Test Valley Triffids Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I'm looking to go peat free and I feel like I've pinned down the options to this one compost for Sarracenias: Fertile Fibre Coir Chips Husk: https://www.fertilefibre.com/coir/coir-chips-husk-177.html I've gone through all of the information I can find and the above product appears to be suitable (neat, no amelorants??) for growing Sarracenia. Please can I have some advice about this? Am I on the right track or totally off the rails? I'm also looking to grow beginner Drosera in this medium - should I be adding sand? Looking at the RHS website they advise using Melcourt Composted Bark in the same way as peat (this is an RHS endorsed product, and having worked for the RHS I have my reservations), hence why I'm going down the Fertile Fibre Coir Chips route. Any advice will be greatly appreciated by me and my plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted January 2, 2022 Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 I have use both extensively. I prefer just neat coir chips these days, but the melcourt works well too, get better rootgrowth in the coir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Valley Triffids Posted January 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 Many thanks @gardenofeden The coir chips arrived quickly from Fertile Fibre. Do you add any sand to your mix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted January 2, 2022 Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 No I don’t use any additives 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxman Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 23 hours ago, gardenofeden said: I have use both extensively. I prefer just neat coir chips these days, but the melcourt works well too, get better rootgrowth in the coir Hi, I've not yet taken the plunge into peat-free compost (yes, I know I should but fear risking my plants). Do you think coir is the way to go? And who is the best supplier and what is the best mix for Sarracenia? How does it compare with Mike's mix of Melcourt bark/perlite/cornish grit? I've found 2 of these ingredients difficult to obtain in small quantities. Thanks. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 On 1/3/2022 at 2:23 PM, linuxman said: Hi, I've not yet taken the plunge into peat-free compost (yes, I know I should but fear risking my plants). Do you think coir is the way to go? And who is the best supplier and what is the best mix for Sarracenia? How does it compare with Mike's mix of Melcourt bark/perlite/cornish grit? I've found 2 of these ingredients difficult to obtain in small quantities. Thanks. Martin well I like coir as it is weed free, acid, low nutrient and the chips can be re-used. It's not without environmental impact though. Melcourt is arguably more sustainable, and with less transport issues, but a bit inconsistent at present. For more info visit the FB site I set up which has some more detailed info Peat Free Carnivorous Plants UK | Facebook Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxman Posted January 7, 2022 Report Share Posted January 7, 2022 On 1/4/2022 at 2:28 PM, gardenofeden said: well I like coir as it is weed free, acid, low nutrient and the chips can be re-used. It's not without environmental impact though. Melcourt is arguably more sustainable, and with less transport issues, but a bit inconsistent at present. For more info visit the FB site I set up which has some more detailed info Peat Free Carnivorous Plants UK | Facebook Stephen Thanks for the info Stephen, but I'm afraid I don't do Facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Valley Triffids Posted January 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2022 Hi Steve, @gardenofeden Please could you tell me how wet your coir chips are? I've been rehydrating mine and unless the chips are actually sitting in water, the chips are relatively dry. Should I be using low/squat pots so that Sarracenia roots are in the wettest chips in a pot? Many thanks - I've not done peat free before and don't want to lose my plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 (edited) On 1/16/2022 at 8:09 PM, Test Valley Triffids said: Hi Steve, @gardenofeden Please could you tell me how wet your coir chips are? I've been rehydrating mine and unless the chips are actually sitting in water, the chips are relatively dry. Should I be using low/squat pots so that Sarracenia roots are in the wettest chips in a pot? Many thanks - I've not done peat free before and don't want to lose my plants Well all my pots sit in water. Sometimes the surface seems quite dry but this is often superficial. Occasionally I water the odd pot from the top if it seems excessively dry Edited February 17, 2022 by gardenofeden 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Valley Triffids Posted February 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 40 minutes ago, gardenofeden said: Well all my pots sit in water. Sometimes the surface seems quite dry but this is often superficial. Occasionally I water the odd pot from the top if it seems excessively dry Thanks for the advice/reply, I'll be repotting my plants soonish. Could you please advise on what peat free media is suitable for seed sowing, as the coir chips seem far too chunky for this purpose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 Just jumping on this thread as I've recently repotted a few neps in pure coir husk from Fertile Fibre. I've got a quick question about TDS measurements: I rehydrated the block with pure RO water (TDS <5ppm), but after passing through the coir, the water measures >200ppm. I also measured some water that had been sat in the coir overnight and it came out as >1500ppm! I know 'dissolved solids' is not necessarily a helpful measurement, but this seemed a bit alarming. Has anyone else had this experience with Fertile Fibre coir? Is it something I should be concerned about, or is the high conductivity just a result of harmless tanins etc. from the coir? Thanks, Henry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tropfrog Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 Coco coir and Coco husk comes from the Coco palm tree which exclusevly grows close to the ocean. Salt is common in cheap products. Soaking and rincing helps alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 On 11/14/2022 at 12:46 PM, hen said: Just jumping on this thread as I've recently repotted a few neps in pure coir husk from Fertile Fibre. I've got a quick question about TDS measurements: I rehydrated the block with pure RO water (TDS <5ppm), but after passing through the coir, the water measures >200ppm. I also measured some water that had been sat in the coir overnight and it came out as >1500ppm! I know 'dissolved solids' is not necessarily a helpful measurement, but this seemed a bit alarming. Has anyone else had this experience with Fertile Fibre coir? Is it something I should be concerned about, or is the high conductivity just a result of harmless tanins etc. from the coir? Thanks, Henry I dont think TDS values from rinsing are helpful, you can get high values from peat rinsings too. Once rinsed its OK in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanC Posted August 18, 2023 Report Share Posted August 18, 2023 On 1/2/2022 at 2:50 PM, gardenofeden said: I have use both extensively. I prefer just neat coir chips these days, but the melcourt works well too, get better rootgrowth in the coir Hello, Sorry to revive an old thread, I am trying to go "peat free" for my plants and looking for solutions. Stephen, would you say the root growth was better with coir because it is coarser and therefore drier on the surface, forcing the plant to send its roots deeper to reach the water? I presume the pitchers were all similar in vigour despite the difference in root growth. Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 On 8/18/2023 at 10:07 AM, JonathanC said: Hello, Sorry to revive an old thread, I am trying to go "peat free" for my plants and looking for solutions. Stephen, would you say the root growth was better with coir because it is coarser and therefore drier on the surface, forcing the plant to send its roots deeper to reach the water? I presume the pitchers were all similar in vigour despite the difference in root growth. Many thanks. I would say it's got better structure and is very open, when I say coir I mean coir chips generally… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogster Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 How long does coir last for in water before rotting down? I have 100 plants or more and only repot when necessary. Some of the peat free mixes available seem to contain bark and recommend re-potting every 2/3 years. There are also mixes containing Akadamia, which I use for my Bonsai activities, but it’s heavy and extremely expensive. There are also questions about Akadamia’s longevity in water. There seems to be still some debate continuing as to what’s going to happen from January 2024 and plenty of confusion. Will we still be able to buy peat in bales as now, is that “garden compost” Will there be some sort of specialised use exemption? At the moment I’m tempted to stockpile peat bales before January… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.