coconuts and coconut palms

We’ve only just gotten over the incongruity of bamboo being soft enough to sleep on and now we have to get used to another unlikely product being made into everything from flooring to bowls.

Coconuts and coconut palms are about to make their debut into fashion, home décor and home building materials.   Coconut palms grow in hot and humid climates.  They do not need pesticides and they grow into mature trees in just 5 -6 years.  It is this quick growth that makes them a renewable resource. The largest producers of coconut palms are the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia and India.  Coconut palms produce coconuts for 60 – 70 years, after they stop producing coconuts they are called ‘senile palms’.  There are millions of senile palms around the world and they are an under-utilized resource.  Timber from senile palms is strong, hard, with a beautiful end grain.  It makes wonderful flooring and, like bamboo, is less expensive than hardwood flooring.

Coconut oil is currently found in cosmetics and hair products by Stila, Origins, Body Shop and Perricone.  It has moisturizing, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Did you know that peat moss is an unsustainable resource? To harvest peat moss, drainage ditches are dug, killing many plant and insect species.  Coconut coir is a sustainable alternative to peat moss.  It is becoming popular because it most resembles peat moss, contains significant amounts of phosphorous and potassium, and has a micro-sponge effect which improves the soil’s water-holding capacity.

Coco-Mat is a company that makes mattresses and pillows from coco fibres that come from the shell of the coconut.  ABC Carpet calls Coco-Mat a “manufacturer of award-winning, socially environmentally responsible designs with all-natural materials”.  Best of all, they deliver your mattress by bicycle!

In our earlier article on the edible benefits of coconuts we praised the coconut for it’s cooking oil and the many uses of it’s tasty pulp.  In addition, the shells make beautiful bowls.  The husk fibers make beautiful doormats.

It’s an all-purpose woody plant (like bamboo, it is not a tree) from tip to toe. We’ll soon be seeing new, creative uses for this versatile plant to make products for every room in the house.