"It feels like at this point, everybody on earth has heard something about, or seen something about coir fiber, be it in passing, through an advertisement, or simply by chance, reading it in a book or a news article perhaps. But do people truly know what coir fiber is? And what do they know about its cousins, coco peat and coir chips?"
"We spoke with Pavani Samarathunge from CoCo Green Pvt. Ltd., a Sri Lankan manufacturer and exporter of coir substrates about this topic, and so much more."
"Coco peat," Pavani explains, "is also known as coir pith. It's very fine and fibrous, and it is made from the soft, spongy material between the coconut husk's outer layer and inner shell."
Conversely, we are told, that coir fiber is the long, strong strands from the outer husk, used in making ropes or mats, while coir chips are larger pieces of the husk and are used for drainage and aeration in gardening.
"Coco peat is finer, more absorbent than either the fiber or chips."
"A challenge of the coco peat industry, Pavani tells us, is that the moisture conditions of the peat need to be optimal, lest the peat gets spoiled in some form or another."
"Coco peat needs to have a moisture content of around 20-30 percent when packaged, otherwise it may dry out, or inversely become too wet, or even start to develop mold."
"This is a small price to pay, however, for the benefits of using coco peat," she says.
"Compared with peat moss, coco peat is a very sustainable option. Coco peat is renewable, of course, being that it is a byproduct of coconut harvesting. It also holds moisture better than peat moss, while draining better than normal soil. This helps keep the plant hydrated, but also safe from root rot."
The best mixers for coco peat are said to be perlite (for plants needing good drainage) and vermiculite (for water-loving plants). As with all plants, ensure that there is a proper drainage system in place.
"When asked about why a grower might choose coco peat over hydroponic alternatives such as rock wool or expanded clay pellets, Pavani tells us that coco peat is one of the hydroponic alternatives."
"It's often preferred in hydroponics as a substrate over things like Rockwool because it holds water well and provides aeration for plant roots. Unlike rockwool, it is very easy to handle, and is biodegradable, and quite cheap when compared with expanded clay pellets."
Intriguingly, coco peat is also reusable. Through a combination of washing it to remove salts and contaminants, rehydration through soaking it in water, sterilization (if necessary, of course), and potentially adding fertilizers or compost for new crops, the re-use of coco peat is another factor that aids this remarkable substrate, and the crops that respond best to it such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, strawberries, and various herbs.
Pavani acknowledges that there are concerns over the potential over-harvesting of coco peat but says that this is something that the industry is working to rectify. As for the economic impact of coco peat harvesting, she is very upbeat.
"Coco peat production provides jobs and income to many coconut-growing regions, especially in a country like Sri Lanka," she says. "This is something that supports local economies and helps diversify the agricultural industry."
According to CoCo Green Pvt. Ltd., even the waste from coco peat can be very useful, with the dust and small pieces of the coconut that aren't used being recycled and put to use in mattresses and various other absorbent products. Even more of the wastage from coco peat is used in bioenergy.
They find that the future is unfolding well for this once little-known substrate, as global demand grows year-on-year in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. "Coco peat is becoming increasingly popular for organic farmers and horticulturalists, thanks to its sustainability and ease of use, and becoming even more popular still thanks to the rise of hydroponic farming. In areas of the world where coconuts are easier to come by, the low prices of the coco peat make it all the more accessible to growers, and even for those where the product may be more expensive thanks to importing fees, it is still growing as an in-demand substrate."
For more information:
CoCo Green PVT. LTD.
www.cocogreen.com