What Is Cocoa Peat?

Garden Advantages

• Coco peat is a superb soil enhancer, and since it is available in blocks, it is easy for the home gardener to use. Break the block up in a wheelbarrow, add water and watch it swell up to hold up to eight times its weight in water. Coco peat does not degrade easily and can remain in the soil for several years. It has a pH of 5.2 to 6.8, which is neutral to slightly acidic, making it an ideal amendment for alkaline soil.

Disadvantages

• Since cows roam freely in India because of religious significance, there is the possibility that Indian coconuts may be contaminated with cow manure. Unripe coconuts are also processed with salt water, and this could cause the peat to have an excess amount of salinity, which could adversely affect garden soils. Finally, coco peat must be shipped from Asia, and these shipping costs make the product more expensive than alternatives like peat moss.

Other Uses

• Coco peat, or coir as it is also called, is used to make barbecue briquettes and as fuel for kilns where coconut shells are transformed into charcoal. Coconut shells can also be ground down and used as a filler in making plastics. Future uses for coir include the possibility of rubberizing the fiber and using it to make car seats.

Hydroponics

• Since coco peat is so water-absorbent, it makes an excellent medium for growing plants hydroponically. It also has the ability to retain nutrients for a long period of time and can, therefore, allow plants to access the nutrients slowly and as needed. Another advantage in hydroponics is the fact that coco peat does not compact easily. This allows oxygen to easily reach delicate root systems.