Growing Veggies in Coco Coir

DUMB question: What is BER?

Speaking of calcium...here the lack of it in the soil is major! So many of our growing problems are traced to lack of calcium which we add with Dolomite and gypsum and epsom salts...

For my greenhouse I use MSU Fertilizer with strong calcium/magnesium... it is specific for growing plants in artificial medium....

Reading all this and thinking and planning!

AlohaHoya - BER is a tomato problem (only veg that I know) - Blossom End Rot (BER).

Thanks for that....

Tplant: I did use a cover, but I had one opening with nothing growing in it, so maybe weed seeds got in that way?

Kanita -- Oh most definetly! Even when I'm using some of my EBs at melon time which is only for about four months I always leave the unused or standby EBs with covers as our weeds wrap themselves so hard in the mix that they compact and I am forced to dispose of the mix. If I used all nineteen EBs for melons I'd be overloaded with melons. I always have plenty of covers in stock as I buy them twenty at a time. I even tape the natural holes that are part of the cover. How are yours doing as we are in the same zone?

My garden is doing really well, but I don't have anything planted in the EB's, just in the ground. I will have to buy more replacement covers then, because I only have a couple, which is why I was using them with the holes.

I don't have melons growing, but I have pumpkins, peppers, greens, cabbages, peas and such.

T.. You got any plants up in yoru coor eb's yet? How they seem to be doing with the coor mix?

I just finished reading an article about hydroponics and it said that the coir that first came out was not of good quality and had way to much sodium in it. But that was some years ago and was from immature fiber and poor processing. The coir now is well processed and from good quality suppliers and should not have a problem. I really like it.
Annie

No not really as I did want to plant tomatos in the coir but I think not as I have more tomatos then I can use. I'm going to plant veggies in them from seed. Probably asian and Diva cucumbers. I do have my quarter barrel cedar containers (4) that I just set up today for Carrots, Golden Squash, Zuchinni and bunching onions. Must plant the seed tomorrow. However I did plant stringbeans in the white gro bags and they are coming along nicely but the other gro bag had a slight mishap as the lettuce that was growing in it was crushed when my grandson accidently fell on it plus I think I have a rabbit nibbling the remainder. I now hesitate growing lettuce for that reason as I never had rabbit problems before. Hope he doesn't get interested in anything else? Otherwise I like it because it is so easy to work with!
Come on over tomorrow and help me plant some seed?

T.. If you wasn't so far away, would be glad to help ya. I been sitting here most of the day tryign to figure out when I want to start seed and wonderinghow much the weather gonna cooperate this year. This surprise artic cold blasts are not good nor encouraging for tryign to start things early.

A poor tyke. He probably felt real bad when he fell on it.

I was looking at zuchinni seedtoday and wondering what kind I want to plant this year.

Oh no! Hope ya don't got a bunny. I got a deer for the first time in many many years. How he coming aroudn through all the neighbor sdogs and such is beyond me. he discovered and ate all the bean plants that was planted at the bottom of the neighbors corn stalks.

Found some its poop by my tomatoes, but didn't see any tomatoes missing or the plants chomped, but noticed he has discovered the Daylily beds and wil be munching Daylily buds I fear come spring before I can get them picked to eat or bloomed.

I'd rather have a rabbit than a deer running around. They are supposed to have some deterrents available that you sprinkle around and the varmints don't like the smell and stay away.

Can you point me to a good place to learn about growing in EBs?

www.earthbox.com

TPlant, is like the resident EB growing King. Ya got a question about them, he has the answers. He also has lots of posts around about them. : )

Thanks bunches!!! They sound like the way to grow! We have so many weeds!!!!! Maybe I will try the Coir again!!!

Aloha -- Do! It is really great stuff! As I stated previously as my Jungle Growth loses its affect or depletes I will replace it with the coir as it is so much easier to work with and no one can DENY BocaBobs results and he doesn't have the room that most of us have and just look at his garden. I've got to get some of that fertilizer! What impresses me most are the fact that his plants and fruits and veggies are so healthy. I had a couple of his cucumbers and they were delicious. I can't wait for my stringbeans to mature as they are doing fine in the white long gro bags. The self watering system that he helped me set up is a true blessing for me being disabled and all as now it allows me to expand my garden.

I just cant wait to find out how those beans produce in those grow bags, they are perfect for lining up the fence, which I have netting over for climbing.

I have used two of my coir blocks. One EB, one daylily potted up and I was out of my bio sponges, so I cramed it into the styrofoam floating things and my seeds have sprouted just like litle champs.

My beans are doing fine in gro bags. Today I planted in quarter whiskey barrels that I have plenty of, with carrots, green onions, green squash and yellow squash all in coconut coir. Tomorrow my specialty cucumbers in my EBs. Couldn't do much as I was having back spasms and had to quit. What beautiful weather we are having. It makes gardening a pleasure.

Hmmmm white grow bags....hummmmmmm. Empty white plastic bags fertilizer/stuff comes in for the rest of the farm. Hmmmm.

Do you seal up the tops of the grow bags once the 'bean is out'?

I HATE to come in late like this and ask questions. I will have to research more in this group.....

Hmmmmm

I went to the website...seems the 'system' they sell could be jerry rigged to work without the expense of buying the 'kit'....

This message was edited Nov 26, 2008 1:22 PM

For the price it's not worth messing around with homemade stuff?? My opinion! But then again you are in Hawaii and shipping may be another story?

Yup...shipping is horrendous. Plus, many mainland suppliers tack on a fortune to ship out here - as if we were a foreign country. Grow bags, for instance, are expensive.... We try to reuse and recycle...

Even though thr gro bags don't weigh hardly anything before they are re-hydrated? As they charge by weight!

Prices are per 'what the market will bear'... shipping is also calculated by volume. Even if the prices were equal to a blow molded pot of the same size, our landfills are suffering! We are an agricultural society here...and fertilizer sacks are plentiful - . I know they look horrible - would not be my first choice. Since we have about 50 sacks, empty and awaiting some clever use, I thought I might start there!!!

Carol

The upright coir sacks probably have flat bottoms so as not to fall over. However, the ferterlizer bags may be useful as lay flat bags provided they could somehow be sealed so as not to dump out the coir. Good idea!

Good thought, trg...I have some squash seedlings coming up...may try them in the greenhouse.