Coco Coir for earthtainers

[jpop]

Has anyone substituted Coco Coir for bark fines in the earthtainers/pots?

Any advantages/disadvantages to doing so?

[dice]

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 )

[jpop]

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.

[rnewste]

jpop,

Do a search for bark fines in Florida in the "Search" tab. I recall someone finding a source in your area.

Raybo