[Arid_gardener] Coir

[Olin Miller]

While surfing the web for information, I found some confusing and 
conflicting information about coco(a) mulch..  I thought I would pass on 
what I think I learned hoping the information would be helpful to others and 
also to invite comments from others who have more experience with the 
products.

COCOA MULCH
===========
Cocoamulch is derived from cocoa bean shells, a byproduct of manufacturing 
chocolate.    From:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_publicationscocoa , 
q.v.
"Cocoa shell mulch, like chocolate products, contains theobromine, a 
naturally occurring stimulant in the cocoa bean. Unlike humans, animals like 
dogs are often sensitive to the theobromine, which can lead to toxicity and 
even death in some animals. Cocoa shell mulch packaged by The Hershey 
Company contains a warning on the front and back of each bag. ..."

The ASPCA says, at:at
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_publicationscocoa
" ...We recommend avoiding use of cocoa bean shell mulch in landscaping 
around unsupervised dogs ..."

Back in April 2004, our garden club was invited by another garden club to 
participate in purchasing  and selling the product as a club fundraiser but 
we declined for the reasons cited above.  It is available compressed in bags 
much like peat moss but smells very chocolately, especially when wet.  Other 
garden clubs in our national organization in other states buy the stuff in 
bulk by the truck load directly from the chocolate processing plant, bag it, 
and sell it as a very profitable club fundraiser.

COCO MULCH
===========
Cocomulch, or COIR, is a natural fiber derived from the husk of the coconut. 
It is a coconut palm tree product, unrelated to cocoa beans, and so far as I 
can determine, does not contain any toxins, particularly those present in 
cocoa bean shells.  It is usually sold in compressed bricks as Dick Gross 
once mentioned in a previous post on this thread. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir
for a description of the COIR rendering process.

Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer, Maricopa County AZ
http://home.att.net/~millero/ValleyOfTheSunGardeners.htm