Coco peat

Coco peat, also known as cocopeat, coconut fiber cord or coconut fiber dust, is peat, which is extracted from coconuts, often as a by-product of the coconut fruit exploitation by other industries. Here, the coconut coir fiber waste industries is washed, heated, screened and sorted before further working to cocopeat products. These products differ in their grain size and density and in horticulture, agriculture and used as an industrial absorbent.

Since coco peat products, usually in the form of compressed bales, briquettes, tiles or sheets are shipped, it is often necessary that the end user the coco peat products expanded by the addition of water. Thus one kilograms coco peat would expand to 15 liters of wet coco peat.

Trichoderma is a naturally occurring fungus in coco peat; it acts in symbiosis with the plant roots in order to protect against harmful those fungi such as Pythium. Trichoderma is not found in sterilized coco peat and can be destroyed with hydrogen peroxide.

Use

Botanical use

Coco peat is used as a soil additive. Because of the low levels of nutrients in its composition, coco peat is not the only component in the medium used for the cultivation of plants usually. When plants are grown exclusively in coco peat, coco peat, it is important to the specific needs of the plant to mix in accordance with additional nutrients. Specially Coco peat from Sri Lanka and India, contains more plant macro and micro nutrients, including significant amounts of potassium. However, this extra potassium may affect the availability of magnesium, so that any additional magnesium must be added by the addition of Epsomsalzen to counteract a deficiency.

Coco peat is not yet completely disintegrate upon his arrival and will use up available nitrogen ( " drawdown " ), which may lead to a competition with the plant, if not enough nitrogen is available. Inferior processed coco peat can contain an excess of salts and must accordingly be " washed ". The cation exchange capacity of coco peat is similar to that of peat moss, coco peat beyond stores water well moistened repeatedly and can carry up to 1000 times more air contained as a normal floor. The addition of fertilizer or organic fertilizer in plant breeding using coco peat also recommended.

General uses of coco peat include:

• As a substitute for peat because it is free of bacteria and most fungal spores, and because it can be produced sustainably without the associated with industrial peat environmental damage.
• Mixed with sand, compost and fertilizer provides high quality coco peat coco peat potting dar. has in average acid content in the range of pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Although this may be too acidic for some plants that tolerate many intensively cultivated plant varieties this pH range.
• As a substrate for the cultivation of fungi utilize cellulose as coco peat has a high cellulose and lignin content.

Coco peat can be reused up to three times without significant loss of yield, but coco peat should not be reused by decaying plants.

Others use

As coco peat is a good absorbent, dry coco peat can be used as an oil absorbent on slippery transitions. Coco peat is also used as a warehouse litter on livestock farms and in animal houses, as it absorbs animal waste and so the farm is kept clean and dry.

Unlike peat moss, coco peat is hydrophilic and can quickly absorb water again, even if it was completely dry before. Coco peat is porous and can not be easily hyperhydrated.

Biological safety risks

Coco peat can contain organisms that pose a threat to the biosecurity of countries in which it is imported. How was coco peat since about 1989 imported to New Zealand, with a significant market growth since 2004. By 2009, a total of 25 new weed species were found in importierem coco peat. Accordingly, the import regulations for coco peat were adjusted in New Zealand in order to include biosecurity measures.