stopping coco compacting during flowering...

siftedunity · Jan 12, 2016

hey guys ive been growing in coco for many years now. I understand the medium a fair bit and do pretty well but as always im looking for ways to improve things.
ive noticed that at about 3 or 4 weeks flowering the coco starts to compact slightly. I know his may be partially to do with the roots filling into the coco. but also feel that the constant watering also causes this.
id really like to have a nice fluffy aerated medium as I feel like the compacting probably hinders extra root growth and nutrient uptake.
so therefore im wondering if anyone has any tips to counteract this. ive thought about adding something to the coco but I don't want to increase the drying out time too much as I cant really facilitate watering more than I already do daily.

any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated. im using 2gal pots, with 2inches hydroton in the bottom for drainage.

watts · Jan 12, 2016

try fabric pots

CoCoSativas · Jan 12, 2016

watts said:
try fabric pots

Fabric does this too. It happens when the roots fill the pots. Its also from the water pressing the fiber down it happens on plants with lots of space left.

O.p. could cut with perlite but the coco still has a excellent air and moisture ratio. This time i used perlite which is not bad but pure coco kicks ass.

I wouldnt worry too much about the compacted effect. If you use pots that are too big its just a waste of coco and solution. My opinion anyway

doob · Jan 12, 2016

Never had a problem, it compacts a bit rest is roots! I use canna pro and that stuff is top class, don't need perlite imo

I think adding hydroton at the bottom is a mistake to!

CoCoSativas · Jan 12, 2016

doob said:
Never had a problem, it compacts a bit rest is roots! I use canna pro and that stuff is top class, don't need perlite imo

I think adding hydroton at the bottom is a mistake to!

Sure is. The roots grow down into it, then when it dries the tips start dying. Perlite would be a better choice if you were inclined to do a liner layer but coco dosent need it at all drains so freely.

Ive been using earth safe coco a local available brick out of bc, got 80 litres of canna waiting for the next time i need coco i still have about 50 litres of the old stuff in a bin. Maybe ill use it maybe ill toss it

siftedunity · Jan 12, 2016

Actually if you use hydroton in the bottom it increases drainage and the roots don't generally dry out, because of the relative humidity in that 2inch space - Since the coco is always moist. But yeah i can see that it may dry the roots if the medium drys out too much.

I'm using canna pro too. I may well ve over thinking it but I'd still like to try to reduce the compaction.
I would cut with pearlite, although o think that the coco will need watering much more and atm I cant really increase waterings.
I'm already thinking of trying fabric pots.. Might test them next run

CoCoSativas · Jan 12, 2016

siftedunity said:
Actually if you use hydroton in the bottom it increases drainage and the roots don't generally dry out, because of the relative humidity in that 2inch space - Since the coco is always moist. But yeah i can see that it may dry the roots if the medium drys out too much.

I'm using canna pro too. I may well ve over thinking it but I'd still like to try to reduce the compaction.
I would cut with pearlite, although o think that the coco will need watering much more and atm I cant really increase waterings.
I'm already thinking of trying fabric pots.. Might test them next run

I found the same effect happened and my old coco is a much courser grind even when using fabric pots.

Maybe look at cannas cogr board coco its neat looking and works in pots. Chunky shit if i understand, probably wont compact.

Im happy with perlite or no

siftedunity · Jan 13, 2016

yeah I have seen chunkier coco but it generally comes in those blocks.

CoCoSativas · Jan 13, 2016

siftedunity said:
yeah I have seen chunkier coco but it generally comes in those blocks.

I only use brick at the moment. Earth safe brick, or cannas. What i mentioned is in a pressed board form. Its a super neat idea look it up. If you already use canna im surprised you dont know about the boards

azad · Jan 13, 2016

I've never found compacting coco to be a problem during flower. Try the new Cyco coco they do a pink bag that contains chunky coco bits and a orange bag that contains a perlite mix.
Vybz

dank.frank · Jan 13, 2016

Amend with Permatill. Skip the perlite.

Using some chunk coir is a great suggestion as well.

dank.Frank

CoCoSativas · Jan 13, 2016

On the note of alternative to perlite is grow rocks. Its expanded glass. Permatill is probably more cost effective i dont know as i dont use either happy with coco or coco and perlite but will probably just move to cogr as it looks like quite the system. I would probably use the boards in pots but would try them in their original form

2 Legal Co · Jan 13, 2016

siftedunity said:
hey guys ive been growing in coco for many years now. I understand the medium a fair bit and do pretty well but as always im looking for ways to improve things.
ive noticed that at about 3 or 4 weeks flowering the coco starts to compact slightly. I know his may be partially to do with the roots filling into the coco. but also feel that the constant watering also causes this.
id really like to have a nice fluffy aerated medium as I feel like the compacting probably hinders extra root growth and nutrient uptake.
so therefore im wondering if anyone has any tips to counteract this. ive thought about adding something to the coco but I don't want to increase the drying out time too much as I cant really facilitate watering more than I already do daily.

any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated. im using 2gal pots, with 2inches hydroton in the bottom for drainage.

Probably Not the answer you're looking for, but, if you go DWC, with plenty of aireation..... then the roots aren't constrained at all.

I like to network the buckets and use a Res. with a float valve to keep the water level up.

Recirculation optional, depending if you want/need to provide individual feeding for different strains.

I ran Homers in GH last summer.... ended up with 8-9' plants. Had to bend them over to keep them out of the roof. Only have 6.5' headroom in the shed. :biggrin:

CoCoSativas · Jan 13, 2016

2 Legal Co said:
Probably Not the answer you're looking for, but, if you go DWC, with plenty of aireation..... :

Nope not the advice he was looking for. All of us coco guys have looked at it all, its rare coco growers are blind to other methods. Coco is hydro too, so it pays for us to observe other hydro even for interest sake but i found lots of it translates, like say mixing solution. Anyway most of us looked at it all before coming to this very alternate way to grow.

:laughing:

Id say not very helpful at all but thats my 2 cents. Telling someone to switch methods because the tops a little compessed is silly. Anyway so sure you have no restriction in dwc the same as coco but i can control my plants height by binding their roots, theres a couple other sweet tricks to growing in substrate.

To each their own but the answer to how to stop coco from compacting is certainly not switch to dwc

siftedunity · Jan 13, 2016

2 Legal Co said:
Probably Not the answer you're looking for, but, if you go DWC, with plenty of aireation..... then the roots aren't constrained at all.

I like to network the buckets and use a Res. with a float valve to keep the water level up.

Recirculation optional, depending if you want/need to provide individual feeding for different strains.

I ran Homers in GH last summer.... ended up with 8-9' plants. Had to bend them over to keep them out of the roof. Only have 6.5' headroom in the shed.

wow what a pointless answer.

thank you to everyone else who has thought about my question and replied, I appreciate the input very much.

dwc is a great system and ive used different mediums, but for ease of use and simplicity in relation to yield and quality it is hard to beat coco.
is not even in the same league tbh.

Ratzilla · Jan 13, 2016

I have been using a coir base mix and doing a TLO soilless grow for around 10 years with great success .
First off I believe using things like pepples , rocks or hydro ton on the bottom of the pots as just moving the perch water table higher in the pot.
It just does not work! All it does is make your pot shorter and it will hold (less dirt).
I personally use some chunky perlite and char boiled rice hulls as well as some chunky coco coir mixed in with my base mix on the bottom of my pots to add aeration.
Aeration is adding enough particles of things big enough that they will lay on each other and create voids.
Adding big and small particles cancel each other out so stay with big particles.
I like the char boiled rice hulls because they hold their shape for long time and their shape is rectangular creating many voids.
On Coir know that there is three types on the market.
#1 Pith or dust (agriculture)it will compact!
#2 mesocarp (middle layer) Floor mats
#3 chips or pucks ,chunky stuff great to add to your pith to keep it from compacting.
Ratz :tiphat:

noyd666 · Jan 13, 2016

coco is perfect on its pat Malone, plant it, feed it, harvest it, rinse & repeat.

stoned40yrs · Jan 13, 2016

I don't believe good quality coco compacts at all after the first couple watering's. I also don't believe adding other crap to coco does anything good. Like adding rocks to your glass of beer or tobacco to your joint. 100% pure quality coco, fabric pots and multiple watering per day gets all the air to the roots they can use. 200 proof coco for me.

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dansbuds · Jan 13, 2016

I have to agree that i don't think it really hinders the growth or anything by compacting . i reuse my same pots 3 times before i finally chuck the coco in the garden . & the 2d & 3rd runs with the same pot seem to do better each time .

but to answer your question , what about the chow mix i've read about ? 50% coco 50% hydroton . dunno what the purpose of that mix is for , but that might stop the compaction a little .

siftedunity · Jan 13, 2016

stoned40yrs said:
I don't believe good quality coco compacts at all after the first couple watering's. I also don't believe adding other crap to coco does anything good. View Image]View Image[/url]]View Image[/url]

coco compacts.. fact.
adding amendments may help or hinder depending on the situation. im definitely leaning to fabric pots though.

stopping coco compacting during flowering...

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