Coco&Coir Everything in a nutshellCoco Grow + 5KG, Brown & Organic, Coconut fibre, Growing media, Planting coco Soil, Reptile Bedding, Coconut coir Bricks, Terrarium Substrate- 5 Kg (75 L)

This is a tough one. The soil itself is brilliant quality. You can tell when you have it in your hands or inside a pot. However, I think it needs to be made clear that this comes to you as one huge block (not cut up) that needs hydrating as one piece. I did not have a saw when I did mine (I was going to try cut pieces off as and when I needed them) and trying to break it down was a nightmare. Once I’d hammered it and chiselled some of it into a small enough shape to fit into my massive bucket (losing loads of waste bits in the process) I got to hydrating. That was also very difficult as it expanded 😂🤦‍♂️. Essentially, unless you have a very large container or tray (or a saw lol) I would stick with the smaller size as getting it hydrated can be a pain without the proper equipment. Additionally, because I didn’t need all that soil at one I had to bag up all the excess into about 20 freezer bags 😂. I have two other issues. Firstly: I genuinely do not see 20% perlite in my mix. I may be just not seeing it properly or the perlite could have settled oddly and be waiting in one of my excess bags, who knows. I just know I have had many handfuls without any white studs in. My other issue is regarding the hydration. Because it was outside and I was a bit flustered already, without thinking I just turned on the outside tap and began filling the bucket and coating the blocks of coir. Thankfully I’m in a soft water area so I don’t think the damage will be too bad but given how sensitive plants can be to the minerals in tap water, it seems almost crazy to have a growing medium that requires water to get going. It’s like whatever plant I put in there will already be facing potential mineral build-up. Clearly all these problems I mention can be easily avoided. I just don’t think any of it was made very clear. Or perhaps I was too naive/stupid. Please don’t make the same mistakes I did. If you can get enough rain water to hydrate it and a large enough tray or area to do it in, you’ll have some amazing stuff. If you make the same mistakes I did, you’ll probably be annoyed!

It is easy to use a knife or sharp object to chip off small bits to use. Doesn't need to be soaked or used all at once.Absorbs water well.

I bought this to re pot several large houseplants and mixed it 50/50 with general purpose compost. I expected this to be more like coconut fibres but is more like a powder consistency. The houseplants seem happy and thriving.

Really good. Makes an unbelievable volume. We just stick it in a trug, add 25 litres or so of water, and leave it. If you need it "there and then" it's a pain - mixing it is hard going. Advice is to just pour the water on the block, and leave it for a few hours. We just keep it in the corner of the greenhouse, water it occasionally, and use it through the year! Excellent for chillis, peppers, cucumbers, etc.

This is definitely much easier than traditional compost to transport!And if you can't be doing with lugging around 75l of compost, this is worth the extra money. It expands like magic with water.So far, my plants seem to be enjoying it.

Easy to prepare seeds thrive in it and any excess can be reused

I’ve used this type of product before but in smaller blocks at my allotment. Thought I would try a larger quantity which was a huge mistake. There are basic instructions on the box but none on how much water to use the most important part! I put the block in a wheelbarrow and added water about half way up the block, left it but wasn’t enough so added more to get the “fluffed up” effect. Very difficult to gauge how much water to use and the perlite is in layers so has to be mixed through it. I ended up with an almighty mess after adding too much water, it really was very messy to mix and will only buy the smaller blocks in future. The instructions need to be much clearer AND state a large container is needed to mix it correctly. In the end I just mixed it with some dry seed compost to try and absorb some of the excess water…waste of money in the end.

As described is ok