Say hello to environmentally friendly growing with Coir peat-free compost!

The lightweight pre-fertilised compressed compost block supplied with some Higrow products is the secret of successfully growing the Higrow way. But what is it and where does it come from?

Coir or Cocopeat is also known as coir pith, coir fibre and coir dust, or simply Coir. It’s a natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to peat as it’s produced from waste coconut husks - the outside layers that surround the coconut. It’s extremely lightweight in its compressed form - 30 litres of compost can weigh as little as 2.5 kilos and because you rehydrate the compost at home, it’s dry, clean and easy to carry, unlike traditional heavy weight peat grow bags.

Higrow coir comes from southern India. Using coir helps reduce the levels of peat extraction from environmentally sensitive sites - an initiative currently supported in the UK by the 'Growing Media Initiative'.

Coir peat-free compost - the facts!

• Coir comes from a renewable source making it environmentally friendly and sustainable.
• Good quality Coir for horticultural use needs to be well sourced and properly washed to remove unwanted salts.
• Horticultural Coir is usually compressed into blocks ready for re-hydration.
• Compressed Coir blocks are lightweight and dry and are therefore very easy to carry.
• Compressed Coir is easy to wet up with water and swells within minutes as it rehydrates.
• A single litre of compressed Coir can expand to make as much as 12 litres of moist compost.
• Coir has a very open texture which encourages plants to root quicker than in peat.
• Coir is almost PH neutral, so unlike peat, which is initially very acid, it does not need liming before use.
• Coir can be reused as long as it has not had diseased plants growing in it.
• Higrow compressed Coir blocks have an added fertiliser mixed with the coir to support plant growth for approximately four weeks. After this time, plants should be fed regularly to continue to encourage optimum growth.