What a great review video!!! I didn't even know Dollar Tree sold coconut coir. Great information on all three brands...I agree, if I'm buying coconut coir I don't want big pieces of wood chips in it!! Awesome visuals of the expansion and close ups in general!! Awesome video!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi Vesma, I liked the demo video, and appreciate for sharing with the community. From the looks of the Coir Brick I could assure that is made from the remaining scrap from the Coir Pith manufacturing site. If the coir powder does not get through a 6mm sieve it means you are getting a downgraded quality Pith (Coir Block). 8mm is the next size, and I bet the one you showed wouldnt get through 1inch sieve. Add to that typical higher grade Pith goes through a continuous flushing process to get rid of the high salt content, in technical terms EC (Electrical Conductivity) should be lower than 0.5per cm of the brick. Typical cycle for higher grade goes through at least 5 cycles of washing, so you dont have to wash it again. Add to that the pH has to be between 5.8-6.8 for best yield year over year without changing the substrate. You are absolutely right about wood chips, a lot of manufacturers cut corners to reduce cost of manufacturing by adulterating the Coir Pith with cheaper wood mulch. And YES, and YES and YES you are absolutely correct, Coir is the way to go for organic farming many of the large indoor farms have already started using it becoz of the year over year consistency yield unlike soils that some of the big manufacturers like MiracleGro supplies that degrades year over year, add to that the amount of chemicals they are adding. How do I know all of this, well we are a 5th generation farming family called the Vellalas(Farmers) of South India, primarily growing Coconuts and are the largest consolidators in the area. Let me add another fact that some of the organic enthusiasts will love to hear, the cost of manufacturing the Coir Brick (5KG/11Lbs) block and getting it to USA is only about $4 max including profits. Unfortunately the supply chain for agro Lawn and Garden is so weak that the cost of getting it to the store and selling them makes it so expensive, as I understand it sells in the order of 22 dollars and above. If there are any supply chain gurus in this group, you should do something to make it more accessible to everyone.
Thank you for your information and insight. When I first started using coco coir I would wash it. As time went on I forgot and haven't done it since. Now I'm wondering if the mineral buildup on my terracotta was mostly from the coco coir.
2 Things; first, I just discovered the Dollar Tree store recently and bought some soil and some seeds. second, I don't know squat about gardening but probably have spend over 600 bucks in total for seeds, equipment, a walk in green house and the like...... and still failed to completely grow anything so far. I started this hobby early this spring for fun and learning is half the fun (if you can afford it). But I'm gonna subb and see what info i can pick up.
First, welcome to the Dollar Tree community! Second, you're not alone in that. That's how most gardeners/plant start: not knowing and unsuccessfully growing things. I wish you well in your growing and hope my videos can help you along the way! Thank you!
I used it many years ago, and it works great on my indoor plants .I just picked up 8 of them today because I was having a hard time finding them again.
Awesome video, informative, and straight to the point. Dollar tree coco coir vs others, and also, you talk about your #1 choice and why. Great audio and visual aid. Thank you!!!
I just started zucchini, yellow squash, cilantro & peppers in a mixture of the DT coco coir & some potting soil. So far all the zucchini & squash seeds sprouted & some cilantro…still waiting on the peppers. I think it will be a great choice for our teachers to use for plants for our school garden.
It's a great choice in my opinion! I started seeds using this coco coir too. The pepper were slow to germinate for me, but most of them have sprouted now.
I haven't seen the Burpee bricks, but in my area 99 Cents Only stores had bricks slightly larger than those from DT, but for $1.99. I've read that the "beads" in diapers are absorbant and good for water retention in plants. I'm trying it in a few pots ($1.25 diapers from DT).
This is a little off topic but I started gardening just this year, I started indoors with basil and onions that did incredibly well. I know easy plants but gave me some confidence so I purchase potting soil Miracle-Gro and then something I like better that was maybe a little more expensive and I also got the cocoa blocks from Dollar tree I picked up some seeds, burpee, some are already growing tomato plants from my local nursery and some onion bulbs and strawberry Roots whatever those are. Everything was going well until I stopped at the Dollar tree and grabbed a bag of their potting mix just to tide me over for a bit. Next thing I knew fungus gnats, spider mites and powdery mildew. All of my plant had to go. Not to mention everything I spent on the containers and everything else. did anyone have any experience with bad dollar tree potting soil or was it just circumstance? I mean I had already noticed there were rocks in it and things but I didn't really know to look for insects.
This is lengthy, but I hope it helps! I've made videos about the Dollar Tree potting soil and people have had very different experiences than I have. Personally, the bags I got were okay. Other people have said their bags weren't like mine and couldn't use them or something. That being said, I never use store bought potting mix indoors. I always use it for outdoor gardening. For indoor gardening I make my own potting mix with coconut coir to have more control and no pests. What I've learned, fungus gnats show up when potting mix stays moist for long periods of time. They like moist environments. Spider mites show up when there's low humidity, the air is super dry and they like heat. I don't have much experience with powdery mildew, but I just read it thrives hot, dry weather and baking soda and water or milk and water solutions and can be used as DIY treatments. This should give you an idea of what the plants are experiencing in the soil+your environment. They go hand in hand. Sometimes the bags of potting mix from the store needs a little tweaking. I always add more perlite to the mixes. That helps with drainage and helps it dry out quicker so pests won't want to live in it. There are many others who have experienced the same as you and my advice is to add amendments, like perlite or shale, unless you want to keep spending to experiment. Not all general potting mixes are the same. Some are definitely better than others. Here's the playlist link of the Dollar Tree potting mix reviews, feel free to go through the comments to learn about what others have experienced: ua-cam.com/play/PLiId4kElxKYsZg01ttEUcyZEVlT1UE5G1.html
thanks for this!! ive found the burpee coconut coir from the dollar store before and bought 1 brick now im shooting myself in the foot not realizing i should have bought all of it!! it makes 8 quarts and was only $1.25!!!
i am not here to do an ad for walmart but the expert gardener brand of coco coir i think is phenomenal and it's just coco coir. i've used it for a couple a couple of years and i have never had a salt problem with it. i use it in my raised beds, grow bags, worm bins and my compost as a brown to help keep it moist and inoculated. when spring comes i just add some of my homemade fertilizer, a little perlite, soil, plant and i'm done. 1 brick of expert gardener coco coir says it's makes 2.2 cu ft following their directions that say add 4+ gallons of water but i add 5+ because i think their recommendation is just a tad too dry and 1 brick fills a 17 gallon tote easily for $12. it is a little slow to expand so i usually let it sit overnight but i think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I saw it online and went looking for it at different locations. I noticed none of the locations I went to carried coconut coir at all anymore! I'll still be on be on the lookout next year. Thanks for the review!
Everything I saw was peat based. I remember buying coco coir bricks from there a couple years ago and I don't think I've seen anything coco coir based in store since.
@@vesgardens thinking about it, i guess i've always got my coco coir online. i even got expert gardener brand on amazon once on prime days sale. i don't think i'm going to try $tree's product though. there just isn't enough consistency with even the packaging and the vast differences with reviews, it's too hit & miss.
My goodness Vesma, where have you been? Been missing your videos! Haven't seen these before at DT. Will be on the outlook. Definitely a cheaper option.
@@debofChrist I see you want me to take another break! 😂 just kidding! I actually have been trying to think of some ideas for longer videos. So any suggestions you have let me know!
I found a way to remove the wood fibers: ua-cam.com/video/Fbzfo99P3q0/v-deo.html
Yes I use it and amend it with earth worm casting lite mix of autoflower super soil for top feed
I bought a bunch of the coco coir from the dollar tree. I mix mine with vermiculite and it had does well. I used calmag to add nutrients to it.
What a great review video!!! I didn't even know Dollar Tree sold coconut coir. Great information on all three brands...I agree, if I'm buying coconut coir I don't want big pieces of wood chips in it!! Awesome visuals of the expansion and close ups in general!! Awesome video!!🪱🪱🪱
Thank you!! I didn't know they sold it either. It was my first time seeing it there, stopped me right in my tracks.
@@vesgardens 😂I would have emptied their shelf!!
@@Vermicompost I should have! I went back hoping there would be a few left. They were gone! 😂
Hi Vesma, I liked the demo video, and appreciate for sharing with the community.
From the looks of the Coir Brick I could assure that is made from the remaining scrap from the Coir Pith manufacturing site. If the coir powder does not get through a 6mm sieve it means you are getting a downgraded quality Pith (Coir Block). 8mm is the next size, and I bet the one you showed wouldnt get through 1inch sieve.
Add to that typical higher grade Pith goes through a continuous flushing process to get rid of the high salt content, in technical terms EC (Electrical Conductivity) should be lower than 0.5per cm of the brick. Typical cycle for higher grade goes through at least 5 cycles of washing, so you dont have to wash it again. Add to that the pH has to be between 5.8-6.8 for best yield year over year without changing the substrate.
You are absolutely right about wood chips, a lot of manufacturers cut corners to reduce cost of manufacturing by adulterating the Coir Pith with cheaper wood mulch.
And YES, and YES and YES you are absolutely correct, Coir is the way to go for organic farming many of the large indoor farms have already started using it becoz of the year over year consistency yield unlike soils that some of the big manufacturers like MiracleGro supplies that degrades year over year, add to that the amount of chemicals they are adding.
How do I know all of this, well we are a 5th generation farming family called the Vellalas(Farmers) of South India, primarily growing Coconuts and are the largest consolidators in the area.
Let me add another fact that some of the organic enthusiasts will love to hear, the cost of manufacturing the Coir Brick (5KG/11Lbs) block and getting it to USA is only about $4 max including profits. Unfortunately the supply chain for agro Lawn and Garden is so weak that the cost of getting it to the store and selling them makes it so expensive, as I understand it sells in the order of 22 dollars and above. If there are any supply chain gurus in this group, you should do something to make it more accessible to everyone.
Thank you for your information and insight. When I first started using coco coir I would wash it. As time went on I forgot and haven't done it since. Now I'm wondering if the mineral buildup on my terracotta was mostly from the coco coir.
2 Things; first, I just discovered the Dollar Tree store recently and bought some soil and some seeds.
second, I don't know squat about gardening but probably have spend over 600 bucks in total for seeds, equipment, a walk in green house and the like...... and still failed to completely grow anything so far. I started this hobby early this spring for fun and learning is half the fun (if you can afford it). But I'm gonna subb and see what info i can pick up.
First, welcome to the Dollar Tree community! Second, you're not alone in that. That's how most gardeners/plant start: not knowing and unsuccessfully growing things. I wish you well in your growing and hope my videos can help you along the way! Thank you!
I used it many years ago, and it works great on my indoor plants .I just picked up 8 of them today because I was having a hard time finding them again.
Yes! Stock up when you can! I need to get more too. I've noticed more stores carrying them. Seems like it'll be a regular item. I hope!
Awesome video, informative, and straight to the point. Dollar tree coco coir vs others, and also, you talk about your #1 choice and why. Great audio and visual aid. Thank you!!!
Thank you!!!
I'm a new cannabis grower I'm using some of these bricks now for my grow I'm just starting so I'm still in the seedling stage but so far so good.
I haven't ever used it, but I might try to find some now that I've seen your review. THANKS!
Thanks for watching!
I just started zucchini, yellow squash, cilantro & peppers in a mixture of the DT coco coir & some potting soil. So far all the zucchini & squash seeds sprouted & some cilantro…still waiting on the peppers. I think it will be a great choice for our teachers to use for plants for our school garden.
It's a great choice in my opinion! I started seeds using this coco coir too. The pepper were slow to germinate for me, but most of them have sprouted now.
I haven't seen the Burpee bricks, but in my area 99 Cents Only stores had bricks slightly larger than those from DT, but for $1.99. I've read that the "beads" in diapers are absorbant and good for water retention in plants. I'm trying it in a few pots ($1.25 diapers from DT).
Interesting. Let me know how that works out!
This is a little off topic but I started gardening just this year, I started indoors with basil and onions that did incredibly well. I know easy plants but gave me some confidence so I purchase potting soil Miracle-Gro and then something I like better that was maybe a little more expensive and I also got the cocoa blocks from Dollar tree I picked up some seeds, burpee, some are already growing tomato plants from my local nursery and some onion bulbs and strawberry Roots whatever those are. Everything was going well until I stopped at the Dollar tree and grabbed a bag of their potting mix just to tide me over for a bit. Next thing I knew fungus gnats, spider mites and powdery mildew. All of my plant had to go. Not to mention everything I spent on the containers and everything else. did anyone have any experience with bad dollar tree potting soil or was it just circumstance? I mean I had already noticed there were rocks in it and things but I didn't really know to look for insects.
This is lengthy, but I hope it helps! I've made videos about the Dollar Tree potting soil and people have had very different experiences than I have. Personally, the bags I got were okay. Other people have said their bags weren't like mine and couldn't use them or something. That being said, I never use store bought potting mix indoors. I always use it for outdoor gardening. For indoor gardening I make my own potting mix with coconut coir to have more control and no pests. What I've learned, fungus gnats show up when potting mix stays moist for long periods of time. They like moist environments. Spider mites show up when there's low humidity, the air is super dry and they like heat. I don't have much experience with powdery mildew, but I just read it thrives hot, dry weather and baking soda and water or milk and water solutions and can be used as DIY treatments. This should give you an idea of what the plants are experiencing in the soil+your environment. They go hand in hand. Sometimes the bags of potting mix from the store needs a little tweaking. I always add more perlite to the mixes. That helps with drainage and helps it dry out quicker so pests won't want to live in it. There are many others who have experienced the same as you and my advice is to add amendments, like perlite or shale, unless you want to keep spending to experiment. Not all general potting mixes are the same. Some are definitely better than others. Here's the playlist link of the Dollar Tree potting mix reviews, feel free to go through the comments to learn about what others have experienced: ua-cam.com/play/PLiId4kElxKYsZg01ttEUcyZEVlT1UE5G1.html
thanks for this!! ive found the burpee coconut coir from the dollar store before and bought 1 brick now im shooting myself in the foot not realizing i should have bought all of it!! it makes 8 quarts and was only $1.25!!!
You found the Burpee at Dollar Tree this year? You definitely should've bought more lol
@@vesgardens yes!! I found it there or 99 cent store and didnt realize how nice it is
i am not here to do an ad for walmart but the expert gardener brand of coco coir i think is phenomenal and it's just coco coir. i've used it for a couple a couple of years and i have never had a salt problem with it. i use it in my raised beds, grow bags, worm bins and my compost as a brown to help keep it moist and inoculated. when spring comes i just add some of my homemade fertilizer, a little perlite, soil, plant and i'm done. 1 brick of expert gardener coco coir says it's makes 2.2 cu ft following their directions that say add 4+ gallons of water but i add 5+ because i think their recommendation is just a tad too dry and 1 brick fills a 17 gallon tote easily for $12. it is a little slow to expand so i usually let it sit overnight but i think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I saw it online and went looking for it at different locations. I noticed none of the locations I went to carried coconut coir at all anymore! I'll still be on be on the lookout next year. Thanks for the review!
@@vesgardens what were they selling if they didn't have coco coir or was it possibly just a seasonal thing ???
Everything I saw was peat based. I remember buying coco coir bricks from there a couple years ago and I don't think I've seen anything coco coir based in store since.
@@vesgardens thinking about it, i guess i've always got my coco coir online. i even got expert gardener brand on amazon once on prime days sale. i don't think i'm going to try $tree's product though. there just isn't enough consistency with even the packaging and the vast differences with reviews, it's too hit & miss.
You’re backkkkkkk!!!!!!!
Yes! It's been too long!
My goodness Vesma, where have you been? Been missing your videos!
Haven't seen these before at DT. Will be on the outlook. Definitely a cheaper option.
Hey, Debra! I ended up taking an expected break. Glad to be back! If you see these get as many as you can.
@@vesgardens Well, I will be expecting a 30 to 45 min video at minimum to make for that absence 😂😂😂. Glad to see your back & well!
@@debofChrist I see you want me to take another break! 😂 just kidding! I actually have been trying to think of some ideas for longer videos. So any suggestions you have let me know!
Thanks for the information ❤
You're welcome!
Just buy a big 11 lb brick of a good brand.
Do they have high volume of salt?
No meter to measure, but I would recommend rinsing the coir at least 3 times to remove most of whatever salt is in it.
Do you know what I mean? No, I don't. Look up words and tell me what you mean. I am not a mind reader. Do you know what I mean?