Sure you can Karyn, as long as you work that outer skin off, which is the harder part, so I just read at another site. I'd been curious about this before, we do get coconuts up North to...lol. So now I know to. Here's a interesting link which provides more links. Here it says coir provides 10x more water retention then cheap peat moss!

- Sandy

And here it is....

Here is a link that might be useful: Coconut Museum

Thanks for the link. I buy green coconuts so they still have the husks. After I've removed the water I pry off the husks and allow them to dry then pull out the fibers and chop them. I still haven't added it to a potting mix but am starting some passie seeds in it. I like it in potting mixes. Even though it holds water it creates air spaces because it doesn't pack like peat.

It sounds like a good idea, and fortunately, found out before ammending my soil. I'll have to check out where I can get it cheapest. I have tiny seeds of 7 different color butterfly bushes (summer lilac) I'd like to grow 4 or 5 of. I have NEVER been able to grow such small seeds although I've done a lot of research since those days. Coir sounds like a good advantage to start with. I know you have a collection of passies, I'm sure you'll have babies in no time. There's only the caerulea, hardy enough for here, but by the time I found this passion flower, I had, 2 colors of trumpet vines, and 4 different clematis vines for perennials. I just don't have the space for more now. If one dies again, as I'm having trouble with Dr. Ruppel (which looks better this year) and Nelly Moser, I'll be getting the blue caerula.

The important link regarding coir itself on that site I suggested isn't any good, although lots of other good info.
Here's a link with some tell all photos.

- Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: A Picture Essay on Coir

I just sprinkle butterfly bush seeds on the soil surface and winter sow. They also volunteer all over my yard. The majority of my passiflora vines are container grown. There's very few varieties that are hardy in my zone.

I usually buy coir in compressed bricks. I've occasionally seen bags of coir fiber but you have to chop that up. You should also soak your coir and change the water several times because it often contains a high amount of salt.

My apostophe and a few other keys are failing me, sorry about the style of writing.

Thanks for the info Karyn, mine are in the fridge now. Some with those water crystals for moisture.

That must of been hard getting those skins off your coconuts, we do not get them with the skins on, but then they are not sterile coir anymore. I do not want to chop at anything, but now I will know how to ask for it and let my fingers do the walking through the yellow pages.

You would laugh if you knew what trouble I am going to put myself through to get some of these seeds to grow. I have several different experiments to make sure SOMETHING grows from each of 4 or 5 colors that I want...lol.

1) Sprinkled seeds pressed into the earth, lightly watered and covered with glass.

2) In a covered tupperware container with a clean ceramic pot or 2 or 3 (I figure 3 for the size I am using - under the bed type) placed amidst the seeds. Covered with seran wrap or plastic. I may just use small bowls of water placed in the dirt with cotton ribbons stretched across the surface of the soil.

3) Peat pellets placed in the earth and covered with seran wrap until germination and 4 leaves would be nice. I have diluted 1 part chamomile tea to 10 parts water on hand - kept very hot while steeping.

My water crystals are going to be in all of these trials, under the top layer of soil or beside those peat pellets.
And the mycrohizzal fungi also. There are some plants that this stuff does not work with at all, but I did not here any damage done.

So I better get one seed to take...lol.

-Sandy