Popularly produced in South Western Nigeria - Badagry region, the coconut has gained importance as an economic crop globally with so many bye products ranging from the coconut milk to coconut oil, fruit and fibre production; oh and let us not also forget the ever yummy coconut candy. Well, here is another bye-product that is rapidly gaining attention and is worth taking a second look at in the Nigerian economy; The coco coir.
The coconut coir is often used as a substitute for soil as a potting medium in hydroponic greenhouse farming. It's structure lets it hold up to 8 times its weight in water because of the fibrous material enabling drainage of moisture to the bottom of the container.
More airspace from the fibrous material means more oxygen can reach the roots. It requires less maintenance than most farming mediums because it retains moisture, nutrients and weed control and finally its renewable.
High-quality coco coir is very rich calcium, magnesium and even potassium with a neutral pH ranging between 6.0-6.7 essential for tomato seedling growth. Low quality coco coir is rich is sodium and should be avoided.
Coco Coir Processing
I have no doubt that a trip to a coconut farm in Badagry region will definitely get one a hand full of "Coconut husks" characterized as waste materials or better still young fresh coconuts still in their husks.
1. De-husking the coconut: This involves separating outer fibrous husk covering the coconut. This can be done manually by using machete or the coconut is impaled on a steel-tipped spike to split the husk or by using a modern husking machine.
2. Retting the husks: Retting is the process during which the husks are kept in an environment that encourages the action of naturally occurring microbes (partial decomposition) which allows it to be separated into coir fibres and the coir dust/peat. Freshwater retting is used for fully ripe coconut husks and salt water retting is used for green husks.
- Fresh water retting: Ripe husks (brown color) are immersed in water-filled concrete tanks or suspended by nets in rivers. These husks are soaked for at least six months.
- Salt water retting: Green husks are soaked in sea water or artificially salinated water, this usually takes eight to ten months.
- Mechanical methods have recently been developed to partially and fully eliminate retting. Ripe husks can be crushed using machines after being retted for 7-10 days only, then the husks need only be dampened with water or soaked one to two days before defibering.
3. Defibring the husks: This beats and splits the coconut husks into coconut fibre (30%) and the coco peat/ dust/ coir (70%). A defibering machine is used to beat and split the fibre and dust. the fibre is compressed into bales of fixed sizes and weight used for making ropes, bags and other woven products. Defibering can also be done manually by thoroughly beating the husks till the strands of fibre have been separated from the dust, a sieve is best used for separation.
4. The coco dust is enriched with organic manure and spread in the open air to dry.
5. Finally the coco peat is compressed into blocks of fixed sizes and weights using cocopeat block making machine, packaged and sold or used in greenhouse farms.
These machines can be either fabricated locally by machine fabrication companies or imported from India, China or other countries.
So here we go, with a grow bag or pot of about 15 litres filled with cocopeat and a mini drip irrigation nozzle connected running through the grow bag, I can successful start planting my tomatoes or pepper or any herb or spice shrub in my mini greenhouse without having to worry about constant weeding and fertilizer.
I linked a video of the production process here .
Thank you for reading, if you found this innovative please let's share the knowledge for a more informed and economically aware Nigeria.
Don't forget....... You too can do it.
So here we go, with a grow bag or pot of about 15 litres filled with cocopeat and a mini drip irrigation nozzle connected running through the grow bag, I can successful start planting my tomatoes or pepper or any herb or spice shrub in my mini greenhouse without having to worry about constant weeding and fertilizer.
I linked a video of the production process here .
Thank you for reading, if you found this innovative please let's share the knowledge for a more informed and economically aware Nigeria.
Don't forget....... You too can do it.
