Coco peat, sold on
a specification
rather than a photo.

Match the grade to the crop and the system. Low EC — below roughly 0.5 mS/cm at a 1:1.5 extract — is for propagation, seedlings, salt-sensitive crops and any closed or recirculating hydroponic system where salts accumulate. Mid EC, roughly 0.5 to 1.0, suits general nursery production, container growing and landscape soil amendment. High EC, above roughly 1.0, is economical for open-field soil conditioning, mulching and erosion control where leaching is free and the salt load is diluted by the soil volume. Using high EC material in a propagation tray is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes in the region.

Raw coir carries sodium and potassium from the husk and from any seawater retting, and it holds a high cation exchange capacity that will strip calcium and magnesium out of your feed solution for the first several weeks. Washing removes the free salts. Buffering with a calcium nitrate solution pre-loads the exchange sites so the medium stops stealing calcium from the crop. For propagation, hydroponics and any high-value crop the premium is small against the cost of a failed batch. For bulk soil conditioning on open ground it is usually not necessary.

A 5 kg block of standard compressed coco peat yields approximately 65 to 75 litres of hydrated medium, depending on compression ratio and grade. Blocks expand fastest in warm water and should be allowed to hydrate fully and then drained before use — planting into partially hydrated coir causes it to swell in place and lift plants out of the container.

Yes. Batch documentation covers electrical conductivity and pH by the stated extraction method, particle size distribution, moisture content and compression ratio. Always confirm which extraction method a supplier is quoting: a 1:1.5 volume extract and a 1:5 water extract produce very different numbers for the same material, and comparing them directly makes a compliant batch look like a failing one, or worse, the reverse.