Biodegradable Coir Pots

Organic, Biodegradable Coir Pots
Renewable Resource - Sustainable Growing

Have you ever thought of all that C02 emitting energy that goes into making a Plastic pot ?

  • find the oil
  • transport the oil [hoping you don’t spill any ]
  • refine the oil [ after building a refinery]
  • separate for plastics production [using a few chemicals]
  • produce plastic granules[using a few more chemicals]
  • reconstitute granules
  • mould tooling for pots
  • convert plastic granules
  • mould the pots [ added up the heat consumed so far ?]
  • throw them away [ let's help fill up that waste site ]
  • or we could recycle the plastic [ up in the air goes that CO2 again ]

We grow our pots

Coming from what would be the unused husks of coconuts, our coir fibre is a totally renewable, and constantly renewed,natural resource.

Naturally growing coconut palms actually help reduce C02 emissions - try saying that about an oil well !

The coir pots, pressed into shape by the friendly people of Sri Lanka, come to you on scheduled ships, and happily biodegrade when you plant them, and so a natural resource returns back to your soil.

Natures natural cycle rolls around again.

Which pot costs more ?

They last about 12 months above ground before they go ‘hairy’, and biodegrade over several months when planted.

We say ‘ several’ as they are very natural products, with a lot of hand crafting about them.

All of our pots are made in southern Sri Lanka from a sort of village women’s co-operative.
(Collection of the coconut husks is also quite a cottage industry for Sri Lankan ladies.)

Let me show you how every single pot is carefully shaped by hand, spread with natural latex, by hand, and lastly given a short back and sides - you’ve guessed it - by hand !


State of the art machinery is used by the ladies for both of these processes.

First the coir fibres are separated from the coconut husks.

Then the fibres are tossed in a ‘drum’ to separate the coirgranules from the fibres.

You can see these granules collecting underneath the drum.

These will be used to make our coir compost discs


The fibres are washed in fresh water.

Dried in the sun.

Then off it goes to their “factory”.

Here’s a part of the factory.

The fibre is being formed into pot shapes by being pushed into various sizes of pot “moulds”.


These moulds they call “dummies”

These ladies live in the Hambantota area of southern Sri Lanka.

Not only is it one of the poorest areas of the whole island, it still echoes with terrible memories of the Tsunami.


Which are then given a quick trim

A lifetime of poverty, then all that devastation, but they don’t ask for our aid !
They know they’re future, and they’re childrens, depends on them working, depends on trade.

It makes me so cross to hear people saying that we should stop trading overseas.
I’ll put up with the emissions from scheduled ships if we can give developing countries a better future - and these lady’s families half the calories we consume !!!

Oh sorry, my rant has made me come over all peculiar, now where was I ?

Well next stop for the dummies are the latex ladies
( no, not a Miss Whiplash - she’s for another sort of dummy !)


What could be making them smile so much !

Then off go the pots to dry in the sun.


The pots are turned over regularly. !

There is one more ‘high tec’ operation.
Pressing the pots into their final shape and consistency.
They don’t waste much on decor !

Just a last finishing touch

Each pot is carefully trimmed,inspected and packed.

Then off these pots go on their travels.

A journey which began in the warm earth of the Sri Lankan countryside, but which can end in enriching the soil of your garden.

And a journey which offers fair free trade, and an income for just a few of all those folk who are not quite as lucky as us .
( In material things that is ! )

Plant these coir pots directly into the ground, there is absolutely no waste - you are just giving something back, letting that old natural cycle take over.
‘Renewable resource’ in modern jargon - we just think, as with everything we offer here, we are putting something back that we have just borrowed.

The organic natural Jute bag we package them in has a myriad of uses in the garden, and of course - after a couple of years - you can then compost it.

Remember, pot bound plants never quite recover.

The narcissus below shows how this problem is avoided, having grown in one of our coir pots - left in an open greenhouse - for around 9 months.

15 x 8 cm diameter [ 200 ml] or

10 x 10.75 cm diameter [620 ml]

The coir pots are rimmed or plain - whatever we have been packing that morning !

£3.95

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These bags also make great gifts, introducing your family and friends to organic, sustainable growing.
But how about a wider range for the larger garden ?

Well, here is the big picture for these organic, biodegradable coir pots

Diameter

Size

Quantity

 

8cm

200ml

20

£3.95

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50

£8.50

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9cm

490ml

20

£4.95

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50

£11.70

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10.75cm

620ml

20

£6.20

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50

£13.50

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13cm

1044ml

10

£5.40

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20

£9.75

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16cm

2720ml

10

£11.50

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20

£18.90

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24cm

5430ml

10

£29.40

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20

£58.80

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28cm

9390ml

10

£31.75

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20

£60.20

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RootRunner

4.5cm

75ml

50

£7.00

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Seedling

4.5cm

50ml

50

£6.00

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Baskets

 

12 inches

5

£5.50

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For some peculiar reason sometimes PayPal ask you to 'Open an Account' if you want to pay by card, just click on this button and the card payment page will appear!

Don’t you just hate having
your picture taken !

Also Available......

Trough 50 cm (20”) long, about 15 cm wide and deep

£2.25

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One of our ‘Kitchen Troughs
( nearly ! ) full of just plucked salad.

And......

Grow Trays 19 cm ( 7-8”) long, about 15 cm wide and 7 cm deep

5 for £4.25

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Here they are full of herbs
grown in ' . 'Green Starts' . ' and
our little ' . 'plugs' . '