Is Coconut Coir Good For Gardening?

Is coconut coir good for gardening as everybody on the internet says? In some way they are right. Coconut coir is a natural and renewable alternative to traditional compost or soil and has been used in agriculture for centuries. This guide will show you how to use coconut coir as a gardening material and the benefits of the coconut coir.

It’s also known as coconut fiber and is a type of organic soil conditioner that makes a fantastic and natural alternative to clay soil. It's not only good for gardening but it can be used for almost anything that requires a soil-like material. The coconut coir is widely used as an effective mulch for growing fruit and vegetables in tropical climates. Also, it contains large amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and calcium and it is good for keeping roots cool.
In this article, we will tell you everything about coconut coir and its benefits for gardening. We will also provide the source for how to use coconut coir in gardening, using it to make a planting platform with it, and give tips on planting with coconut coir. So, is coconut coir good for gardening?

Let's get you some answers!

What Is Coconut Coir?

Coconut coir is the fiber left over after you take off the meat, oil, water, and other useful parts of the coconut. It is used as a natural, sustainable, eco-friendly material to protect garden beds and gardens from pests and weeds. It is used as mulch material in landscaping.

How Can Coconut Coir Help My Plants?

So, your plants need nutrients, right? Well, coconut coir (from coconut husks) makes a great fertilizer because it contains nitrogen. The most nutrient-rich part of coconut husks is the inner core, known as coco. While coconut husks are high in nutrients, they aren’t usually considered an organic source of fertilization.
But that isn’t necessarily the case. Coconut coir is high in nutrients but low in allergens. And when used properly, coconut coir is completely safe for plants.

Is Coconut Coir Good For Gardening?

For years, coconut coir has been used as mulch for gardens because of its high moisture content. The material has since been found to hold the soil together very well, preventing water loss to the atmosphere. Because of its natural moisture-retaining properties, coconut coir makes for a good growing medium for plants in water-logged areas.
However, if you plan on planting any sensitive flowers, such as lilies or snapdragons, coir should not be used. This is because coir retains moisture, making it difficult to properly regulate the amount of water given to plants.

Can You Grow Vegetables In Coconut Coir?

Coconut coir is an organic material. It is made from the husks of coconuts and other palms. It is light and has a high water holding capacity.
It is usually sold as gardening media. You can use it in the garden to help your vegetables grow. There are several advantages to using coconut coir.
For example, it is great for use in the garden because it absorbs the nutrients found in the soil. It holds more water than soil. You will never have to water your garden again if you use coir.
Another advantage of using coir is that it is lightweight. It can be easily moved around and placed on top of other soil. You don't need to worry about heavy rains and flooding. Because it is lightweight, it doesn't add too much weight to your garden and to your yard.

Is Coconut Coir Good For Raised Garden Beds?

So you’re looking to build a raised garden bed, but you don’t want to invest a lot of time and effort into the project. Well, you might have found the answer to your prayers. Coconut coir is often used in garden beds because it doesn’t require a large amount of space, doesn’t require regular water, and is very easy to maintain.
So the answer is Yes! If you're looking to save money, time, and energy, coconut coir could be the perfect bedding material for you.

What Kind Of Plants Will Grow Well With Coconut Coir?

There are many kinds of plants that will grow well with coconut coir and it is recommended that you experiment with various types to see what you like best. Some common examples include succulents such as aloe vera, spider lilies, ferns, mosses, and sedums.
There are also herbaceous plants that love the coir, including sunflowers, bromeliads, begonias, and dianthus. Many people also plant a variety of tropical foliage shrubs in pots filled with coir.

Easy Steps To Create A Coconut Coir Garden

Coir or coconut coir is a natural material that comes from the outer layer of the coconut husk. It has a porous structure, a lot of fibers, and many micropores. It’s a good material for garden compost or soil improver.
When you take coconut husks, remove the meat and soak them in water, it becomes soft. Then you can use them to make coir bricks or mulch. You need just 2 kgs of dried coconut husks for 3 sqm of garden. Here are the steps to making a coconut coir garden.

Step 1
Start with a clear container.
Step 2
Cut coconut coir into a square or rectangle.
Step 3
Add shredded coconut.
Step 4
Press down firmly to make it compact.
Step 5
Add soil.
Step 6
Water the soil well, and place the garden inside.



Is Coconut Coir Safe For Your Garden?

Coir, or coconut coir, is a fiber made from shredded coconuts. It's often used in landscaping and gardening. But is it safe for plants? Not all plants like coconut coir.
Some prefer it, while others don't. The most popular recommendation is to add it to topsoil rather than putting it directly around plants, but even then some people worry about possible effects on plants and soil.

Conclusion On The Topic: "Is Coconut Coir Good For Gardening?"

In conclusion, coconut coir has several benefits and characteristics that make it useful in horticulture. The coir acts as a medium for growing plants and provides the required humidity to promote growth. When planted in moist conditions, the coir will absorb water from the ground and retain moisture, preventing evaporation and keeping roots healthy and happy.
By using coir, you can effectively garden in a number of different ways. There is no single recipe or method for growing with coconut coir but there are certain aspects of the method that are universally applicable.

I have been using coir as a soil amendment for years now, as I am a container gardener and need to prepare my soil before filling the containers. I also periodically empty my containers and reconstitute the growing medium. I buy the coir in 11-pound blocks and carve off sections to rehydrate in a 5-gallon bucket. I mix the coir into the soil with a ratio of 1-gallon of coir per cubic foot of soil. In my exceptionally dry climate, it works wonderfully well.

I got a bunch of choir blocks dirt cheap because the packaging was damaged and water got in, so it was unsalable. What did I care, it was going to get wet anyway!

I use it as a top mulch on my tomato half-barrels to retain moisture. It seems to work well, and it lets liquid water pass right through. It also lasts for years; I scrape it off every spring before amending the soil and then reapply after planting.

I wonder if it would be less slug-friendly than straw in my strawberry patch? The stuff I have is in small chunks, not a peat-like powder.

Coir has it uses, certainly. However, unless you can grow coconuts in your eco-system, it seems to me that this resource would be best used on the farms that are producing the coconuts to maintain their soil. Many of those farms are already using the coconuts themselves as a cash crop with all that nutrient leaving the farm forever. Keeping nutrients cycling within a community may be critical for long term soil/community/planet health.

Yes, it is a "waste stream" product - but in nature, nothing is a waste. Many of the same effects can be achieved with leaf mold at the garden level, and punky wood in the bottom of pots or raised garden beds. I do admit that I add some coir to my seed-starting mix where a single block will last me several years, as its moisture buffering characteristics are very helpful there and I start seeds for two disabled friends as well as for my own homestead.

Jay Angler wrote:Coir has it uses, certainly. However, unless you can grow coconuts in your eco-system, it seems to me that this resource would be best used on the farms that are producing the coconuts to maintain their soil. Many of those farms are already using the coconuts themselves as a cash crop with all that nutrient leaving the farm forever. Keeping nutrients cycling within a community may be critical for long term soil/community/planet health.

Yes, it is a "waste stream" product - but in nature, nothing is a waste. Many of the same effects can be achieved with leaf mold at the garden level, and punky wood in the bottom of pots or raised garden beds. I do admit that I add some coir to my seed-starting mix where a single block will last me several years, as its moisture buffering characteristics are very helpful there and I start seeds for two disabled friends as well as for my own homestead.

Good points and well taken. I have a challenging situation living in the desert, where my vegetable garden is basically a semi-contained collection of non-native and potentially invasive species. Leaf mold or mulch is unavailable, punky wood collected from the surrounding area is taking much needed nutrients from the desert, (and somewhat illegal in certain cases), and I grow everything in containers, because the native soil is not suitable for common food crops unless some pretty drastic measures are taken. Where do we draw the line? Developing agriculture was probably the defining moment in the development of civilization. People have been taking stuff from one area and using it in another area for millennia. The idea of keeping the local ecosystem contained and self-sustaining is great, but when you want something that isn't native, you have to either import that item, or grow it yourself and that may mean importing stuff from elsewhere to make it happen.

Joshua States wrote:Good points and well taken. I have a challenging situation living in the desert, where my vegetable garden is basically a semi-contained collection of non-native and potentially invasive species. Leaf mold or mulch is unavailable, punky wood collected from the surrounding area is taking much needed nutrients from the desert, (and somewhat illegal in certain cases), and I grow everything in containers, because the native soil is not suitable for common food crops unless some pretty drastic measures are taken. Where do we draw the line? Developing agriculture was probably the defining moment in the development of civilization. People have been taking stuff from one area and using it in another area for millennia. The idea of keeping the local ecosystem contained and self-sustaining is great, but when you want something that isn't native, you have to either import that item, or grow it yourself and that may mean importing stuff from elsewhere to make it happen.

Joshua, we all make compromises. I would *far* prefer that you were growing some of your own food even if it did mean importing some coir, than relying on industrial farming practices for all your food. Some of Geoff Lawton's "greening the desert" videos might be very helpful to you even if you have to start extremely small with your soil building and composting. There are absolutely people in desert situations who have started by planting shrubs or forbes specifically to chop up and use to build soil. However, the OP's first post did not mention the back-side of coir at all, and too many people don't think about the damage they may be doing to ecosystems far away when they could use other permaculture based systems to get just as good results.

One often free source of wood in North America are broken shipping pallets that are labelled HT for Heat Treated. Saw them up and use them as a basis for compost with urine for nitrogen and if you have any way to keep them moist (shade etc) inoculate them with mushroom spore and you will turn a waste product into a future garden bed. Use some of them to make some biochar, as it is useful in composting toilets and helps to hold water in the soil or compost bin. I admit that I live in an area with plenty of trees. In fact we need to chip and shred some of the branches to keep the fire load down. I add biochar to the chips and then let my ducks and chickens inoculate them before composting the lot. It doesn't make soil quickly, but it does get there. If you can at all possibly find some systems that will help you in your ecosystem, you can hopefully make long-distance importing a short term solution that helps you build an independent long-term solution.

An older post, but I wanted to throw my two cents in.

Compressed coconut coir is something I have used sense I started getting interested in gardening. It is cheap, abundant, and works well as part of a soil mix for both seed starting and raised beds.

I have used it mostly indoors mixed with things such as worm castings, perlite, and a few other things. I have had great luck adjusting material ratios to be able to keep a multitude of indoor plants happy with their unique requirements. I have also mixed up a block to a wheelbarrow or water and used it as bulk in new beds.

If someone learns what coir can do and what it cannot do, its a pretty useful material in comparison to others that are also out in the market.