this is a great point and debate!
for long term soil use coco mixed with peat is a great choice .
the binding of calcium is what scares many growers but it comes back out too later ....
with peat, there is less foot print/helping the planet.
not knocking on coco. plenty of people have had great success with coco. just be careful with coco. might still have salt leftover, may still have to rinse. go with higher quality/brand.
quote from Jerry.
"While Coco coir may be (and often is) used in a soil mix to assist in drainage in your base soil, it will often contain Trichoderma spores which research has shown to degrade Endomycorrhizae fungus.
Coco Coir holds a lower CeC (Cation Exchange Capacity) value than Sphagnum Peat. To read a brief explanation of CeC, go here -
How does cation exchange capacity affect soil fertiliy
Something else I just learned - today, as a matter of fact, from a Smart Person *lol* - but is very pertinent to this discussion:
Coconut coir does not contain Sulfur which explains why coir growers are always complaining about the lack of taste or punch - Sulfur is a main player in the creation of Secondary Metabolites which include Terpenes & Terpenoids specifically. THC falls into this category.
That's about all I personally know offhand, but these appear to be some fairly useful facts to help you decide whether or not Coir will make its way into your soil mix, and if so, at what percentage. I absolutely am not against the use of Coir by any means - in fact I have used it very effectively in the past.
It's up to the gardener to get the facts and make his own educated decisions.
Hth
J"
those are some pretty strong reasons for me.
i've NEVER had a problem with peat.
