What is Coco Peat?

Coco peat, the hydroponics grow medium, is created from coco coir, which in simple terms is the layer of pith that surrounds the husk of a coconut. In recent years many green-fingered people have cottoned on to coco coir’s excellent plant growing abilities, as well as its eco-friendly characteristics.

Processed coconut fibers are the byproduct of the coconut industry which, without its usefulness to gardeners, would otherwise be disposed of. As a hydroponic grow medium, coco peat, also called coir peat, provides an alternative to potting soil featuring high water retention, suitable aeration, and antifungal benefits. Coco peat is not only a natural, often organic product, but also a renewable one with a slightly acidic pH that many plants prefer to grow in.

How to Plant in Coco Peat

1. Break apart packaged bricks of coco peat, hydroponics grow medium, into a large bucket with your hands, using as many bricks as needed. Each one-third cubic foot brick of coco peat makes 4 quarts of planting material. Don’t break more than four bricks per five-gallon bucket to ensure you have room for mixing.

2. Add 1 gallon of warm water to the broken apart coco peat for each brick you’ve used. Leave the coco peat or coir peat to absorb the water for two hours, or longer, depending on your brand of coco peat.

3. Mix the material with your hands, a garden trowel, or a cultivator to fluff the moist coco peat. As you mix, make sure each portion of peat has been moistened. Add more water and fluff again as needed.

4. Fill a planter to within 2 inches from the top with the moistened and fluffed coco peat. Transplant potted seedlings into the coco peat as you would with potting soil according to the depth needed for your plant. Place the planter in the appropriate light conditions for your plant.

5. Water the plant and moisten the coco peat two to three times a week in moderate to cool weather and three to four times a week during hot months when temperatures are frequently above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips 

You can spread prepared coco peat 2 to 3 inches deep as a mulch around plants during summer months to deter weeds, or spread 1 to 2 inches deep during winter to act as an insulator around perennials. Mix one part of potting soil with two parts of coco peat, hydroponic grow media, to take advantage of added fertilizers found in some potting soils while maximizing the moisture retention of coco peat or coir peat. Reuse coco peat for up to four years. When finished, used coco peat can be added to your composter or incorporated directly into the soil of garden beds.