Is Peat Moss or Coir Better?

Coir, produced from coconut, has burst onto the scene, including for use in the garden. What are the benefits of using coir, and is it better than peat moss?

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DirtFarmerJay shows the differences between peat moss and coir, and with no spin, shows the up AND downsides of each product.

At the retail level, both peat moss and coir come in compressed forms. Coir is in “brick” form (hard and dense), and peat tends to be in semi-compressed, plastic-packaged bales. Both need to have water added and the fibers spread apart to get the product ready to use.

The pH of the products is different. Coir tends to be close to neutral, with pH ranging from 6.0 to 6.8. Peat pH usually runs in the 3.5 to 4.8 range. pH will ultimately be decided by both the surrounding soil and the irrigation water. If alkaline/basic water is used on acidic amended soil or growing medium, that medium will ultimately become basic.

As for structure and durability, the two differ a bit. Peat does decompose faster, while coir is more durable. Think of other coir products you may be familiar with, such as doormats, natural fiber ropes, and scrubbing brushes. Peat and coir are used for starting mixes for seedlings and are not going to be the long-term medium anyway. As for structure, peat does tend to compress more in the soil, while coir keeps the soil “open” for longer.

Both have significant water holding capacities - many times their own dry weight. There is a wide range of statements of how much, but suffice it to say that both retain water well and help the soil to not dry out between waterings. Coir will carry around 40% of its own weight in water, peat moss about 60 - 65%. However, coir weighs more.

What about cost? It depends where you are in the world, simply because the further you all from the production site of either coir or peat, the more transportation costs need to be paid for.

Approximately 85% of the peat reserves are in Canada, so major markets for the product are both in Canada and the U.S. Peat is cheaper to produce and the cost of transport is relatively low. So, where we live in the Mountain West of the U.S., peat is cheaper than coir (at the time of filming, peat moss was $3.67 per cubic foot and coir was $5 per cubic foot).

The majority of coir is produced in India and Sri Lanka, with additional production coming from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brazil. Most of the major markets for the product (which is used for much more than agriculture!) are elsewhere, so there are significant shipping costs to get it to market.

Is coir or peat "greener?" This is a bit more complex than what is apparent. There are several “loud voices” indicating that the choice is plain - coir is the winner. Others say peat is being depleted in the bogs and this will lead to environmental disaster. Conversely, peat producers have no interest in not maintaining the long-term productivity of the resources they manage. Like the forest industry which constantly replants for future harvest, so do peat producers. Both peat and coir production and harvest, are NOT “one and done” propositions.

Add in fuel expended to transport, and the picture of which is more sustainable or “green”, and it becomes even murkier to name a “winner.” As far as working conditions, traditionally the coir industry has had poorer and more unhealthy working conditions than the peat industry. In all fairness though, that is changing as the coir industry stabilizes and has become a major economic force in the countries mentioned earlier.

After researching the subject, and reading material from various ideological viewpoints and academic papers, we at DirtFarmerjay.com are comfortable in using either peat moss or coir, knowing full well there are trade-offs for both products.

To help you become more informed on this subject, check out these articles:

https://www.gardenmyths.com/coir-ecof...

https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-coi...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir

http://www.fao.org/economic/futurefib...

https://peatmoss.com/responsible-prod...

In addition, using the search phrase “coir producer associations” will give you several links to investigate.

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