Coir

This may been posted before I trying out these coir blocks that you soak and it swells to 50ltrs
would be interesting to have others views especially if they have tried it , I have come across plants in garden centres grown in this medium and they seem to do well. At £1.79 for 50Ltrs I thought it was worth a try

 

I have used in the past , it just holds too much water on its own, it reminds me of a tea leaves brewed in a pot , and you have to start feeding earlier as in from 4 weeks , so I have given up on it to be honest.

"At £1.79 for 50Ltrs I thought it was worth a try" at that price I would use as a mulch or maybe to use to mix in with other compost ?

Spruce

 

I used this last year and quite liked it.
I had only one flowerbed last summer that I planted up for a display in time for my sister's wedding in July. We had a little garden party for her.
I used the coir and a bag of multipurpose compost, dug into the soil to improve it before planting. The coir holds moisture for longer than just compost, and I read somewhere online that it naturally repels slugs and snails. I didn't see 1 slug or snail in that area at all last year and everything I planted flowered well into September/October without being eaten.
It doesn't hold any nutrients though so you would need to add a suitable fertilizer regularly.

I have just bought another 5 x 5kg blocks from a seller on ebay. Each block expands to about 70 litres, giving 350 litres in total when expanded, so that will do for digging in to the new flowerbeds I'm making this year. Good price too at £24.95 for the five blocks and free p&p. This seller does sell fertilizer formulated specifically for using with coir, but I didn't buy any.
I'll use some of it as a mulch too, to keep any slugs away from the perennials I've grown from seed this year.
It is my first time growing perennials from seed after trying with a few annuals and biennials last year. Other than the one 9' x 3' bed I planted last year, my back garden has never had anything grown in it (other than the weed infested grass) since these houses were built in the 1930s.

 

I have my tomatoes growing it and so far they are doing very well quite impressed with it

 

I have my tomatoes growing it and so far they are doing very well quite impressed with it