coir and organic dry amendments

[misterDeeby]

Sorry, I missed it. I don't grow in coco only, it is part of my organic super soil build, and also about 1/2 of my worm bedding build. I quit using peat as it is not really sustainable, and it breaks down too quickly. Coco coir has replaced peat and I like it better.

^^i split this from the box store organics thread, so things would stay more organized.

@Rozgreenburn so is it a simple swap, or do you reduce your liming agent (lime, shell, etc) to compensate for coir being a neutral substrate, vs acidic peat? as the coir decomposes/degrades, do you see a need to flush the sodium it releases, or is the amount inconsequential? do you need to dial back the K in flower, because of the breakdown issue?


I'm struggling with watering, as I'm used to DTW coir. a single drop of runoff, and i see signs of hypoxic roots within hours, and it's 24-36 hours before turgor is restored, and things aren't saggy and to be fully open, the initial mix only included the perlite the factory added to the sunshine#4. my new mix incorporates an additional ≈10-15% perlite. in the mean time, I've learned to balance the water given to not saturate the media, and to move my wet spot around the root zone. this is working beautifully, but I'd like something less..... i don't know..... temperamental?

it's easy to find naysayers for organics in coir, but it seems some Canadian guy (mr canuck?) is the only person championing coir and organics. it's often started the coir won't support microbial and fungal life. which is funny, as i grew a 3" dia bracket fungi in a godbud mother bucket that was well over 2 years old.

where can i start getting real info about living coir? no naysayers, no trolls.

 

[Rozgreenburn]

I don't know how to give a simple answer, so I'll just state the major input items.
I prebatch my mixes in 20 gallon garbage cans, so this would be for 20 gallons of super soil +-.
For a new mix
5 Gallons organic potting soil
2-3 G coco coir
2 G perlite
1 G vermiculite
1 G rice hulls
2-3 G EWC
2-3 compost
1 Cup dolomite lime powder
1 C lime pellets

That is all the bulk items in the mix. Of course there are a good many amendments that are added in much smaller quantities.
If you require the total recipe just LMK, I keep tweaking the amendments in an effort to get it perfect. I really am trying to make it just hot enough to keep thing running. There won't be a perfect mix because of the varied requirements of different strains.

The coir is 10% of my mix at most, I also recharge my used organic soils, and In order to keep the organic theme, only organic and non-chelated amendments can be used. I've been full organic for about 2 years now and I'm learning new tricks still. I've tried most methods, but I believe I'll be sticking with full organics, it just makes sense to me.

I did not find much info when I was switching over, but I purchased the 'rev's' "True Living Organics" which covers a wide range of ideas. I started with his recipe and make changes when I think it will help. You must keep good notes on your methods or you won't know what changes have what effects.

 

[Frosty78]

^^i split this from the box store organics thread, so things would stay more organized.

@Rozgreenburn so is it a simple swap, or do you reduce your liming agent (lime, shell, etc) to compensate for coir being a neutral substrate, vs acidic peat? as the coir decomposes/degrades, do you see a need to flush the sodium it releases, or is the amount inconsequential? do you need to dial back the K in flower, because of the breakdown issue?


I'm struggling with watering, as I'm used to DTW coir. a single drop of runoff, and i see signs of hypoxic roots within hours, and it's 24-36 hours before turgor is restored, and things aren't saggy and to be fully open, the initial mix only included the perlite the factory added to the sunshine#4. my new mix incorporates an additional ≈10-15% perlite. in the mean time, I've learned to balance the water given to not saturate the media, and to move my wet spot around the root zone. this is working beautifully, but I'd like something less..... i don't know..... temperamental?

it's easy to find naysayers for organics in coir, but it seems some Canadian guy (mr canuck?) is the only person championing coir and organics. it's often started the coir won't support microbial and fungal life. which is funny, as i grew a 3" dia bracket fungi in a godbud mother bucket that was well over 2 years old.

where can i start getting real info about living coir? no naysayers, no trolls.

If it breaks down, bacteria or fungi will be present. They are all in the air we breathe and making labs is a perfect example. I love seeing someone go against the grain and trying something new. I better check in on your journal and see how it's going. Good stuff