Excellent Air Porosity
Coir maintains excellent air porosity even when saturated. Normally it has 96% pore space and this allows the water to drain easily through, whilst preventing water logging, but at the same time holding maximum amounts of water (78%), which remain available, at low tensions, to the plants as required.

Water Holding Capacity
Coir peat can hold water as 9 times of its dry weight. It absorbs large quantities of water very quickly, but it will not become waterlogged as excess water drains away.

Swelling and Shrinkage
Coco peat doesn't show these characters and maintain constant structural volume through out the life span due to lignin and cellulose structures. It is unlike sphagnum peat which tends to shrink when dry and form a crust.

Irrigation Efficiency
The ease of re-wetting and the quick drainage characteristics of coir means that coir needs to be irrigated less frequently and for shorter periods. This leads to reduced leaching losses of nutrients and lower water use.

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
Coir peat has a high CEC ratio, where nutrient ions are bound in the molecular structure and are not leached away but are held for release to the plant as required.

Longevity
The high lignin content (approx 45%) which inhibits bacterial and fungal breakdown and thus allows coir to biodegrade much more slowly than peat moss. In fact it will stay full in the pot/container in excess of 5 years, making it ideal for may of plants that have to stay in the same container for a long time. Due to its high lignin structure it also does not shrink away from the sides of the pot

Free from Soil Diseases
Coir originates above ground, so it does not contain any soil diseases. This prevents the distribution of soil born diseases.