Coco Moss for Houseplants

One of the best things about running HealthyHouseplants.com, which I created and began in
2006, is meeting indoor gardeners from all over the world. Mahdi Tajalifar, who lives in Iran,
first contacted me in 2014 about the trials he has done using coco moss on houseplants.
Although we’ve had a bit of a language barrier, I have come to discover that Mr. Tajalifar is a
member of the Iranian Chemists Association (ICA-ACS.i) and an agricultural engineer and
houseplant expert in Qazvin. He has tested the growing of a variety of plants in coco moss
indoors. His findings have also been published in Iran.
Also known as coir and coco peat, coco moss is made from coconut shells, so it is a renewable
resource and a terrific alternative to peat moss, which takes hundreds of years to develop in its
native bogs and is not being harvested at a sustainable rate.
Coco moss is often used to make liners for hanging baskets. The lightweight yet water retentive
nature of coco moss and its disease resistance makes it a perfect “light and rich soil” that does
well for a variety of apartment plants, including African violets, Ficus benjamina and cacti and
succulents, says Mr. Tajalifar. He noted that using coco moss for seedlings indoors also helps to
prevent damping off, which is a serious fungal disease that will quickly kill tiny seedlings. And
coco moss use prevents pests, including mealybugs.
Considering all of the research that Mr. Tajalifar has put into studying the use of coco moss, it
makes sense to try growing houseplants and indoor seedlings in this growing medium. I will
soon be giving this a try so I can report back my findings and I invite you to do the same.
Thanks Mr. Tajalifar for contacting HealthyHouseplants.com and sharing your research about
coco moss and houseplants.