Coco Peat

If you’ve had the pleasure of opening one of the coconuts and seen the stringy, fibrous, and fiber-like interior, it is the foundation of coco peat.

Is coco peat a substance, and what’s its function? It is used to plant and is available in a variety of varieties. Coco peat is also referred to as Coir. It is readily available and is a classic material for the liner of wire baskets.

Coconut husk is becoming an abundant source for a range of products and soilless gardening. Coconut fiber is the raw material used in many products like ropes, Coir mats; Coir meshes bio-filter, even yarn that could be transformed to make rough linen. 

Cocopeat (a mix of dust and fiber ends that aren’t used) is now is gaining popularity as a material for non-terrestrial plants, particularly for homes in urban areas where space restrictions require people to search for alternatives to the material.

Typically, the fibers surrounding the coconut kernel are comprised of one-third of the husk. The remainder of the husk is composed of dusty particles that are high in nutrients.

Many entrepreneurs are looking at an opportunity to utilize cocopeat in a range of goods. It is now being extensively used to aid in Hydroponic (soil-less) cultivating.

Absorbent

The kilograms of coco peat have been said to absorb seven L of water and hold it for months. Coco peat is currently being compressed into blocks of solid material to be used for commercial purposes. 

It is able to expand 17 times the volumetric when it is treated by water. The high porosity of coco peat substratum permits an airflow that is efficient and rapid vegetative development when it is planted with saplings.

In addition, it is abundant in nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous magnesium, zinc, as well as other substances essential to growing.

The properties of this plant have led to it becoming a popular option for roof or kitchen gardening. It is now being viewed as the ideal choice for garden bags for home use because of its ability to keep water in place for a long.

Huge opportunity

As per S.K. Gowthaman who is the director at Bio Gardener, a Coimbatore-based firm that is specialized in coco peat products 75 coconut trees can be planted on a single acre farm. Each tree produces 150 to 180 fruit in one year.

The nut, when removed, produces approximately 100 grams of unhusked. Because India is the second-largest coconut-growing country (after Indonesia) among the world’s 93 nations the potential uses of coco-peat are enormous.

A sustainable alternative

Cocopeat is a popular choice for home gardeners. as a sustainable substitute for soil. The hydroponic plants that grow in cocopeat increase by fifty percent than the soil they grow in. 

This also reduces the requirement for herbicides, fertilizers, and pesticides since peat contains plenty of nutrients. Because the peat can hold water for a long period it lowers the need for water and the effort needed to keep the plant hydrated. 

Since it is porous, it allows for greater aeration to the roots. When cocopeat is transformed into pans and pots it can be used as a substitute for soil and also as a pot-holder. Pots can be put on balconies, or set on screens for vertical gardens.

Coco-disks

P.B. Sundareshan P.B. Sundareshan, a representative from Srivari Choirs, a firm that is based in Pollachi reports that they also create coco-poles that support creepers as well as coco-disks that could be used as a lid for the soil-carrying flower pots. 

They allow the water to slowly percolate will also check the rate of evaporation and reduce the amount of water consumed. But coco-disks are also commonly used to germinate plants by nurseries. 

Coco peat is not able to let grass or weeds develop. In recent times, coco peat is also being used for aesthetic purposes like calendars, clock dials, and greeting cards made of boards made of it.

In addition, coco fiber is making its way into the brand new range of products. Coir mats made of loosely woven fibers are being used to prevent erosion of soils from railway lines as well as the banks of bodies of water. 

Biodegradable, they aid in stabilizing the soil and allowing vegetation to flourish faster in the pores.

The Facts

Coconut fiber (sold as Coir) is touted as a substitute for peat. Peat bogs play host to many unique animal species and store large amounts of carbon. When harvested to be used as growing media, the swamps regenerate, but the process takes decades.

Substituting the byproduct of a harvested food (like Coir) makes perfect sense-but. Is it up to the task? Peat moss and Coir are both lightweight and weed-free.

But when scientists at Utah State University experimented on six species to see whether the plants preferred a peat/perlite mix or a coir/perlite mix, they found that plants grown in peat looked healthier and had a higher chlorophyll content than those produced in Coir.

The Relevance; The good news is that prior studies have shown that compost can play the part of peat in growing mixes. Replacing up to 75 percent of a peat mix with compost can grow better plants and help conserve peat bogs.