Coco Coir Seed Starting Mix Recipe

Coco coir seed starting mix recipe

Coconut coir is growing in popularity as a seed starting and growing medium, especially, as a replacement for peat moss.

How do you make seed starting mix with coir?

DIY Seed Starting Mix Recipe

8 parts (pre-moistened) coco coir or peat moss.
1 part vermiculite.
1 part perlite or pumice.
1 tablespoon garden lime per gallon (if you use peat moss)

How do you make a seed starter mix?

Basic Recipe for Seed-Starting Mix

4 parts compost.
1 part perlite.
1 part vermiculite.
2 parts peat moss.

What do you mix with seed starting mix?

Basic Seed Starting Mix Recipe

1 part sphagnum peat moss (or coco coir)
1 part perlite.
1 part vermiculite.

Do you have to soak coco coir before planting?

Coco can hold onto masses of nutrient salts. Some of this will be unavailable to your plants. To make sure your plants get enough to feed on, you need to pre-soak your coco media before planting on.

Can you plant straight into coco coir?

You can grow almost any plant in coco coir as the material acts just like any other potting soil or peat. As long as you know what you are doing, almost all plants will benefit from being planted in coco coir. You can use coco coir to grow everything from exotic plants, to even more common plants and flowers.

What is the ratio of coco coir to soil?

When creating new garden beds or digging a hole for a plant, add about 1:3 coconut coir with native soil and compost. Incorporate the coconut coir and native soil together to create a clumpy friable structure.

Do you need to mix perlite with coco coir?

Mix your coco coir and perlite (not necessary with chips). Using 25 percent perlite will give you a 3:1 mixture of coco to perlite, which is what we recommend for hydroponic systems, whether you're using an ebb and flow system like the GreenTree Hydroponic system or a drip system like the Versagrow.

How do I activate coco coir?

In order to use your coco coir, it must first be hydrated.

Put the brick in a large container – remember that the brick will expand five to seven times once hydrated, so ensure you choose a large enough container.
Cover the brick with warm water.
Allow the water to absorb for at least 15 minutes.

What is a good seed starting formula?

2 parts coconut coir (purpose: provide light, but well-draining growth medium for seedling roots | you can buy coconut coir here) 1 part vermiculite (purpose: increase water & nutrient retention | you can buy vermiculite here) 1 part perlite (purpose: increase soil aeration & good drainage | you can buy perlite here)

What is the third mistake people make when starting seeds?

3) Using the Wrong Soil or Potting Medium to Sow Seeds Another common seed starting mistake that new gardeners make is using just any old soil to start their seeds in. Old soil from the garden or yard may contain and introduce diseases or pests to your new seedlings.

Can I use potting mix instead of seed starting mix?

Although potting soils may be used to start seeds, they tend to have a more coarse texture and may contain field soil, compost or composted manure along with vermiculite, peat moss or perlite. Some seed-starting or potting mixes may contain fertilizer as an additive.

What is the best medium for starting seeds?

Edmund's recipe for a good basic pasteurized medium for growing seedlings is a mixture of one-third pasteurized soil or compost, one-third sand, vermiculite or perlite, and one-third coconut coir or peat moss.

Should you boil seed starting mix?

Using boiling water to hydrate the seed starting mix will kill the fungus gnat eggs 99% of the time. Most seed starting mixes have little, if any, microbes in the mix. They are typically peat moss and vermiculite based. The boiling water will kill any microbes in the mix.

What is the best germination mix?

Avoid planting seeds in natural soil; instead, opt for a commercial seed-starting mix for optimal germination and survival rates. The best starting soil only needs three ingredients for seeds to germinate: sphagnum peat moss (or coco coir), perlite, and vermiculite.

What are the disadvantages of coco coir?

The most common problem with coir is it can have an extremely high salt content, especially in lower grades. Coir high in salts should be leached before use. Coir has a lower cation-exchange capacity and it is high in phosphorous and potassium.

Can you overwater in coco coir?

One of the biggest issues with coco is watering practices. Coco is a sponge, and like a sponge, when squeezed water comes out, but not all the water. The sponge will remain damp and coco can still appear wet without having enough available water to give to the plant. Constantly watering coco results in over-watering.

What happens if you dont buffer coco coir?

An unbuffered coco coir will cause nutrient lock out of calcium and magnesium because the coco substrates have a stronger attraction to these 2 salts compared to potassium and sodium. As a result, sodium and potassium will be displaced into the solution and uptaken into the roots.

How often should I water my coco coir seedlings?

The seedling in the coco/perlite substrate should be watered once or twice per day until 20% runoff from bottom. Coco must not be let to dry and be frequently wetted.

Do plants grow faster in coco coir?

It isn't compact, unlike soil, so your plants' roots have free reign to grow, and tend to grow a lot faster when in coco coir; nutrient absorption is also sped up. This makes for bigger plants in the same pot, so if you don't have much space you can place more, smaller pots.