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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Coco Burpee #5
 
 


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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I bought a couple of Burpee made coconut fiber bricks at  Target today, $2.47 each.
Expands to 8 qts.
The instructions outside say to simply add water, wait, and use as a seed starting mix.
By the texture it looks like the peat moss.

Anybody has tried this? I assume a mix with some perlite will do just fine.

It seems this coco does not require any additional rinsing, is it right?

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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
When you but the labeled stuff I think you're okay not rinsing, it's already been done.
I love this stuff and you got a great price!
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Add just enough HOT water to make the compressed, dry, blocks expand, and if you must, break up the dryish lumps by hand...don't add anymore water than you need to.  Let this stuff rest, in a bucket, for a few hours to evenly soak up the moisture.

Good for starting seeds, storing cuttings, and for air-layering fig-tree branches.  If it drips, it's too wet...it should be barely moist.

Frank
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Thanks!
I will try it this weekend. Is it worth adding this coco to the potting mix when planting after rooting? For example, a mix like bark + perlite + coco.
5:2:1 may work.
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snaglpus

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Hey Frank!  I got luck and picked up 22 of those bricks (different brand) at Big Lots for $1.60 each.  Each large brick make 1 - 2cu bag of mulch.  I haven't used it yet but will start using them this week.  What I plant on doing is adding the mulch on top of my container trees.  My instructions say to place the brick in a wheel barrel and hit with a garden hose of water until it expands.  I'm curious how much water they hold.  My wheel barrel has some drain holes.  I wish the holes were holes were bigger so I could plug the hole to let the brick absorb all the water.
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Dennis
Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a 
Grasa

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
how about using an old shower curtain to line the barrel?
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Grasa
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snaglpus

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Now there's an idea Grasa!  Thanks!  I'll give it a try!
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Dennis
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
I used a tarp from HD. They are much stronger than the shower curtains and actually cheaper (of course not cheaper than an old curtain). You can buy a blue or brown one, they would serve for long time.
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BronxFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
These compressed bricks of coco coir hold very large amounts of water, and will expand in volume many times the original size.  I'd experiment with the mulch idea, and mixing with potting soil.  If you use too much of this stuff, you might wind up with a potting mix/mulch that stays too wet and sodden.

The hot water trick also works with milled sphagnum, and peat moss.

Have fun.

Frank
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