Wants to know how to use how to use coco peat brick?

Coco peat is popular for anyone looking for a convenient, natural, renewable, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to growing or germination medium in soil or peat moss. Other common types of seed germination and plant-growing mediums include sand, vermiculite, and water. The growing medium is crucial in the planting process as it forms the foundation for germinating bulbs and seeds and growing plants in pots.

What is Coco Peat Brick?

Coco peat, also called coco coir, is an eco-friendly compound produced from the fibrous and stringy pith found in the interior of coconut husks. Drying, grinding, and compressing the coir into blocks produces coco peat bricks. Typically, coco peat bricks come in 450 grams, 650 grams and 5kg blocks. 

How to Use Coco Peat Bricks

Coco peat has gained remarkable popularity in gardening and horticulture as a convenient and reliable soil amendment or replacement to standard germination or growing mediums such as peat moss. Nevertheless, coco peat bricks are hard and dry, requiring careful reconstitution, rehydration, and preparation before use. Fortunately, the process is easy, short, and straightforward. Here’s how to prep coco peat bricks for optimal use:

1. Obtain the coco peat bricks you need

You can purchase it from Earth Scape online.

2. Select a suitable container

Choosing a suitable container before rehydrating a coco peat brick is vital as it can expand up to 5-7 times its dry size after absorbing water. Ideally, opt for a sufficiently spacious container to accommodate the brick and water and provide enough room for expansion. Although a large bucket, basin, or tub is often suitable, the size and amount of coco peat brick you intend to use determines your required container size.

3. Soak the coco peat brick in water

Place the coco peat block inside the container and pour in water to fully submerge it. Ideally, use warm water to soak the brick as it eases and accelerates, loosening the coco coir fibres and making it easier for the brick to break down and expand. The block typically takes 15 to 30 minutes to thoroughly soak in the water, although this time may vary especially depending on the specific brand of coco peat.

4. Break the brick into pieces

After the coco peat brick has thoroughly soaked in water and is fully expanded, break it into smaller portions using either your hands or a gardening tool such as a gardening trowel. The purpose for which you intend to use the coco peat will determine the size of the pieces. For instance, pot or container gardening is best served by larger pieces, while seed starting (germination) requires finer pieces.

5. Stir and fluff the coco peat

Using your hands or a gardening tool, stir and fluff the coco peat to loosen up its fibres and achieve a consistent soil-like texture, enhancing drainage and aeration properties. As you stir the coco peat, add just enough water to avoid getting too wet (oversaturated) and make it difficult to use. Although you can use it alone as a growing medium, coco peat provides optimal results when you mix it with other composites such as compost, perlite, or vermiculite, enhancing its characteristics, including drainage and nutrient retention.   

6. Drain off excess water

Once the coco peat expands fully, drain off excess water by decanting it or transferring it onto a sieve and then gently pressing down on the coco coir.

7. Put in nutrients

Although coco peat is a superb growing medium, it has a relatively low nutrient composition. Thus, it’s recommended that you add some essential nutrients into the mix to support healthy seed germination or plant growth. Some of the most common nutrient boosters for coco peat include compost, organic fertiliser, worm castings, and slow-release fertilisers.

8. Adjust the pH of the coco peat

Coco peat characteristically has a neutral pH of approximately 5.5 to 6.5. Though most plants thrive in neutral pH environments, some require acidic environments, while others need an alkaline medium to grow optimally. Therefore, it’s best to test the pH of the coco peat mix and adjust it accordingly to suit the plants of your preference. You can use Sulphur to lower the pH or dolomite to increase the pH of the coco peat mix accordingly. 

9. Leave the coco peat mix to sit and settle

After soaking, breaking apart, and adding all requisite nutrient and pH adjustments to the coco peat brick, allow the mix a few days to settle before using it. This short ‘rest’ will enable the coco peak to soak in all the nutrients and fully adjust its pH in line with your seeds, bulbs, or seedlings’ requirements. If you don’t use the coco peat immediately after preparation or there’s an excess amount, store it in an airtight container away from damp places to prevent it from contamination by microorganisms and drying.

Benefits of Using Coco Peat Bricks

Using coco peat presents numerous benefits that include:

• Coco peat bricks are exceptionally easy to package, store, transport, and handle.
• It’s lightweight and thus more portable than soil. 
• Coco peat has remarkable drainage, aeration, and moisture properties, making it an excellent medium for starting seeds, germinating bulbs, and growing plants.
• It has natural anti-fungal qualities, making it a sterile growing medium.
• Coco peat has high water absorbing and retention capacity, making it an ideal medium for gardening, horticulture, and composting (worm cultivation).
• It’s natural, organic, and reusable for up to four years, making it eco-friendly.
• Coco peat is equally effective as a soil replacement and additive. It suits various plant types and farming styles, from greenhouse farming to indoor planters, hydroponics farming, and outdoor gardens. 

Nevertheless, coco peat provides an exceptionally soft-growing medium that doesn’t offer sufficient anchorage for big plants like hibiscus, curry plants, and tulsi. Further, it requires nutrient supplementation as it lacks common essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

To buy coco peat brick in bulk contact Earth Scape.