Coco Liners for Hanging Baskets: Coir vs Moss and How to Line

Coco (coir) liners are the easiest choice for a wire hanging basket: pre-formed, they drop into the frame and drain well. Sphagnum moss is packed in by hand and dries out quickly. Both lose water through the sides, so a basket lined with either needs frequent watering, and a partial plastic layer inside slows that.

The liner is only one part of a hanging basket. Hooks, brackets and watered weight are in hanging planters, drips are in planter saucers and drainage, and every other container type is on the balcony planters hub.

Coir, moss and fiber liners compared

Iowa State University Extension describes the classic hanging basket as a metal frame lined with coconut fiber, moss, burlap or compressed fiber. It says these linings drain well, look good and often absorb and hold water. They differ in how you fit them.

Felt and other fabric liners are also sold for wire baskets. Check the maker’s notes on drainage and outdoor use before you buy one.

How do you line a wire hanging basket?

University of Illinois Extension says a wire basket must be lined first, or the mix falls out. Clemson Extension gives this method for moss, and the coir version is simpler.

1. Soak the moss. Clemson says to soak sphagnum moss overnight in very warm water, then squeeze out as much water as you can.
2. Pack the first band. Press the moss tightly between the wires from the inside, about 1 inch thick and about 4 inches up the sides, Clemson says.
3. Fill and repeat. Add mix up to the top of that band, then keep lining and filling in 4- to 6-inch layers.
4. For coir, press it in. Set the pre-formed liner over the top of the basket and push it down gently until it follows the frame (Illinois).
5. Plant the sides, then the top. Illinois says you can cut holes in the side of a moss or coir liner, starting at the bottom, set plants in, add mix to the next row and plant the top last.
6. Leave a lip. Iowa State suggests filling to within 1/2 to 1 inch of the rim so water does not run straight off.

Check for gaps as you go. Purdue Extension says moist moss should be packed snugly and checked for holes that let mix and water leak out.

Slowing down a liner that dries out fast

A lined wire basket loses water in every direction. University of Illinois Extension says wire baskets lose a great deal of moisture through the sides as well as draining from the bottom, and that moss-lined baskets dry out especially fast. On a sunny, windy balcony that can mean watering every day.

Iowa State University Extension suggests partly lining the inside of the coir or moss with landscape fabric or plastic, which slows water moving through the basket so the mix wets more fully. With plastic, it says to line only a small area at the bottom and poke holes in it. Purdue Extension adds that three or four cuts with a sharp knife through a lined container provide drainage. Clemson Extension says drainage is essential so the mix does not become waterlogged.

If you are often away, a solid plastic basket may suit you better. Iowa State says plastic is nonporous, so it does not dry out as quickly, and many plastic baskets have a small reservoir.

Watering a lined basket over the balcony

Iowa State says to water a hanging basket until water runs out of the bottom, and not to let the mix dry out completely. Very dry mix pulls away from the sides, so water runs past it; that is when the tub soak in the tip above helps.

That runoff falls straight through a coir or moss liner. Hang lined baskets where the drips land on your own floor, not on the balcony below, or water them over a tray. A wet coir basket is also much heavier than a dry one: Clemson reminds gardeners that containers are much heavier when watered. Check the hook’s stated limit, and see balcony weight limits for who can tell you what your balcony and ceiling carry.

Fitting and replacing a coco liner

Pre-formed liners are listed by the basket they fit, so measure across the top of your frame and match its shape, round or trough, before you buy. A liner that is too small leaves gaps at the wires; one that is too big folds and bunches.

Natural liners wear out with sun, water and handling. Replace a coir or moss liner when it thins, tears, sheds fibers onto the floor or no longer holds the mix in place. The start of a season is a convenient time, since you are emptying the basket for fresh potting mix anyway. Keep the wire frame and reuse it with the new liner.

For other ways to grow upward on a small balcony, see vertical planters and railing planters.