Coconut fiber has become essential in modern agriculture. The ingredient is known for its wonderful benefits towards fertilizing plants. Also, it can be used to make household products that are environmentally friendly. However, only treated coir can bring all that benefits. Do you wonder why is that? If yes, Tropicoco Vietnam will give you the answer you are looking for in this article down below. 

The meaning of coconut fiber

Coconut fiber (a.k.a coir) is a natural fiber extracted from the outer husk of the coconut. Brown and white are the two primary colors of coir. Even though the brown coir (made from ripe coconuts) is strong, it is not flexible. On the other hand, the white one (harvested from unripe coconuts) is more flexible yet weaker in general. 

Brown coir is commonly used to make household products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. It is also highly beneficial to use in gardening and agriculture. Meanwhile, white coir is used for making finer brushes, string, rope, and fishing nets. 

Why coconut fiber needs to be treated before using

There is a high amount of Tannin and Lignin inside every coir. These are the two substances that directly prevent plants from transferring nutrients to the root. As a result, plants will not have enough nutrients to sustain themselves and gradually die out. To grow healthy crops, it is necessary for you to use coconut fiber that has been carefully treated. 

When using coir that is fully processed, your plants will grow a lot faster and healthier. Not only that, the ingredient is extremely friendly to the environment. Due to these advantages, many farmers and gardeners have started to use coir on their plants for better harvesting results.  

How coconut fiber can be treated

Tannin and Lignin are the two main substances that bring harm to your plants. To get rid of them, you will have to clean the coconut fiber under lime and freshwater several times. The complete process includes two steps as follows:

Step one: Separate Tannin from the coir

Soak the coir in tap water within 2 to 3 days. Make sure to rinse it once per day. It is recommended that you repeat this routine at least three times to completely get rid of the Tannin. 

Step two: Separate Lignin from the coir 

Prepare lime water to eliminate Lignin within the coir faster. Pour lime water into a bucket, then add in the coir that you have cleansed in step one. Soak it in water for seven weeks so that Lignin can dissolve entirely. After the time given, rinse the coir thoroughly with water. 

Step three: Dry out the coconut fiber

When the cleaning process has finished, bring the coir outdoors to dry it. After this, it should be safe to use the coir because all the harmful substances have been removed completely. 

Ways to recognize treated coconut fiber in real life

There are two specific signs you can look at to differentiate between treated coconut fiber and untreated one:

Based on the color

Due to the cleansing process, processed coir will have a maroon shade and high moisture in general. Meanwhile, the color of the untreated coir will be light yellow. Also, some people will soak the coconut fiber in water to find out if the coir is fully treated. If the color of the water turns red-brown, the coir is not treated. 

Based on the EC and pH levels

This is the most accurate way to distinguish between treated and untreated coir. With this method, you will rely on the EC and pH levels to see if your coir is fully processed or not. The figures are as follows:

• The values for untreated coir is: EC > 2.5, pH 5.5 – 6.5
• The values for treated coir is: EC ≤ 0.5, pH 6 – 7

Where you can get treated coconut fiber in Vietnam

Tropicoco is undoubtedly one of the first places you should think of when considering buying treated coconut fiber. For years, Tropicoco has been supplying high-quality coir to countless customers inside and outside of the country. Another advantage of choosing Tropicoco is that all the products are shipped within the fastest time possible. 

Also, knowing that some buyers may not have experience growing crops, Tropicoco always consults and recommends products that will give the best results on customers’ crops. For these reasons, Tropicoco is the best place for you to purchase premium treated coir!

Conclusion

The article above has explained why coconut fiber should be treated before use. Also, this article had disclosed how coir could be processed and visible signs to differentiate between treated and untreated coir. Visit Tropicoco now for more helpful information! 

Contact information

Tropicoco – The best substrate

Address: No.20 Ngan Long Villa, Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City

Email: giathe@tropical.vn

Hotline: +84 983230879

Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 8.00AM-5.00PM; Sunday: Closed