Botanicare Cocogro Brick: Flush or no flush

Blaze215

Active member

• Oct 9, 2011

• #1

Hi IC,
I just picked up a brick of Botanicare Cocogro and wanted to obtain some input from growers who have actually used it in the past or are currently using it right now (preferably).

Some questions:

A) How do YOU hydrate it? Is it with a mild nute solution or just straight ph'd water? If it is with water or a nute solution at what ph and at what strength are you doing it?

B) If I do have to rinse it then how do you physically rinse it? I am thinking if I just throw it into a 5 gallon bucket with holes on the bottom that should do the trick.

Thanks,

215

 

C

cannabill

New member

• Oct 9, 2011

• #2

Blaze 215, I've been using Botanicare Cocogro for a bit. I put in a 18 gal. container and just use waterhose to rehydrate. Your 5 gal will be to small unless you cut up the block into smaller pieces, that sucker will blow up. Then after its well broken up I put in old bedsheet and drain, then I mix with perlite. After I load my buckets ( hempy style ) I then give nutrient + 10 ml. of cal-mag, and then add plants. No probs in over a year of going coco. I forgot that I now put bedsheet in container before I rehydrate, It's easier to already have the coco in the sheet than trying to pure wet coco onto a flat sheet , it goes everywhere. Hope this helps. On the ph, I don't. I just read my plants and use the Head/Rez formula with a couple of extras. ~ Bill

 

D

Dammanfu

Member

• Oct 9, 2011

• #3

I never flushed and never had a problem with them and yes I add a weak nute solution or calmag at 5ml per gal . This is just my experience

 

G

Guest3498

• Oct 9, 2011

• #4

No need to flush those. Hydrate overnight with ph'd water.

 

D

draztik

Well-known member

Veteran

• Oct 9, 2011

• #5

Get a large contractor bag or a large thick garbage bag and throw the brick in the bag with some ph'd water. Follow the directions on the amount of water. It might not seem like enough but just leave it overnight and in the morning you'll have a fresh bag of coco.

 

inreplyavalon

breathe deep

Veteran

• Oct 9, 2011

• #6

thats my coco of choice for three years now. I place it into an empty 32 gallon garbage
Add about 3-5 gallons of
10ml. a gallon calmag.
after two hours most of it is usually ready to use, abnd the rest needs a little breaking up.
I have noticed no difference phing between 5.0-6.5
I like the course/fine ratio of these bricks.
Most importantly to me is that i know that ZERO bugs are coming into the garden via bags of medium.
Good choice!

 

D

dramamine

• Oct 9, 2011

• #7

I have gotten springtails in the last 5-6 bales I've used. Not a dealbreaker, just sayin'...

 

inreplyavalon

breathe deep

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2011

• #8

dramamine said:

I have gotten springtails in the last 5-6 bales I've used. Not a dealbreaker, just sayin'...

Click to expand...

You have gotten them in these dehydrated bales? wow i am completely shocked any insect could survive in the inhospitable terrain that is, dry compressed coco. The stuff is like sandpaper and feels like it was compressed between two buildings. But mostly it is the complete lack of moisture that these bricks have. Surprised a moisture loving insect such as a springtail would make it in on one. Any chance they got into the stuff after it had been hydrated?

 

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guest121295

• Oct 10, 2011

• #9

Those bales are my coco of choice.I usually throw the bale into a big barrel with 3gal of r/o water and then flush with ph'd water @ 600ppms before I use it.It is more coarse than bagged coco and works like a charm.

 

Space Case

Well-known member

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2011

• #10

First I expand the bail in a plastic bin with just clean water. I actually like to use unfiltered tap water when I can do expand it, as its already got calmag and buffers in it.

I don't bother to pre-rinse, pre-charge with nutes, or pre pH the coco after expanding. Once its expanded, I break it up by hand until its all loose, then I just transplant my plants into it. I rinse the coco in the pot with the plants in it with just clean water. I've gone as far as rinsing it with hygrozyme, drip clean, pH'd water, calmag water, etc, and I haven't noticed a difference, so now I just rinse with filtered un-pH'd water in the pots. After rinsing or watering with high run-off, I immediately feed a solution around 600-900 ppm @ 5.5 pH with high run-off. Also, I like to use Bayer Complete (@5mL per gal) in this first feeding. Bugs, aphids particularly, love coco, and can be devastating to your plants.

I will usually let the pots sit after that and get dry, let the roots dig out the water and the plant absorb the imid. I usually let a full wet/dry cycle occur twice before beginning a regular feeding cycle.

 

farmdalefurr

I feel nothing and it feels great

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2011

• #11

i just put the bale into a rubbermaid container, fill it w/ RO w/ 2ml per gal cal/mag+ and let it expand. then when its ready to plant/transplant i rub the coco between my hands really well to get it nice and fluffy and its good to go. never had a problem w/ it for over a year. every bale has been the same as the first bale i ever purchased

 

C

cashmunny

Member

• Oct 16, 2011

• #12

I rinsed it once just because of what people say about coco being full of salts. But I never measured any significant ppm in my rinse water. Now I don't bother rinsing. Botanicare seems to do a really good job of getting the salts out.

I did however find an empty package of Indian flavored chewing tobacco in a brick.