix.It has an adequate structure, and is hygroscopic, which is a desired feature. Since this time, I have found coconut coir comes in different grades of coarseness.

[MileHighGuy]

But your comparing horrible peat.... to Coco... not fair comparison.

Get Alaska or Premier peat out of Canada.

I purchase the 3.8 Cubic Foot Compressed Bales for 12.00 and they are Fantastic in quality.

These bales are NOT ground up and dried, rehydrated etc. like they are in most aftermarket products.

The Peatmoss in the Bales direct from the source are of the higest quality and MUCH better than any coco product on the market.

H1 and H2 are found in the Bales.

Here is the Scale for Quality:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5872e/x5872e07.htm


I would also advise those that jump on the Coco bandwagon make sure they thoroughly wash it and get all the salts off or you will see some strange deficiencies in your plants.

Most importantly, besides how easy it is to mix a product together.... which product will grow the best plants? For me, the answer is PeatMoss.

[Durgan]

I am comparing what is being sold as peat in Southern Ontario. You know Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. All the farm suppliers and box stores are selling the same crap. I stumbled around paying often big bucks for peat that didn't do the job. Eventually I had to develop my own solution, and it WORKS.

My interest was seedling soil and the PEAT didn't cut the mustard. Salt in coconut coir is probably an old wives tale without substantial merit.Certainly I never encountered salt in coir. The peat producers bought the disaster on to themselves by trying to go cheap.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCJYP 31 May 2012 Seedling soil.

It was a nice day and all the ingredients were available, so it was decided to make seedling soil for the 2013 season. The underlying nutrient soil was the compost heap. It was modified using some knowledge and information from previous subjective experience. Ingredients added to the basic underlying compost was, coconut coir, mason sand, some garden earth, wood chip shavings, a bit of urea. My mental process was this. Coconut coir for moisture retention. Mason sand to inhibit coagulating of the basic compost. Garden earth to supply a few microbes. Wood chips shavings for aeration.Urea to replenish any nitrogen lost as the wood chips compost or break down.The wood chips also are an indicator of how through the mixing is, since they are easily seen.

The subjective quantities selected were mixed thoroughly on the compost pile using the Honda FG110G rototiller. The finished product was stored in 20 litre buckets and closed with lids tapped into place with a rubber hammer. A total quantity of about 540 litres was obtained for use in the 2013 season.Holes were drilled under the lid lip of the 20 litre pails to allow air in.

[MileHighGuy]

With Good Compost, all else doesn't really matter.

I bet it works perfect!

For those using a very high ratio of Coco Coir, some of the issues I pointed out will become an issue.

[tqn626]

Lot of good information. I'm using a high ratio coco coir mix for one of my SWC for my KangDong(River spinach) and they're growing like gangbusters.

[MileHighGuy]

My Buyer Beware was only because there are some really bad blocks of Coco out there. Some of the better brands are low in salt, but sometimes 1 package can be worse than others.... also you will find bits of shredded plastic inside the coco and that was bothersome too.

Here is a link to one company that sells Coco and their recommendations

http://www.generalhydroponics.com/bl...-out-the-salt/

For most of us farmers and gardeners, we will rinse it well and mix it with other products.

[Wi-sunflower]

Durgan,

Here in the US, "Sphagnum" Peat and the compressed bales of "Peat" are 2 completely different things. Sphagnum like you describe isn't used as part of potting soil at all that I know about. Sheet Sphagnum is used for Orchids or Bromiliads.

I find it hard to believe that bales of Fafard or Premier aren't being sold around you as they are both located in eastern Canada. Strange.

Carol

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

Durgan,

Here in the US, "Sphagnum" Peat and the compressed bales of "Peat" are 2 completely different things. Sphagnum like you describe isn't used as part of potting soil at all that I know about. Sheet Sphagnum is used for Orchids or Bromiliads.

I find it hard to believe that bales of Fafard or Premier aren't being sold around you as they are both located in eastern Canada. Strange.

Carol

This is the typical stuff being sold. It is dust.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/in...lmy/R-I5053112 Same junk compressed.