Coco Peat - Coir
Coir is the fibrous material of the coconut fruit. The short fibres and dust/pith are bi-products of the coconut fibre industry and are suitable for use as a growing medium in horticulture and has the following benefits:
- Completely homogenous material
- Texture is consistent and uniform
- Retains moisture well. Is composed of millions of capillary micro sponges that absorb and hold up to nine times it's own weight in water
- Has up to 27% of easily available water
- Will hold and release nutrients in the solution over an extended period of time without re-watering
- Maintains an excellent air filled porosity (18% -23%)
- Has a natural pH of 5.7 to 6.5
- Has a naturally high lignin content which encourages favourable micro-organism growth around the root zone
Coir is sold in manually compressed blocks (may have slight weight discrepancies either way) and has an average weight and dimensions as follows:
- 5kg compressed block of approximately 30cm x 30cm x 10cm
- 650g compressed block of approximately 20cm x 10cm x 5cm
Coco Coir is sold either as Organic, Washed or Buffered.
There is a big difference between Washing and Buffering Coco.
Washing the Coco Coir will allow the water-soluble elements to be removed
Buffering of coconut fibre is a chemical process consisting of replacing sodium and potassium with calcium and magnesium, washing away excess waste. Calcium is crucial for a plant’s growth and is involved in almost every aspect of a plant’s development.
Most Coco Coir on the market these days is washed but it may not be nutrient buffered, so please make sure you know exactly what you are buying.