r/microgreens • u/PlentyLawfulness6768 • 15d ago
Help, can anyone tell me what are these white specks my coco coir?
We’ve had this happen twice now and the first time threw out the whole batch, this time I’m trying to find a way to treat or at least save some of the coir. I assume it’s mold, but it’s not the white spiderweb kind that sometimes grows in the microgreens trays. This seems drier and more “ball” like. After doing some google searching I’m not sure it’s mold at all. Has anyone else had this experience and know if a safe way to handle it? Thank you in advance for your help!
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u/PrivateShneehaj 15d ago
If you’re storing wet in a sealed bin like that, I’d guess mold. I’d suggest drying it out completely for storage and rehydrating in small batches as needed
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u/Ok-Orchid6723 15d ago
This happens on my Root Riot Cubes all the time when they are stored for an extended time. We buy them in the commercial quantities. I’ve put it under the microscope and I sure wanted to call it mold. I have never had it spread to cuttings though. I will concede that coco and cubes are not the same product, however the issue is identical visually. What brand of coco are you using? And are you seeing to it that your process is clean? Everything from purchase, transport, cleaning packaging before introduction into the grow, gloves, storage, and environment should be questioned. Clean totes for storage and stable temps and humidity are key, in addition to gloved hands and implements that handle the medium. Good Luck.
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u/maura1903 7d ago
Sometimes can’t avoid it but I wouldn’t store it like that. Only mix what you need as you use it. Break down a brick, try to use the whole brick. Buy the coir in pucks if you need to. Take off the top layer with the white spots, use up the rest, and rethink storage with no moisture. Happy planting!
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u/PlentyLawfulness6768 6d ago
Thanks everyone for your input and help. What I ended up doing was treating several times with food grade H2O2, then scooping off the top layer, plus some. Then stirring and breaking up clumps and turning regularly for several days with a fan on it. For those who mentioned this, it was half uncovered (not sealed) and it really wasn’t all that wet, not like it was soaking or anything. But, I believe my main issue was turning the fan off in the room while we were between grow cycles for the holidays. That, maybe mixed with the fact that when I mixed the coir I wasn’t able to break it all up properly so the bottom half, while wasn’t sop soaking wet, was denser and more compact than it should’ve been. Once it was exposed I still neglected to break it up until after this happened. So, lesson learned. In the future we will only hydrate half a brick or less at a time, which honestly will just be so much more manageable anyway. Keep the fan on full time, regardless if we have an active grow. And keep the coir turned regularly to make sure the bottom stays dry and completely uncovered when we can (we kept it half covered because seeds kept falling into it and we didn’t want stuff growing out of it either..). We shall see how this next grow goes and hopefully we don’t have any issues!
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u/Gullible-Minute-9482 15d ago
Could be salt.
Coir is sometimes processed using seawater and needs to be rinsed thoroughly before use to remove salt.