Coconut soil usually has no nutrients in it. This circumstance is disadvantageous for various application options. This is no reason to forego the environmentally friendly alternative to potting soil containing peat. This guide explains how to properly fertilize coconut hum.
Why fertilize coconut soil at all?
Premium quality coconut soil is always unfertilized. Only in this variant are all possible uses open to hobby gardeners. As a growing soil, coconut fiber only fulfills its task brilliantly if it does not contain any nutrients. However, if coconut humus is used as soil for seedlings or substrate for houseplants, nutrients must be added.
Organic fertilizer is unsuitable
In order to enrich unfertilized coconut soil with nutrients, it is important to use the right fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is not suitable for this purpose. In order for the organic components contained therein to be usable for your plants, microorganisms have to carry out important preparatory work. Since the sterile coconut fibers do not contain any microorganisms, even ecologically oriented hobby gardeners should exceptionally use a mineral liquid fertilizer.
Fertilize coconut soil – this is how you do it right
Have you prescribed a portion of nutrients to lean coconut soil? Then take a commercially available liquid fertilizer for potted plants with a purely mineral composition. How to properly fertilize coconut fiber substrate:
- Pour hand-warm water into a bowl
- The warmer the water, the larger the subsequent substrate volume
- Add liquid fertilizer according to the manufacturer's dosage instructions
- Take the coconut clay bricks out of the packaging and place them in the enriched water
It takes 15 to 20 minutes for a pressed humus briquette to turn into ready-to-use coconut 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 existing nutrient reserves are used up. As is usual with all pre-fertilized potting soils, this is the starting signal for a regular supply of nutrients by adding liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water.
Tip
White deposits on coconut soil are often prematurely diagnosed as mold. In fact, it is mostly limescale deposits caused by hard tap water or fertilizer efflorescence caused by mineral liquid fertilizer. Please test the consistency of the damaged areas. Lime and fertilizer residues are hard-grained. Mold, on the other hand, is soft to fluffy.
