Light, crumbly, clean, and a pleasure to work with – meet Coco Coir. Made from coconut husk (the outer most layer of the coconut), it is our favorite growing medium for anything from vegetables to ornamentals - even succulents! Although coco coir is surprisingly still not widely known among home gardeners, we are trying our very best to popularize it and make it easily accessible to everyone. It’s just that good and we want you to reap the benefits.
Ummm, you want me to put my plants in soil made out of coconuts? YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES! Growing with coco coir is very beneficial and your plants will love it. Here are some things to consider.
Coco coir used in gardening
There are two main forms of coco coir that can be used in gardening: coco coir and coco chips.
Coco coir or coco peat is the most popular type used for cultivating all types of crops. It is an excellent soil amendment, but can also be used on its own to sprout seeds, propagate plants and provide support to the root structures of hydroponically grown plants.
Coco chips are most commonly used as a growing medium for orchids, bromeliads, hoyas, and other tropical plants, but is also a great alternative to perlite and vermiculite as it helps with soil aeration and to avoid compaction. You can also compare coco chips with expanded clay pellets or leca, but made from plant matter instead of clay, so as they break down they will add more organic matter into your growing medium. It’s a beautiful thing! They’re large enough to create air pockets, but also absorb water so your plants won’t dehydrate completely. Try it! Keep it in the coco coir family.
Coco coir and coco chips can be used in several ways individually or combined. For example, they can be used for seed starting, as potting mix for ornamentals, veggies, succulents, and more commonly as the growing medium in commercial greenhouses. When using coco coir products in your garden, it is important to know what you will be using it for so that you can determine the right mixture of the two types to guarantee the best results.
Whether you use it indoors or outdoors, it's important to know that coco peat is inert, which means that it does not have nutrients within it. This is one of the great benefits of coco coir because it allows you as a gardener to customize your potting mix for each of your plants. Because of this, we recommend that you mix your coco peat with compost, worm castings, or other sources of nutrients to ensure the best possible growth.
If you’re an ornamentals kind of plant lover, coco coir is definitely for you as well! Since coco peat is weed-free and fungal-resistant, it’s an ideal medium for plants that may not get too much air flow or sun. It’s a light and airy medium that will give the plant roots plenty of space for healthy growth. Also, coco coir is known for its water retention capabilities which means that you can go longer without watering so if you’re the type of person that forgets to water your plants regularly or wants to reduce your watering frequency, go ahead and try this coco coir POTTING MIX for a measured mix of coco peat, coco chips, and worm castings and see how that works for you.
Do you sometimes forget to water your plant for a really long time? If so, the good news is that, if your plant survives, coco coir is super welcoming to rewetting, unlike peat moss, which becomes hydrophobic when it dries out, meaning that it repels water. If you have to be away from your plants for a few days, consider mulching your plants with COCO CHIP to reduce moisture loss. You can do this for veggies and ornamentals both indoors and outdoors.
If we’re talking orchids and other tropical plants that typically grow on tree trunks, coco chips are a great option to use on its own or add to your orchid potting mix. This is because coco chips are basically chunks of coconut husk which are cut to uniform size and hold moisture, while providing plenty air space for the roots which should not be buried into any kind of soil. You will want to hydrate the chips first and then add it to your pot. The chips will contain the water within itself like a sponge which is released to the roots as needed. It also looks very beautiful!
The secret to the success of growing any plant in a container is to use a good growing medium that sustains the plants throughout their lifespan. The plants will have to get all their water and food needs from you, but a good potting mix will make this much easier for you.
Coco coir is a superior soilless growing medium ideal for many different gardening.
Try it out and let us know how it goes.