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JamesL · June 14, 2012

tom-ato,
Never heard of the Croutons until you mentioned them. (but that isn't saying much)
I have looked at coir but not used it either.
Did a quick search - It appears a lot of the Big M growers are using it as an alternative to Leca clay in hydro use.
The negative for hydro use, ebb and flow system, with tomatoes (which of course we are not doing) would appear to be that the coir functions best with a ph of 5.5 to 6.0 or you get nutrient lockup, and tomatoes need higher than that.
Not sure if that info translates at all to containers.

Croutons don't appear to be that much cheaper than Leca either. Might be worth some further research though. Pulled the below from one of the Big M sites:

Coco is manufactured into three major catagories, or grades. Essentially, these grades are a catagorization of the "coarseness" of the various grades of Coco. They are as follows in order from the finest to the most coarse:

PYTH - This is the finest grade of Coco. Pyth is harvested from the softer tissue just inside the shell or husk that is pulverized into a fine particulate. It resembles light brown, dried coffee gounds. The finer particles provide a solid substrate for the plant's root system but lack in the rapid drainage of it's more coarse forms. Using just Pyth solely as your medium is NOT recommend because of it's tendency to retain so much moisture but can be blended with other grades to add some body to the blend. Some manufacturers like Earth Juice and to some degree Botanicare use a fair amount of Pyth in what they call Coco Coir. Again, this grade is not Coir but we'll get to the next!
COIR/FIBER - Coir is a longer fiber harvest from the outer layers of the shell or husk and is often chopped into shorter fragments. The fabled "Profit Disks" were made from this portion of the Coconut. While Coir still holds a good amount of moisture after watering or flooding, it's drainage is significantly better than Pyth. Coir can also be found in very long strands often referred to as "Coco Fiber" and is commonly found in nurseries and craft stores. The longest strands make a good liner for the bottom of pots which you can fill on top of with finer cut Coir or Croutons for an excellent medium.
HUSKS (aka "Croutons") - The coarsest grade of Coco are the Husks which have also been referred to as "Croutons". Several growers here at the Bay can tell you of their success with Croutons. Made by fragmenting the shells or husks of the Coconut, Croutons are made up of chunks of shell and represent the fastest draining form of Coco available. Croutons are HIGHLY recommended for use in Ebb and Flow as well as DWC systems because they are absent of the finer particles that would tend to clog spray nozzles or pump motors. Croutons drain as well as Hydroton but do retain a perfect amount of moisture between floodings as compared to Hydroton.

*It's also VERY IMPORTANT to remember that when growing in Coco, you MUST pH at Hydroponic levels in the 5.5-6.0 range. pH ranges higher than this will result in plant deficiencies and nutrient lockout.

June 14, 2012	#20
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	tom-ato, Never heard of the Croutons until you mentioned them. (but that isn't saying much) I have looked at coir but not used it either. Did a quick search - It appears a lot of the Big M growers are using it as an alternative to Leca clay in hydro use. The negative for hydro use, ebb and flow system, with tomatoes (which of course we are not doing) would appear to be that the coir functions best with a ph of 5.5 to 6.0 or you get nutrient lockup, and tomatoes need higher than that. Not sure if that info translates at all to containers. Croutons don't appear to be that much cheaper than Leca either. Might be worth some further research though. Pulled the below from one of the Big M sites: Coco is manufactured into three major catagories, or grades. Essentially, these grades are a catagorization of the "coarseness" of the various grades of Coco. They are as follows in order from the finest to the most coarse: PYTH - This is the finest grade of Coco. Pyth is harvested from the softer tissue just inside the shell or husk that is pulverized into a fine particulate. It resembles light brown, dried coffee gounds. The finer particles provide a solid substrate for the plant's root system but lack in the rapid drainage of it's more coarse forms. Using just Pyth solely as your medium is NOT recommend because of it's tendency to retain so much moisture but can be blended with other grades to add some body to the blend. Some manufacturers like Earth Juice and to some degree Botanicare use a fair amount of Pyth in what they call Coco Coir. Again, this grade is not Coir but we'll get to the next! COIR/FIBER - Coir is a longer fiber harvest from the outer layers of the shell or husk and is often chopped into shorter fragments. The fabled "Profit Disks" were made from this portion of the Coconut. While Coir still holds a good amount of moisture after watering or flooding, it's drainage is significantly better than Pyth. Coir can also be found in very long strands often referred to as "Coco Fiber" and is commonly found in nurseries and craft stores. The longest strands make a good liner for the bottom of pots which you can fill on top of with finer cut Coir or Croutons for an excellent medium. HUSKS (aka "Croutons") - The coarsest grade of Coco are the Husks which have also been referred to as "Croutons". Several growers here at the Bay can tell you of their success with Croutons. Made by fragmenting the shells or husks of the Coconut, Croutons are made up of chunks of shell and represent the fastest draining form of Coco available. Croutons are HIGHLY recommended for use in Ebb and Flow as well as DWC systems because they are absent of the finer particles that would tend to clog spray nozzles or pump motors. Croutons drain as well as Hydroton but do retain a perfect amount of moisture between floodings as compared to Hydroton. *It's also VERY IMPORTANT to remember that when growing in Coco, you MUST pH at Hydroponic levels in the 5.5-6.0 range. pH ranges higher than this will result in plant deficiencies and nutrient lockout.