Unofficial Coco Coir Growers Thread

[OH grower]

i love coco i have grown in soil, top feed, dwc you name it, coco surpasses them all with its ease of use and with a little knowledge the results are fenominal

 

[OH grower]

Up to this point my experience with coco is limited to rapid rooter things for starting seeds

I have a batch of 20 Isis seedlings going that I will be potting up this weekend. I got a free bag of Atami B;cuz coco coir that I will be using and it says its buffered and pre-washed.

Should I do the cal-mag soak with this stuff or is it ready to go out of the bag? I will add perlite.. I'm thinking 2 parts coco to 1 part perlite. I will hand water this in veg, 30 days or so then put them in 3.5 gal buckets with a top feed set up for flowering.

Any comments/tips would be a great help.

just use some cal-mag as a regular part of your feeding program i wouldnt worry bout adding it to the coco beforehand but make sure and start with some cal-mag from your first feeding on or you will develop defficentcies quickly

 

[OH grower]

When I prepare my coco from bricks, I usually soak them with a clearex solution. I then drain and press out as much water as I can and water then re-wet with 1/4 strength nutrient solution.

I'm not sure if the clearex solution is actually any better than plain water, but I have it, so I use it I have taken EC readings in the past from the water that drained and was quite shocked at how high the reading was, but I can't remember what the actual reading was (must have been smoking).

I do water with Cal-Mag added to nutrient solution when I transplant. You'll find that even after all the pre-soaking and flushing the first watering with the newly prepared coco will have a dirty water runoff. At least that has been my experience.

Right now I'm bouncing back and forth between 0:1:2 Lucas GH and Pure Blend Pro. Depends on the mood I'm in. Plus keeping the microbial population up is an added bonus when using the organics on occasion.

I personally foliar feed on a regular basis. The reason I chose to do this is for a few reasons. The first being that I have a perpetual garden in which it would be an endless task to mix various strengths solutions, boosters, etc... to target each plants current phase. Therefore, out of laziness my nutrient solution I hand-water with is the least common demoniator in the area (excluding a plant nearing harvest). I can easily target via foliar feeding any plant that might want a boost.

I water everything in my garden with plain PH'd water on sundays and that will keep the salts at bay as long as you are not feeding too strong of a solution to begin with. I've read where someone chooses to do ferts one day, water the next, ferts, water and so-on. I personally don't understand the logic behind that because you are keeping the EC constantly fluctuating at the root-zone which could attribute to stress. It seems to me that if you are dialed-in and giving the plants only what they need then you don't need to do the flip-fop water shedule.

great info

 

[OH grower]

Hey good thread. I'm using a coco/perlite mix. Watering by hand daily, was feeding every third watering during veg. Now that they're under 12/12 just going to water them daily for a week or so before I start feeding again.

[URL=http://www.icmag.com/gallery/data/500/9236JF_Feb_21a-thumb.JPG]View Image[/url]

i woulnt give them strait water for a hole week when growing in coco, you will have defficencies that quick

 

[OH grower]

The following is digested from the book
"Integral Hydroponics".
..............................................................

COCO COIR
is a product derived from the husks of the coconut.
Visually it looks like peat.

It's air capacity is about 30%.

Coir is most suited as a run to waste medium.

Coir can become saturated and it is not truly inert medium.
This means that the nutrient will change over a short period (due to the nutrient collecting micro and macro elements as it passes through the coir.

Coir tends to release potassium and to withold calcium.
For this reason it is desirable to use a nutrient that is blended specifically for coir.

Coir has a remarkable capacity to protect the plants root system in times of heat.

It also tends to promote vigorous and healthy root development.

Plant growth tends to be very consistant with coir.
Coir is very tolerant of over and under watering, which makes it a very forgiving growing medium.

Coir has a very strong cation exchange ability, which means it can hold and release nutrient elements based on the plants needs.

Coir tends to retain nutrient salts. because of this, less nutrient (lower ec) is required.

On a less positive note, coir can also contain high levels of sodium (salt).
...
If your growing in coir be aware that this can be a potential problem.

Either purchase a pre-flushed coir product or flush ph (5.5-6.0) stabilised water through the coir prior to use.
Measure the ec of the water and then measure the ec of the run off.
When they are the same, it is ready for use.

Large amounts of potassium are naturally present in coir.

Potassium competes with calcium and magnesium... buffering and plant nutrition needs to compensate for this!!

For this reason there are several nutrients that are specifically formulated with the coco coir's unique characteristics in mind.

By using a nutrient specifically formulated for the coir based system, you are ensuring that your plants are receiving the best possible nutritient package.


[As coco gets old it breaks down and releases P and K.
That's why the coco nutrients are lower in P and K, to allow for the additional nutrients released by the medium.
In the early stages the coco is inert and therefore a "standard" grow formula works well.
As you enter flower that is why It is usually strongly suggested that one purchase and use a Coco specific nutrient formula. (for best possible results.)

A run to waste "runoff" of 10-20% of the volume watered each watering is the most common and usual type recommendation to avoid the possibility with salt(s) build-up in the coco media.

awsome great info

 

[BZ509]

coco coir the best tried all the others and its known here coir is were its large or small excelent results never the less

 

[esoteric48]

I'm just getting my stuff going and i'm hoping to get a thread going to help me dial in the coco, heres a little back story to hopefully garner some interest..... I'm flowering in a 5'x9' room with one 1000w on a mover (not needed yet) and vegging under a kitchen table i set up as my workspace in the basement. So far I've been running a slow SOG while I figure out whats gonna fit my space but I'm definitely switching the plan to larger screened or trained plants to fill the flower room with 12 staggered plants. Heres a couple shots of my first(and current) few CoCo ladies

 

[esoteric48]

I have more pics and im gonna post a thread in a little bit but to me it looks like the pics didnt show up (first post kinda) so let me know if you see them and im looking forward to some educated(relative) opinions

 

[esoteric48]

 

[Biggles420]

I'm new to coco, and heard that if not watered EVERY day, I would have problems with nute lockout.. My question is; Is this true even when doing transplants?? In soil, once I do a transplant I let it go unwatered until I feel the pot is light enough for another dose of food, this promotes roots to search for water, and decreases chances of root rot from overwatering at a delicate point in their life.. Should I do the same with coco, or just feed EVERY day??

 

[bmaster]

I'm new to coco, and heard that if not watered EVERY day, I would have problems with nute lockout.. My question is; Is this true even when doing transplants?? In soil, once I do a transplant I let it go unwatered until I feel the pot is light enough for another dose of food, this promotes roots to search for water, and decreases chances of root rot from overwatering at a delicate point in their life.. Should I do the same with coco, or just feed EVERY day??

Hey Biggles420
Welcome to the world of Coco, you're gonna love this stuff.

You have to treat coco different than soil. It is a soiless medium that should be treated like hydro. Coco has a 30/70 air/water retention ratio and drains very well. It is very hard to overwater coco if you have adequate drainage.

It's not advisable to let coco dry out like soil has it retains salts more, so more frequent feedings allows oxygen rich nutes to feed your roots consistently while flushing salts, resulting in better growth.

Btw, in case you don't know, you should feed EVERY watering to keep your nute salt level consistant.

Good luck

 

[Snow Crash]

I'm new to coco, and heard that if not watered EVERY day, I would have problems with nute lockout.. My question is; Is this true even when doing transplants?? In soil, once I do a transplant I let it go unwatered until I feel the pot is light enough for another dose of food, this promotes roots to search for water, and decreases chances of root rot from overwatering at a delicate point in their life.. Should I do the same with coco, or just feed EVERY day??

While you don't necessarily need to water/feed on a daily basis you also don't want the coco to get as dry as you might let soil get. Coco has an affinity for phosphorus, and the nutrient programs are heavy in calcium. These two elements will precipitate together as a salt when there isn't enough water to maintain them in solution. This can then cause a sort of head scratching issue as the elements are in abundance but unavailable for uptake. After a transplant when the roots are stretching out and the plant is vegetative both phosphorus and calcium are extremely important.

The way I find works best is to water/feed on a semi-regular basis. The size of the container and the size of the plant and root system are variables so it's nearly impossible for me to define the perfect time to water. For me, in a 2 gallon planter with a plant maybe 8-10 nodes tall with a 2L root ball with 76f/60%rh, it may be 3 days from the first watering to the second and only 2 days from the second watering to the third until on a basically daily watering schedule around a week after transplanting. I try to not move to too large a container when I transplant as the media will retain salts in the areas the roots have not grown into and when they finally do reach the edges of the planter this buildup can cause nutrient burn even if your feed levels are appropriate. Runoff helps, but a big planter with lots of runoff is just overkill and more costly than it needs to be. Experienced coco growers with a really good feel for what the coco needs and when it needs it can manage a lot of media but newer growers are better suited for an "extra" transplant (party cup>1gal>3gal) to assist their learning curve.

I find that a weak root system in an excessive amount of coco can be over watered. Especially with a warmer nutrient solution (over 72f) which has a much lower dissolved oxygen content. A healthy root system, in the right amount of coco, with a good nutrient solution temperature (under 68f), is pretty much impossible to over water. Do lift your containers to get a feel for the amount of moisture they hold, keep an eye on how much solution is used/retained and the amount of time it took for the plant to consume that much water. Over time you'll get a feel for the right moment to water. Still moist, but not soaking.

 

[swamp man]

hi i am swamp man can we talk threw pm

 

[Reg Dixon]

Hi folks. Have an auto pot grow going on at the moment. Am realizing that going coco coir with some hydroton lining in auto pots might be one of the easier ways I've seen to grow weed. Only trimming and attendance to ph and ec seem to be required.

On the subject of ph and EC levels I'm curious as to whether there is a good range of EC to be feeding to plants in various stages of their development. I figured about 0.70 to begin then rising to 1.1 - 1.2 once the plant is established. Rising to 1.5 as the plant florishes and going as high as 2.0 if the plant wants it.

However I could be completely wrong as I'm basically making these figures up in my head as it pertains to auto pots at least.

The only benefit of all this is I'm running a log with records of ph and EC's which should hopefully increase the database on auto pot grows and what they want/need.

However a quick heads up on ranges would be really helpful right now as I'm in early flower and just feeling my way raising EC from 1.1 to 1.68, adding uinsulphured molasses in the rez and lowering rez ph from 6.5 to 5.5.

This was to combat a possible cal/mag def that looked to be evident.

 

[GReen dreAM]

CoCo with 2000W up in the sky !!
at 54days of FLO
Super Silver Haze in the middle !

Peace !!!!

 

[Reg Dixon]

CoCo with 2000W up in the sky !!
at 54days of FLO
Super Silver Haze in the middle !

Peace !!!!

Nice plants! How many can you grow effectively under 2000w?

 

[GReen dreAM]

There are 26 of them, 4 lights x 6 per one=24 + 2 Extra= 26 and i must say thats a lot cos is very crowded there and I cant bend them properly, but there are few ready to chop down so will be more specious for the late Hazes.

 

[Nick Papagiorgi]

I definitely want to give Coco Coir a try for my first grow. Seems like a good medium to use. I was thinking of going with a 75% Coco and 25% Perlite mix. I'm going using a 400w HPS with maybe 6 plants under it. I'd like to feed every other day but if it's better to feed everyday then I will. Just trying to get all my information together before I tackle the 1st grow.

 

[drsmoke69]

papagiorgi, feed at least 2 times per day with coco. u cannot over water in coco. 25% perlite in your coco mix will mean your coco will dry out 25% quicker than if you run straight coco. so u will have to water more often. never let your coco dry out. and remember coco is not soil, there is nothing in coco for the plant to feed off of, you have to water in that food. that is why growing in coco is a hydroponic method.

 

[abirdintheair]

ok coco guys, got a question for you. I currently run the LC#1 mix, with is a 5-3-2 of peat perlite and ewc/mushroom compost, prolly closer to 4-4-2. anyways, Id like to cut this medium with a 2-1 or 3-1 coco/perlite mix to improve my overall yields. the reason for the cutting of my soilless medium come from it retains moisture a bit longer than Id like, and Id like to increase my soil airflow without going completely hydro if that makes sense. what do you coco elitists think?