CoirGreen™ Geotextiles - An Effective Soil Erosion Prevention Method

“The different coir types and their characteristics have made coir the most versatile natural fiber to combat erosion and to restore waters and wetlands. Thus, coir seems to be the miracle fiber of this century to save the earth, its waters and wetlands” – Land and Water Magazine

The use of natural fibers for erosion and sedimentation control dates back to the beginning of this century. The main problems in the early natural fiber textiles (example jute mats) were low tensile strength, high elongation and low durability. These drawbacks restricted their use to only less severe erosion problems. An alternate natural fiber that has drawn the attention of the erosion and sedimentation control industry is coir, the coconut fiber.

One of the most effective and yet natural soil erosion prevention techniques is the use of coir geotextiles (coir netting) fabrics. CoirGreen geotextiles have no synthetic material but are instead made out of organic fiber coir, which is extracted from the husk of a coconut. Coir is strong, durable, waterproof and one of the few natural fibers that is salt water resistant.

The lighter varieties of coir woven geotextiles are used for immediate soil erosion and ordinary soil conditions while the heavier coir geotextiles are used for embankments, slopes or vegetation. CoirGreen geotextiles protect the soil until the vegetation permanently covers its mesh.  It gives the plants adequate room to grow and decomposes naturally into humus which will enrich and nourish the soil. Lasting between two to five years the coir fiber, compared to other natural fibers such as jute, has several unique features. CoirGreen geotextiles have the ability to retain water three times more than its actual weight preventing the need to frequently water the plants. However, at the same time with its adequate space within the mesh it drains the excess water easily preventing water logging. With an easy installation method the CoirGreen geotextiles need no chemical treatment as it lets in the right amount of air and light for a deeper rooted plant. It can also endure animal and human movements that would generally lead to more environmental decay.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states,

“Recognition of coir for sustainable vegetation and erosion control arises from the fact that it is an abundant, renewable natural resource with an extremely low decomposition rate and high strength compared to other natural fibers. Coir is woven into thick textiles which are applied like blankets on the ground in erosion prone areas. Geotextiles made from coir are durable, absorb water, resist sunlight, facilitate seed germination, and are 100% biodegradable. These blankets have high strength retention and a slow rate of degradation meaning they last for several years in field applications”.

Studies conducted have proven that coir geotextiles are effective, inexpensive and environmentally friendly. In one study conducted in 1998 on coir geo textiles, Schuerholz found out that coir retained 20% of its strength a year later  and 90% humidity whereas jute biodegraded fully after eight weeks.  In another study, conducted in Kerala, India, with a farmer community in 2005, scientists found out that coir combined with local grass  prevents soil erosion.

CoirGreen geotextiles have varying densities depending on their application, but as a whole they serve as slope stabilization agents prior to re-vegetation. CoirGreen geotextiles promote new vegetation by absorbing water and preventing topsoil from drying out. They absorb solar radiation just like natural soil, and unlike geosynthetic materials, they provide good soil support for up to three years, allowing natural vegetation to become established. The greater the geotextile density, the steeper the embankments it can be utilized on. Applications have included ski slopes and bottom reinforcing material in water courses.

 

The uses of CoirGreen geotextiles can be summarized as below,

●     Stream/River bank protection

●     Shoreline stabilization

●     Slope stabilization in railway cutting and embankments

●     Separation application in rural roads, railways, parking and storage areas  and storm shuttering

●     Reinforcement of rural unpaved roads, temporary walls providing sub base layers in road pavements

●     Filtration in road drains and land reclamation

●     Containment of soil and concrete as temporary seeding

●     Concrete column curing

●     Waste protection and forestry re-vegetation

●     Control of shallow mass waste and gully erosion

●     UV protection for underground crops

●     Rooftop landscaping

●     Protection from wind erosion and wetland environments

●     Plant and tree protective systems

More information on CoirGreen Geotextiles or other natural products, please visit www.coirgreen.com.  

CG Coir pots – An environmentally friendly alternative to plastic pots

From cell phones and computers to water bottles and bags, plastic has moulded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. However, this ease of living has come at a huge environmental cost.

Since mass production of plastic began in the 1940’s it has grown to become an essential item in the society. More than 280 million tons of plastic were manufactured in 2012. In fact, according to a report by the British Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society the amount of plastic manufactured in the first 10 years of the 21st century is equal to the entire amount produced in the 20th century.

Plastic is an environmental nightmare. The chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that harm people and the environment. For example:

• Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other negative human health effects.
• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals are often ingested by marine animals and can injure or poison wildlife.
• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.
• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.
• Around 4 percent of the world’s oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process

Plastic is widely used in agriculture and the plastic pot has become a common sight in flower gardens, greenhouses and nurseries. At CoirGreen, we have always been driven to create products that are environmentally sustainable and this mindset led us to create the coir pot as an environmentally friendly alternative to the plastic pot.

CoirGreen pots (CG pots) are 100% biodegradable and transform into organic matter on decomposing. They are made for use in horticultural farms, flower gardens, greenhouses, and nurseries. The coir pot provides nutrients like zinc, magnesium, copper and iron, all beneficial to healthy plant growth, and its high resistance to mold is great for greenhouses. Commercial growers can use the pots to grow plants- skipping the transplanting step which often leads to ‘transplant shock’.

Plants growing in traditional plastic pots tend to develop tightly massed root systems that do not take full advantage of the allocated growing area. If grown in coir pots, plants grow throughout the whole pot, and grow into the pot wall. Once the roots reach the outer edge of the wall, they stop growing out and continue to grow inside the pot; contact with the air stops the roots from growing, root buds start to appear and secondary roots start to develop throughout the pot. This phenomenon is known as “aerial root pruning”.

If roots are not exposed to air (aerial root pruning) they continue to grow around the container in a constricted pattern. The roots may spiral, twist, kink or become strangled. When the plant is later installed it will likely fail to establish a normal root structure, and instead will have reduced uptake of water and nutrients. Eventually abnormal growth should be obvious and could cause the plant to fail. Damaged root systems also cause leaves to turn yellow or brown, shrivel or drop. Healthy, highly branched root structures allow a plant to more efficiently uptake water and nutrients while increasing growth and overall plant health. A strong root system will make a plant better able to establish itself when installed in a restoration project.

Benefits of using CG Organic Coir Pots
● Pots remain stable above ground for a year and biodegrade in the soil after 2 – 3 months
● Pots add texture to the soil as they degrade
● Can also be added to the compost heap as a valuable source of carbon (brown material)
● Plants grown in these pots benefit from air pruning
● Plant roots will grow through the pot walls, encouraging a strong root system.
● There is no transplanting shock
● Ideal for cucurbits and courgettes in particular
● Absorbs water better
● Moderates moisture and increase microbial activity
● Has high tensile strength and lignin content
● Is environmentally sustainable

Contact CoirGreen for more information on Coir Pots ( marketing (AT) coirgreen (DOT) com

More information on CoirGreen's Biodegradable products, please visit www.coirgreen.com.   

Coir Logs - A proven way to prevent soil erosion

“Soil erosion is second only to population growth as the biggest environmental problem the world faces. Yet, the problem, which is growing ever more critical, is being ignored because who gets excited about dirt?” DavidPimental

The importance of soil was emphasised by The great Indian guru, Mahathma Gandhi, who said that ‘to forget how to tend the soil is to forget ourselves’. The Mahatma made this emphatic statement in order to stress the importance of soil. Soil provides eco-system services critical for life: soil acts as  a water filter and a growing medium; provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity; and supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases. Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, filter for waste water, and foundation for our cities and towns

Nevertheless soil erosion is now a global environmental problem; according to a study conducted by GLASOD, around 15 per cent of the Earth's ice-free land surface is afflicted by all forms of land degradation. Worldwide, farmers are losing an estimated 24 billion tonnes of topsoil each year.  In developing countries erosion rates per acre are twice as high as the standard, partly because population pressure forces land to be more intensively farmed. When soils are depleted and crops receive poor nourishment from the soil, the food provides poor nourishment to people. Losses of soil take place much faster than new soil can be created.  It takes thousands of years to form just a few centimetres of soil.

Protecting the Earth’s soil has always been a priority at CoirGreen and many of our products are tailor made for this very purpose. One of our most effective soil protecting products is the coir log. CoirGreen’s coir logs are made out of cylinder or square shaped netting packed with coir fiber. The logs are eco-friendly and biodegradable. CG coir logs are used globally to stabilize stream banks, to protect shorelines, to mitigate wetlands and as a channel edge liner.

When creating the coir log, we made efforts to make it as user friendly as possible. As a result, the log is extremely easy to install. It is also 100% natural, biodegradable and eco-friendly.  The logs can easily be anchored with wooden stakes. Over a period of time the logs completely disintegrate leaving only humus. The coir fibre acts as mulch on the surface and as a wick in the soil mantle and the excellent microclimate provides establishment, natural invasion and balanced healthy growth. Coir Logs are designed to withstand wave impact and storm water sheet flow forces, thus are the preferred product for stabilization and revegetation of sites where you encounter steep slopes or exposure to waves or currents.

CoirGreen coir log (Waterlogs/Biologs) is another environmentally friendly product from an environmentally friendly company. Our vision has always been to be an ambassador for the environment. The environment is the lifeblood of CoirGreen and taking care of the environment by creating eco-friendly products, such as CG logs bring us great pleasure.

The advantages of CG logs are as given below

• Easy to install, 100% natural, eco-friendly and biodegradable
• Water absorbent coir fiber acts as mulch on the surface and as a wick in the soil mantle.
• The excellent microclimate of coir provides establishment, natural invasion and a balanced healthy   growth.
• Coir meshes provide restoration of terrestrial and aquatic riparian habitat.
•The logs allow the deep rooting of plants while providing nutrients
• Customised to specific requirement for projects (Eg: 30cm X 2m with 7kg of fiber per LM….)
• Root strength provides superior shear stress protection
• Naturally resistant to mold & rot. Hence there is no need for chemical treatment
• Native vegetation means robust growth and less maintenance

More information on how best to secure CoirLogs (Biologs / Waterlogs), please contact our team at CoirGreen by visiting our website on www.coirgreen.com 

Eco-friendly and effective soil conservation products by CoirGreen

In line with its vision to be an ambassador for the environment, CoirGreen recently launched four upgraded environmentally friendly products that focus on soil conservation. The products are alternatives to hard revetments such as concrete and stone walls. Using soil conservation products made out of coir is very advantageous. Coir fibre comes from an entirely renewable source and is a by-product from an established industry where it was formerly regarded as a waste product. Furthermore, coir uses water economically and is also an ideal soil improver. Therefore, using products made out of coir is environmentally beneficial.

The upgraded soil conservation products are

·         Erosion control blankets

·         Geotextiles

·         Coir Logs and

·         Coir Pallets

Erosion Control Blankets

Coir erosion control blankets, also known as coconut blankets or coir blankets, are used extensively for slope stabilization, landslide stabilization and river-bank protection purposes.  They are easily transported and deployed, can be secured in place, and can eventually become part of the soil structure.  The blankets are environmentally friendly and do not pose potential contamination risks.  There are no hazardous chemicals or synthetic materials within the matrix.  Over a period of time coir, which is eco friendly and biodegradable, completely disintegrates leaving only humus.

Geotextiles

Geotextiles or Coir netting (Coir matting) CGgeo ™ reduces soil erosion and is used globally for bioengineering and slope stabilization applications. Geotextiles have no synthetic materials. They are strong, durable, waterproof and salt water resistant. Geotextiles are used for stream/river bank protection, shoreline stabilization, slope stabilization in railway cutting and embankments, sediment control and so on.

Coir Logs

The easy to install, 100% natural CoirGreen logs are made out of cylinder or square shaped netting packed with coir fiber. The logs are eco-friendly and biodegradable. CG logs are used for stream bank stabilization, shoreline protection, wetland mitigation etc. The logs can easily be anchored with wooden stakes.  Over a period of time the logs completely disintegrate leaving only humus.

Coir Pallets

Coir pallets, also known as coir pillows, are widely used for establishing vegetation around lakes, canals and rivers. The pallets are a suitable alternative to hard revetments. Coir has a high content of lignin and this means that the fibre can cope with high-energy water flows and has a long degradation period of 3-5 years.  CoirGreen produces coir pallets which are 100% natural and biodegradable. The pallets are made from a combination of mattress fibre and coir netting cases.

The Earth’s soil provides ecosystem services which are critical for life. The soil acts as a water filter and a growing medium.  It provides habitat for billions of organisms; contributes to biodiversity and supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases. Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, filter for wastewater, and foundation for our cities and towns. Soil is the basis of our agro ecosystems which provide us with feed, fiber, food and fuel.

“A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself” - Franklin Roosevelt

More information on CoirGreen's Biodegradable products, please visit www.coirgreen.com.  

The Environment is Our Lifeblood at CoirGreen

“When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves”. These wise words were uttered by a distinguished professor of Environmental Studies in the United States, David. W. Orr.

We live in a time when the insufferable arrogance of man has laid waste to the most beautiful planet in the solar system. The current statistics regarding the Earth’s environment portray a scary picture. The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. Since 1500, more than 800 species of plants and animals have gone extinct. Climate-related deaths will double in 25 years according to a 2005 report from the World Health Organization. Climate change is already tied to 150,000 deaths globally every single year. Scientists predict a 6 foot rise in the global sea level and global warming has become a reality with 8 of the warmest years ever recorded occurring after 1998.

These stats underscore the importance of taking every effort to preserve our planet. At Coir Green^(tm) we have always been driven to create products that are environmentally sustainable. And since our inception we wanted to be a responsible company and be an example to the wider society.

At the heart of all CoirGreen^(TM), products is coir, the coconut fibre found between the husk and the outer shell of the coconut. The use of coir has several environmental benefits. Coir fibre comes from an entirely renewable source and is a by-product from an established industry where it was formerly regarded as a waste product. It uses water more economically and is an ideal soil improver.

The Live Strong foundation says

“The importance of coir can be stated quite simply. You can escape from a burning building with a rope made of coconut fiber, you can garden using coconut fibers and you can sleep on a mattress stuffed with comfortable coir.”

Adding to the above quote, we can also say that products made from coir safeguard the soil, nourishes our gardens and protects the environment.

Coir is also a viable alternative to peat moss. Peat moss bogs are a non-renewable resource and they provide habitat for a distinctive flora and fauna. Removing the peat moss destroys this environment and it takes centuries to recover. A recent article in the Guardian endorsed coir as a good alternative to peat moss and recommended its usage in British gardens. In fact, the historical Kew Gardens in London used coir as a growing medium during the early 19th century. And when researchers at Auburn University and University of Arkansas compared peat and coir as soil amendments for horticulture they found that coir performed on par with peat.

At CoirGreen^(TM), we produce a variety of coir related products. Our coir products are made for the horticultural, agricultural and the erosion control industries. Erosion control blankets, Coirlogs (Waterlogs/Biologs), Geotextiles (Coir netting), coir pallets (Coir Pillows), coco peat, coir disks(weed control mats), coir pots and Growbags are some of our products. All CoirGreen products are environmentally friendly and completely biodegradable. Our products are also 100% natural and chemical free.

CoirGreen’s ultimate goal is to be an ambassador for the environment by promoting the use of environmentally sustainable products. We spend an enormous amount of energy in making sure that our products do not harm the environment in anyway. CoirGreen^(TM) is nurtured by the environment and the coconut tree that gives life to our company. The environment is our lifeblood and we believe that it is our duty to take care of it.  

 More information on Coir products or on CoirGreen, please visit our website on www.coirgreen.com