cycl
tips & tricks
PUT THE PLANT IN THE COCONUT:
HOW TO USE COIR
FOR GROWING
by Barbara H. Shaw
COIR IS COMMONLY USED IN
GROWING MEDIA. HERE’S A
BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE IT
COMES FROM AND HOW TO
USE IT IN YOUR GROW SPACE.
C
oir is a natural product made from
the inner fiber of the thick husk that
surrounds a coconut. It’s rot-resistant,
durable, and lightweight. These
characteristics perfectly serve the species,
Cocos nucifera, because they help coconut
trees find new habitats by allowing the giant
seeds float across the sea to distant beaches.
Most imported coir comes from the southern
coast of India and from nearby Sri Lanka, where
it’s a by-product of harvesting coconuts for food
and fiber. Inexpensive and sold in compacted
bricks, coir is used to make products like thick
doormats, brushes, rope, upholstery-stuffing,
and planting baskets. It is also increasing
popular as a soil amendment.
Coir has some nice advantages as a soil
amendment. (In soil mixes, use up to 40 per cent
coir fiber.) It lasts longer, and it’s naturally free
of bacteria, plant disease, fungal spores,
weeds, seeds, and pathogens. Coir
has great water-holding capacity
too. It holds 30 per cent more
water and is easier to rewet
than peat moss. In addition, it
creates airspace and allows
better drainage in formerly
compacted soils. In loose,
sandy soils, it holds nutrients
to prevent them washing out.
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grow cycle