Coco Peat for Gardening At Home
Hello gardeners, today we are back with a new topic again. The topic is all about coco peat for gardening at home. Do you want to know how to use coco peat for plants? Well, follow this complete article to know about coco peat usage.
Introduction to Coco Peat for Gardening At Home
Coco peat will improve water retention and even porosity of your growing medium and coco peat makes the soil crumbly and very light, enhances productivity, and even reduces root diseases.
What is meant by Coco Peat?
Coco peat soil is made out from the pith inside a coconut husk. Coco peat is naturally anti-fungal, making it a very excellent choice to start seedling but it is even used in rugs, ropes, brushes, and even as stuffing. Coco peat gardening is also used as a soil amendment, potting mix, and even in hydroponic production. Now, let us get into the detailed information of coco peat for gardening at home.
A Step By Step Guide to Coco Peat for Gardening At Home
Coco peat is also called coir pith. The other names of coco peat are listed here they are coir fibre pith, coir dust, or very simply coir, which is made from coconut husks and they are even by-products of other industries that use coconuts. Coco peat mainly consists of the coir fibre pith or even coir dust which is obtained from coconut husk and by removing the long fibres of that. The coco peat which is obtained can hold very large quantities of water, just like a sponge. It is used as a replacement for traditional peat in most of the soil mixtures, or, as a soil-less substrate for plantation.
Advantages of Using Coco peat for Gardening
- Produces the seedlings with stronger and more fibrous roots
It is very lightweight, it has a high water-holding capacity and high air Filled porosity are advantageous for producing seedlings with very strong and fibrous roots.
- Higher germination rates
Its ability to re-wet very easily makes it the perfect medium to use in most seedling trays and tubes. The germination rate is very high when seedlings are grown in mixes containing Coco peat.
- Easily re-wets
Coco peat is an ideal medium for all seed-raising applications. Unlike peat moss, Coco peat can re-wet very easily. This makes it the very perfect medium to use in plug and cell production for vegetable and flower seed rising, and even tube stock production of outdoor seedlings.
Coco peat helps in increasing the porosity of the potting mix. This helps in keeping the soil very loose and airy helping in better and good root growth. Better root growth results in the better plant growth and even higher yield.
Coco peat raises the water holding capacity of the potting mix even as it increases the porosity of the soil. This ensures that the plants do not suffer from overwatering or under-watering.
High porosity, high water holding capacity, and high cation exchange capacity together mean that the quantity of coco peat required per plant can be minimal.
Coco peat has many excellent properties that make it a very forgiving hydroponic that means soilless medium. Being an organic medium it has a high Cation Exchange Capacity allowing nutrients to be absorbed and supplied to the plants according to their need.
Unlike peat, coco peat is very easy to rewet. Dry coco peat is more hydrophilic and quickly absorbs water making it easy to use.
Unlike inorganic media like perlite, vermiculite, or Rockwool, coco peat can be compressed to one-fifth or less of its volume reducing transportation, storage, and handling costs.
Coco peat is a well-known renewable medium. It is usually extracted from the husk of the coconuts. What used to be a waste product just a couple of decades ago is now one of the thrust sources for export for the Coir Board of India.
Coco peat consists of natural Trichoderma which acts as a Bio agent against harmful pathogens. It also provides a great environment for beneficial fungi and bacteria to grow in it.
Coco peat can be moulded into a variety of shapes and sizes to suit all growing applications.
Coco peat that is mixed with coconut husk chips will provide all the perks of coco peat while increasing the drainage of the mix.
How to Make Coco Peat?
Essential Materials are listed below:
- Coconut
- Pliers
- Container
- Bowl
- Mixture
- Water
Step 1) Remove the Coconut Husk
Usage of pliers or even a coconut husk remover machine to separate the layer of coconut coir from its shell can be easily used.
Step 2) Separate the Husk carefully
Cut the husk into smaller parts before putting them in the blender or mixer.
Step 3) Mix it vigorously
Use a mixer or blender tool to turn coconut fibre into powdered form.
Step 4) Blend it to Smooth
Keep blending until you see smooth and fine powder.
Step 5) Eliminate the Fibrous Pieces
For a fine texture, takeout the unpowered pieces of coconut fibre or coir. Eliminate them either by handpicking or by using the sieve. At this step, your product is all ready to use. You can mix it in the soil well or store it in the brick form for future use.
Step 6) Flood Some Water
You’ll have a fine coconut coir powder; pour some water to it to make thick slurry.
Step 7) Blend it well
Use a trowel to churn the water and coir powder to mix them vigorously.
Step 8) Store it in a Container
You need to pour the solution into the chosen container that means depends on the shape you want for your coco peat and compress it. Commercial bricks are compressed using the machines, but you can use your hands or other tools to complete this task at home.
Types of Coco Peat for Plants
You can use coir same as peat moss. It often comes moulded into bricks, which have to be soaked to break them apart. This product is also easily found ground into dust, which is called coir dust and it is used to grow many exotic plants namely ferns, bromeliads, anthurium, and even orchids. Coco fibre is the brick type and mixed with soil to create air pockets that supply oxygen to plant roots. Coconut chips are also available and hold water while aerating the soil. Using a combination ratio of these, you can tailor-make the type of medium that each variety of plant requires.
Tips on Coco Peat for Gardening
If you buy the type in a brick put a couple in a 5-gallon bucket and adds warm water. Break down the bricks up by hand or you can let the coir soak for two to three hours. If you are planting in coco peat alone, you will probably want to mix in a time-release fertilizer since the coir has few nutrients to disperse. It will not have plenty of potassium as well as zinc, iron, manganese, and even copper. If you want to use soil and then add coco peat as an aerator or water retainer, it is usually recommended that the product makes up just 40% of the medium. Always moisten coco peat well and then check frequently to keep up on plant water needs.
Disadvantages of Using Coco Peat for Gardening
Coco peat contains natural salts. This means that only very good quality can be used for most potting mixes. It also means that nutrient composition in it has to be adjusted by keeping the salts available in coco peat in mind.
Due to salts in the coco peat and it is not suitable for recycling the hydroponic systems. Compressed coco peat usually needs to be used within a few months of its manufacture due to creep. Otherwise, it will become difficult to rewet and use. Again this can be easily overcome by using freshly compressed coco peat.
It has high porosity means that the potting mix cannot support the weight of the plant. This is a general and common problem with any good potting mix and that can be rectified by providing plant supports.
Coco peat can have soil contaminants in it. However, today many gardeners avoid sterilization of coco peat, instead of relying on bio agents to prevent pathogenic attacks on their plants.
Coco peat demand has been highly increasing resulting in volatile prices.
High demand can cause the poor quality of coco peat to enter the market. Buyers may often pay very high prices for the poor quality of coco peat.
How to Use Coco Peat for Gardening
- Coco peat bricks
The coconut fibres have been ground and then compressed into bricks. The bricks are very easy to package, market, store and even handle. This product will need to be reconstituted before use.
- Reconstituting the bricks
Coconut coir or peat comes in fully compressed form; it expands and can increases up to 5 or 6 times in volume after it is reconstituted. Only break off the amount you are planning to use it.
Break apart a brick in parts and then throw it in a large bucket. Add the required amount of water to saturate the brick.
Allow drying the coco peat to sit in the water for some time so that it can become very loose and absorb the water.
Stir and fluff the coco peat with a garden trowel after 10-15 minutes and then add more water if it looks dry. Stop, if it is very loose.
Stir and fluff again even after a few minutes to make sure all of it has been moistened, then add more water if it is not loose yet. Once you see the moist and very loose coco peat, it is ready to use in your garden.
Coco Peat Price in India
Coco peat organic 5kg price is approximately ₹ 999.00, the price will change depending on the manufacturer. The loose coco peat price may be different from the coco peat block price.
You may also check this: Growing Vegetables In Pots.
Using Coco Peat for Gardening
Coco peat can be directly incorporated into your garden soil to improve water retention, aeration and even decrease the risk of soil fungus and even root diseases. Mix it in the soil at a 25/75 ratio.
It can even be used as mulch around garden plants to help the soil retain moisture and to prevent weed growth around the plants.
How to Use Coco Peat for Gardening in Pots
Coco peat can be easily used as a soil-less growing medium for potted plants or even in aqua-culture growing environments. Just add the reconstituted bricks to planters, by leaving 1 inch of space below the planter rim. Then plant a seed or seedling in the centre. Fertilizer and soil will need to be added to sustain a plant long-term when it is planted in coco peat content.
If you don’t know how to use coco peat in pots, the easiest way is to add 1/4 part of coco peat in the potting mix.
Container gardens dry out very faster, so you need to apply a 1-inch layer of coco peat over the container soil to help the soil retain moisture.
Coco peat can also be a good sole growing medium for starting seeds. Once the shoots start to form then you can transplant seedlings into the pots.
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Commonly Asked Questions about Coco Peat for Gardening At Home
Can I make my coco peat at home?
Coco peat can be made very easily at home and one can ensure it is very clean and pure without any added adulterations. Coco peat is also biodegradable and even eco-friendly and an amazing growth medium. You can easily make your coco peat at home.
Can I grow vegetables only in coco peat?
Coco peat is an eco-friendly alternative source to the soil. You will not think so as you take in all that green and even the bounty of vegetables growing in front of you. Row upon row upon row of tomatoes, green chillies, bell peppers, and even brinjal grow on a 10-cent land.
Can I mix coco peat with soil?
Before mixing coconut coir with the soil, it needs to be soaked in water to ensure that it is moist throughout. Put the block or loose coir in a very large tub or bucket and then cover it with water. You need to add more water as needed until it is soaked through. Drain the complete water and then add compost or garden soil until you reach a 50/50 coco-soil mix.
Coco peat is acidic or alkaline?
Coir peat provides high air and even water holding capacity within the container. It has a slightly acidic to neutral pH range, so it will not require limestone for pH adjustment. The pH of coco peat ranges from 6.0 to 6.8, as compared to peat moss, for which the pH ranges from 3.5 to 4.8.
Is coco peat better than soil?
Unlike soil, coco peat has very little nutritional content in it. You need to have complete control over what goes into your plants – get it right and growth is amazing. You will need to monitor your plant’s nutrient pH though.
How do I prepare coco peat for planting?
Take water in a large-sized bucket and then immerse coco-peat compressed block in it. Keep the block immersed in water for nearly 3-4 hours, so that it can absorb maximum water and then loosens up. After 3-4 hours the entire block will absorb water, and then it will swell up 2-3 times its weight.
Can I grow plants in coco peat?
Types of coco peat for plants
You can easily use coir just like peat moss. It usually comes pressed into bricks, which need to have to be soaked to break them apart. The product is also easily found ground into dust, which is called coir dust and it is used to grow many exotic plants such as ferns, bromeliads, anthurium, and even orchids.
In case if you miss this: How To Make Money From Coco Peat Manufacturing.