Cocopeat

What is cocopeat?

Coir, or coconut fibre, is a natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes and mattresses. Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. COCOPEAT is a byproduct that remains after the extraction of coconut fibres from husks/shells. It is also called “coco fibre pith” or coir-dust.

Advantages:

• It is high in nutrition

• Retains huge amounts of water thereby helping soil to stay moist for a long time.

• The structure of the cocopeat particles makes it excellent for improving aeration within the pot/container.

• Light in weight.

• Natural, organic and renewable. 

• Best Part – it is made from a byproduct.

Disadvantages:

• Expensive.

• It is not the sole medium to grow plants. It needs to be used along with other mediums like gardening soil, organic compost, etc.

• Coco peat generally has an acidity in the range of pH – 5.5 to 6.5, which is slightly too acidic for some plants, but many popular plants can tolerate this pH range.

Cost Benefit Analysis:

Cocopeat gets a big thumbs up and is definitely worth the time, money and energy you spend on procuring it. It is easily available on all the ecommerce platforms. The biggest thing to remember is to use it in potting mix as it works the best in potting mix along with other mediums like gardening soil, compost, etc. Use it in little quantities and always remember that cocopeat retains a lot of water so use it only for the plants that love a good amount of soil moisture. Do not use much for indoor plants and never use it in your succulent mix.