Aqua Coir???

The Nook : Archives : Casings : Fiber: Peat, Coir,... : Aqua Coir???
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By AdNauseum (Mystrysabsynth) on Saturday, December 08, 2001 - 08:23 am:

O.K... anyone have any info on this Miracle Grow brand of potting mix called Aqua Coir? It contains Coir, perlite,and peat. Could one use this as a caseing even though it has perlite in it? And what about pasteurization...is it necessary? Wan to use it if possible to case some GC birdseed substrate.

Thanx

:p
~K~

By che guareva (Ekostikdaydream) on Sunday, December 09, 2001 - 08:50 pm:

Well, I was faced with the same question you were. First i posted the info about the miracle grow soil. Quote told me that because of the fertilizer in it, it was no good. (I had kinda figured that when buying it) So i went on to check out some info on casing when i stumbled across a post by old timer saying that he had used the stuff with good results. So, i really dont know what to think, maybe they will help sort this out for us. You can find the posts i am talking about if you keyword search for miracle grow.

By Nan (Nanook) on Sunday, December 09, 2001 - 09:13 pm:

It will work if the stuff has a very mild dose of fertilizer. But it contams easier. It's OK to use in casings with _LOTS_ of lime... Which OT's uses.

This is for casings. I know of no experiments of it's use in jars.

By quote: (Quote) on Sunday, December 09, 2001 - 11:21 pm:

most folks i know of who've used miracle gro fertilizer-laced soil mix went on to report abnormally small yields.
of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, it seems.

By jack cracker (Cptcracker) on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 01:50 am:

there is a small amount of chlorine in miracle grow. that is why it's not good to use, it inhibits mycelial growth. you may get some results with it, but in the long run, fully organic is the way.
check the label on anything you use, using the "less is more" philosophy.
lime and calcium are the prefered buffers, and brown rice has all the food and nutrients needed. i've tried all kinds of substrates and casings, and keeping the process simple is more important that any slight differences in yield.
finding the materials is sometimes the issue, i know. in the spring it is easy to get a large bag of vermiculite, a bale of peat, and dolomite lime at just about any gardening center. crushed oyster shell (for chickens) at any feed store or co-op, and pickling lime at a grocery store.
unless you live in an apartment (or your mom's) you can have a year's supply on hand with no problem.
the other side of the solution is casing with potting soil in a fairly thin layer (1/2 inch), but read the label, and at least add some lime. remember what the casing layer is and what it does.

By che guareva (Ekostikdaydream) on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 04:09 am:

Ok so lets say i take the miracle grow soil and soak it in water for a day then drain and repeat for a couple of days, Wouldnt that greatly reduce the amount of fertilizer and any chemicals. Even then would it be better than peat?

By jack cracker (Cptcracker) on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 04:19 am:

ok, so you want to avoid all the hassle... just use straight vermiculite.
jiffymix is good too, it works as well as anything else, and does not have the chlorine. what's up? have some of the mg just laying around? use it on something that grows green.
if you want to get serioous about casings, read up in the archives and try some. if you want something that performs marginally, try putting a couple of drops of bleach in it...

By che guareva (Ekostikdaydream) on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 05:42 am:

i am in a little bind, i have peat and i have perilite and mg stuff. i cant find verm besides on the net. i think i am gonna try straight peat and the mg to see which one works better. (both with a balanced ph of course)

By quote: (Quote) on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 05:42 pm:

ordinary potting soil, i.e. dirt, can also be used.

By AdNauseum (Mystrysabsynth) on Tuesday, December 11, 2001 - 09:22 pm:

o.k....so the answer is basically this aqua coir stuff(NOT MG..just MG brand!!) is a no-go for caseings?

I got tons of stuff I can use it on, but it was cheap and I bought a HUGE bag and thought...hmm... CAN I?? So, oh well, thought the perlite would be the main prob, but I'm still learning and didn't realize about all the other crap in it.I have heard too many bad stories w/Verm. contams as a caseing.Since I seem to do well with coir so far--I'll stick with that for now.Thanks for the info guys. And Quote....I kinda like the idea of a thin, maybe .5", of potting soil!! Might have to try that what with all mine sitting around.

~K~