Growing Vegetables In Coco Coir Indoors For Beginners

Discover the joys of growing vegetables in coco coir indoors. Embrace a sustainable, easy-to-manage medium, and get bountiful, healthy harvests.

If you’re new to gardening, growing vegetables in coco coir may be the perfect way to start.

Coco coir is a natural soil amendment made from the fibrous coconut husk. The use of coco coir has become much more popular in recent years.

It is actually a waste product of harvesting coconuts for food. A lot of coco coir comes from Sri Lanka.

Coco fiber is an excellent growing medium for hydroponic systems. Sometimes it is called coco peat.

It is often used as an alternative to sphagnum peat moss because it is a renewable resource and it retains water well. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the benefits of growing your own vegetables in coco coir, and we will provide you with some tips for getting started.

Growing Vegetables In Coco Coir An Overview

One of the biggest advantages of growing vegetables in coco coir is that it is lightweight and easy to work with.

In contrast to soil, which can be heavy and difficult to move around, coco coir is much easier to manage. You can also reduce your pot size up to 50% using coco over potting soil.

It also holds water better than soil, and it drains faster so you won’t have to worry about overwatering your plants.

Plant roots grow better in coco than any other grow medium. One of the benefits of coco coir is it is a great seed starting medium.

Because of its light soil structure seed germination in coco is great. Coco also lasts a long time and can be reused. It is becoming increasingly popular for horticultural use.

Plus, coconut coir fiber is easier on the environment than traditional soil since it is renewable and sustainable, and a natural product.

It can be used to grow a variety of plants and is a top pick for growing many ornamentals because of improved drainage and ease of use.

When growing vegetables in coco coir, you will want to make sure that your plants are getting the right amount of drainage.

Too little drainage will cause your plants to become waterlogged and possibly get root rot, while too much drainage can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

To get the proper drainage, you should mix equal parts of coco coir with perlite or coco chips. This will help keep the soil light and aerated while providing adequate drainage and will eliminate any excess water.

When planting your vegetables in coco coir, you should make sure to use the correct amount of fertilizer.

Coco coir does not contain many nutrients on its own, so it is important that you supplement it with a good-quality fertilizer. There are nutrients designed specifically for use in coco coir.

You can also add compost, worm castings, or other organic matter to help boost the nutrient levels of your coconut fiber.

Finally, when growing vegetables in coco coir it is important to keep an eye on the pH balance. Coco coir has a slightly acidic pH of about 6.0.

At a pH of 6 most nutrients are readily available but if the pH gets too high or too low nutrient availability will suffer.

But most nutrients or other additives are acidic. You want to keep your pH close to 5.8 – 6.2 to make sure your plants are getting the nutrients they need.

By following these tips, you should be able to have success in growing vegetables in coco coir.

Growing vegetables in coco coir is a great way to get started with gardening, and it is an environmentally friendly choice.

I love growing vegetables in coco coir indoors but it works great outside too. There are a lot of advantages to coco over potting mix.

Once you try coco coir and see the faster healthier growth it can produce you will be hooked.

This article will show you how to do it and you will never go back to using soil after you try coco coir.

Choosing Your Coco Coir

In order to get off to the best start, it is important to choose the right coco. Not all coco coir is the same.

Coco coir is made from coconut husks. Coconut palms grow by the seashore and absorb a lot of salt.

The palms are salt-tolerant plants but your vegetable seedlings are not. So it is important that this excess salt is leached out.

Not all coco coir is used for growing plants. A lot of it is used as bedding for pets. It is cheaper to buy but not really a bargain.

Canna Coco Bricks

I have been using Canna Coco for years. I have tried other brands. Some were good and some not so much.

But Canna Coco has always consistently had the highest quality coco coir so that is what I recommend.

Coco is a popular grow medium but you may have trouble finding it locally. You can find Canna Coco here on Amazon.

It is available loose in bags or as bricks. The bricks need to be rehydrated and it’s easy to do. I prefer the bricks.

Rehydrating Coco Coir Bricks

If you buy bagged coco you won’t need to do this but it really isn’t that hard to rehydrate coco coir.

Each brick will make about 5 gallons of ready-to-use coco. I generally break the bricks in half and put a half-brick in a 5-gallon bucket.

I add 3 ml of CalMag to about 2.5 – 3 gallons of water in the bucket and drop the brick in. It takes about 30 minutes before it’s ready.

If you are impatient the brick gets soft pretty fast and it is easy to break apart and speed the process along.

Why I Prefer Coco Bricks

They are easier to carry around and easier to store. Fungus gnats can be a problem using coco coir and are more likely to be in bagged coco.

I don’t think their larvae can survive in dry bricks. I never have had fungus gnats using bricks but I have from bagged coco.

But they are annoying but rarely damage plants and they are easy to catch on yellow sticky traps so don’t worry too much about them.

Coco coir can certainly be used outdoors too. I use it outdoors in GroBuckets here is the article: GroBucket Garden Kit How To Easily Grow Great Veggies In 2022 (indoorvegetablegrower.com)

Here is an article describing how coco coir is made, its different types, and its advantages.

 Benefits Of Coconut Coir

• Superior rooting medium offers excellent water retention, good drainage, and excellent aeration. Roots love it!
• Coco coir has a neutral pH range naturally.
• Coco coir has natural bacterial and antifungal properties that help prevent root diseases.
• Coco is an environmentally friendly and sustainable resource.
• Coco coir is reusable
• Coco coir stays loose and does not pack down and get tight.
• Coco coir is much lighter than soil
• Coco reduces the pot size needed by 50%

I encourage all gardeners to use coco coir rather than peat-based potting mixes because of coco coir’s sustainability.

Peat is strip-mined from our wetlands. It takes thousands of years for peat bogs to form and only minutes to destroy them.

Using coconut coir in gardening is just a better choice for sustainability and faster plant growth.

Coco Coir Downside

There is only one downside to using coco coir and that is that fungus gnats are attracted to it.

This is much less of a problem when using coco bricks and is one reason why I prefer them.

But although they are a nuisance they rarely cause any damage to a healthy plant.

Yellow sticky traps can help get rid of any fliers. There are ways to control their larvae too.

Some ways are chemical but one natural way to control them is to put a layer of sand or diatomaceous earth on top of the coco.

This prevents them from laying eggs in the coco. Flyers your trap does not catch are probably hatching from eggs laid in the coco.

Fungus gnats only live for about 28 days so they are pretty easy to get rid of.

The Most Important Things To Know About Coco

Coco coir is a growing medium only. It does not provide nutrients. Many potting soil mixes may have nutrients added to them.

To use coconut coir it needs to be fed nutrients. Coco needs the same nutrients and micronutrients as a soil-based medium.

But coco coir has a much higher need for calcium and magnesium than other grow mediums.

It is simple to meet this need for these elements with CalMag. I only use Cali Magic it is the best calmag supplement on the market.

In addition, coco coir has a tendency to store too much potassium. By using calmag you can help prevent it from building up.

You can use any well-balanced fertilizer for coco but you will get the best results using a nutrient designed for use with coco like this one.

A couple of other things about coco that are different is keeping it wet. Don’t keep it soaking wet you don’t want to give it too much water but don’t let it totally dry out.

The other thing is never water with just water. Always add fertilizer to your water.

You want to feed coco every time you water. If you use just water you will throw the nutrient profile out of balance.

These tricks can help you grow better crops in coco. Unfortunately, most people don’t tell these grower tricks.

Choosing Pots For Growing Vegetables In Coco Coir

Coco can be used for garden beds in vegetable gardens but most people use it in containers.

Coco works equally well in plastic and fabric pots. The great thing about coco is you can use smaller pots and they weigh less too. Of course, you can use coco in a large container too.

Roots grow so well in coco you can cut your pot size by 50% compared to soil.

I prefer fabric pots and use 2-gallon pots for all my vegetables. A 3-5 gallon pot can be used if you are growing really large plants like citrus trees.

Fabric pots provide more aeration for the root zone. They also air prune roots that try to grow through the pot.

This air pruning produces better root branching inside the pot. In plastic pots, the roots circle the pot instead and can get root bound.

Planting Seeds In Coco Coir

Coco coir is the ideal medium for starting seeds. It is light enough that seedlings can easily sprout through it

It provides a stable moisture level for good germination and transplanting the seedlings is easy too.

You can also just direct seed into a pot of coco coir and thin out plants as they come up.

I fill my fabric pots to within an inch of the top and gently pack down the coco coir. Then I water it so it has a chance to settle.

What Vegetables Can I Grow In Coco Coir?

Just about any vegetable you can think of does well in coco. Anything that can be grown in soil will do better in coco coir.

Because coco does not compact and stays looser than potting mixes it is particularly good for root crops.

If you want straight carrots without any forking try coco. Potatoes do fantastic in coco too.

Tomatoes and pepper grow great in coco coir. I really can not think of any vegetable that does not like growing in coco.

Coco really allows plants to grow a bigger healthier root system. The old saying bigger roots equal bigger fruits really is true.

Gardeners often focus on what is going on above the ground but what goes on below the ground is even more important because it affects a plant’s ability to feed and grow.

Coco Coir FAQs:

Venturing into the realm of indoor gardening with coco coir can be a thrilling yet perplexing endeavor.

The nuances of this eco-friendly medium may spark a multitude of questions.

Here’s a friendly delve into some common inquiries to guide you through the fruitful journey of growing vegetables in coco coir indoors.

Q. What is coco coir and why is it preferred?

A. Coco coir is a natural fiber extracted from coconut husks, known for its excellent water retention, good drainage, and aeration properties. It’s a sustainable, eco-friendly medium, making it a preferred choice over traditional soil or peat moss.

Q. How do I prepare coco coir for planting?

A. Preparation involves hydrating coco coir bricks in water or purchasing pre-hydrated coco coir. Mixing it with perlite or coco chips enhances drainage. Ensure the coco coir is well-aerated and free from excess salts which could be harmful to plants.

Q. Which vegetables grow well in coco coir?

A. Most vegetables thrive in coco coir. It’s particularly good for root crops like carrots and potatoes, but tomatoes, peppers, and various other veggies also flourish due to the medium’s loose and well-aerated structure.

Q. How do I fertilize plants grown in coco coir?

A. Since coco coir lacks nutrients, a well-balanced fertilizer is crucial. Utilizing a fertilizer designed for coco coir, along with supplements like CalMag, ensures your plants receive the necessary nutrients. It’s advisable to add fertilizer every time you water to maintain a balanced nutrient profile.

Growing Vegetables In Coco Coir Indoors Final Thoughts

Coco coir is an amazing grow medium and is great for growing vegetables indoors.

It weighs half as much as potting mix and allows you to get great results while using smaller pot sizes.

But in order to get the best results from coco coir, you need to use it right. Coco is not soil and needs to be treated differently.

Coco coir is actually a hydroponic growing medium. It is an excellent choice for hydroponics systems, If you treat it like soil you will get soil results.

But if you treat it like a hydroponic medium you will get explosive growth and yields from it.

Once you experience the results coco coir can provide you will never go back to potting soil again. Happy gardening!