Coconut Coir: What Is Coco Coir And How To Use It In The Garden
30/10/2018 02:19
Long fiber coconut coir is a traditional lining material for hanging baskets. Did you know that coco coir (a by-product of coconut processing) has found its way for use in potting mixes and hydroponic gardening.
Even if you have not consciously chosen to use coconut coir, you may have noticed it as a fibrous, dark brown component of your favorite potting soil. In many instances, commercial potting soil producers are opting to use coir (pronounced “core”) instead of old-fashioned, unsustainable sphagnum peat moss.
Coir is an organic compound that adds to the absorbency and drainage of potting soil and is also a fine amendment to garden soil. Use coir on its own to sprout seeds, propagate plants and provide support to the root structures of hydroponically grown plants. In this article, we will explore the topic of coconut coir and provide good advice to help you select a high quality product and use it correctly. Read on to learn more.
What’s In Coco Coir?
Three components make up coconut coir for potting and gardening use:
- Coconut Coir Fiber
- Chips
- Pith (aka: Peat)
The combination of these three elements creates an excellent growing medium. It is important to have a proper balance of these three components for suitability to your purpose. Both the structure of the medium and the chemical makeup must be considered. Separately, these elements convey individual benefits. Here is an exploration of these benefits.
Coco Fiber
Adding coco fiber to your growing medium helps add air pockets. The fiber isn’t especially absorbent, so it helps keep oxygen flowing to your plant roots. On the downside, because these fibers are made of cellulose, they can break down fairly quickly, resulting in the collapse of the air pockets.
Coconut Chips
Coconut chips in soil function similar to clay pellets; however, this natural, plant material will degrade. They provide a double value because they can absorb and hold water efficiently and help create air pockets.
As such, they combine the properties of both pith and fiber. They are about the same size as coconut fiber, and they help increase the air-holding properties of soil as well as the water holding properties. Of the three parts of coconut coir, this component has the highest air-to-water ratio.
Coco Pith (Peat)
Coco pith or peat is the spongy component of coir. It has the appearance of loose tea leaves, and it can absorb tremendous amounts of water. Its particles are very small and fine, so it does not have the capacity to hold significant amounts of air.
This component of coir is very woody and decomposes at a very slow rate. When aged correctly, pith holds sodium and potassium. When adding fertilizer to coco pith, calcium takes the place of potassium and sodium. For this reason, purchase coco pith coir aged for a minimum of four months. This allows excessive salts and potassium to become displaced and valuable calcium will be held in place to nourish plants.
Using Coconut Coir In Hydroponic Gardening
Natural and organic coconut coir makes transitioning from soil gardening to hydroponic gardening very easy as it handles just like regular potting soil. You can easily begin practicing a modified form hydroponic gardening with regular flower pots and grow lights.
When shopping be sure to choose the right type of coir for your purpose. You will find products packaged for garden, ornamental and hydroponic use. Coconut coir prepared for hydroponic gardening has the sodium and potassium removed to provide a completely nutrient-neutral medium. This gives you complete control over the nutrient uptake of your plants.
Take special care when preparing coir for use in hydroponics. While the ornamental variety is quite inexpensive, it is not suitable for hydroponic or food production use because it may contain higher salt levels.
It is important to understand that there are two different kinds of coconut fibers – white fibers and brown fibers.
- White fiber comes from coconuts harvested that are not yet ripe. This fiber is very flexible, but not optimally strong.
- The brown fiber comes from ripe harvested coconuts. The fiber is stiffer in texture, extremely strong and durable.