From the coconut tree to your garden: The coir manufacturing process

Coir, extracted from the husk of the coconut, is the fibrous material found between the internal coconut shell and the outer layer. The extracting and processing of coir is performed in accordance with a series of activities, resulting in coir that is used for the manufacturing of various environmentally friendly products; these are then used to help prevent soil erosion and in many horticultural procedures. The complete process that CoirGreen™ follows in creating coir is entirely environmentally friendly and has no negative impact on nature.

Fully mature green coconuts are either plucked from the tree after twelve months or picked once ripened and fallen from the tree to extract coir while unripe coconuts are spread on the ground to be dried.
There are two types of coir:

• Brown fibre
• White fibre

 Brown fibre, which CoirGreen™ mainly uses, is obtained from mature coconuts that are ready to be processed into copra and desiccated coconuts. The outer fibrous layer of the coconut is manually separated from the hard shell using a steel-tipped spike or a machine.

 Converting the fibre into coir


The extracted husks are then placed along river-banks, concrete tanks or suspended by nets and soaked in a slow-moving body of water so that the fibres swell and soften. Earlier, this action was carried out for 6 to 10 months; however, recently introduced mechanical techniques allow this process to be completed within 7 to 10 days. 

The fibre pulp is then beaten with wooden mallets in order to separate the coir fibres from the pith and outer skin of the coconut. Traditionally, this process was carried out manually, but in recent years, motorized machines are used to increase efficiency. The resultant fibres are washed and subsequently spread loose on the ground to dry.

Next, the fibres are combined with mechanical or manual carding tools and then spun to form fine yarn, which is later twisted to make long and strong coir strings. Finally, these coir strings are wound into bundles. This is carried out using hand spinning tools or automated spinning machines.
 Fibres that will not be immediately processed are collected and tied into loose bundles for storage and shipment.

Environmentally friendly coir making process

 CoirGreen™ ‘s ultimate goal is to be an ambassador for the environment by promoting the use of environmentally sustainable products. We spend an enormous amount of energy in making sure that our coir products do not harm the environment in anyway.

In the manufacturing of coir products, we make certain that all activities are carried out with minimal impact towards the environment. Such measures ensure that CoirGreen™ is conscious about its products and operations and reaffirm that the environment is indeed the lifeblood of the company. CoirGreen™ - Environmentally Friendly!

Visit us on www.coirgreen.com or follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/CoirProducts 

CoirGreen™ : Helping you think and act green

Many of us depend heavily on the environment to make a living. Yet, knowingly or unknowingly to us, our actions can have negative impact on the environment, such as leading to soil erosion and loss of vegetation. Therefore, it is vital that we take all necessary steps to protect and preserve the environment, while continuing our work.
Natural, bio-degradable and sustainable, products made of natural coir-fibre help you do just that!

Why coir?

A natural fibre extracted from the husk of a coconut, the uses of coir are varied. There are two main types of coir: The more commonly used is brown fibre, which is extracted from mature coconuts. Brown fibre is used to manufacture products such as coir brushes, coir doormats, coir logs, coir pallets and coir rugs. White fibre is obtained from immature green coconuts, and when spun into yarn is used to make products such as coir rope, coir geotextiles, erosion control blankets. Given its resistance to salt water, white fibre is also used to manufacture fishing nets.

Coir products offers a range of environmental benefits. A renewable resource with a low decomposition rate and having high strength compared to other natural fibers, it is also widely used to address the challenges of erosion and promote sustainable vegetation. A range of value-added products have been manufactured using natural coir fibre for the erosion control, horticultural and agricultural sectors. Environmentally-friendly and sustainable, products made of natural coir fibre are durable, absorbs water, retains moisture and provides good soil support. They are also 100% biodegradable, having high strength retention and a low rate of degradation.

Why CoirGreen™?

CoirGreen™ supplies a host of environmentally-friendly products made out of natural coir fiber for the erosion control, horticultural and agricultural sectors, helping you and your organization think and act green, while you go about your work. With preserving the environment at the heart of what we do, we are also committed in facilitating the efforts of others to do so. An industry leader, all CoirGreen™ products are cost-effective and are manufactured according to the highest industry standards, with our Q&A Department monitoring the entire process from the selection of raw material to the finished products. At CoirGreen™, products can also be customized to meet the needs and requirements of our partners.

For the horticulture industry….

We, at CoirGreen™, bring to you a range of products that are widely used in the horticultural sector, including Coco Peat, Husk Chips, Grow Bags, Coir Disks and Coir Pots. All these products are 100% natural, organic and bio-degradable. They absorb water better and ensure a strong and healthy root system.
Environmentally sustainable, these coir products are renewable and can be re-used for several crop cycles, depending on your needs and preferences. Environmentally sustainable, coir products does not alter the physical make-up of the environment. After use, coir can be added into the ground as a soil conditioner, having no adverse impact on the environment we live in.

For erosion control…

CoirGreen™ provides a variety of solutions and techniques to address the challenges of soil erosion, landslides, and water erosion. CoirGreen’s natural coir products, such as Geotextiles or Coir Netting, Coir Blankets or Erosion Control Blankets, Coir Logs and Coir Pallets, can help stabilize sediments in the bank.
Resistant to rod, mold and moisture, provides adequate strength and durability to protect slopes from erosion while allowing vegetation to flourish. Hazardous chemicals or synthetic materials are not used within the matrix, and over time, coir completely disintegrates, leaving only humus, which enriches the soil!
For more details on our natural, environmentally friendly coir products, their usages and how CoirGreen™ work, please visit - http://www.coirgreen.com or simply email us on info@coirgreen.com

CoirGreen™ Growbags combine the benefits of coir and growbags

The global gardening culture is changing. In the days gone by, people had to till the soil, get dirty and possibly sweat after a gardening workout. However, now,  gardening has become easier and we have a variety of tools that do the work for us. One such tool is the CoirGreen™ Growbag, a 100% biodegradable product.

A combination of the benefits of coir and grow bags

Combining the benefits of both growbags and coir, CoirGreen™ Growbags provide more growing space and planting options. They are also easy to use and are less messy. They provide high yield from a small space and thus are ideal for patio gardening; the bags are also extremely versatile.

Coir has become popular as a potting medium in greenhouse and nursery production. Qualities of coir that make it a good growing medium include high water holding capacity, excellent drainage capacity, physical resilience, and the fact that it is a renewable resource.

It has also been demonstrated that coir can suppress certain soil borne plant pathogens. Combining the disease suppressive properties of coir with other management strategies such as fungicide application in an integrated pest management program may result in more effective and less costly management of soil borne diseases in greenhouse and nursery production.

Benefits of CoirGreen™ grow bags

• High quality consistent product.
 • Stability of structure during culture.
• Steers your crops for maximum yield and fruit quality.
• Equally good for vegetables, flowers and fruits.
• Minimizes the risk of disease with stronger plants.
• Purpose made slabs with pre cut plants/ drain holes reduces labor costs in installation.
• Ideal air water ratio.
• Optimizes the use of water and fertilizer.
• Faster and dense root establishment due to porous structure.
• Fully organic environmentally friendly substrate with no disposal problems.
• User friendly product.
• Convenient and cost effective transportation and storage of compressed slabs.

The CoirGreen™ Growbag can be used to grow tomatoes, paprika, cucumber, aubergine, gerberas, roses, ornamental plants and other vegetables and fruits.

How to use the CoirGreen™ growbag
●    Cut 3 – 5 holes per bag (depending on size of bag)
●    Insert water, gradually, until medium expands fully
●    Insert relevant seeds
●    Ensure there is an outflow of water at the bottom of the bag

Growbags Properties 

•        pH Value                            -    Between 5.4 – 6.8

•        EC Levels                          -    Below 1500

•        Air water ratio                    -    20/80% - 70/30%

•        Organic Matter                   -    95%

•        Dry matter                          -    85%

•        Cationic exchange capacity  -   (meq/1 OOg) - 60 - 130

More information on how to secure CoirGreen Growbags, please visit our website on www.coirgreen.com

CG Coir pots – An environmentally friendly alternative to plastic pots

From cell phones and computers to water bottles and bags, plastic has moulded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. However, this ease of living has come at a huge environmental cost.

Since mass production of plastic began in the 1940’s it has grown to become an essential item in the society. More than 280 million tons of plastic were manufactured in 2012. In fact, according to a report by the British Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society the amount of plastic manufactured in the first 10 years of the 21st century is equal to the entire amount produced in the 20th century.

Plastic is an environmental nightmare. The chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that harm people and the environment. For example:

• Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other negative human health effects.
• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals are often ingested by marine animals and can injure or poison wildlife.
• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.
• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.
• Around 4 percent of the world’s oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process

Plastic is widely used in agriculture and the plastic pot has become a common sight in flower gardens, greenhouses and nurseries. At CoirGreen, we have always been driven to create products that are environmentally sustainable and this mindset led us to create the coir pot as an environmentally friendly alternative to the plastic pot.

CoirGreen pots (CG pots) are 100% biodegradable and transform into organic matter on decomposing. They are made for use in horticultural farms, flower gardens, greenhouses, and nurseries. The coir pot provides nutrients like zinc, magnesium, copper and iron, all beneficial to healthy plant growth, and its high resistance to mold is great for greenhouses. Commercial growers can use the pots to grow plants- skipping the transplanting step which often leads to ‘transplant shock’.

Plants growing in traditional plastic pots tend to develop tightly massed root systems that do not take full advantage of the allocated growing area. If grown in coir pots, plants grow throughout the whole pot, and grow into the pot wall. Once the roots reach the outer edge of the wall, they stop growing out and continue to grow inside the pot; contact with the air stops the roots from growing, root buds start to appear and secondary roots start to develop throughout the pot. This phenomenon is known as “aerial root pruning”.

If roots are not exposed to air (aerial root pruning) they continue to grow around the container in a constricted pattern. The roots may spiral, twist, kink or become strangled. When the plant is later installed it will likely fail to establish a normal root structure, and instead will have reduced uptake of water and nutrients. Eventually abnormal growth should be obvious and could cause the plant to fail. Damaged root systems also cause leaves to turn yellow or brown, shrivel or drop. Healthy, highly branched root structures allow a plant to more efficiently uptake water and nutrients while increasing growth and overall plant health. A strong root system will make a plant better able to establish itself when installed in a restoration project.

Benefits of using CG Organic Coir Pots
● Pots remain stable above ground for a year and biodegrade in the soil after 2 – 3 months
● Pots add texture to the soil as they degrade
● Can also be added to the compost heap as a valuable source of carbon (brown material)
● Plants grown in these pots benefit from air pruning
● Plant roots will grow through the pot walls, encouraging a strong root system.
● There is no transplanting shock
● Ideal for cucurbits and courgettes in particular
● Absorbs water better
● Moderates moisture and increase microbial activity
● Has high tensile strength and lignin content
● Is environmentally sustainable

Contact CoirGreen for more information on Coir Pots ( marketing (AT) coirgreen (DOT) com

CG Coir pots – An environmentally friendly alternative to plastic pots

From cell phones and computers to water bottles and bags, plastic has moulded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. However, this ease of living has come at a huge environmental cost.

Since mass production of plastic began in the 1940’s it has grown to become an essential item in the society. More than 280 million tons of plastic were manufactured in 2012. In fact, according to a report by the British Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society the amount of plastic manufactured in the first 10 years of the 21st century is equal to the entire amount produced in the 20th century.

Plastic is an environmental nightmare. The chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that harm people and the environment. For example:

• Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other negative human health effects.
• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals are often ingested by marine animals and can injure or poison wildlife.
• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.
• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.
• Around 4 percent of the world’s oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process

Plastic is widely used in agriculture and the plastic pot has become a common sight in flower gardens, greenhouses and nurseries. At CoirGreen, we have always been driven to create products that are environmentally sustainable and this mindset led us to create the coir pot as an environmentally friendly alternative to the plastic pot.

CoirGreen pots (CG pots) are 100% biodegradable and transform into organic matter on decomposing. They are made for use in horticultural farms, flower gardens, greenhouses, and nurseries. The coir pot provides nutrients like zinc, magnesium, copper and iron, all beneficial to healthy plant growth, and its high resistance to mold is great for greenhouses. Commercial growers can use the pots to grow plants- skipping the transplanting step which often leads to ‘transplant shock’.

Plants growing in traditional plastic pots tend to develop tightly massed root systems that do not take full advantage of the allocated growing area. If grown in coir pots, plants grow throughout the whole pot, and grow into the pot wall. Once the roots reach the outer edge of the wall, they stop growing out and continue to grow inside the pot; contact with the air stops the roots from growing, root buds start to appear and secondary roots start to develop throughout the pot. This phenomenon is known as “aerial root pruning”.

If roots are not exposed to air (aerial root pruning) they continue to grow around the container in a constricted pattern. The roots may spiral, twist, kink or become strangled. When the plant is later installed it will likely fail to establish a normal root structure, and instead will have reduced uptake of water and nutrients. Eventually abnormal growth should be obvious and could cause the plant to fail. Damaged root systems also cause leaves to turn yellow or brown, shrivel or drop. Healthy, highly branched root structures allow a plant to more efficiently uptake water and nutrients while increasing growth and overall plant health. A strong root system will make a plant better able to establish itself when installed in a restoration project.

Benefits of using CG Organic Coir Pots
● Pots remain stable above ground for a year and biodegrade in the soil after 2 – 3 months
● Pots add texture to the soil as they degrade
● Can also be added to the compost heap as a valuable source of carbon (brown material)
● Plants grown in these pots benefit from air pruning
● Plant roots will grow through the pot walls, encouraging a strong root system.
● There is no transplanting shock
● Ideal for cucurbits and courgettes in particular
● Absorbs water better
● Moderates moisture and increase microbial activity
● Has high tensile strength and lignin content
● Is environmentally sustainable

Contact CoirGreen for more information on Coir Pots ( marketing (AT) coirgreen (DOT) com