Palms potted in neat coir

[Neil C]

I've noticed an increasing amount of potted palms for sale that appear to be planted in nothing but coir. On the plus side I can see that this is great for root growth, is lightweight and tends not to get waterlogged. On the negative side I would imagine very low in nutrients, relatively expensive and time consuming compared to usual potting mix. I would love to hear other's views on this practice and wether they have noticed an increase in this in their areas? I've tried a few potted palms in potting mixes containing coir with different percentages for a few years now and I must say that the results are fairly inconclusive.

Regards Neil

[sashaeffer]

I've tried growing a small Chamaedorea Radicalis in some and it struggles....but I can't condemn the coir since it's just the one example.

I do have a Christmas palm seedling growing in the small clay balls only and it does well. They must hold in some moisture because water basically runs through when I water it.

So far.....the best medium I've used especially for tricky tropicals that like moisture but not wet all the time is small bit orchid mix I get at the local hydroponics store.

[palmad Merc]

Yes ive noticed local palm nursery in Sydney

With palms only grown with coco coir.

Did you see it in a nursery up in Brisbane

Palms for brisbane? 

I use it for all my seedlings with perlite 50/50

I also add extra calcium and magnesium every so often as it tends to have low (cation exchange capacity)

That's what I've read about anyway. ..

 

Edited June 7, 2017 by palmad Merc
Spell check

[Neil C]

Yes this has all been seen around Brisbane in place like Bunnings and from specialist nurseries.

Regards Neil