General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SE Florida Zone 10
Posts: 319
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Has anyone substituted Coco Coir for bark fines in the earthtainers/pots?
Any advantages/disadvantages to doing so? |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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Coco coir drains well and provides plenty of air space in
a container mix, but my guess would be that it holds more water than bark fines. Bark is somewhat hydrophilic (repels water), at least until it has had a few years of decay. Gravel (or pumice, lava sand, etc) would be a better subsitute, but gravel makes the container heavier to move around (same if you substitute coarse sand for perlite). There is a kind of coir that comes in larger chunks that might work, usually called "coco chips" or something like that (not to be confused with "cocoa mulch", which comes from a different plant). Substituting regular coir for peat or potting mix would work, though. (I am guessing that you are having difficulty finding bark fines at the local stores. Here is a good document on container mixes that lists some different possible components found in Florida down near the end: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cn004 )
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SE Florida Zone 10
Posts: 319
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Thanks for the reply dice. I did some reading and found the same as it likely will hold too much water. Problem is it is hard to find fine bark fines locally.
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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jpop,
Do a search for bark fines in Florida in the "Search" tab. I recall someone finding a source in your area. Raybo |
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