Picked peat moss over coco coir for my soil mix and I don't regret it

Tbh everyone in this sub swears by coco coir for water retention but after trying both on my balcony ferns in Portland this spring, the peat moss kept my plants from drying out during those random dry spells. Has anyone else had better luck with peat moss for container plants or am I just bad at mixing coir?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah_wright16d ago

Peat moss is actually better than coco coir for water retention in a lot of cases... coco coir holds water well but it doesn't hold onto it the same way peat does, it drains faster. That dry spell thing makes sense because peat moss just holds onto moisture longer in the pot. Your balcony ferns in Portland probably liked that since they hate drying out. Most folks just default to coir for its sustainability rep, but for actual plant health in containers peat moss works fine if you don't mind the environmental trade off.

dakotacraig16d ago

Had a friend who switched from peat to coir for her Boston ferns and they looked sad within a month, she went back to peat and they perked right up. Guess some plants just know what they need.