Coconut soil usually has no nutrients in its baggage. This circumstance is disadvantageous for various options of the application. That's no reason to give up the environmentally friendly alternative to peat-based potting soil. This guide explains how to properly fertilize coconut hum.

Coconut soil is not particularly nutritious

Why fertilize coconut soil at all?

Premium quality coconut soil is always unfertilized. Only in this variant are hobby gardeners open to all possible uses. As growing soil, coconut fibers only do their job with flying colors if they do not contain any nutrients. If, on the other hand, coconut humus is used as pricking soil for seedlings or substrate for indoor plants, nutrients must be supplied.

Organic fertilizer is unsuitable

In order to enrich unfertilized coconut soil with nutrients, it depends on the right fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is not suitable for this purpose. Microorganisms have to do important preparatory work so that the organic components contained can be used by your plants. Since the sterile coconut fibers do not contain any microorganisms, ecologically oriented hobby gardeners should also use a mineral liquid fertilizer as an exception.

Fertilize coconut soil - this is how you do it right

Have you prescribed lean coco soil a dose of nutrients? Then take a commercially available liquid fertilizer for potted plants with a purely mineral composition. How to properly fertilize coconut fiber substrate:

  • Pour lukewarm water into a bowl
  • The warmer the water, the larger the later substrate volume
  • Add liquid fertilizer according to the manufacturer's dosage instructions
  • Remove coir bricks from packaging and place in infused water

It takes 15 to 20 minutes for a pressed humus briquette to turn into ready-to-use coir soil. As the material swells, it absorbs the added nutrients. Pre-fertilized coconut fiber substrate is available to your plants for a period of four to six weeks. After this time, the available nutrient reserves are used up. As is usual with all pre-fertilized potting soil, this is the starting signal for a regular supply of nutrients by adding liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water.

tips

A white coating on coconut soil is often prematurely diagnosed as mold. In fact, it is mostly limescale deposits caused by hard tap water or fertilizer efflorescence caused by liquid mineral fertilizers. Please test the consistency of the damaged areas. Lime and fertilizer residues are hard-grained. Mold growth, on the other hand, is soft to fluffy.

Category:

Care tips