Editing Hydroponics (section)

===Coconut coir===
[[File:Mother plants in flower.jpg|thumb|"Mother" cannabis plants growing in coir with added perlite.]]
[[Coconut coir]], also known as coir peat, is a natural byproduct derived from coconut processing. The outer husk of a coconut consists of fibers which are commonly used to make a myriad of items ranging from floor mats to brushes.  After the long fibers are used for those applications, the dust and short fibers are merged to create coir. Coconuts absorb high levels of nutrients throughout their life cycle, so the coir must undergo a maturation process before it becomes a viable growth medium.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Namasivayam |first1=C. |last2=Sangeetha |first2=D. |title=Application of coconut coir pith for the removal of sulfate and other anions from water |journal=Desalination |date=January 2008 |volume=219 |issue=1–3 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1016/j.desal.2007.03.008 |bibcode=2008Desal.219....1N }}</ref> This process removes salt, tannins and phenolic compounds through substantial water washing. Contaminated water is a byproduct of this process, as three hundred to six hundred liters of water per one cubic meter of coir are needed.<ref>[Pavlis, Robert. "Is Coir an Eco-Friendly Substitute for Peat Moss?" Garden Myths, 22 July 2017, www.gardenmyths.com/coir-ecofriendly-substitute-peat-moss/.].</ref> Additionally, this maturation can take up to six months and one study concluded the working conditions during the maturation process are dangerous and would be illegal in North America and Europe.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Panicker |first1=Venugopal |last2=Karunakaran |first2=Raseela |last3=Ravindran |first3=C. |title=Nasobronchial allergy and pulmonary function abnormalities among coir workers of Alappuzha |journal=The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India |date=July 2010 |volume=58 |pages=420–422 |pmid=21121206 }}</ref> Despite requiring attention, posing health risks and environmental impacts, coconut coir has impressive material properties. When exposed to water, the brown, dry, chunky and fibrous material expands nearly three or four times its original size. This characteristic combined with coconut coir's water retention capacity and resistance to pests and diseases make it an effective growth medium. Used as an alternative to rock wool, coconut coir offers optimized growing conditions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barrett |first1=G.E. |last2=Alexander |first2=P.D. |last3=Robinson |first3=J.S. |last4=Bragg |first4=N.C. |title=Achieving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems – A review |journal=Scientia Horticulturae |date=November 2016 |volume=212 |pages=220–234 |doi=10.1016/j.scienta.2016.09.030 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2016ScHor.212..220B }}</ref>