coir fiber as summer mulch

Discussion in 'Organic Gardening' started by khabbab, May 28, 2009.

  1. khabbab

    khabbab Active Member

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    Location:
    Pakistan, Lahore
    hello,

    summer heat has reached over 100F here in my area. My clay potted plants at first floor get 6 hours direct sun and are suffering badly. Can i use wet coir husk (coco peat) as mulch in these containers?. What about shredded leaves (non composted) layer as summer mulch. I tried to use newspaper as mulch but they blew away.



    Thanks,
    Muhammad Khabbab
    Lahore, Pakistan
     
  2. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    Can you stand your pots in side a larger one with some space between to stuff the coir and then wet it. I would say yout terracotta pots are frying the roots of your plants. See if you can create some protection for the root area. Mulch on top will help but only if you can keep the pot cool. I place my pots sunk into a woodshaving bed over summer. You could create something similar with maybe a long box filled with the coir and sink the pots into it and keep damp as well as watering the soil

    Liz
     
  3. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    If you place your containers inside a larger container, you might be better off not stuffing a medium in between the two containers. You should try each method using a thermometer to evaluate which is better. You can also wrap your containers with tin foil to reflect the heat. I have a greenhouse with approximately 100 different containerized citrus varieties. The black containers that the trees are planted in, are painted white on one half of the container and remain black on the other half. In the summer, the white side is faced south to reflect the heat, and in the winter the black side is faced south to absorb the sun's heat. - Millet (1,331-)
     
  4. khabbab

    khabbab Active Member

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    thanks 4 suggestions. i will try both and see what happens.
     

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