Coir

White coir, harvested from unripe coconuts, is used for making finer brushes, string, rope and fishing nets.

[2][3] It has the advantage of not sinking, so can be used in long lengths in deep water without the added weight dragging down boats and buoys.

[9][10][11][12] Later Indian and Arab navigators who sailed the seas to Malaya, China, and the Persian Gulf centuries ago also used coir for their ship ropes.

Brown coir harvested from fully ripened coconuts is thick, strong and has high abrasion resistance.

The fibrous husks are soaked in pits or in nets in a slow-moving body of water to swell and soften the fibres.

The mattress fibres are sifted to remove dirt and other rubbish, dried in the sun and packed into bales.

The longer bristle fibre is washed in clean water and then dried before being tied into bundles or hanks.

[17] The segments of the husk are then beaten with iron rods to separate out the long fibres which are subsequently dried and cleaned.

[citation needed] In 2009, researchers at CSIR's National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram developed a biological process for the extraction of coir fibre from coconut husk without polluting the environment.

The technology uses enzymes to separate the fibres by converting and solubilizing plant compounds to curb the pollution of waters caused by retting of husks.

Coir is naturally rich in potassium, which can lead to magnesium and calcium deficiencies in soilless horticultural media.

The material's high lignin content is longer-lasting, holds more water, and does not shrink off the sides of the pot when dry allowing for easier rewetting.

This light media has advantages and disadvantages that can be corrected with the addition of the proper amendment such as coarse sand for weight in interior plants like Draceana.

Calcium and magnesium will be lacking in coir potting mixes, so a naturally good source of these nutrients is dolomitic lime which contains both.

The addition of beneficial microbes to the coir media have been successful in tropical green house conditions and interior spaces as well.

Coir is also useful to deter snails from delicate plantings, and as a growing medium in intensive glasshouse (greenhouse) horticulture.

Previously prepared spawn jars, usually grown using substrates such as rye grains or wild bird seed, are then added.

Due to low levels of nutrients in its composition, coco peat is usually not the sole component in the medium used to grow plants.

Coco peat from Philippines, Sri Lanka and India contains several macro- and micro-plant nutrients, including substantial quantities of potassium.

Poorly sourced coco fibre can have excess salts in it and needs washing (check electrical conductivity of run-off water, flush if high).

Additionally, coconut fiber (CF) has low thermal conductivity, is very tough, ductile, durable, renewable and inexpensive.

It was observed in an experimental study that by partially replacing 2% of cement with CF, the compressive strength of the concrete is increased.

Coconut coir from Mexico has been found to contain large numbers of colonies of the beneficial fungus Aspergillus terreus, which acts as a biological control against plant pathogenic fungi.

[33] Trichoderma is a naturally occurring fungus in coco peat; it works in symbiosis with plant roots to protect them from pathogenic fungi such as Pythium.

[citation needed] Coco peat may be sterilized to remove potential pathogens and weeds along with beneficial life.

India, mainly in the coastal region of Kerala State, produces 60% of the total world supply of white coir fibre.