Back to the Roots Organic Coir, 51 Quart Expanding Soil, Great for Seeds and Potting

I used several bricks of coco coir to add organic matter to a 10x12sqft garden plot that was previously hard, compacted Arizona clay soil and sand. It works beautifully with our soil- coco coir soaks up moisture but releases it slowly, and by doing this, it also soaks up tons of excess minerals and locks them up, which I am confident will help prevent caliche buildup. Tilling the first few inches and mixing with a rough 1:1 coir-to-clay ratio, then covering with a top layer of a denser, 1:2 coir-to-clay mixture, resulted in firm beds that are a little spongy when compressed down by hand, which is exactly what I wanted for starting seeds in situ.This stuff is fantastic- it works exactly how you expect it to, and you can just drench it with your hose, so hot water is not required, it’s just slightly faster. I was able to hydrate a whole brick in about 20 minutes this way. It is an excellent soil amendment, especially if excess minerals or fertilizer are a concern. It also works somewhat as a mulch, and I regularly dust a thin layer on top of my plant beds to ensure their roots remain fully covered. I go through it extremely quickly whenever I need fresh soil, so if you have plans beyond a few pots, having one or two extra bricks will not hurt, and you can store it indefinitely until you need it.I will note here that using this alone will be sufficient for some plants, but you should have a source or clay, sand, or some other inorganic substrate to blend with coco coir most of the time. It is not prone to rotting quickly, but like any organic matter it will begin to decay once moist. In my experience (I’ve planted a few separate greenhouses and plots with it) it tends to pick up the odors already coming from your garden. This is probably because the coir becomes a host to the bacteria and fungi that are currently living around you, so keep that in mind if you’re concerned about odor- it actually smells kind of fresh and woody when first hydrated, but that will change after a few days or weeks once it’s been colonized by local bacteria and fungi. If the odor becomes a serious problem, it is likely you have a larger microbial issue with your garden, and it is not directly the coir, but it could potentially add to that problem. I would argue that, over time, it may improve your soil health, and by extension reduce unpleasant odors once a new microbial equilibrium is reached- but definitely test it in a small area or pot if you want to be sure. I have never had a major issue with odor that didn’t resolve itself after some amount of time, but allowing it to dry out will almost certainly be effective.Overall, it’s a low risk soil amendment, and I’ve never encountered any serious issues with it. If you’re new to gardening, it is extremely forgiving and easy to use, compact for storage, and can be used for pretty much any project. I’ve successfully used varying amounts in soil for tomatoes, herbs, plants native to the Sonoran desert, cacti, wildflowers, and roots.

As said not all these bricks are created equal. What i mean by that is this brand put once expanded is fine very similar to soil, it absorbs water great and holds moisture perfect! Some other brands is not as fine causing the water to run rite through the pot without absorbing enough to hold moisture cause it to dry out extremely fast even for coco which in return makes it harder to keep healthy plants happy and creates alot more work watering, just my observation using alot if these bricks. Fir thus particular brick put in toat add 5gal of water come back in 2hrs and break up brick therally and its ready to go! 5gal is plenty.

I love this stuff!! Amazing come to life potting soil. My flowers are thriving and the texture of this is like silk to the touch. So soft and no splinters to contend with. I’m having my 10 yr old grandson help me with planting this year and he would literally play in this all day. A great product to introduce gardening to the rookies. Will definitely budget for more of this through the summer for next year years garden.

I really liked this product. Mixed it in a wheelbarrel and then laid it down in a new flower bed with topsoil.Easy to use and certainly hwlped to enrich the bed.I just bought several more blocks.

This coir soil is super easy to use—just add water and it expands fast. It’s clean, lightweight, and holds moisture well, which makes it perfect for starting seeds or mixing into potting soil. No funky smell or pests like you sometimes get with other bulk soil. Love that it’s organic and eco-friendly. Will definitely buy again!

I love this brand and so do my vegys. I put the block in a storage tub with warm water over night. The bricks break down very nicely and with a little fluffing are ready to use the next day. I have purchased multiple bricks and (unlike other brands I have purchased) haven't found any "junk" in them at all. Only once did I receive a short weighted brick and contacted the company. They immediately responded and within 3 days I received a replacement brick. Very pleased!!!

We were waiting to get our King Bird raised beds put together before I began rehydrating the coir fiber of these pressed bricks. They're large and weighty. One brick rehydrated fills an extra large storage bin 3/4 full once all water has been absorbed. This takes several hours. It uses much more water than you think, so... when you're sure you have enough water in a tub or bin or wheelbarrow, keep going. If you think you have too much water added, I'm pretty sure you don't. Basically I got about 2 cu. ft. of planting material from each block at about $20 each. I can get 2 cu. ft. of bagged garden soil or potting soil for less. I'll use this order of coir, but probably won't buy again based on how many hours it takes to rehydrate them. I'll mix the coir from these with bagged garden soil before using, too.

It took longer to expand after water was added than shown in the video, but when it did, it practically filled a 22" diameter by 17" high tub. Adding Osmocote slow-release fertilizer granules makes it better than Miracle-Grow Seed starter or potting mix because it doesn't contain sticks and bark chunks.