# Coco Coir vs. Coco Fiber



## tastyness (Apr 12, 2012)

I see the massproducers coco thread is closed 
I'm in a new place and having a hard time sourcing the coco coir that I've used in the past.
I see coco fiber in the local hardware center.

Can any one educate me on the difference?  Will the fiber work?
Thanks


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## Hushpuppy (Apr 14, 2012)

I have found that using both works very well in my setup. The difference as I understand it is that the coir is a more ground up material that resembles soil, while the fiber is very "stringy" and doesn't resemble soil at all. If you look at the WalMarts and Lowes/HD, they offer coco mats and baskets for holding flowers. These are very good for holding soil while allowing very good drainage and soil aeration. I wouldn't grow in just the fiber, even in hydro as there just isn't enough material there to prevent the roots from overdrying. Plus the coir is so great at holding the nutrients from the feedings for the plants' roots to have full access to them. 

What I do is buy these coco mats and cut them to fit into the bottoms of my containers then put my coco coir in on top of the mats. I run these in hydro and having the mats holds the coir in the containers while allowing roots and water to run out the holes in the bottoms of the containers. This keeps coco debris from getting into my Resevoirs and clogging up my pumps.

I buy my bulk coco coir online from Plantlightinghydroponics.com for around $12 for a 5kilogram bag, which goes a long way.


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## OGKushman (Apr 15, 2012)

Thanks hush!


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## tastyness (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks for the help.  Unfortunately where I am located everything costs a ridiculous amount of money.  I used to get the bricks locally (in Canada) for a great price.  
Still working on a source here- but wanted to know my options in case that doesn't work out.


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## Hushpuppy (Apr 16, 2012)

Check out EBAY and then just cruize the web for hydro-stores until you can find a decent price. I don't know if the cost of shipping would be worth it but you might find a better price with shipping from US. Depending on what area yer in versus where the hydro store is. But I would start with EBAY.


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## tastyness (Apr 18, 2012)

It's not the cost of shipping- though that is prohibitive.  It is governernment agency that inspects everything as it comes into the country.  They take bio-security very seriously here- I wasn't even able to bring in aduki beans or lentils!  Thanks for the good advice though.
It is funny because they do a lot of "synthetic" product for sale here- but you just don't know what is in it and I prefer the natural stuff.
Any kiwis on the forum anywhere???????
I do know there are other growers nearby though as they recently busted a 100 plant operation in a close by suburb- growing outdoors.


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## Hushpuppy (Apr 19, 2012)

Ya gotta love gettin yer money's worth of gov't helping to keep ya safe


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