Coco coir

Also known as: Coconut coir, Coco peat, Cocopeat

Properties

pH effect	slightly acidic
Water retention	high
Drainage	good
Oxygen to roots	moderate
Bacterial surface area	moderate
Reusability	low (1-2 cycles)
Cost tier	low
Weight	light

How it affects the system

Natural pH is mildly acidic, roughly 5.5-6.8, usually within crop targets without adjustment
Coir pith is naturally high in potassium (and often sodium), which can induce calcium and magnesium deficiencies in soilless media, so a CalMag supplement is commonly needed
Cheap unbuffered coir is salt-laden from processing; buy buffered/washed grade or soak it in a calcium-buffering (CalMag) solution and leach before use
Breaks down over 2-3 cycles, eventually compacting and losing drainage

System compatibility

Works well in:

drip
dutch bucket
wicking bed
soil bed

Avoid in:

NFT channels
deep water culture (rafts)
media bed (ebb and flow)

Care notes

Frequently mixed with perlite (50/50 or 70/30) for hydroponic Dutch-bucket systems to add drainage. Pure coir works well for hand-watered or drip-irrigated Dutch buckets. Buy buffered coir (RHP-certified) or pre-rinse and calcium-buffer cheap coir before planting, since coir pith is naturally rich in potassium and sodium and can otherwise lock up calcium and magnesium.

Crops that work in coco coir

171 edible crops in the catalog list this medium as compatible.

Back to growing media reference

Properties

How it affects the system

System compatibility

Care notes

Crops that work in coco coir

Further reading