Growth and development of container grown crops in coir based soils^©

INTRODUCTION
As commercial propagators all of us are engaged in the business of selling plants. Some of us grow seeded plugs, while others produce cutting-grown liners to sell to other growers and some of us specialize in difficult-to-propagate plant material by means such as tissue culture. The methods we employ are as varied as are the multitude of plants we seek to reproduce. One thing we all have in common, though, is the need for a medium that meets our own specific needs. Usually, our propagation, potting and canning soils are made up of various organic materials that are combined at different ratios to achieve the desired physical properties for a successful outcome. Components such as sphagnum peat moss, fir mulch, perlite, vermiculite, compost, pumice, rice hulls, loam soil, sand, etc. are some products that come to mind. Over the past few years, a new product has been emerging that has caught the attention of many growers. This product is often times referred to as “coco peat,” “coir pith,” or simply called “coir.”