What is the best way to break up a compressed coco brick?
- Thread starter louie
- Start date
Depending on what I am going to use the coco for, I make up a gallon of 1/4 to 1/2 strength nutes(always include Cal/Mg) to use as the soak for expanding the coco brick.
If using for cuts or seedlings, use the low dose. If using for older plants, use 1/2 to full strength. (the bricks I think are about 3 liters of water to expand, so will have about a liter of nute soln left to water in your cuts/seedlings/plants.
You want to charge the cation bed with nutes from the get go.
Hope this helps.
If using for cuts or seedlings, use the low dose. If using for older plants, use 1/2 to full strength. (the bricks I think are about 3 liters of water to expand, so will have about a liter of nute soln left to water in your cuts/seedlings/plants.
You want to charge the cation bed with nutes from the get go.
Hope this helps.
Xerhoss
Member
This last run i rehydrated the block with reg water, broke it up by hand and then mixed up some 1/4 strength nutes (ph balanced to 5.8) and flushed each pot individually till runoff was within range. If you aren't careful to break up all the small chunks of coco at potting time you might want to keep an eye on runoff EC for a few days just in case the unsoaked coco in those chunks whacks out the balance after they are hydrated with consistent waterings. Just something i've noticed. If that happens, i just flush them once more. No biggie.
Good luck!
Good luck!
place the block into my wheelbarrow
spray it down heavily with the hose
come back in a couple hours and mash it all up with a garden hoe and/or shovel
mix with whatever i am mixing with at the moment
use it!
...lol, the first time, for some reason i thought a 5 gallon bucket would do just fine, oops:
spray it down heavily with the hose
come back in a couple hours and mash it all up with a garden hoe and/or shovel
mix with whatever i am mixing with at the moment
use it!
...lol, the first time, for some reason i thought a 5 gallon bucket would do just fine, oops:
Z
zen_trikester
I use about 3/4 gal water and ~ 1 tsp microblast. Put it in a bag or bucket, come back an hour or two later and break it up by hand. It is simple and no need for a shovel if you wait a bit, though I'm sure that works fine.
I just broke up my first couple of bricks last night. I ended up soaking in hot water in a big rubbermaid tub with holes drilled in the bottom sitting inside a bigger rubbermaid tub. It worked nice, even though it was super heavy after the coco was expanded lol. I could barely pick up the smaller tub. I can't wait to get this coco rockin, I've been in a peat mix for WAY too long lol.
I put the bricks in a large plastic storage tote thing, and then poor over them 1 gal per brick of nutrient water. Then you let them expand for like 30 mins then come back and break it all up by hand. I try to mix it up really good to make sure there are not overly dry/wet areas. I feel like a little kid playing in the sand box when I do this process.
Chomp
Member
I just used my patented 4 rubbermaid tub coco expanding system last night 
Place the bale of coco in the first 40 gal tub and fill with HOT water. I use a hose attached to the hot water outlet for my washing machine and while I'm filling it I spray the hot water over the bale...wait about 30 mins
I have a smaller 10 gal tub with 1/4" holes drilled in the bottom that I place inside another 40 gal tub but raised up by a few dutch pots so the water can drain.
I scoop the coco out of the first tub with a big plastic coffee container (it even has handles) and into the 10 gal tub until it's about half full. When the water is mostly drained from the coco I rinse it thoroughly with hot water and let it drain out.
Once it's drained all the way it gets dumped into a 3rd 40 gal tub
Repeat until all coco is cleaned and drained.
You might want to dump the water out of the drain tub in between batches or it will get pretty heavy...lol
I have hard water so I don't add any cal/mg and it works out for me.
I don't add any nutrients until I'm going to use the coco, then I will run the solution through the medium before I transplant.
Hope this helps....and yeah I have a lot of rubbermaids laying around
Chomp
Place the bale of coco in the first 40 gal tub and fill with HOT water. I use a hose attached to the hot water outlet for my washing machine and while I'm filling it I spray the hot water over the bale...wait about 30 mins
I have a smaller 10 gal tub with 1/4" holes drilled in the bottom that I place inside another 40 gal tub but raised up by a few dutch pots so the water can drain.
I scoop the coco out of the first tub with a big plastic coffee container (it even has handles) and into the 10 gal tub until it's about half full. When the water is mostly drained from the coco I rinse it thoroughly with hot water and let it drain out.
Once it's drained all the way it gets dumped into a 3rd 40 gal tub
Repeat until all coco is cleaned and drained.
You might want to dump the water out of the drain tub in between batches or it will get pretty heavy...lol
I have hard water so I don't add any cal/mg and it works out for me.
I don't add any nutrients until I'm going to use the coco, then I will run the solution through the medium before I transplant.
Hope this helps....and yeah I have a lot of rubbermaids laying around
Chomp
