Coco coir has become a popular medium for growing cannabis due to its ease of use and ability to produce high-quality yields. As a recycled and processed natural fiber from the husk of coconuts, coco coir is readily available from most grow shops in 50l sacks and is comparable to unfertilized soil with a pH typically between 6.5-7.0.
One advantage of using coco coir is that it drains better and keeps the roots oxygenated more than standard peat-based mediums. This is why most soil growers have begun blending coco coir into their own homemade super soils, and manufacturers of common grow shop soils recommend buffering the substrate with coco coir as well. It is also easy to learn for beginner growers and those more practiced in typical hydroponics or soil substrates alike.
CANNA Coco Coir
Canna is recognized as one of the leaders in the soil alternative industry, and the CANNA Coco Coir they sell is recognized as one of their best products.
So what makes it so good? Well, apart from the fact it is super easy to use, it is also specifically engineered to provide a perfect, moist, and oxygenated rooting medium.
Made from the most highly refined and highest quality substrates, CANNA Coco Coir is one of the most premium soil alternatives available today.
With an excellent air to water ratio, that has been developed to retain water for longer periods and allow optimal plant growth in the form of strengthening roots and promoting faster development.
Each batch is intensively pre-washed and thoroughly pre-treated, and buffered to ensure low sodium levels and excellent results.
Environmentally friendly and biodegradable, Canna works hard to ensure that every batch is free of pathogens, pests, and disease, and this makes CANNA Coco Coir perfect for re-circulating or run-to-waste systems.
The CANNA Coco Coir also contains Trichoderma – a friendly strain of fungus that actually helps protect roots from root-rot.
Available at a comparatively excellent price, the premium level of benefits available with this media is very good when compared to other soil alternatives.
Versatile, effective, and diligently developed, this media is also able to be reused multiple times, thus saving you even more money.
Pros
- Environmentally friendly
- Intensively pre-washed
- Pathogen free
Cons
- Expensive for the amount
- None discreet packaging
Grow Organiks Coconut Coir Pith
Grow Organiks Coconut Coir Pith is one of the most talked-about coirs around today, and with its long list of benefits, premium features and excellent price, its easy to see why.
Coconut Coir Pith is one of the most versatile potting substrates around today, able to be used in a variety of different circumstances and has a natural resistance to disease.
When purchased, this product is shipped as a dehydrated brick for ease of transport and storage and, therefore, will need to be rehydrated to be able to be used in your garden.
Fortunately, this product is multiple-use so that once you have used it to grow plants in one pot, it can be strained and cleaned and is able to be used again.
Prior to being shipped, the Coir Pith is meticulously cleaned and washed, and every batch has an extensive quality check enforced prior to distribution to ensure low EC and a neutral pH range.
Scientifically developed to ensure that there are no nutrients within the media, it is necessary, therefore, for users seeking to boost nutrition to their plants to combine Coir Pith with other nutrient-rich products such as Canna Coco nutrient.
Canna Coco nutrient has high levels of calcium and a correspondingly low level of potassium; this means that Coir Pith is ideally placed to provide optimal nutrition once mixed with a nutrient-rich product such as this.
Easy to use and reuse and exceptionally well priced, Grow Organiks Coconut Coir Pith is excellent value for money and a premium product that growers should really enjoy.
Pros
- Thoroughly pre-washed
- Easy to transport and store
- Multi-use
Cons
- Can be tough to break up
Urban Worm's Coco Coir
If you are looking for an effective, and easy-to-use soil alternative, then you should definitely consider Urban Worm’s Coco Coir.
One hundred percent natural and organic, every Urban Worm brick weighs just 1.4 pounds and can absorb 1 gallon of water.
Prior to distribution, every Urban Worm brick is also thoroughly inspected to ensure no parasites or disease and then repeatedly rinsed to reduce both EC and sodium levels; in fact, each block contains less than 1.5mS/cm salt content.
This pH-neutral soil amendment and has super impressive water retention abilities, additionally the Urban Worm blend creates a beautiful texture in the soil that many users rave about.
Immensely versatile and able to make a great addition to any soil, the Urban Worm blend acts as a natural, sustainable, pH stable, alternative to peat moss.
Able to expand to .35 cubic feet, this soil amendment can also act as bedding for worms, turtles, and reptiles and is even able to be used in composting toilets.
Available in several different packages but all at various prices, many growers will undoubtedly ask why they didn’t start using Urban Worm’s Coco Coir Soil Amendment and Bedding sooner.
Pros
- Sustainable
- Versatile
- Thoroughly cleaned
Cons
- Expensive for the amount
- Can be difficult to cut
GROW!T Loose Premium Coco Fiber Coir
One of the most premium coirs on the market today remains the GROW!T Loose Premium Coco Fiber Coir, and with its long list of positive features, it’s easy to see why many growers consider it the best.
Scientifically developed using a unique blend of coir that is then buffered, treated, and further enriched with additional micronutrients, this Premium Coir is perfect for growers wanting to provide optimal nutrients to their plants.
GROW!T adds further improvements by including specific amounts of magnesium and calcium that allow for the displacement of sodium and potassium.
By engineering this coir to exact specifications, GROW!T has created a safe, fertile, incredibly effective substrate, and its stable pH and low EC makes the Loose Premium Coco Fiber Coir one of the most impressive hydroponic soilless mix’s on the market.
Additionally, this premium coir is even more desirable given the massive quantity it is sold by when compared to its competitors.
Available in a huge 21-pound bag, this versatile and easy to use soil replacement is excellent value for money and will ensure your plants receive optimum nutritional value when they most need it.
Pros
- Pre-treated
- Stable pH level
- Excellent value for money
Cons
- More varied coir blends are available
Mother Earth Coco Coir Fibers
If you are looking for a soil alternative that has an amazing water retention capacity, then look no further than Mother Earth Coco Coir Fibers.
Made from one hundred percent natural coco coir fibers, this affordable soil replacement has been scientifically developed to have great porosity and excellent drainage capacity.
The Mother Earth Coco Bale comes pre-washed and has an impressive low salt content which makes it perfect for mixing and blending to your personal specifications based on your individual need.
Highly versatile and super easy to use, the Mother Earth Coco Bale will be sent to you in a highly compressed and hermetically sealed package that is capable of increasing and expanding to almost 60 liters of material.
Coming with a great price tag, this natural soil alternative is considered by many growers to be a relatively inexpensive way of creating your own soil to order.
Boasting excellent reviews, Mother Earth’s Coco Bale has an amazing combination of coco pith, long and short fibers that means it is excellent for water retention whilst also maintains its porosity.
An ideal purchase for anyone looking to take their growing to the next level and wanting to develop their own soil replacements to boost growing performance, Mother Earth’s Coco Bale is the soil replacement of choice.
Pros
- High porosity
- Excellent drainage
- Low salt content
Cons
- May require additional washes to suit individual needs
Plantonix Coco Bliss Premium Coconut Coir Pith
Plantonix Coco Bliss Premium Coconut Coir Pith is the latest Coir Pith media to be created by market leaders Plantonix.
Sold in a ten-pound block, Coir Pith is a natural, effective, and relatively inexpensive soil replacement.
Also able to be used as a soil conditioner, this product allows for better breathing space or aeration for a plant’s roots.
These more oxygenated roots will then be able to collect more water and nutrients and therefore build a stronger, more resilient, and vigorous root system, which in turn helps boost the overall plants’ strength, longevity, and ability to bloom.
Able to be used by itself as a single product or capable of allowing gardeners and growers the ability to create their own mixes and blends of soil/soil replacements, Coir Pith is an incredibly versatile product.
Whilst many growers would use peat moss to achieve similar effects, Coir Pith is a relatively inexpensive, natural, organic, more efficient alternative for your average grower.
Hygroscopic and very easy to wet, Coir Pith is able to retain eight times its weight in water and has incredibly low sodium content.
An excellent product for growers looking to change their soil media or wanting to adapt their current blend, Coco Bliss Premium Coconut Coir Pith offers growers impressive benefits at a comparatively exceptional price.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Versatile
- Improves aeration
Cons
- May require multiple washes
Viagrow Fluffed Coconut Coir Pith Fibers
The Viagrow Fluffed Coconut Coir Pith Fibers is perhaps one of the most affordable and versatile spikes coirs available today.
Able to be used as an excellent stand-alone plant growth media, or it can be used with either your favorite soil, vermiculite, or peat-based growing media.
Viagrow has been created to have the perfect water to air ratio, and with its low salt content, super porous texture, and nutrient-rich blend of ingredients is the ideal purchase for all growers.
Available in 22-pound bags and coming pre-sterilized and triple washed, the Viagrow Fluffed Coconut Pith Fiber Soilless Grow Bag is pathogen and disease-free and has no chemical additives whatsoever.
With an ideal pH level and excellent nutritional value, this soilless medium is perfect for growers looking to experiment and improve their current soil mixtures or even branch out and try and make their own personalized blend.
Competitively priced, easy to use, and garnering some great reviews recently, the Viagrow Fluffed Coconut Pith Fiber Soilless Grow Bag is an affordable and effective soulless alternative to some of the pricier soils and fertilizers on the market at the moment.
Pros
- Excellent pH level
- Additive-free
- Great water to air ratio
Cons
- Reports of bug infestations, make sure to check the seller and product upon delivery
Buyers Guide – Best Coco Coir For Cannabis
For many a year, parts of the coconut plant have been harvested as a food source that has offered many health and nutritional benefits, with the outer shell or “coconut husk” that is regularly thrown away and seen as a waste product with not that many uses.
Over the years we learned that this was not the case, and the husk, when broken down into various forms delivered some great results for the avid gardener.
When you think of coco coir, more often than not, it’s the outer coconut and everything else in-between the shell that is used in the making of coco coir.
Many beginner growers are unaware that there are actually two types of coconut fibers.
Brown Coir Fibers – These types of fibers come from matured coconuts that are considered to be ripe. They’re less flexible than white fibers but much stronger.
White Fibers – White coco fibers are weaker in nature but are much more flexible than their counterparts. They’re produced by pre-ripe coconuts.
The majority of home growers utilize the brown coconut coir within their hydroponic set-ups, this is mainly due to the first stage of harvesting whereby the coir is processed even more.
When looking for the highest quality and best coco coir, try to find out the following –
- How is it harvested?
- How is it prepared?
- How is it processed?
- Does the company do everything in its power to negate pathogen growth?
- Do they have a robust and methodical system in place to oversee the premature aging of their coconut coir?
- Do they utilize repeated wash and rinses to flush their coco coir?
- Is their finished blend a balanced mix of chips, fibers, pith?
- Is their coco coir stored correctly?
When growing marijuana in coco coir, it is recommended to add approximately 30% perlite to the mix for best results. Some growers also mix in clay pebbles at a similar ratio. Premixed blends of coco coir and clay pebbles can be found in some online grow stores for added convenience.
It is important to purchase a high-quality brand of coco coir in brick form to avoid potential issues with overdrying or odd sizes. When adding water to the brick, a consistent 9-10l of medium will be produced from each brick. Mixing by hand in a good-sized bucket is recommended for even distribution.
Feeding cannabis plants in coco coir is a relatively simple transition for hydroponics growers and organic growers. Hydroponic fertilizers perform better than most brands’ organic soil nutrients in coco coir, and there are also coco-specific nutrient ranges available. It is important to note that coco coir is unfertilized and a light nutrient solution must be applied, just like in a hydro crop from the beginning. The pH of the water must be adjusted to ensure a pH value of 6.0, which can be done through high-quality nutrients with pH perfect blends or standard hydro equipment like a pH meter and bottles of pH-Up and pH-Down.
One potential challenge with growing in coco coir is its tendency to not retain calcium very readily. Without coco-specific nutrients, growers may also experience deficiencies in micronutrients like iron, which can reduce the final harvest. However, with proper care and attention, coco coir can produce high-quality yields and is a fantastic alternative cultivation style for cannabis growers.
Recap
It’s always best to pick a trusted brand that follows the very best practices in the production process. The risk for pathogens in coco coir is fairly high due to the natural pH of the coco coir, and how it is commonly stored by manufacturers.
Because of this, most manufacturers of coco coir will chemically sterilize their coir before it’s sold to the public. This comes with risks to the coir, as the chemicals can quite often break down both peat and fibers. By following our advice, you can be assured you’re only picking the very best coco coir for cannabis.
In summary, growing marijuana in coco coir is a fantastic alternative cultivation style to soil and hydroponics and is easy to learn for beginners and experienced growers alike. It is essential to purchase high-quality coco coir for consistency, add perlite or clay pebbles for best results, and dial in the nutrient solution to ensure the plants receive all necessary nutrients. With this information, you will be fully prepped for a coco coir cannabis cultivation experiment.
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