The Case For Coir
Coir has been around some time now, but it’s only recently it’s come to my attention when Pretty Wild Seeds were looking at stocking it. My job in this ever-evolving family business includes marketing and advertising, so to do it correctly, I just had to look a little deeper into what this new product is. And well, I’m very impressed.
What is Coir?
Coir, also known as coco coir or coco peat, is a natural by-product of coconut harvesting and is quickly gaining popularity in the gardening world as an eco-friendly alternative to peat moss. Despite the name "coco peat," coir contains no actual peat. Instead, it is made from the brown, fibrous material found between the hard inner shell and the outer husk of a coconut—commonly referred to as coconut fibre.
When hydrated, coir becomes a versatile growing medium. It can be used for starting seeds, rooting cuttings, and as a base for homemade compost blends. Its excellent water retention, aeration, and sustainability make it a valuable resource for gardeners and horticulturists alike.
The production of coir has grown significantly—by approximately 605% since 1990, when annual production was just over 100,000 tonnes. Today, India and Sri Lanka are the leading exporters, together accounting for about 80% of global coir exports.
Why Chose Coir?
There are two key reasons to choose coco peat for your gardening needs:
1. Organic and Natural
Coco peat is 100% natural, free from green waste, synthetic additives, or harsh chemicals. It promotes healthy soil thanks to its inherent anti-fungal properties and high-quality organic composition—making it an ideal choice for eco-conscious gardeners.
2. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly
Coconut coir is one of the most sustainable gardening materials available. Sourced entirely from natural coconut husks, it offers an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional compost ingredients. With no artificial components, you can garden with confidence knowing your soil is nourished naturally.
How Is Pretty Wild Seeds Making Use Of Coir?
Our initial trial was with 4.5Kg coir blocks which, when having lukewarm water poured over them, expanded to 70L of compost! No more lugging big sacks of compost, this handy block comes in easy to carry packaging.
From here we expanded to grow bags, which, as I found out were simple yet ingenious. The vegetable growbag, the tomato growbag and the strawberrygrowbag are all essentially the same organic material. But it’s how they’re made that give each bag its individual properties.
Each root system requires varying degrees of space for air and water, the material within the growbags is cut differently for each variety to help ensure optimum plant growth. It’s the same principle for the open top bags, too.
But that’s not all, we also have propagation cubes, coir discs and tree mats available too. They’re available as either small quantities, or in larger wholesale options too.
To see our whole range of coir, please click here; https://budgetseeds.co.uk/product-category/compost-soil-conditioner/coir/
In Conclusion
I can see coir cocopeat as the future of compost, now it is becoming widely available to the home grower. Everything about it just makes ecological sense at a time when the World needs a little help. You might not feel like you can make a big change to the World yourself, but you can all make a small change by switching to coir and seeing for yourself just how amazing it is. Enough small actions like this, all mounts up to big changes before you even know it.
