SpongEase Coconut Coir Compressed Block expands up to 18.7 Gallons (2.5 Cu Ft) - Ideal Growing Medium for Potting Mix - Healthy Roots, Healthy Plants and Bountiful Harvest (Тwo Рack)

I live in a high rise apartment and I enjoy gardening on my balcony (which according to another review apparently makes me a super special hipster, lol), but without room for a big compost tumbler it's challenging to lug enough soil up here every spring. I LOVE this stuff. I can store it in a small space, it's not messy to transport, and I can add my own amendments in whatever ratios I want.

AMAZING how much quality "topsoil" this brick can produce for under $20! Shipped like a brick of dehydrated sawdust, it will fool one into under estimating just how much growing medium this expands to! Dump contents into Large Tote, Add 5 gallons water, then play in the sandbox for 1 full hour. (Mix it) The "brick" is by FAR the best way to send this product thru the mail, because after it's prepared it's the real VALUE deal, I mean THERE IS A LOT OF IT FOR UNDER $20. It should last some for more than one season. Be advised it has no nutrients, so solutions must have fertilizer for the clone/seedling stage at the correct-micro amount. (Maybe, mix in a little high quality potting soil for the top portion of plant-container, which is enough to get the roots into the hydro-solution. ' Claims to be PH Neutral ("PH BALANCED" is it named?), nothing better for ph adjusted hydroponics systems. The nitro growth lays in the perfect combination of the elements along with keeping the PH "balanced" throughout the stages of growth whenever possible. We used to only know this material as "black top soil" - lol, but this is the stuff- Made from coconuts.. Whoa. 5-stars. *OFF THE FARM? APARTMENT DWELLER? Get the LARGEST TOTE (3 to 4 feet wide, close to same size as large farm wheelbarrow) to use in apartments instead of the required "wheelbarrow". Expect the brick to expand to the point you can easily break and mix it with one's hands (shovel/wheelbarrow not needed). Takes about 30 minutes to mix. Perfect grow medium for DIY Hydroponics that is PH Buffered/Neutral.

I haven't tried the product yet, hoping to give some helpful advice to others. It says to put the block in a 5 gallon bucket, add water, and let expand. Use a MUCH Larger container. Once it starts to expand you can't get it out of a 5 gal bucket without slowly chiseling away at it. Save your self some time, and back breaking work. Use a Large Bin, and NOT a 5 Gallon Bucket..... I will update my review once I have used the product.

I didn't have a super clear idea of exactly how much 2.5 cubic feet was, so only bought one brick, hoping it would be enough to suit my needs. That was a good decision. I got an extra-deep tote, dropped the block in, and set it in the running shower for a few minutes and left to get dinner. When I got back, the tote was full of moist, airy soil. I used this as a seed-starting medium (I added fertilizer, as it doesn't initially contain any) and filled twenty mini seed trays (7.3" x 5.5" x 2.5", ten with six sections, and ten with twelve sections). Later on, I transplanted some seedlings into peat pots and added more soil to the now empty cells to germinate more seeds. I have also planted a couple of plants in permanent containers, and I still have half of the soil left. Since the soil is untreated and it is great at retaining moisture, mold can form on the top when that moisture is sealed in with seed trays. However, this isn't an issue, as it doesn't really hurt the seedlings, and it isn't black mold (the harmful kind). However, my mind is still more at ease without the mold, so dusting ordinary ground cinnamon on top, improving air circulation, and not overwatering fixes the problem easily. The cinnamon doesn't hurt the seedlings. If I need more seed starting soil in the future--that won't happen anytime soon, because I still have so much--I'll be purchasing this again.

Great product. Pure Coco coir no added nutrients or fertilizers. It did require 6 full gallons of water to full moisten. Mixed real easily with organic nutrients and topsoil to form super soil. Great price for the amount. For those not aware 11lbs or 2.5 cubic ft equals 10-12 gallons of Coco.

Great source for coconut coir. We use it in our potting soil mix and for seed/cuttings. Broke up into a really nice consistency, all to often you get long fibers but not here!!! This is one of the best coconut coir blocks I have ever used. We also use as a bedding for our ball python and it's amazing because of it's moisture retaining property, just spray as needed and fluff it back up. Does great in vivarium setting with live plants!

I didn't have the experience the negative reviewers had. This product was $14 when I bought it, and it only offered one bag.The only difficulty I had with it is that it was a bit of a pain to re-hydrate. There is a lot of soil. I also found that it may need more water than it claims--like maybe one more gallon. It got fluffy, but the very inside of block seemed to stay solid.Still, it is nice for big projects. I like that the block is lightweight and can be stored until needed. I have ordered this two times, and I probably will get it again.

Most of my plants seem to be thriving. I have one that I've never had a problem growing wildly before that seems very lackluster after transplanting into to a mixture of this and a few other things (worm casting, Azomite Rock Dust, potting soil). Not sure what's going on. I've even used this outside for trees and shrubs. Mixed it with dirt from outside (not very good stuff out there), & the dormant sticks d*r*ct gar*en*ng sent me that I had little to no expectations and pleasantly surprising they are actually budding after a week and a half in dead summer 100° very humid weather here in Va. So I think it's a keeper. Except for the poor purple passion plant. Easy to use, does take more water than directions say (as others have said in reviews), a little of this with water turns out to be a lot more than you think. I use it a bit at a time.