Coir is made from
the outer husk of the coconut, and has been used as a growing medium in the UK for over 100 years.
It is also known as Cocofiber or Cocopeat, although it contains no peat whatsoever. We supply the product in a dried,
compressed form, as disks, bricks or blocks, which are reconstituted by the addition of water, to make a fluffy, fibrous growing
medium. It can be used, as is, for potting seeds, cuttings and plants, or blended with peat or other growing media. Coir has
a honeycomb structure, which holds air and moisture, is free draining for excess moisture, is easily rewetted, unlike peat,
and has a texture which promotes root growth. It is closer to peat in terms of its air-to-water capacity than any alternative
product. Coir also has a high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) which means it can hold essential nutrients adsorbed on to the
fibre surface and release them to the plant rootlets. Coir is a “clean” product which is free of the plastic,
wood, and other contaminants found in “green composts” made from green waste material, which typically makes up
10-20% of commercially available multipurpose growing media.
Our Coir products have been fresh water washed to lower the electrical conductivity,
to flush out any other impurities, and are then heat treated, to destroy weeds, seeds and pathogens, before compression and
drying.
Typical
properties of the dried, compressed product are as follows:
Disks
~80gms
~7.5cms diam x 2.5cm makes ~1 litre
compost
Bricks ~650gms
~20 x 10 x 5cms makes
~ 9-10 litres compost
Blocks
~5kg ~30 x 30 x 15cms
makes ~65-70 litres compost
pH
5.4-6.8
2% w/w suspension
EC
<0.7 ms/cm
Moisture
<20% as packed
Our coir products are also ideal for soil conditioning, hydroponics and for bedding for arachnids, insects,
and worms.
A separate information sheet
is available which details rehydration procedures for the various Coir products we offer – please ask.
