Coco brands/types, any difference?

[Lazyeye]

I'm on my first grow right now. Using hempy buckets with perlite/vermiculite mix, seeds planted in rockwool cubes. I hate the mess and the algae, next run I'll go coco.

I'm wondering if there's any difference brand to brand, and type to type.

My hydrostore carries these brands/types:
Coco slabs: B'cuzz and Canna.
Bricks: BioNova
Mix: BioBizz

I'm planning on starting clones in GHE coco pots if that matters.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Buddler]

For me its Canna.Bud

 

[Lazyeye]

I've never even handled coco, but alot of people seem to like Canna.

However, it seems when using coco slabs you don't break it up. You just plant right in to the slab? This is not what I want to do as I'll do hempy buckets.

Can you break it up or am I better off with BioBizz coco mix?

 

[jayjayfrank]

at first i was using compressed bricks and have made the switch to loose bags from Gold Label Special Mix

 

[Lazyeye]

Loose bags of any perticular brand?

 

[bongthra]

Im using dutchman.little pricey but good stuff.

 

[burns1n209]

Biobiz works good, if thats all they have in bag form, I use canna, but have used bio before and works just as well

 

[Wendull C.]

I was having lock out issues with canna, Great stuff nothing too bad. I tried a brand called nf coco. Though the ec of the run off from the first charge were almost the same, I had no issues with any deficiencies.

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

I'm running straight H&G coco $24 a bag and its excellent. No charging, open bag, fluff, pot up, water normal strength with good runoff and not a single problem. The botanicare blocks were alright but needed soaking and rinsing. So a little more $but it's reusable

Hth
Gs

 

[jayjayfrank]

Loose bags of any perticular brand?

"Gold Label: Special Mix" read the back label

pre-washed and rinsed, clean run off out of bag. loose fibers and coir. in airpots, no perlite.

 

[Eighths-n-Aces]

What do they do to the coco to make it worth 35 dollars a bag if a brick is only 11 dollars? Or is it just another grow store rip off?

 

[LEDNewbie]

Just potted some 4" pots with canna coco. Watered with 5.8 ph 500 ppm of base H&G nutes and Cal/mag. Run off came in at 800ppm and 5.8 ph. I think thats pretty good myself!!!!

 

[BCMaster]

gold label has been the best stuff I have used to date

 

[Treetroit City]

Just tried H&G coco for the first time and I'm very impressed. Clean stuff.

Last bag I got was bio bizz and was not impressed at all. Lots of wood/plastic in the bag.

 

[Snow Crash]

There will be some variation between the brands when it comes to the consistency of the coco. Compressed coco tends to contain a little more pith, specifically the Botanicare CocoGro and GenHydro CocoTek. Canna's Coco slabs are pre-conditioned and actually have their own nutrient line Cogr so I would rule that out pretty quick. Many people have had great results with Canna Coco but I found the initial charge to be a little high for my liking and I recommend rinsing it down just to be certain young plants can handle the EC. My personal experience with Canna coco was negative. I found nuts, trash, and seeds in my coco. The advertised 50L bag held little more than 40L and the runoff was over a 2.2ec until I ran several gallons through it to drop down around a 0.8ec. The fiberith ratio is really ideal though and it breaks down wonderfully from one grow to the next. Typically, the third round with Canna Coco has proven to be the most productive as it reaches a wonderful state of decomp and the Canna program all together is proven and effective even if a touch on the pricey side. Canna bagged coco is a top contender for sure if they can get it for you at $16 or so per bag.

The coco product I am the biggest fan of right now is Royal Gold Coco fiber. It has a lot of fiber and not much pith in it which has dramatically reduced my need to aerate the media with perlite. Price wise it is about equal to Canna but I find the porosity and water retention to be more to my liking straight out of the bag. I still rinse their charge off the coco before planting into it but that's more for peace of mind and habit than out of necessity. If it were up to me then Royal Gold would be my first option, with Canna a close second.

In a hempy bucket the extra fiber isn't totally necessary, and actually, if you are looking to extend your watering schedule to every other day then the compressed block is probably the right option. Botanicare Cocogro has the right price, especially when it needs to be shipped, but it's maybe the 3rd or 4th highest quality coco available to growers. Although, it is the best compressed I have come across without having first hand experience with the Bio Nova. BioBizz Coco also has a loyal following and I don't hear many negative reviews about their media; but I don't hear a lot of positive either...

I am not sure if you mentioned nutrients... but what I have the most success in coco with is Canna Coco A+B during Veg then switching to Botanicare CNS17 coco/soil Bloom and CNS17 Ripe for flowering. I find Canna's base A+B program to lack the Potassium and Magnesium my plants are looking for in flowering and their supplemental products to complete the system are expensive to run through bloom, especially if you push the Cannazym at 15ml/gal. In veg though, the 5-4-3 ratio with plenty of Calcium is just unstoppable and results in tremendous gains.

Flowering in coco tends to be the trickier side to the media for most people who are new to it. The media's affinity for Phosphorus collides with the extended period of high Ca feedings and many people find themselves with a lockout problem around the 3rd-5th weeks of growth. I have found that the CNS17 program takes a lot of the mixology out of other nutrient programs and makes for a very easy to use system. They are One-parters, a 2-2-3 Bloom and a 1-5-4 Ripe, and the Ripe has zero Calcium for that late stage when N+Cal just isn't in high demand. While the Canna A+B is about $25 for the set the CNS17 runs about $25 per gallon which competes with the cost/ml of the most inexpensive Micro+Bloom programs.

To recap:
Your Hydro store should be able to get whatever it is you need. If they can't, I can (I work for a major online hydroponics retailer).
My Coco choices:
1. Royal Gold Coco Fiber
2. Canna Coco
3. Botanicare CocoGro
4. BioBizz
5. BioNova

Nutrient Program:
1. Canna Coco A+B (add a bottle of Rhizotonic and/or GO BioWeed for bad ass roots)
2. CNS17 Coco Soil Bloom (add some ProTekt and Fulvic Acid for healthy plants)
3. CNS17 Ripe (add some Cutting Edge Solutions Uncle John's Blend for frostiness)

Good luck Hombre!

 

[Lazyeye]

Thank you for the extensive answer Snow Crash!

I'm going Lucas right now with Flora Nova Bloom, intending to use that in hempycoco as well. Some say I'll need to add calmag to the mix, some say I don't.

Reason I'm going to the local hydrostore is that I don't need to pay shipping. And I guess your company is in USA, I'm located in Europe. Even more shipping cost.

Thanks everyone, I'll try the BioBizz.

 

[Snow Crash]

Thank you for the extensive answer Snow Crash!

I'm going Lucas right now with Flora Nova Bloom, intending to use that in hempycoco as well. Some say I'll need to add calmag to the mix, some say I don't.

Reason I'm going to the local hydrostore is that I don't need to pay shipping. And I guess your company is in USA, I'm located in Europe. Even more shipping cost.

Thanks everyone, I'll try the BioBizz.

I don't think we even ship to Europe.
I try to keep it local myself. I try to buy American made products from local retailers to keep that money circulating in my local economy. Totally support your decisions! I think you'll do fine.