Growing seedlings in a coconut substrate is becoming increasingly popular among gardeners, truck farmers and florists. And although there are not enough useful substances in it for the full development of plants, it can be mixed with peat and soil fertilizing and receive an excellent soil for seedlings.
What can be grown in a coconut substrate?
First of all, it is, of course, seedlings. If grown in a clean substratum, fertilization with weak fertilizer solutions is necessary. However, it is possible to grow seedlings in a mixture of substrate and earth in various proportions.
Not bad feel in the coconut substrate and houseplants. Most often it is used as an additional component in the soil mixture, it improves the quality of the soil and complements it with additional useful properties, making the plants grow better.
Some gardeners and flower growers use a coconut substrate to mulch the soil to prevent it from overheating. And also the substrate is good for propagation of hard-to-root plants. Still they can cover for the winter roses, store in it bulbs and rhizomes in the winter. They even hide the bottom of terrariums, where snails , spiders, frogs, rodents live.
As you can see, coconut substrate is suitable not only for seedling, but has a wide field of application. However, we will consider in more detail the growing of seedlings on a coconut substrate.
Application of coconut substrate for seedlings
Many gardeners choose coconut substrate because it has a number of advantages over other options. So, it contains a lot of useful elements for the plant, it has antibacterial action, so it perfectly protects the roots from pests and diseases. And due to the possibility of free breathing and an even distribution of moisture, provided it is used for seedlings, the coconut substrate eliminates the need for additional drainage.
It is also important that its acidity fluctuates within pH = 5-6.5. And it can grow organic products. Unlike peat, coconut fibers last longer remain loose and do not settle.
And all the properties of the coconut substrate remain for 3-5 years. It does not need to be removed from the beds when growing plants outdoors. On the contrary, it becomes an excellent fertilizer and baking powder.
How to use coconut substrate?
The use of coconut substrate for plants is quite simple. We prepare on its basis the soil in the following way: take 40 ml of warm water and fill the substrate, wait for a while, so that the water is completely absorbed. It is not necessary to disinfect it, as practice shows that the plants in it already remain healthy.
Next - mix the substrate with the soil in a proportion of 1: 1, 1: 2 or 1: 3. Plant the seeds in the resulting soil mixture. The results exceed all expectations. Sprouts are obtained stronger and taller than those grown in other conditions. You can plant seeds in a clean substratum, but then at the stage of picking it must be replaced with more complete soil.
You can use coconut shavings and for germinating seeds in the open ground or in greenhouses. To do this, the prepared grooves in the ground are first planted with seeds, then they are sprinkled with a substrate. Under such a blanket the seeds quickly rise, the surface does not form a crust, the plants breathe well and warm up. Especially relevant is this method, if you have a heavy clay soil on the site.