Substrates: coconut fiber
The coir is a substrate popular and very valuable both as a soil of the land as a medium of cultivation is employed in florivivaismo professional in floriculture, horticulture, preparation of turf, gardening hobby.
E 'obtained by brushing the outer layer of coconut, and is available on the market in different sizes and types, ranging in size from fragments of a few millimeters long fibers, sold in bags, bricks, slabs or sheets, if purchased in compressed form needs to be left to soak before use.
And 'gauntlets very flexible and versatile, you can buy it already shaped in the form of a vase of every shape and size, or as a "carpet" to cut, useful for germination in hydroponic, or in convenient formats to disc with groove for the seed.
The material is very soft, light and porous, high-power draining, and thus holds a large amount of air that allows oxygenation optimum of the root system throughout the life cycle; for that reason is particularly suitable to lighten the soil, which notoriously tends with time to compact making it difficult and stunted growth of the plants themselves.
The composition is very homogeneous and spongy, and allows the coconut to absorb water until the increase of 8-9 times its dry volume.
Before being introduced on the market the coconut fiber is washed and treated, does not contain seeds, fungi, plant parasitic insects, nematodes and for this reason is considered to be biologically sound: this fact, together with the physical characteristics of the material, reduces the proliferation of mildew, rot and bacteria in the roots.
From a nutritional standpoint, the coconut is almost neutral: it does not contain micro and macro elements and makes essential use of fertilizers specific to the nourishment of the plant.
In this way you can have total control on fertilization, contrary to what happens for example with the soil is already rich in substances not always identified and quantified.
The coconut fiber possesses physical and chemical characteristics similar to peats blondes but has some advantages:
-Has higher pH values close to neutrality.
-Keeps longer than the original characteristics, ie, undergoes very slow degradation phenomena.
-Due to its characteristics of low water retention ensures a high drainage.
It can be said that this substrate summarizing the characteristics of the peat with regard to water retention and pumice or perlite for good drainage and softness.
Coconut fiber is environmentally friendly, recyclable, completely environmentally friendly.
Ecological because its production does not require that electrical machinery and labor, is produced using a by-product, or rather a processing waste, of the part of a fruit harvest by man for purposes mainly food.
Recyclable because it can 'be used until two or three times, if properly cleaned.
Has an extreme resistance to the biodegradability because of their high content of lignin: the transformation into humus soluble in the medium may take many years (5 to 20) depending on the biological activity of the soil.
Nevertheless, it is an eco-friendly material because at the end of its life cycle it can be 'easily (unlike for example the rock wool, material harmful to the respiratory tract than in other European countries already require special disposal and required) to throw in 'environment without consequences for the health of himself and of those who live, or simply mix with the ground for its further use in pots for garden plants or the garden.
Chemical analysis of sample:
Chemical analysis
Humidity at 80 °
34.20%
Total nitrogen N
0.18%
Total phosphorus pentoxide P2O5
0.08%
Potassium oxide total K20
0.64%
Organic carbon of biological origin
36.56%
Organic matter
63.03%
pH
5.3 to 5.5
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Tags: hydroponics based , no soil , substrates
