Coir is an excellent growing medium. Martin Dale Seedlings is now the proud distributor for this amazing growing medium in South Africa’s Limpopo province.

You may ask why you should use Coir as a growing medium, and specifically why the South African farmer should choose our Coir or Coco Peat as it is sometimes referred to. Firstly some of the benefits of using Coir as a growing medium are: 

• It is environmentally friendly;

• Economical and cost effective growing medium;

• Coir is longer lasting than other growing mediums;

• Coir has a remarkable re-wetability in comparisons to other growing mediums;

• Coir’s ability to retain water results in water preservation;

• Early root development which is a result of Coir’s ability to achieve an optimal air-water-ratio

Furthermore our Coir is subjected to rigorous quality controls throughout its journey that starts life as a Coconut Husk in Sri Lank or India At this stage it contains various major and minor chemical elements, and in order to make it a suitable growing medium it is necessary to change both the chemical and physical properties of the Coconut Husk.

The main elements that it contains are Sodium, Chloride, and Potassium of which Sodium and Chloride make up 90% of the EC measurement. While the product can be manufactured at this stage, it is important to note that it will have a High EC level. This is known as Unwashed Coir or Coco Peat.

Due to the unfavourable high EC level, we wash the husks in large tanks until the EC is between 1,2mS/cm and 2,0mS/cm. The aim of this initial washing process is to bring the EC of the bulk material down to a basic controlled level prior to further processing.

After this initial washing it is important to note that there is still a significant level of strongly bonded Sodium, Chloride, and Potassium in the Coir which can result in problems for the grower. This is when most manufactures would extract the pith, fibre, and chips and make the finished compressed product. This excessive salt content is likely to lead to various nutrient imbalances.

What makes our Coir so reliable is that their Coir now undergoes Mechanical Washing with de-ionised water in order to further reduce the EC levels. The Coir is then sold as Dutch or Premium Washed Coir making it far superior to any other on the market.

Buffering

Coir’s Cation Exchange Complex (CEC), (its ability to store one particular group of nutrients) naturally contains high amounts of potassium which competes with magnesium and calcium for uptake. This can have a significant impact on the fertility management of the soil. Buffering would be recommended to stabilize the CEC by removing elements that are naturally bound to the Coir and avoid nutrient deficiencies in the future.

The South African farmer can rest assured that this Coir is by far premium to Coir that is sourced from elsewhere in the world, and that is not subjected to such stringent quality control measures as that of Martin Dale Seedlings. For any orders or queries please contact Leigh Dale or Jen Noné at Martin Dale Seedlings on lee@mdseedlings.co.za or jen@mdseedlings.co.za

Products:

 Bulk Coir Blocks

Available Coir products for Strawberry, Raspberry & Blackberry Mixes