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 Coconut Coir - #1 Organic Soilless Growing Medium
By Dr. Tahir Mahmood, Grotek Manufacturing Inc.
Use of organic substances as soil less growing mediums in the hydroponics industry is becoming very popular these days. There are several reasons for this popularity. Organic substances are easy to use, there is no interaction between the medium and nutrients, they offer improved availability of nutrients to plants, and in general they provide better physical and chemical properties suitable for best plant growth.
There are a number of different organic medium available (for commercial as well as hobby greenhouses) for growing vegetables and ornamental plants. Each medium used these days has certain advantages and disadvantages. As a matter of fact some have more disadvantages than advantages. Selection of a proper medium is very critical in successful plant production and obtaining high yield. In general an ideal medium should be free of any disease, weeds and toxic salts, and light enough to facilitate shipping and handling easily. An ideal medium should also be well-drained, have better air to water porosity, and have the ability to hold moisture and nutrients for long term supply to plants.
The most widely organic soilless mediums used are: sawdust, compost, peat moss and coconut coir
Sawdust
For the last so many years sawdust has been the most widely used medium in commercial greenhouses growing vegetables in different parts of the world where the availability of saw dust is not a problem. The major advantage of this medium is that the material itself is free of cost and easily available all year round. The only cost involved is the labour for filling grow bags. However, this medium has certain big disadvantages like:
• No uniformity and consistency in quality
• Can easily became saturated with water, leaving very little or no air-filled spaces for oxygen supply to plants.
• Wide carbon to nitrogen ratio that affects the availability of nitrogen to plants
• Carries a lot of toxic salts
• Sometimes the availability of the material is a big problem
• Nonrenewable
Compost
Compost is also being used on a fairly large scale as a stand alone, and it is widely used as a mix with other materials for soilless growing mediums. Compost is very cheap to make by using kitchen trash or farm yard waste. The major advantage of this medium is that it not only provides support to plants as a medium, but it also provides additional nutrients for plant growth. Microbes present in compost also help in converting unavailable nutrients to available nutrients. In spite of all these advantages, compost has certain very big disadvantages like:
• No uniformity in medium
• Compost becomes very highly saturated, leaving fewer air-filled pores
• Particle size may be too large or very small
• Compost may carry different plant pathogens that can cause root diseases
• Weed seeds are part of the compost
• Toxic heavy metals from different waste materials may be present in compost
Peat Moss
Peat Moss is the most widely used soil less medium in hydroponics throughout the developed world because it is inexpensive and widely available in nature. Peat moss is being extracted from environmentally sensitive swamps worldwide. In spite of being used on a large scale, this medium has also many disadvantages, especially for high end crops.
• Peat Moss contains more fine particles (less than 0.59 mm), which lead to water logging/saturation and results in very poor aeration for plant growth.
• Secondly, this medium is not uniform in terms of its properties; there is quite a bit of variation from place to place
• It is not environmentally friendly
• Peat moss is very acidic in pH (3.5-4.5)
• It is hydrophobic in nature (repels water) which makes it too hard to wet this medium initially
Coco Coir
Coco coir is a relatively new growing medium available these days for the hydroponics soil less culture. Coco coir is being produced as a bi-product of the coconut tree. Coconut husk is processed to produce fibrous material for use as a growing medium.
History
Coconut coir (fiber made out of coconut shells) has been used in different parts of the world for many years. Initially this fiber had been used for making twine, mats and brooms by western civilizations, but it had never been looked at as a growing medium for plant growth in the western world, although it had been used as a growing medium in ancient India and China. The use of this product as a medium for plant growth started in the late '80s, and moved into the commercial sector in the early 90s. Since then its use has increased day by day in home gardening, growing roses and vegetable production, and in the hydroponics industry in general.
Coconut coir is one of the most versatile materials man has ever extracted from Mother Nature. It has traveled a long way since its humble beginnings as the ubiquitous tying ropes. Coir today is used to make everything from door mats to rugs, rubberized coir mattresses, decorative rugs, garden supplies and growing medium. It is not just a natural product - it also has some winning advantages that make this product a premium choice for modern soil less growing systems.
Properties
Coco coir is a proven best alternative to any growing media. Its use as a growing medium outperforms any other medium used for growing vegetables, ornamentals and tree plants. Its soft structure promotes easy root penetration and healthy growth. Coco coir is 100% environmentally friendly. It is a renewable resource that is consistent in quality. Coco coir has the best physical and chemical properties to promote better plant growth.
• Coco has high water-holding capacity. It can hold water up to eight times of its weight and release it over a period of time.
• Coco has ideal pH in the range of 6-6.7
• It has excellent drainage and air porosity for better plant growth
• Coco is very low in EC and carries mostly potassium salts, which is an essential major plant nutrient
• Cation exchange capacity is very good
• Coco coir has some anti-fungal properties that help plants to get rid of soil borne diseases. It inhibits pathogens like Pithium
• Coco is very easy to re-hydrate after being dehydrated
• It is a biodegradable source that degrades very slowly and has a life of three to four years
• Contains significant amounts of phosphorous (10-50ppm) and potassium (150-450 ppm)
As mentioned above Coco coir is not just a natural product with very good properties for plant growth - it also has some winning advantages over other growing mediums.
Advantages of Coco Coir
• It is a 100% renewable resource
• Coco coir is light in weight
• It is consistent in high quality
• Coco coir is completely environmentally friendly
• The top of the product layer in grow bags/pots always remain dry, leaving behind no chances of fungal growth
• Coco coir never shrinks, cracks or produces crust
• It promotes better root systems in a short time
• Coco coir is odorless, pleasant to handle, and uniform in composition
How to Use:
Breaking
Coco is available in disks, bricks, or blocks. Simply break the blocks or bricks into smaller pieces.
Soaking
Soak these broken Coco blocks (smaller pieces) in water for a few hours.
Removal of Excess Salts (Untreated Source)
There are many untreated coco coir products available in the market, and a few that are already treated. For those untreated products, after soaking, add additional good quality water and let it stand for a few hours. This will bring out the excess of sodium and chloride in the solution. Drain the coco in order to get rid of the excess sodium and chloride. This coco is now ready for use. Use in containers or in bags for better growth of any kind of plants.
Coco coir can also be used as compost in gardens after plants have been harvested. With the use of coco as a medium there would be no problem of over or under watering. Once it is filled in bags, coco coir can last up to three to four years. It has naturally occurring potassium. Coco coir also has 60% water-filled space, and the rest is air-filled space which makes the product a very good choice for better plant growth.
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