Switching soils

Question

So I have a couple plants that have the peat moss soil and I don’t think they are doing well, because I bought them at home depot and I’m not sure how they treated them. I was thinking about switching to coco coir mix for a more renewable source, and as far as I have read a better option for them. The plants are a maranta, peace lilly and alocasia amazonica. I know these are moisture loving and would be good for them. My question- is can I do a clean start with them and substitute the bad soil for the new one?  The peat is drying too fast and not fast enough, and I think the plants are not that happy.

Answer 1

Peat moss, alone, will not be sufficient for plant growth. This medium contains very little nutrients and will not sustain the plant. Peat is also very acidic, and can lock out phosphorus and potassium. I do recommend coco coir, but it needs to be an amendment, rather than stand-alone. It is best to have a semi-rich organic mix with coir mixed in.

Alternatively, if you wish to grow using, only, coco coir, you will need to feed with liquid fertilizers every few weeks to ensure proper growth.

I believe it would be wise to find a new mix to re-pot them into. I don’t normally recommend soils, but in this case I will. Fox-farm makes a soil called CocoLoco which will be exactly what you will need in this case. It is premixed, and requires no feeding for a few months.

I have planted all of these, and many more species into this soil with spectacular results.