Coco fiber and coco peat

Agricultural Techniques
#1

Just curious if anyone is using cocofiber or coco peat.

If so I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks.

1 Like
#2

People here (Cuba) are using coco fiber when they are potting up plants, particularly ornamentals. There isn’t that much available around Santiago de Cuba so I don’t think people are making peat. I will ask a friend to ask in Baracoa - but I think the fibre is being exported.

#3

Thank you Kate. I look forward to hearing from you about where it’s coming from.

Cuba is a very beautiful country and loved meeting the farmers who I visited there over the years.

Thank you again.

#4

Hi David,
I am in Cambodia and just received my first bag of Coco Peat. Seems like a great additive to potting soil but I think would take a lot to make a soil difference.
You can email if you want to see how things go with it.
Jeff

#5

I used to work at a vegetable transplant nursery and we did some experiments with coco fiber and found it is not the greatest replacement for peat for small cells used in transplants. We didn’t care for the results and had to water more often and I don’t think the nutrient hold capacity was as good. This article explains the differences. Peat Moss vs. Coco Coir: Which Should You Use? - Gardening Channel
Coco fiber does not hold as much moisture and peat should be watered with a little surfactant the first watering (few drops of detergent is fine). Coco fiber can contain brine salt or cow manure contaminants. A lot depends on the price (cheaper is generally better in most cases) and the size of the container being used. Peat may need a little lime to balance the pH.

#6

Thanks, Dan I appreciate the insights and experience.

This helps a lot. Thank you.

#7

In Central Africa, I used dried coconut husks chopped up with a machete into one inch size pieces and used that exclusively as my orchid medium when I put newly divided orchids into their new pot. It worked wonderfully! However, I did not use it anywhere else. When I got to South Africa, I could order and have delivered compacted coir in 18 inch3 blocks and I used that for orchid production as well as the orchid folks at the orchid shows swore by it, even using it in small cells.