Coir or Husk?

[5th]

Howdy folks.

Between the searching on the net and our own IC Mag, I haven't found much info on the husks.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=232592&highlight=coco+husks

My findings are the same. The husks seem to retain water/nutes better then the coir.
So the pro I see is less frequent watering. The cons (possibly a higher concentrate of salt build up due to the size of the husks?) are also having too much water/nutes. (root rot, humid environment for pests)

Was buying activated carbon the other day at the local pet shop n' noticed they had "bricked coco husks" instock. I guess lizards n' shit like to dig and play in it. Was wondering if anyone used it, or has used it and would chime in with there 2 cents are far as using it for a grow medium.

 

[habeeb]

don't buy that pet store crap.. you'll find nuggets of salt in them, and it's processed different making it a lower grade, not suitable for growing.

second, its more expensive then buying a bag of coco. so what you get is less, more cost, having to hydrate yourself / rinse.. no good

as for the husk, not sure, but try some coco before wanting to go an experiment, as I think you'll see what canna ( the best, used them all, if not get b'cuzz ) does is right up your alley. no fuss no muss.

 

[5th]

http://www.house-garden.ca/products/cocos-coco-substrate/

If I buy from the "local" grow shop...which is over an hour away...

That stuff linked above is what I can get.

 

[MrGoodBudz]

don't buy that pet store crap.. you'll find nuggets of salt in them, and it's processed different making it a lower grade, not suitable for growing.

second, its more expensive then buying a bag of coco. so what you get is less, more cost, having to hydrate yourself / rinse.. no good

as for the husk, not sure, but try some coco before wanting to go an experiment, as I think you'll see what canna ( the best, used them all, if not get b'cuzz ) does is right up your alley. no fuss no muss.

I totally agree with everything you said. However after my experimentations with the various coco on the market has lead me to believe b'cuzz(atami) is the highest quality (mostly coir) coco out there. Canna is the ONLY other brand I will buy as it is the closest to quality IMO

 

[papaduc]

If I buy from the "local" grow shop...which is over an hour away...

And you'll still save an hour or ten in rinsing and rinsing.... and rinsing... and fixing problems later on... and then you'll wish you listened to habeeb and drove the hour to the store.

The stuff you linked should be good. It says "triple rinsed and buffered" which is what you need. B'cuzz and Canna are both good as well.

 

[Granger2]

Yes, stay with Canna, Atami, and Botanicare. Good luck. -granger

 

[5th]

... and then you'll wish you listened to habeeb and drove the hour to the store.

Oh I'm driving out there regardless, need other stuff as well. I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel or nuthin'. Just curious n' asking questions I haven't seen answered before.

 

[papaduc]

I wasn't bein funny bro. Just tryin to emphasise the work and problems you'll usually face if you try and save money or time by getting cheap brick etc.

 

[5th]

I hear ya papa. I'm new into coco. Last thing I need is more problems.

Everyones input is valued. Just wondering why nobody uses the husks is all.

If we were able to get properly rinsed husks I'm wondering why nobody uses them. Availability maybe?

 

[papaduc]

This is well timed: Read here

That's what I was talking about.

With regards husks, what you're talking about is a broad term for the outer layer of the coconut. It's from this which all of the coir comes from. It's made up of different grades or pieces/particles. When you talk about husk in relation to coir, you're usually talking about the long fibrous stuff, like you see hanging baskets made from. This has to be mixed with the more porous smaller pith, otherwise water will drain right through it. It adds aeration though, so too much pith is a bad thing also. Coir bricks or bags should come with a healthy ratio of one to the other.

You'll know a good mix because there'll be a lot of strands and a nice airy feel to it, but it will also have lots of tiny chips which will hold the water.

If you're buying by the brick, be sure to get a good buffered grade. If the seller can't guarantee that, buy the branded bagged stuff.

 

[Cereals]

I use husks/chips/croutons (this brand: http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Coco-Coir-Croutons-28L/dp/B007BJQIHW) and get spectacular results!

Roots will thrive - it is also very conducive to bottom-feeding watering techniques - the coarseness of the chunks leaves plenty of air and that plants will love it and blow up.

 

[Cereals]

In my opinion, the finely ground coir shit holds too much water. It's barely a step above well prepared soil.

 

[Purple turtle]

And you'll still save an hour or ten in rinsing and rinsing.... and rinsing... and fixing problems later on... and then you'll wish you listened to habeeb and drove the hour to the store.

The stuff you linked should be good. It says "triple rinsed and buffered" which is what you need. B'cuzz and Canna are both good as well.

Papaduc's right on the rinsing ,and charging !we dont have the privalege of buying washed or packaged and already charged coco...

we get the bricks ,break them down,rinse with hot water and charge with watering half strength nutes through a couple times,and my mix has always been 50/50 coir and chips and have had success every time ,it holds alot of water but also allows you to water often and have alot of runoff.

time ,money,elbow grease!

 

[Purple turtle]

Hey 5th

Another site that has ALOTA good info for noobs and pros is MANIXBOTANIX.COM,click on the hydro grow guide and then the dropdown 'coco growing'..this was extremely usefull to my grows!!

would post a link,but still dont know how to do that!

pt

 

[DHF]

Hey 5th....I`m not sure how you missed the fact that I grew "exclusively" in 1/3 stringy fibers , 1/3 coco croutons , and 1/3 chunky/coarse perlite , and I`m certain Mr.D does exactly the same with dialed results as well....

Pretty sure he`s moved on to Napa 8822 to replace the perlite since it doesn`t float nor break down as fast/easy as the perlite , but .....

Coco`s a fickle bitch if it`s not pre-washed/pre-buffered/pre-charged with Cal/Mag due to it`s CEC/cation exchange capacity in that the shit will hold onto and lockout nutrients to the plants till it`s needs have been met and established....now....

Papaduc....My husks/croutons were actually the outer shells of the coconuts , and salty as a mofo and why I eventually just said fuckit to the cheap shit from "vgrove.com", and went with Grodan croutons that were steamed and washed before use and they STILL hadta be washed/rinsed again for my satisfaction....and 5th...

With all the rootborn critters that seem to be more and more prolific in the prewashed material these days , what`s worked for my big guys on the left coast is to literally "cook/steam/boil" the shit to kill all gnat ,thrip , and aphid larvae , plus everything else that`s alive in said soilless medium.....and....

Stay on top of Cal/mag needs by knowing about the brown rust spots that show up as the beginnings of calcium deficiency , and interveinal chlorosis/leaf veins yellowing in the leaves themselves from magnesium deficits.....that`s about it Bro.....oh....

LOW ppm`s across the board is best with coco , and getchas some dripclean @ 1 ml per gal EVERY feed to insure against residual salt buildup inside said substrate....anyways...

Get ta work and let us know how things progress....

Good luck....DHF.........

 

[papaduc]

why I eventually just said fuckit to the cheap shit from "vgrove.com", and went with Grodan croutons that were steamed and washed before use and they STILL hadta be washed/rinsed again for my satisfaction..

Finding a good supplier for your bales is probably the most important stage of the whole process. If you can get somewhere which will give you a guaranteed analysis of what you're buying, and when you test it the ec is 0.2, then you're good to go. In the UK there are a few places who will do that. It shouldn't be much different in the states, considering it all comes from Sri Lanka.

What grade the company buys in is what determines what you get your end. If it's not properly buffered, definitely switch supplier.