If you have a green thumb, knowing a little bit about soil amendments is part of the gardening process. It’s nearly impossible to grow a selected plant without some type of amendment. Gardeners often choose between peat moss and coco coir when they’re looking to establish a favorite plant. Learn more about peat moss vs coco coir so that you can make an educated decision about your next gardening adventure.
1. Retaining Water
Peat moss is famous for its ability to hold moisture for your thirsty plants. It originates from marshes that form sphagnum moss.
Coco coir can also retain a lot of moisture so that your plants have an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Products, such as Eazy Plug, can surround a seed or root ball while nourishing it to its full potential. In fact, coco coir holds more water than peat moss. Coco coir is simply discarded coconut fibers or husks.
2. Amending Soil
When you compare peat moss vs coco coir, they seem identical when it comes to aerating the soil, breaking up compacted gardens and controlling runoff in sandy conditions. However, coco coir soil mix offers protection against fungus gnats and supports delicate root structures too. Peat moss cannot perform these tasks.
Where can I buy coco coir? Going online to see your options is a great place to start, such as at USA Grow Shop.
3. Impacting the Environment
Coco coir is a sustainable resource. Coconuts are constantly grown, harvested and processed for the masses. The fibers will always be available for coco-coir purposes.
Peat moss must be mined from the ground. Strip mining harms the environment by negatively impacting acres of land for decades at a time. Peat moss isn’t sustainable, which means that it will run out at some point. Protecting the environment by turning to coco coir makes sense on countless levels.
4. Working Harmoniously With the Garden
Every plant has a particular environment it prefers, especially when it comes to acidity. Peat moss is an acidic organism. Using it with plants that are vulnerable to acidity will require another amendment to stabilize the soil.
When you compare peat moss vs coco coir, you’ll see that the coconut fibers are neutral. There’s no need to further amend the soil because its pH won’t change as a result of the coco coir’s presence.
5. Finding the Product
Gardeners readily find peat moss at stores because it usually ships from Canada and into the United States. It must remain moist, however, or else it doesn’t perform as well as it should.
If you want to try coco coir hydroponics, these products ship worldwide in compact cubes or bricks. Moisten the coco coir with water when you receive it to have a ready-to-use soil amendment.
Coconut coir for gardening continues to gain popularity across the world as more people understand its impact on plants and the environment. Try coco coir in your garden to see a difference in your plants. Vigorous growth and amazing blossoms may be the result of your efforts.
