We installed our Nature’s Head composting toilet soon after we purchased our RV. After a year of using peat moss as our composting medium we decided to give coconut coir a try.
What is peat moss?
Peat moss is a decomposed material consisting of mosses and other living material that forms in peat bogs. It is a sterile planting medium, used by gardeners to start seedlings, soften heavy clay soils, and retain moisture in sandy soils. Peat moss forms in the absence of air, slowing the decomposition process and becoming highly absorbent. For use in composting toilets, the absorbent nature of peat moss is most beneficial.
What is coconut coir?
Coconut coir (coco coir) is ground coconut husk. It is becoming increasingly popular as a growing medium for hydroponics, and is a more sustainable option in planting mixes than peat moss. Coco coir can hold up to ten times its weight in water, is anti-fungal, and is pest resistant.
Where can peat moss and coconut coir be purchased?
Peat moss is widely available in various sized bags from most gardening centers and plant nurseries. It is ready to use right out of the bag so it requires no prep work.
Coconut coir bricks are not found as easily in stores so we have been ordering it online. The bricks are pretty solid and do not easily break apart. We use a hatchet to break off chunks from the brick and then break it down by hand from there.
What is the difference in cost between them?
We buy most of our composting medium from Amazon, so the prices listed below are an example of what you can find there.
The most cost effective way to purchase peat moss is by the larger 2.2 cubic foot bags. You can pick them up for $35 to $40. This will last us about 6-8 changes of our toilet.
Coco coir is sold by the brick. You can get an 11lb brick for $15-$20, which will also last us about 6-8 changes of our toilet.
Which do we prefer?
Although peat moss is much easier to find and comes ready to use, we prefer coco coir for our composting toilet. We need less of it because it fluffs up so much and absorbs liquid much better than peat moss does. This is especially important when you have a newly potty-trained toddler. The bricks of coco coir are also easier to store since they are much more compact than the bags of peat moss.
If you’d like to know more about our composting toilet, check out An Honest Review of our Nature’s Head Composting Toilet – 1 Year Later and Our Nature’s Head Composting Toilet Installation.
Do you have a composting toilet? What do you use as your composting medium? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a comment below, email us at alicia@simplejoyfuljourney.com, follow us on Facebook and Pinterest @simplejoyfuljourney, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page. Have a great week!