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Do you reuse coco?

AgentPothead

Just this guy, ya know?
No, none of that. Boil it? That in itself is reason enough not to re-use.

Each to his own and all that but for me it was a real disaster. I thought it was all sorts, light to close, clogged filter, to high airflow... all sorts! Last on my list was the coco itself. Now I'm using fresh the difference is night and day.

All I did when I re-used was sift out all the old roots and run a load of water through it all in the bath. Evidently that failed.

If it works for you then go for it. For me, never again.
So you did things incorrectly then you wondered why things ended up incorrectly? Then you blamed the coco? Alright then.
 

RB56

Active member
Veteran
It's a shame we can't even discuss reusing growing medium without getting pissy anymore.

I am thinking if you can make a screener out off boards and 1/2 inch galvanized screen,you'd be able to shake coco thru it with roots still left in the tray.

Been doing that for a few years now. Works very well. Some root fibers will make it through, but hemp is tough stuff and I'm not sure hemp roots aren't as good for growing as coir - very hard to tell apart once they're mixed together. Also makes it hard to imagine an enzyme that will attack roots and not coir.

I rinse thoroughly, drain and recharge with 1 tablespoon calmag per gallon of water, pH 6. 48 hour soak and drain. Back into the bin. I periodically add new coir to make up for what gets lost with the roots.

I do this to avoid Fungus Gnats:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=290400
(posted while still using soil, continued with coir).

Reuse isn't about saving a few dollars for me. It's about reducing my environmental impact, discretion and not having to haul bags of soil.
 
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Payaso

Original Editor of ICMagazine
Veteran
Hey Ganja Dan... if you joined the site just to tell us how terrible a grower you are and to poke the other members I think we can do without you...

So lay off the criticism and perhaps you may learn from someone what you did wrong!
 

Elmer Bud

Genotype Sex Worker AKA strain whore
Veteran
I have a bunch of coco from past runs that I held on to, planning on reusing, any particular procedure before re-potting?


G `day Mr DMC

Re use
Flush till EC of 0.4 - 0.5 .

Fresh blocks .
Coco blocks conditioned with 150 gms Kristalon cal Nitrate soaked for 24 hours again rinse till EC 0.4 0.5 . Balances nutrients within the coco . No need for extra cal mag after if conditioned 1st .

Thanks for sharin

EB .
 

ridoo

Active member
How i do reuse coco
the most time i leave the container in a place on newspaper for that the coir get a little dryer, sometimes long enough and most roots are dead

i use that kind of washer i build with a Swiss knife, i use 2 large bottle of demineralize water (5Liters bottle), on one i cut the bottom, on the other i cut the top : picture 1

make a hole down the one you cute the top : picture 2, this hole i don't make it at the very down but some centimeters above

take the original cap, make a hole in it : picture 3

then use some insect net, mosquito net, 2 layers is enough, stick the net into the holed cap just by putting it back in place : picture 4

the just push the bottomless one upside down in the headless holed one : picture 5

i fill the top bottle with my old half dry coco coir, the net filter avoid loosing material everywhere and messing in the kitchen sink, you know..

i prepare another 5Liters bottle with tap water only, put the 2 probes of my EC meter and Ph meter inside the hole down the headless bottle and flush immediately, the water will cross the first container, bein filtered by the net, then collected into the lill space between floor and the hole, where the 2 probes EC and Ph are testing the drain

when the drain is same as tap water it means my top container is full of "neutral" coir
if i'm gonna use it right after i will flush it again but very slowly with 10.0 ml of enzymes / Liters maybe some roots stimulator and a very basic nutrient supply (for example with plagron coco i'll put 0.5ml of plagron coco a + b for each liter of flushing solution)



 

BlindDate

Active member
Veteran
I have been growing trees in coco for ten years and usually go 4 grows per coco change. No enzymes, no flush, no drying, no removing roots, no nothing. Just cut out the old root ball and plant a new clone in the empty hole. Perfect plants every time.
 

ridoo

Active member
I have been growing trees in coco for ten years and usually go 4 grows per coco change. No enzymes, no flush, no drying, no removing roots, no nothing. Just cut out the old root ball and plant a new clone in the empty hole. Perfect plants every time.

i'm so lazy i guess it's the idea of the week :) !

i'm gonna try this within the next days in my closet

thanks a lot dude
 

Elmer Bud

Genotype Sex Worker AKA strain whore
Veteran
I have been growing trees in coco for ten years and usually go 4 grows per coco change. No enzymes, no flush, no drying, no removing roots, no nothing. Just cut out the old root ball and plant a new clone in the empty hole. Perfect plants every time.

G `day BD

What brand of nutes at what EC ?
A flush once a month during growing would probably see your trees even more perfect every time .

10 years perfect plants every time ? I call bull shit bro . No grower I know grows for 10 years without a hiccup .

Thanks for sharin

EB .
 

Carraxe

Well-known member
Veteran
I just water the pots after cutting the plants, and again some days later if they get dry. After one or two weeks the roots have decayed and practically disappeared. Then you have new coco ready to use. It works forever.

Cheers
 

BlindDate

Active member
Veteran
G `day BD

What brand of nutes at what EC ?
Cana Coco, 1.8 EC

A flush once a month during growing would probably see your trees even more perfect every time .

OK, I'll try it next run

10 years perfect plants every time ? I call bull shit bro . No grower I know grows for 10 years without a hiccup .

Oh.. I have had plenty of hiccups, mostly pest related AND if I see them (pests) I'll change the coco immediately, but no problems from re-use.

Thanks for sharin
 
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