Cocopeat is a soilless growing medium and soil conditioner. It is made from the spongy material (pith) extracted from the outer husk of coconut. It is also known as coco fiber pith, coco coir dust and coco dust.
Cocopeat Properties
Cocopeat’s physical and chemical properties makes it an excellent an hydroponic growing medium. However, its physical and chemical properties vary depending on the quality of the product or where it is sourced. For example, cocopeat from the Philippines has very low electro-conductivity (TDS) compared to cocopeat from other coco producing countries such as Sri Lanka or India. This is because Philippine cocopeat generally does not incorporate salt in its production. This can be a very important consideration for applications such as hydroponic vegetable production where the presence of salts can interfere with the performance of the nutrient solution.
Cocopeat Degrades
Cocopeat is inert, however, it does lose this inertness as it degrades through use. For best results, we recommend using cocopeat once as a hydroponic growing medium then subsequently use it for other applications such as a seed raising medium or as soil amendment.
Cocopeat is Water Retentive
Cocopeat absorbs and holds on water well. However, when completely dehydrated, it takes a while to take on water because it becomes hydrophobic when dry.
Cocopeat’s high water holding capacity means that root aeration could be inadequate. We recommend mixing it with light and porous aggregates such as perlite or pumice.
Cocopeat Comes in Blocks and Bags
Cocopeat can be purchased as compressed and dehydrated blocks. These blocks expand to five to six times its original volume when rehydrated. This process is demonstrated in the short video below.
Cocopeat is also available as bags of uncompressed cocopeat up to 30 kg in weight.
Cocopeat is Eco-Friendly
Cocopeat is also eco-friendly because it’s a by-product of the coconut industry. It’s made of all natural and biodegradable materials. It’s made from renewable materials from the Tree of Life itself.
Happy Grower Discusses Cocopeat
Learn more about cocopeat in the video below from Happy Grower’s Channel. The video is in Filipino with English transcript coming soon.
Happy growing!