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korina_gw

Read this if you use coir

korina
17 years ago

I've been putting this off for long enough...

My poor little AVs have been going downhill for some time now, with tight, brittle, hairless crowns (remember my 'mass extinction' of earlier this year?), and a couple of weeks ago I finally *really* started looking for an answer. For a while I thought it was a pH problem, but I bought a pH tester, and that was fine.

I asked on the Gesneriphiles list, and several very patient people attempted to help. It was a gentleman named Bill who finally supplied the answer.

It's the coir.

I asked at the hydro shop that has been selling to me for over a year, and suddenly they say, 'Oh yeah, that stuff is full of salt. You really need to rinse it.' Gee, thanks for telling me.

Bill gave me a link (below) to a university study that did a side-by-side comparison between peat and coir (one from Mexico, another from Sri Lanka). The pictures tell it all; the plants grown in a peat mix were large, lush, and green. The plants grown in the coir mixes were small, stunted, and yellow. They had rinsed all the salt out, so that wasn't the problem. They're currently trying to find out just *why* plants don't grow in it.

I've been pushing coconut coir for a long time, because its benefits are real: It takes years to break down, it isn't acidic, it's not hydrophobic, and you don't have to strip mine ancient peat bogs to get it. However, if your plants don't grow, it's all moot.

I've been busily repotting for a week and have neared the half-way mark. The plants I did first are showing signs of recovery; their crowns are softening up,and I'm hoping they'll start growing again soon -- I'll keep you updated.

The hardest thing (before this post) was telling all this to the ladies of my AV club; I was so enthusiastic about coir that I bought a bunch of bricks and sold them to club members last December. Let's just say they weren't happy.

I apologize to anyone who took my advice and switched to coir. Repot back into peat and I believe your plants will recover. Remember to rinse the roots and wash out the pots. :-(

Again, sorry.

Korina, slinking off to repot some more plants

Here is a link that might be useful: USU Study

Comments (14)

  • irina_co
    17 years ago

    Korina -

    the more we know - the more we know that we do not know anything. At least coir doesn't have long lasting consequences similar to DDT. You take old books about gloxinias and violets growing - and they all swear by DDT - used in their homes!!!

    And you repot - and your violets will bloom in a month.

    Since I'm so behind in my repotting even with a regular 1:1:1 mix - my violets started looking like what you describe - no coir present.

    TGIF

    Irina

  • stonesriver
    17 years ago

    Korina:

    Don't feel so badly. We all have given rave reviews to something to only have it come back and bite us in the butt!

    You *could* have been one of those people who don't mea culpa and let everyone using coir keep scratching their heads as they repotted with the coir.

    So, even though I don't use coir, thank you.

    Linda

  • robitaillenancy1
    17 years ago

    Korina,

    Thanks for telling us of your experience with coir. You know I was just looking at buying a brick to try it. I think I will wait on that now. Just like the Eleanor's V-11, I was very slow to try that and now very happy I was since some growers have reported very bad results.

    Thanks.

    Nancy

  • jamesco
    17 years ago

    Thanks for the humble message, I back you up with the exact experience with coir.
    Did you experience a bit of odd suckering as well with it?

    (What part of the state, Irina? Have you been to the Violet Showcase?)
    James

  • ines_99
    17 years ago

    Aw, don't feel bad Korina. It's all part of learning. Thanks for the info.

  • korina
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    James, the crowns of several plants dissolved into masses of tiny, hard suckers. A *bunch* died, including Shirl's Blue Eyes; I had several babies, and I was hoping to see them bloom. Oh well.

    Korina

  • irina_co
    17 years ago

    James -

    I live 6 miles from Violet Showcase and yes - it is where I go all the time. Where are you?

    Korina -

    There many more violets (even minis) than you can possibly grow in your house. So it is a journey through gains and losses. If you wouldn't lose violets from time to time - you would be already living in a tent outside and AVs would take over your house.

    Irina - looking at the State Capitol building in Denver

  • alotofplants
    17 years ago

    Half the fun of this is the learning process. I would probably not be interested if it was too easy. I have been holding back because I have put all my AV's in semi-hydroponics in April. I have had the greatest success so far. 6 of the 12 have all rebloomed but I, like you, want to give it more time before recommending it. I am thrilled so far. You never know if you don't try. Good for you for taking the risk! Sally

  • irina_co
    17 years ago

    Sally -

    I just put some orchids in s/h - and phals shoot new growth immediately. Ray the s/h orchid guru - where I got the s/h supplies told me to try growing AVs in LECA - he said they grow large and happy. Yeah - that's what I need - to have them large - all several hundred of them.

    I think if you have 12 - you are up to a spectacular success. No bugs, no fungus, no root rot... And big fat bloom.

    Irina

  • alotofplants
    17 years ago

    Irina,

    I started with orchids and caudiciforms and couldn't believe the success I had. I never had luck with AV's so I thought I would give them a try. I am so thrilled I can grow them now. Same happened with phals. with me. Always killing them until I used semi-hydroponics. Now they are as happy as clams. I go through Ray, also.

    Sally

  • Motezuma
    17 years ago

    I'm interested in further explanation of s/h and LECA. What are these techniques?

    Korina, Don't feel bad, they can still use coir to line baskets.

    -Mo (WV)

  • korina
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Mo, check these people out; they do semi-hydro and whatnot.

    Googling also comes up with some interesting links.

    Korina

    Here is a link that might be useful: A Hydroculture Oasis

  • bspofford
    14 years ago

    bumping up

  • lathyrus_odoratus
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the bump. I've been reading posts from present going backwards. It would've taken some time before I got here! Glad the collective memory remembered it in response to my question in another thread.

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