For those using coconut fibre...?

[Shayna]

Where do you leave it out to dry in the sun? Im worried that if I just lay it on my deck or cement ants will get into it (and that's bad, right?). Maybe Im doing something wrong because this stuff seems to take forever to dry out.

 

[dukegarda]

If you're imaptient, like me, and you oversoak your substrate; I used the oven in convection mode to dry my peat pretty quick, took like 30 mins @ 150F However, that was peat... not coconut stuff...

Either that or leave it out in the sun. I wouldn't worry about the ants too too much. They rarely make spontaneous nests. As for the few that would wander into it to investigate what it is/forage for food, you can always dry it outside, and then convection bake it for 10 minutes to sterilize it.

 

[JMoran1097]

Where do you leave it out to dry in the sun? Im worried that if I just lay it on my deck or cement ants will get into it (and that's bad, right?). Maybe Im doing something wrong because this stuff seems to take forever to dry out.

this is what i do after the block has soaked and expanded: i just break the substrate apart and ring out the excess water, put it into a separate container, and leave it in the sun. or you can do it the quick way by oven drying it.

 

[Shayna]

Thanks guys, I just squeezed all the extra water out then dried it on my deck, it didn't take too long since it's so hot out today.

 

[Becky]

I just soak it, break it up, ring the water out and just leave it. Takes its time... but it drys