Purpose of coco peat and its use

For a long time, coconut shells were considered a worthless waste. Only some time ago, the shell of a palm nut was learned to process and use as an organic substrate for growing fruit, berry, vegetable crops, as well as bedding in terrariums for breeding snails, lizards and some species of insects.

Coconut peat is a compressed dry mass of ground and crushed particles of coconut shell, consisting of fibers and shavings. Such a substrate is made from dried raw materials and in order to use it for its intended purpose, peat is pre-soaked in water.

Coconut peat is represented on the market by several producers at once. Each manufacturer produces coconut soil in several forms at once.

• Briquettes. They are the most common form of coconut soil release. Their weight can vary from 0.5 to 5 kilograms per packing unit. Briquettes are most often sealed in transparent mica with a label and instructions embedded inside. From 1 kg of dry soil, you can get about 5 kg of finished substrate. Therefore, purchasing a substrate in briquettes, you can immediately calculate the required number of packages to obtain ready-made soil in the required volume.
• Fiber. This type is a thin rods up to 30 cm long. Soil of this shape is used as an addition to the finer fraction to create nutritious soil and retain moisture in it for a longer period.
• Pills. For their manufacture, coconut fiber is used. Use tablets in agricultural technology for growing seedlings of cultivated plants or flowers.
• Coco chips. They are thin flakes and shavings. Most often used in greenhouses for the cultivation of exotic flowers and plants.
• Compressed mat. The soil here is represented by a mix of peat, fibers and coco chips pressed together.

Coconut peat is most commonly used in plant cultivation and can be used as:

• an independent nutrient substrate for growing vegetables in the beds;
• soil for the cultivation of indoor plants, both widespread and exotic species, for example, anthurium, orchids, ferns;
• mulch when growing shrubs, fruit or berry trees;
• supporting substrate for seedlings;
• fertile soil in greenhouses and greenhouses;
• nutrient substrate in greenhouses, winter gardens, exhibitions of exotic plants.

Coconut peat is an environmentally friendly product. When preparing it, the use of personal protective equipment is not required.

To prepare a fertile soil from coco peat, you need to take the following steps.

• Read the instructions. Soil preparation recommendations are usually indicated on the label.
• Prepare the required amount of water. You can use both cold and warm liquid. When using warm water, the preparation time of the substrate may be slightly reduced.
• Prepare a container for preparing soil. Here it should be borne in mind that its dimensions should be much larger than the volume of dry peat, since when the dry matter swells, the dry matter will significantly increase in size.
• If a substrate is used in briquettes, then it is necessary to separate the required amount of dry matter from the total mass. If you have chosen tablets, then it is better to soak each one in a separate container. And when using pressed mats, attention should be paid to the amount of liquid used and the complete saturation of all parts of the substrate with water. Due to the fact that there are several types of grinding in the mats, they can be impregnated unevenly.
• Pour dry peat with water, leave to swell. The required time is most often from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the form of release.
• After the expiration of the time specified in the instructions, the resulting substrate is mixed, the existing lumps are kneaded until a homogeneous substance is obtained.
• Drain off the remaining liquid. For drier soil, such as when used as terrarium bedding, place it on a dry cloth and wring it out again.

When using coconut peat as a fertilizer or soil for growing plants, remember that the growing environment for coconut is abundant in the presence of sea salt, which also accumulates in the skin of the plants. And in order to rid the soil of salt impurities, before dilution, the dry substrate should be rinsed 3-4 times under running water using a colander. Also, before diluting peat with liquid, you should pay attention to the information on the addition of mineral supplements and vitamin complexes to the dry substrate. If such information is not available, you can enrich coconut peat yourself by adding one or another fertilizer to the water when preparing the substrate.

Thus, the use of coco peat as a nutrient soil for plants will help retain moisture and fertilizers in the soil for a longer time, which will lead to a decrease in the amount of watering and reduce the frequency of using mineral supplements. Besides, environmentally friendly coco peat is not infested with pests, which will help to avoid the formation of harmful microorganisms in such soil and minimize plant diseases.

For information on how to use coconut substrate for growing seedlings and more, see the next video.