Coco (Coir) is the outside layer of husk that surrounds the shell of the coconut.
It consists mainly of fibres, which have traditionally been used to manufacture rope, carpets, doormats, upholstery stuffing, brushes etc.
Between these fibres is the corky substance called coir pith or coir dust which has recently been widely recognised as the superior growing medium in which to grow tomatoes, roses and many other crops.
The horticulture industry often calls this substrate coco-peat or coir-peat. Sometimes it is known by similar sounding brand names
Why Coir you ask...
For starters it has excellent "Air Porosity qualities":
Coir maintains excellent air porosity even when saturated and gives better crops with faster developing roots and more flowers and fruit per plant when used correctly.
It also has excellent "Water Retention" qualities:
Coir has better water retention qualities then peat and other growing media...
That all means that coco has an excellent air/water ratio for horticultural purposes .
It quickly Reabsorbs Water From A Dry State:
Coir peat absorbs moisture immediately, even from a dry state, unlike sphagnum peat which tends to shrink when dry and form a crust.
This causes water run-off from the top surface and water loss between the peat and the inside edge of the flower pot. Thus plants growing in coir tend to recover quicker from dry conditions.
"Irrigation Efficiency":
The ease of re-wetting and the quick drainage characteristics of coir means that coir needs to be irrigated less frequently and for shorter periods.
This leads to reduced leaching losses of nutrients and lower water use.
Faster Germination Times And Quicker Seedling Rotations:
The inherent qualities of coir and the optimum water/air availability are ideal for quick rooting and propagation. ..
Environmentally Preferable to the Alternatives:
In its unprocessed state, coir dust is a waste product in its country of origin.
Its use therefore, does not involve the destruction of peat bogs and natural wetland wildlife habitat.
It is a renewable resource with no hazardous disposal problems (unlike some alternatives such as rock wool).
Having carefully researched the question, Horticultural Coir Ltd (who's website this article is from) is quite satisfied that the fossil fuel consumption associated with the transport of coir from Asia are no greater, and most likely significantly less that the fuel costs involved in the production and transport of peat-moss and rock-wool...
It degrades Slower Than Many of Its Rivals:
The lignin content of around 45% ensures that the excellent water/air ratio is maintained over a longer period of time.
Thus, for example, good performance is maintained over the commercial life of a rose plant which my be over 5 yeas.
It is free from Soil Diseases:
Because Coir originates above ground, it does not contain any soil diseases.
In fact several studies have indicated that coir substrate brings increased resistance to pythium and other root diseases.
The Production Process (How it's made):
The entire coconut husk is soaked in water and the fibres removed at the fibre factory for the production of brushes, rope, carpets, matting, etc.
The coir pith is unused and becomes a bye-product of the fibre factory process.
Depending upon many factors including the local climate, the soaking method and the particular processes used in the coir fibre factory, the coir pith may be suitable for horticultural use.
If it is of suitable quality, it is moved from the coir fibre factory and the coir pith is then sieved to remove large fibres.
Sieve size and thus particle size will be determined by customers' requirements.
Usually, coir pith is washed at this point to reduce the unwanted salts before being dried to less than 20% moisture.
The coir will then be compressed into a less bulky form suitable for shipment.
This may be in the form of grow-bags, small 650-gram briquettes or larger blocks. Compression will vary according to customer's requirements but in most cases it will usually be between 4:1 up to an 8 To 1 ratio.
http://www.coirtrade.com/coir.htm
It consists mainly of fibres, which have traditionally been used to manufacture rope, carpets, doormats, upholstery stuffing, brushes etc.
Between these fibres is the corky substance called coir pith or coir dust which has recently been widely recognised as the superior growing medium in which to grow tomatoes, roses and many other crops.
The horticulture industry often calls this substrate coco-peat or coir-peat. Sometimes it is known by similar sounding brand names
Why Coir you ask...
For starters it has excellent "Air Porosity qualities":
Coir maintains excellent air porosity even when saturated and gives better crops with faster developing roots and more flowers and fruit per plant when used correctly.
It also has excellent "Water Retention" qualities:
Coir has better water retention qualities then peat and other growing media...
That all means that coco has an excellent air/water ratio for horticultural purposes .
It quickly Reabsorbs Water From A Dry State:
Coir peat absorbs moisture immediately, even from a dry state, unlike sphagnum peat which tends to shrink when dry and form a crust.
This causes water run-off from the top surface and water loss between the peat and the inside edge of the flower pot. Thus plants growing in coir tend to recover quicker from dry conditions.
"Irrigation Efficiency":
The ease of re-wetting and the quick drainage characteristics of coir means that coir needs to be irrigated less frequently and for shorter periods.
This leads to reduced leaching losses of nutrients and lower water use.
Faster Germination Times And Quicker Seedling Rotations:
The inherent qualities of coir and the optimum water/air availability are ideal for quick rooting and propagation. ..
Environmentally Preferable to the Alternatives:
In its unprocessed state, coir dust is a waste product in its country of origin.
Its use therefore, does not involve the destruction of peat bogs and natural wetland wildlife habitat.
It is a renewable resource with no hazardous disposal problems (unlike some alternatives such as rock wool).
Having carefully researched the question, Horticultural Coir Ltd (who's website this article is from) is quite satisfied that the fossil fuel consumption associated with the transport of coir from Asia are no greater, and most likely significantly less that the fuel costs involved in the production and transport of peat-moss and rock-wool...
It degrades Slower Than Many of Its Rivals:
The lignin content of around 45% ensures that the excellent water/air ratio is maintained over a longer period of time.
Thus, for example, good performance is maintained over the commercial life of a rose plant which my be over 5 yeas.
It is free from Soil Diseases:
Because Coir originates above ground, it does not contain any soil diseases.
In fact several studies have indicated that coir substrate brings increased resistance to pythium and other root diseases.
The Production Process (How it's made):
The entire coconut husk is soaked in water and the fibres removed at the fibre factory for the production of brushes, rope, carpets, matting, etc.
The coir pith is unused and becomes a bye-product of the fibre factory process.
Depending upon many factors including the local climate, the soaking method and the particular processes used in the coir fibre factory, the coir pith may be suitable for horticultural use.
If it is of suitable quality, it is moved from the coir fibre factory and the coir pith is then sieved to remove large fibres.
Sieve size and thus particle size will be determined by customers' requirements.
Usually, coir pith is washed at this point to reduce the unwanted salts before being dried to less than 20% moisture.
The coir will then be compressed into a less bulky form suitable for shipment.
This may be in the form of grow-bags, small 650-gram briquettes or larger blocks. Compression will vary according to customer's requirements but in most cases it will usually be between 4:1 up to an 8 To 1 ratio.
http://www.coirtrade.com/coir.htm
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