coco bricks?

[swampdank]

im trying to make the switch to coco and find it hard to find locally. the limiting factor is shipping costs. i just did a little research and found these coco bricks. it says they are compressed and im tryin to find out how big they expand to once wet. i hear they swell to three time the original size but i dont even know what the original size is. i grow in 3 gallon grow bags and usually bloom about 20 plants at a time. how many bricks would i need per bag? any suggestion on this or coco in general is appreciated as this is a big leap for me and i dont want to screw it up.

 

[MID TOWN]

2 of the large bricks should cover it.

 

[swampdank]

thats not bad. is this stuff really reusable? i just cant comprehend that. i guess im old school.

is the yield from coco really higher than soil? i mean like'' i should have been using this all along" higher?

sorry bout all the questions but i have no clue where to begin. well, lemme correct myself. ive used coco before. but i didnt know how to properly use it to my advantage. it was a one time grow and i had no means to compare it with soil.

 

[Mr Celsius]

You use 60 gallons of medium which is 8.02 cubic feet, so you just need to look at how big the bricks are. I know down to earth has some 4 or 5 cubic foot bricks that cost $15 locally.

So, yes its sustainable, cheap, reusable and fully compatible with using organic nutrients. Its by far my favorite medium out there. I've used every medium on the market and you can't beat coco.

 

[swampdank]

nice! i like the organic nute compatablility. well, off to get some for a trial run.

thanks brotha.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

There have been some problems with poorer grade COCO, it does not get washed/flushed/buffered enough, so I avoid the bricks. Recently I had a few Ph problems using Canna COCO standard, so now I pay a little extra and use Canna COCO Professional.

It seems to work really well as a soil additive too BTW, in case you fancy running a few inbetween mixes.

Good luck, you will love COCO.

 

[reddy1]

a bontanicare bale costs $15 and gives you around 18 gallons(6 bags). so you'd need about 3-4 bales=$60. use it 3 times and that's only 20 dollars a run. sound good? bricks are about 2 dollars and give you 2-3 gallons. i've found better results in my 2nd and 3rd runs with reused coco. it may be that i've become more comfortable with the medium. it may have to do with increased beneficial bacteria and cannazyme. i don't know but i've got bigger plants then before. i know rez uses fresh coco each time. next run is fresh coco and i'll be able to experience the difference then.

you increase your chance of passing on gnats and thirps with reused coco as well. i highly recommend an enzyme of some sort, breaks down dead stuff and makes it food for your plant. spinsad and neem will kill the bugs. have this ready because coco is the perfect home for em.

wider pots work better with coco. the roots like to go towards oxygen. not so much straight down. with coco you can use a smaller pot size and get similar yield to soil in larger pots. i personally use 3 gallon bags and cut the tops down to a 2 gallon. they have the width of the 3 which i like and the roots fill the bag faster too. once the roots fill it out, increase your water frequency to once a day. i can feed more times in a run with a 2 vs. 3 gallon.

 

[Mr Celsius]

I prefer Down to Earths coco, as its OMRI listed and I expand it with hot tap water and then drain all the excess water. I have yet to see any damaging salts and my tap water buffers it with calcium carbonate (Mg+ & Ca+). DTE coco is cheap.

 

[swampdank]

i think i will love the coco too. i would like to see animprovement on yield but hang on to my organic ways. this sound perfect. i shall check out a few site to find the good stuff. (DTE?)(canna?)(botan?)

this is going to be a big, nervous step for me as i cant afford to lose a crop. maybe i will do a 50/50 til im comfortable with it.

thanks guys, i appreciate the advice.

 

[accessndx]

you increase your chance of passing on gnats and thirps with reused coco as well. i highly recommend an enzyme of some sort, breaks down dead stuff and makes it food for your plant. spinsad and neem will kill the bugs. have this ready because coco is the perfect home for em.

How about the rest of the garden? Did you have gnats and thrips before the introduction of coco, or did they become more prevalent after?

I just started using coco because I wanted to have an easy medium to start seeds from. They germed in rockwool, and now they're buried in coco. They seem to like it.

The reason I started using the coco is because soil always led to some sort of bug infestation. I tried the neem, the safer soap, the cayenne pepper...everything. Nothing worked. Then I tried some industrial strength pesticide....it leveled everything. Since that time, I've been pure hydro and knock on wood I haven't had any bug problems.

I'm wondering if the dry coco medium has historically had problems with bugs tailcoating in or if it's just a good medium for them to thrive in...

 

[reddy1]

i didn't have problems with pests before coco(soil). just mites. no bugs came with my coco, i'm pretty sure about that, but one way or another they entered my rooms.

i think i've got a handle on them now. spinosad is the shit for thirps, not for gnats. neem is great for mites, not as powerful for thirps. soak a mosquito dunks for a few days then drench the surface for gnats and thirps. sticky traps or cards(green for thirps) tell you if they're around. i spray neem 2-3 times a week. put some no pest strips in your veg room. bottom line is if you get lazy about taking care of pests, you will have serious problems quick.

despite this, i'm going to be a cleaner grower and stick with coco. it's the perfect medium for me.

 

[crazyoutlaw]

Dude,coco coir is extremely easy to find locally..I would start at your nearest PetSmart or PetCo...mostly petsmart!You are guaranteed to find it there,provided they have any in stock..Go to the animal bedding/reptile section and get the Bed-A-Beast coco coir brick..one brick makes a shit load of coir..and I heard it's top notch coco...ITS WHAT WWE USE IN MYCOLO9GY

 

[GET MO]

Wut it do swamp? u makin the switch ta coco to huh, I just got my canna coco not to long ago from bghydro.com. Im leavin the organics for a minute though, finna use canna coco a/b. Good luck with the switch bro!