1.) What is Coir

Coir is what a coconut husk is made of :

A. Coco peat or Coir peat ( coir dust) for use as a growing medium in various grades and finished products for horticultural/agricultural use e.g. grow slabs, grow bags, bales, blocks, discs, pots, starter cubes and small blocks. This includes the products known as “chips” and “crush”, derived from the whole chopped and crushed husk pieces. Product may be compressed or non-compressed. Generally obtained as a by product of Coir fibre production.

Densu Coir is suitable for use in indoor and outdoor growing requirements. It re-wets easily does not compact like peat moss when it dries out and has maximum water-holding ability and air filled porosity.

When you use Densu Coir as your growing medium you do not need to use any perlite or vermiculite. Densu Coir is a specially formulated organic substrate with attributes that allow it in its stand alone format to provide the efficient environment for the roots of your plants to absorb nutrients.

In order to derive the maximum benefit from your fertigation regime we recommend the use of well balanced slow release fertilizer brands like Osmocote, Miracle Gro or your own organic and compost formulation.

B. Coir fibre products made from long coir fibres for a variety of uses eg. Mattress matting, basked liners, erosion and weed control matting, fibre blankets, domestic mats, brushes and fillers for industrial uses. Also includes clean coir twine or fibre rolls.

At Densu Ventures coconut fibre is the by-product of our manufacturing process. Densu Coir peat is our primary product .

2.) Plant growing requirements

**What do growing media supply to the plant?

1. Support for the growing plant.

2. Reservoir for water.

3. Reservoir for nutrients.

4. Oxygen (air) for the roots.

What are the desirable qualities of the ideal growing medium?

1. High volume of air space.

2. Moderate water holding capacity.

3. Stability against compaction and decomposition.

4. Low soluble salt level.

5. Low-volume price

6. Freedom from pests and toxins.

7. Uniformity between lots.

8. Easy availability.

9. C-N ratio--important for OM decomposition

10. CEC--if constant feed not as important.

3.) Porosity and Bulk Density

Aeration Porosity Air space after drainage is the portion of space not filled with solids or water after the medium has been saturated with water and the water easily removed by gravity has drained away. Since roots respire aerobically, the air space after drainage (container capacity) is the most important characteristic of media used in containers. There needs to be a continuous exchange of oxygen between the atmosphere and the pores of the growing mix. Carbon dioxide must diffuse out of the growing mix while oxygen must diffuse in.

Aeration Requirements of Several Crops

Bulk-density -weight per given volume, Generally lbs/ft3 or g/cc. This is the total space occupied by the growing media both the solid plus the pore space. The recommended range in media bulk densities is from 1.3 g/cc (Furuta, 1969) to 0.4 g/cc (Bunt, 1974). A loose porous mix would have a lower bulk density than a heavy compact growing media.

4.) Physical Changes from Mixing

It is important to know what the physical characteristics of the growing mix are, but it is also important to know what can be done to change them. To change the physical characteristics of a mix generally another component is added to the mix. Spomer (1974) reported what happens when soil is mixed with sand. He worked with the following combinations on a volume basis.

The soil with no sand had 3.5 bu of pores and many people would think that if better aeration is desired then add sand to improve the drainage. What happened when sand was added was that total aeration decreased. The question is why? The answer is that the size of the particles that are being combined must be considered. In this case the sand that was added has a rather large particle size so that the spaces between the sand particles can be easily filled with soil particles; thus, the aeration is decreased. Anytime that a component with small particles is mixed with a component with large particles there is the possibility that the particles could fit together tightly thus aeration would be reduced. It is desirable if you're changing growing mix by adding something that after the component has been added that the physical properties be rechecked to determine if the added component actually did what was intended.

5.) Growing Media Compaction

Most of the time an effort is made to assure that the growing mix has sufficient aeration so that the crop will grow correctly. If care is not taken that effort for selecting a well aerated mix can be destroyed at potting. Henley (1974) reported work with soil compaction as follows:

What is evident is that putting cuttings into the growing mix then firming the cuttings was not beneficial to the cuttings. The cuttings that were stuck into a non-compacted growing mix had greater root depth and more shoot growth than those that were firmed in. The bottom line is when potting do not press out all the aeration that was designed into the growing mix.

** Much of this information above has been borrowed from an article :

Growing Media written by

E. Jay Holcomb, Department of Horticulture, Penn State

6.) Typical Analysis of Densu Coir

PH 5.4 - 6.8

Ash (dry basis %) 3 - 4

Electrical Conductivity (mS/cm) Max 1.0

Cationic Exchange Capacity (meq/100g) 90 - 100

Total Organic Matter (W/W dry basis %) 89 - 92

Organic Carbon (W/W dry basis %) 45 - 50

Lignin (W/W dry basis %) 65 - 70

Cellulose (W/W dry basis %) 20 - 30

Carbon:Nitrogen ratio: 80:1

Water holding capacity (dry weight) 6 - 10 times

Air Filled Porosity (V/V %) 25-32% Varies with product

Colour Light to Dark Brown

7.) Organics and sustainability

What is Organic ?

"Being composed of molecules and compounds that originate in living things"

What is Organic produce ?

"Produce grown without the use of any manufactured fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides"

Why go Organic ?

Sustainable gardening, naturally grown produce, healthier lifestyle. These are some of the main reasons that many people are turning to organically growing or organically grown produce.

By adopting organic principles and practices, it is clear that you have made a choice to be part of an emerging global consciousness that is making a difference to your environment and our planet.

With climate change affecting most of the world’s environment and with pollution affecting both our water and air quality we owe it to ourselves to use our water resources wisely. It has been estimated that between 25-28 % of a typical household water requirement is for lawn and garden use.

As awareness of the need for water conservation has been increasing over the past few drought stricken years, more people are looking for ways to make more effective use of water in their garden.

And have you not noticed how 1 inch of rainfall seems to do more for your lawn and garden that twice that amount of pipe borne water?

8.) Mulch

The mulching of plants and garden beds is an effective means of increasing the retention and effectiveness of water in the soil. And when flower beds made with Densu Coir runoff is kept to a minimum.

Most commercial mulches available are based on bark or wood chips, which themselves come from a finite and limited source - our forests.

Bark and wood chip based ground covers and mulches also have a time consuming and water intensive manufacturing process.

Mulching material made from coconut fibre comes from a sustainable source and has none of the disadvantages of bark based products.

Densu Coir fibre is much lighter than bark or wood-chip based mulches. This allows air to reach the plant roots, and hold water within the soil far more effectively.

The coir chips act as reservoirs, actively storing and releasing water as required by the plant.

This means that you need to apply less water, less often to your garden.

In these days of water restrictions, it is comforting to know that the investment and effort you have placed into your garden can be protected in a water efficient and planet friendly way.

Using Densu Husk chips saves water and makes it the perfect protection for your plants and lawns...

9.) Container Size

Metric Container Size Imperial No. of Containers from one 56 litre bag