This year is the first time I've had plants in coconut liners. The water seems to just drain right through them! I missed watering just one day over the weekend and I think I've lost a plant because of it. And it's not even summer yet! Everything else (in plastic or terra cotta containers) was thirsty... but still okay. So... I've taken the plants out of the coconut liners...and then lined them with plastic and then repotted the plants. If I can find plastic pots that will fit into the hangers... those things will be history! But even if one more plant suffer because of them... I'll totally replace the hangers. Live and learn as they say. :'(
Oh yeah, I gave up on those things a couple of years ago for the same reason. The water doesn't stay in long enough to get the soil moist unless you put them in a bucket of water to soak for a while. That takes forever if you have several of them, then the water in the soil just evaporates within a very few hours after the soaking. You could leave the coco liners in there but use plastic grocery bags to line the inside of them before putting in dirt.
Yes Toni... that's what I did.... added plastic liners. I'm still concerned about the Million Bells though. They are doing pretty good, in spite of being in a coco-liner. I really don't want to transplant them now. So what I ended up doing was basically "planting" the coco-liner in a plastic pot. I added some potting soil in the plastic pot and then "planted" the coco-liner, plant and all, inside of there. Hopefully that'll keep it moist enough.
So far I don't like anything about coconut coir. The pots were sooo bad I lost all 14 plants I started in them. The starter discs/pods, the things that expand, worked okay but like you they don't hold water worth a darn and I lost half of all the plants I put in them instead of peat. I have 2 huge dry blocks of the stuff and chances are it will be used for nothing but worm bedding because it is a lot more light and fluffy than peat but useless for anything else as far as I am concerned.
Cherylad I do not like them either .I have one and the plant is dead in it.I have been ill to much lately to mess with it but I will do away with it in time.
I like the look of the coco liner better than a plastic pot, so I pop the plastic pot and all into the liner. The plant quickly covers up the gap between the two. I have a couple coco window boxes that I have been meaning to plant up -- thanks for this advice. Now I'll know to line them first.
I'm not a fan of anything Coco either and I absolutely HATE the discs!! Even the Miracle Grow potting soil I bought had coco fiber in it. GRRRRR!
I use the coconut liners with a plastic plant base (the things you stick under the plant pot so they don't wet on the furniture). I put the plastic base in before I put in the soil. This provides a well of water and it seems to have worked OK for me the last couple of years. I also cheat by hanging the coconut hangers under the eave of the shade canopy so any rain helps me out with a good drenching. They also don't get a full day of sun. They do take a watchful eye and I would kill for an imitter drip irrigation system. An old boss of my husband had a set-up for all their outdoor pots. I am still green with envy.
