How to mix coconut coir with nutrient soil? Can plants be grown directly with coconut coir?

Coconut pith is made from the shell of coconut through a series of processing. It has good air permeability and many people use it to grow flowers, vegetables and other plants. However, coconut pith itself has little nutrition. It is better to mix it into nutrient soil or pay attention to topdressing after use.

How to mix coconut bran with nutrient soil

Coconut bran needs to be fully decomposed before use. Generally, it takes more than two months to ferment after covering with film. The coconut bran bricks we buy from the market are made by high-temperature fermentation and pressing, so they do not need to be decomposed again. They only need to be soaked before use. We usually use peat, perlite and vermiculite to prepare nutrient soil. If you have coconut bran, you can replace half of the peat with coconut bran, or mix coconut bran, perlite and foam in a ratio of 4:2:2. Then add 1/4-1/3 of decomposed organic fertilizer and 0.5-1 catties of compound fertilizer to 1 cubic meter of mixed matrix. The nutrients contained in the prepared nutrient soil are sufficient for plant growth.

Can coconut coir be used to grow plants?

Coconut pith is mostly produced in southern my country. The coconut pith we use for growing vegetables is mostly processed from the scraps of wood processing factories. It is composed of coconut powder and coconut shells, and does not contain pests and bacteria, so it can be used with confidence. Coconut pith has good ventilation, but basically no nutrients that plants can directly absorb.

Therefore, using coconut bran alone to grow flowers and vegetables is not nutritious. It needs to be prepared into nutrient soil, and organic fertilizer and a small amount of chemical fertilizer need to be added.

How to grow vegetables with coconut bran

Coconut coir can be used alone as a substrate to plant flowers or vegetables. For example, I personally use a 1:1 ratio of coarse coconut coir and fine coconut coir to plant potted roses, and they grow well. I have been using this for many years and have not found any problems. Of course, if you add some garden soil, most importantly, coarse sand, peat, etc., there will be no problem as long as the substrate is loose and breathable and retains water and fertilizer.

When using coconut bran to grow flowers or vegetables, since coconut bran itself does not contain nutrients, it is necessary to apply fertilizer afterwards. Not only nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium need to be applied, but also trace elements need to be applied regularly. In this way, the plants can have balanced nutrients and grow well. For example, I personally often use compound fertilizers for top dressing, and regularly water with trace elements and beneficial microorganisms, which has a very good effect.