What is Coco Coir and How to Use it
Coco coir is an amazing growing medium. Find out what it is, how it's made, and the best coco coir to use in your garden in this complete guide by Epic Gardening Founder Kevin Espiritu.
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Coco coir is an increasingly popular hydroponic growing medium and soil amendment— and for a good reason. There are a whole host of benefits to growing with coconut coir that you can and should take advantage of.
In this guide, you’ll cover everything you need to know about coco coir: what it is, its pros and cons, and how to use it.
Urban Worm Coco Coir
Urban Worm Coco Coir is a proven, eco-friendly worm bedding and soil amendment made from coconut husks.
2 of our 1.4-lb coco coir bricks is the perfect amount of bedding to start the Urban Worm Bag.
Urban Worm Coco Coir is rinsed to remove salt content and features a near-neutral pH.
What is Coconut Coir?
First, we need to understand what coconut coir actually is.
In the past, when coconuts were harvested for their delicious meat and juice, the coconut husk was considered a waste product. All of the material from the husk to the inner shell of the coconut was discarded, until people realized it had many applications in gardening and home products.
Everything in between the shell and the outer coating of the coconut seed is considered coco coir. There are two types of fibers that make up coir—brown and white. Brown coir comes from mature, ripe coconuts and is a lot stronger but less flexible. White fibers come from pre-ripe coconuts and are far more flexible but much less strong.
Almost all of the coconut coir used for hydroponics is brown coir, as it’s processed even more after initial harvesting.
How is Coco Coir Made?
To get coconut coir ready for hydroponic and gardening uses, it must undergo extensive processing.
First, they need to remove the coir from the coconuts. This is done by soaking the husks in water to loosen and soften them. This is either done in tidal waters or freshwater. If done in tidal waters, the coconut coir will take up a large amount of salt, which will need to be flushed out by the manufacturer at a later stage.
Then, they’re removed from the water bath and dried for over a year. After the drying process, which is quite extensive, the coir is organized into bales. These bales are then chopped and processed into various formats, from chips, to “croutons”, to classic ground coconut coir.
Much more goes into the process of making coco coir safe and optimal for horticultural use.
Pros and Cons
There are amazing benefits to using coconut coir in your garden. But just like any other kind of growing media, there are also some downsides to consider before you buy.
Benefits of Coco Coir
Whether you’re looking for a peat-free potting mix or an organic soil amendment to boost soil structure, coconut coir is a great choice. These are just a few of the many benefits to using coco coir in the garden.
Good transition from soil gardening
Growing in coco coir feels like growing in soil because the two media look so similar. You can have a completely hydroponic garden that looks almost the same as a soil garden. The only difference is instead of watering with only water, you would water your coconut coir garden with nutrient-enriched water.
Retains moisture and provides a good environment
Coco coir is one of the most effective growing media for water retention out there. It can absorb up to 10 times its weight in water, meaning the roots of your plants will never get dehydrated. There’s also a lot of growing media for roots to work through, promoting healthy root development.
Environmentally safe
Coconut coir doesn’t have the same environmental concerns as peat moss. And unlike peat moss, which breaks down rapidly, it can be used more than once. It’s also a repurposed waste product from a renewable resource, unlike the peat bogs where we get our peat moss.
Insect-neutral
Most garden pests do not enjoy settling in coconut coir, making it yet another line of defense in your integrated pest management system for your garden.
Can be less complex than traditional hydroponics
If growing hydroponically is new, coconut coir is a good first step. You can practice the basics of hydroponic gardening without having to buy or build a hydroponic system and perform all of its required maintenance.
Downsides of Coco Coir
As with any garden amendment, there are some downsides to work around.
Inert
Coconut coir is inert, meaning it has no nutrients. It may look like soil, but it is not soil. This isn’t a problem when used as a soil amendment but is a downside in hydroponic gardens. You must add hydroponic nutrients and control the pH when using coco coir.
May need additional supplementation
You may find your plants short on calcium and magnesium when using coconut coir. Other fertilizers will be necessary as well since coir has low NPK levels.
Needs rehydration
Most coco coir products are shipped in dry, compressed bricks. While this saves on shipping costs, it adds labor to your growing process as you’ll need to rehydrate them before you can use them in the garden. This isn’t too hard, though!
Mixes can be expensive
Garden suppliers know that coco coir can be annoying to work with, so they’ve started to offer coconut coir mixes. This saves a lot of time but is pretty expensive.
Types of Coco Coir
When you buy a coconut coir product, you’re really buying three types of coconut coir: fiber, the pith (or coconut peat), or the coco chips.
Together, they provide a powerful growing medium. Apart, they have very specific benefits. Here’s a look at what each of them is.
Coco Pith or Coco Peat
The “peat” of coconut coir, pith looks like finely ground coconut or peat moss. It’s so small and absorbent that if you were to use coco peat as your only growing medium, you might drown out the roots of your plants.
It must be aged properly to be used as a growing media, as it can let out salts that will kill your plant if you’re not careful. Choosing a coconut coir manufacturer that ages properly is thus crucial for good growing.
Coco Fiber
Coconut fiber adds air pockets into your medium. It’s not very absorbent, which is good because your growing media needs air pockets in order to provide oxygen to the root zone. Coconut fibers do break down rather quickly, meaning the air pockets they create will also decrease over time.
Coco Chips
Coconut chips are basically a natural type of expanded clay pellet. They’re just made from plant matter instead of clay! They are best thought of as a hybrid between coco peat and coco fiber. They’re large enough to create air pockets but also absorb water, so your plants won’t dehydrate completely.
When using coconut coir in the garden, you must use the right mixture of these three types for the best results.
How to Choose High-Quality Coco Coir
The most important factors in high-quality coco coir are how it is harvested, prepared, and processed. Because none of these factors are directly in your control, you have to pick suppliers that follow the best practices for coco coir production.
After the coir is separated from the coconuts, it’s stored in piles for a few years. This puts it at risk for pathogens due to the natural pH of coco coir. Most producers that experience this will chemically sterilize the coir so it’s ready for use in your garden. This also has its risks, as it can prematurely break down the fibers and peat.
The absolute best manufacturers of coconut coir will have an iron grip on their product from harvest to shipping.
They will:
- Avoid situations that are conducive to pathogen growth
- Have a dedicated system to control how the coconut coir ages
- Rinse and wash the coir to flush out salts
- Create the right blend of pith, fibers, and chips
- Package and store their product correctly
The Best Coco Coir For Your Garden
Now that you understand what coco coir is, how it’s processed and made, and what to look for when buying it, you’re armed with the info you need to make a good buying decision.
We’ve tested a lot of different brands and learned a lot simply through trial and error. Urban Worm Coco Coir is our top pick. It’s perfect not only to use as a substrate for hydroponics but also as bedding in your worm farm. Blend this coir into your homemade potting mixes instead of peat moss for a pH-neutral alternative.
