Have you ever tried Cocopeat for nursery? It has become one of the popular substitutions for regular soil in plant nurseries. Below, you will learn everything about Cocopeat for plant nurseries. We hope you can utilize this soil substitution to improve your plant nursery.
Cocopeat Efficiency for Plant Nursery
Soil is the core of a plant nursery. Choose good-quality soil, and you will have a high-performing plant nursery. Cocopeat offers benefits that improve the efficiency of the planting medium in the nursery.
Soil has three main factors that affect how its performance in plant nurseries. They are water retention, nutrition, and airflow. Cocopeat as the substitution can offer better function on those three factors. Let’s see how Cocopeat nursery efficiency from those three factors.
1. Water Retention
Water retention is an essential factor supporting plant growth. Soil with good water retention allows plants to survive heat or extreme weather. Cocopeat also does the same. Moreover, it has better water retention than soil.
Cocopeat can keep the water and moisture even under extreme weather. That allows plants to grow healthily. Depending on the cocopeat type, you also can adjust how this function works.
For example, a type with high EC (Electrical Conductivity) has a low water retention function. It is suitable for plants with root types that can’t get too much water. Conversely, low-EC cocopeat can hold more water and moisture. Cocopeat nursery solutions offer the perfect soil for nurseries in low-water supply areas.
2. Nutrients Content
The natural soil has a certain amount of nutrients. You still need to add fertilizer to make it a healthy planting medium for the nursery. However, it isn’t enough in some cases. Cocopeat solves that problem.
One of the Cocopeat nursery benefits is its high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity). This ability allows cocopeat to release nutrients slowly. Therefore, the watering process won’t remove it like what you can see in regular soil. Thus, plants will always receive enough nutrients to grow from cocopeat.
3. Airflow
Another Cocopeat nursery usage is to provide better airflow. Regular soil has a problem in this part. You need to work hard to adjust the planter and the soil structure to ensure the plants’ root gets a proper airflow.
Airflow is essential for the roots. It helps the roots absorb nutrients easily. Cocopeat has a structure that allows the air to flow naturally. That boosts the nutrient absorption.
In short, all those benefits lead to one conclusion. Cocopeat is one of the best choices for growing medium in a plant nursery. It is suitable for growing plant or using Cocopeat propagation medium for seeding.
Why Propagation Medium with Cocopeat?
It is the beginning stage that affects your plant’s growth. If you do it correctly, your plant is ready to transfer to grow healthily into the adult stage. Cocopeat nursery growing medium has everything that the seed needs.
As explained above, it has better water retention. You don’t need to water the seed too often, which has a risk of making it rot. The nutrient holder and airflow function also support the seed’s growth.
Moreover, it is much easier to move or transfer the seedling from the cocopeat medium to the next one. Unlike soil with its risk of damaging the root of the seedling. That is one of many reasons we recommend Cocopeat for nursery.
How to Prepare and Use Cocopeat for Your Plant Nursery
Now, you need to know how to use this growing medium for nursery. Here is a step-by-step guide to Cocopeat nursery applications.
1. Preparation
You can’t use cocopeat right away for nursery. You need to prepare it first.
- Place the cocopeat block inside the container.
- Soak it in water. It takes about 30-40 minutes until it is fully soaked.
- Lift the cocopeat and squeeze the water out.
You need to prepare it to expand the size. It also makes it easier to mix and use as a planting medium. More importantly, make sure you squeeze the excess water to prevent fungi from growing.
2. Mixing
You can’t only rely on cocopeat to create a perfect growing medium. You need to mix it with compost to create a better environment for the seed to grow. The ideal ratio is 1:1 cocopeat to compost. If you don’t know how to do it, you can always use Cocopeat seed starting mix.
Once you mix them, place the cocopeat mixture into the planters or area where you will use it to grow plants. Make sure it fills the entire area of the planters. However, leave about 2-inch space on the top for the plant to get airflow. Now, you have a growing medium for the nursery.
3. Sowing
Make several holes and sow seeds in each of them. Each plant needs certain ways to plant. For that reason, you can refer to the guide on how to plant them. However, you can treat the cocopeat growing medium similar to the regular soil you use for the nursery.
4. Maintaining
You need to water the planter regularly. However, do not overwater it. Pay attention to the ratio. It is essential to prevent the root from rotting because of fungi.
Also, pay attention to the cocopeat size you use. It is essential for Cocopeat nursery optimization you need to know. Choose the fine, medium, or coarse size to match your plant type. Some plants need a certain size to make their root easy to grow and get nutrients.
Final Words
In general, cocopeat is similar to regular soil for nurseries. Use the Cocopeat nursery techniques we mentioned above to create the growing medium for your nursery. Then, you can use it like when you plant on regular soils. The only difference is cocopeat offers many more benefits and better efficiency for your planting project.
Lastly, make sure you also choose the right location to place the nursery. Location with plenty of sunlight is our recommendation to ensure your plant grows healthily and successfully reaches its adult stage. More importantly, all these tips and guides are suitable for all types of nurseries. Therefore, try Cocopeat for nursery now!