Muck question

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Any peat can be used in muck, including coconut peat (coir) which is a far more renewable product than sphagnum peats.
Sphagnum may provide fibres to hold muck together but IMHO its main reason is to absorb moisture. When sphagnum free much dries out it is extremely difficult to rewet. Sphagnum fibres absorb water and spread it through the muck and the whole mass soon absorbs water again. Hair and raffia will provide some fibre but will they also help absorb water if the mix dries out?

In the subtropics, and tropics, where coconut is an economic crop, coir is great IF it has been adequately soaked and rinsed in fresh water to eliminate salt. Some parts of the world, especially Indonesia use sea water to process their coir. A soaking in fresh water with several changes over a month long period will eliminate the sea salt. There are some good companies that will guarantee that their coir is free of sea salt.

In the USA, when coir first became a fad salt was a problem. There is (? used to be?) a company just north of Saint Louis on the Missouri side of the river that imported a very nice, salt free version of coir. I believe the name of the company was Crystal Products or Crystal Horticultural Products. I no longer remember, as it has been a decade since I last bought coir.

 

[Shibui]

In the subtropics, and tropics, where coconut is an economic crop, coir is great IF it has been adequately soaked and rinsed in fresh water to eliminate salt. Some parts of the world, especially Indonesia use sea water to process their coir. A soaking in fresh water with several changes over a month long period will eliminate the sea salt. There are some good companies that will guarantee that their coir is free of sea salt.

This is something new to me. We have been using coir for nearly 20 years and never even heard of this problem. Maybe better sources of product over here?

 

[Shima]

Long fiber Sphagnum moss is often harvested while alive.

It's everywhere here. I mean everywhere. I pull gobs of it and dry it in the rain shelter.

 

[Shibui]

It's everywhere here. I mean everywhere. I pull gobs of it and dry it in the rain shelter.

You are lucky to have such a resource so handy but Hawaii is a very small part of the world. Sphagnum has a very limited distribution in Australia and many other parts of the world. There are a great many people using sphagnum worldwide and it does grow quite slow. Many sphagnum bogs have been overharvested and killed. Not only the moss but also the other plants and creatures that rely on it are threatened by depleted moss beds. We do need to be mindful of not overharvesting any natural resources. Personally I try to find substitutes whenever I can and certainly don't waste it where substitutes are not available.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Coir was a fad substrate in the 1980s for orchids, here in the USA. That is when I encountered the salt issue. I have not encountered the issue in the last decade or more. Bad actors were probably weeded out.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Coir has proven a good substrate,

 

[Cadillactaste]

I've not even thought to finish this project. We had something hit our small community...that my mind can't grasp.

A 14 year old went missing last Saturday... search parties went out...then called off. And it turned to a criminal case...later he was found yesterday morning in a shallow grave. This project is the furthest from my mind...but appreciate all who added information to this thread. As a mother...I can't begin to comprehend...as a small rural community that...knows everyone. Person of interest...is also known. Even though his name is not being released. Now to decide if he was alone...or had help in this mess. They say it will be weeks before autopsy report is complete. Until then...our community is numb...wanting answers that can't be shared or could ruin the case being built.