Coconut coir, or coco coir, is one of the most popular growing mediums for everything from ferns to cucumbers.
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Coco coir delivers nutrients directly to your plants during every feeding cycle, and it also retains nutrients so you don’t have to water your plants as frequently as you would with a hydroponics system.
While coco coir is beneficial for plant growth, it is most helpful when it’s watered and tended to properly. Taking care of plants grown using coco coir can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where this guide comes in. Here you’ll learn everything you need to know about coco coir and how to water your plants when using coco as a grow medium.
Table of Contents
By the end of this guide, you'll be able to grow your very own plants using coco coir!
Coco coir is a grow medium that consists of brown and white fibers — these fibers comprise the material between the shell of a coconut and its outer husk. The brown fibers come from older coconuts and are fairly strong. The white fibers are taken from younger, less ripe coconuts and are more flexible.
The brown and white fibers in coco coir are removed from coconuts, processed, dried, and prepped for storage. These fibers are then packaged in a variety of ways, including:
There are many advantages to using coco coir as a growing medium over soil or even coco pebbles.
Ease of Use
Coco coir is one of the simplest growing mediums you can use for growing. Soil can be tricky to amend when nutrients and pH are off, and full-on hydroponics can be a little daunting for beginner growers. With coco coir, though, you can feed your plants all the nutrition they need without guessing what they’re already getting like you would have to with soil.
At the same time, coco coir has enough water retention so that you don’t need to be constantly monitoring your garden like you would with hydroponic systems that use rockwool or hydroponic pebbles.
If you decide to take the leap to hydroponic growing from soil, using coco coir is an easy way to make the transition from one to the other because you’ll already know how to feed your plants nutrient-rich water.
Coco coir has no nutritional value. That may seem like a strange thing to highlight, but it actually removes a lot of guesswork when feeding your plants.
One of the biggest challenges with soil is that it may or may not have all the nutrition your plants need. Even more challenging is trying to supplement nutrients and balance pH levels without spiking their feedings.
As such, coco coir is basically a clean slate. You can give your plants the exact nutrients they need to ensure they’re getting the proper — and correct — nutrition.
Coco coir is one of the best growing mediums when it comes to retaining and draining water. It has the ability to hold as much as 10 times its weight in water. Unlike hydroponic pebbles that are meant to wick water away, coco has the ability to retain water so you’re not having to constantly run a system to ensure your plants are being fed.
In addition, compared to soil, water drains from coco easier and faster. This allows you to feed your plants more often, and in turn grow larger plants.
Healthy Root Development
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Coco coir is exceptionally great for root development. This is due to coco’s ability to take in nutrients in high amounts, retain those nutrients, and still allow for water wicking.
Without plenty of oxygen, root systems will stay small, thus keeping your plants small. At the same time, too much oxygen means you’re drying off and harming your roots if you’re not on top of your watering schedule. Coco coir offers a unique blend of nutrient retention, quick drying, and airflow that soil and hydroponic pebbles have a hard time doing efficiently.
Less Pests
Most insects and other pests that can damage your plants don’t like coco coir. Pests tend to land in soil because of the nutritional value they can obtain from it, but coco serves them no purpose, so they tend to stay away. In fact, other than fungus gnats, pests aren’t typically attracted to coco coir.
It’s worth noting that pests will always be attracted to your plants, so it’s always important to practice proper pest prevention and elimination. Still, coco deters more pests from landing on your plants because they know they can’t stay for long if they do.
Coco coir is made with recyclable and reusable materials, which means you can extend its life beyond just a few growing cycles. Unlike pebbles that are usually thrown out after each grow, or soil that needs to be rejuvenated with nutrition, coco coir is easier to maintain and keep reusable after multiple grows.
If you plan on reusing coco coir, you’ll have to let it dry first and then remove any plant stems and other debris after a growing cycle. Other than that, you’ll be good to go and your coco will be ready to reuse.
We've outlined the steps for preparing coco coir for your next growing cycle. It's actually pretty simple.
Once your coco coir is ready, you can fill your growing pots. Next, you’ll want to water your plants. Properly watering your plants will determine how successful your coco harvest will be.
The last thing you’ll want to know before you start feeding your plants is what you should be feeding them.
Unlike other growing mediums, coco coir is not a nutrient-rich solution. As such, you’ll need to use nutrient-enriched water or provide additional nutrients. This technique, also known as fertigation, consists of mixing nutrient-rich solutions and fertilizers with water.
When you are able to properly fertigate your coco, you will achieve the best results with your plants. Here are the nutrients your plants will need if you use coco coir:
The best way to ensure you are providing your plants with the proper nutrients is to buy a fertilizer or nutrient set specifically made for growing with coco coir in potted plants or with a hydroponics system. General Hydroponics and Dyna Gro, for example, are great for coco coir grows because of the complete nutrition they’re able to provide.
While your watering schedule will depend on the type of plants you’re growing, it is definitely vital that your coco coir is always wet. You should never allow your coco to dry out, as this will prevent your plants from getting the necessary nutrients.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when watering your plants in a coco coir medium:
Like any growing medium, coco coir has its intricacies and requires that you know what you’re working with. By directly feeding your plants and retaining both water and nutrients, it’s a unique and effective growing medium.
It’s also simpler to use than soil and pebbles, making it a more approachable medium whether you’re a beginner or a long-time grower.
Now that you know what coco coir is and how it’s properly used, you’ll be ready to use it for your next grow. And thanks to its reusable properties, you’ll be able to keep using it for multiple subsequent grows.
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