Back to the Roots Succulents & Cacti Mix

Great soil for starting seeds and potting plants! It expands nicely when water is added and has a light, fluffy texture that works really well for seedlings. I also like that it’s organic, which gives me peace of mind when growing plants. Great value for the amount you get, and I would definitely buy it again!

Great fibrous texture. I’ve gotten powdery coco coir from other brands but this brand is consistent and great. The value for what you get is very fair. Extremely low dust. Rehydrates easily. I’ve bought two 51qt bricks from here already. Will come back in future.

Coir is a great, more sustainable alternative to peat as a potting medium. Similar to peat moss, coir is low in nutrients (which is important for seed starting as a nutrient-rich medium increases risk of disease for seedlings), and the texture is almost identical to peat moss. This stuff easily expands 2-3 times its dry volume. As you can see in the photo below, I entirely underestimated how much it would expand. I filled the seed tray with coir pieces to less than the height of the rim of the tray, and at the time I took the photo it was still expanding and coir was falling over the sides. So the brick may seem small initially, but it does give you a lot of growing medium. In the second photo, you can see that I have an almost 90% germination rate with the coir. I am growing different seeds in one tray. In the back row, I am trying to grow Gaura seeds, which are notoriously fickle, and which account for the 10% failure rate. (I do currently have 3 germinated.) I have had zero weed seeds germinate, so I think the medium is sterile, which is good. In the photo you can see some long fibers, but overall I found the coir to be of good consistency and low contamination. I do want to note that the dry coir brick is extremely dense and hard, almost as hard as wood. I would advise using a hammer and chisel to break up the pieces, or a saw.

Expands more than you’d think! This comes as a compressed brick, and rehydrates to make enough planting medium for a good sized planter box and/or tortoise enclosure (I use it for both). It retains moisture well enough to maintain optimal humidity for my tortoise but drains well enough to keep my cactus and succulents thriving. Works well for germinating seedlings and potting adult plants.

Good product. It is very hard to break apart, even after wetting but you get a lot from one package . I would buy this again for my garden but would not use it for hydroponics as there were maggots embedded in it throughout.