I was wondering, since I am currently in the same position I have seen many other Coco neophytes in, why not make up a sticky for the forum that has info on how to prep new coco before planting? I saw this question asked alot in the unnoficial coco growers thread before we got the forum. Depending on what brand of Coco people have, it seems that everyones prep routine is a little different. I have Canna bagged coco, perlite and hydroton, which I will mix in a 2 parts coco to 1 part perlite, .5 parts hydroton ratio, with hydroton lining the bottom of my pots. At this point though I am unsure of what kind of soultion to prep my starting mix with for planting seeds. Here are the questions I am looking for answers to:

-How wet does my initial mix need to be, slightly moist or wet until the point of run off? Somewhere in the middle?

-What kind of initial solution should I prep with? I am using the Canna Coco lineup. Just Rhizo? Add some Cannazym? Small amount of A + B?

I think a sticky for prep info could also cover different things like, prep'ing for clone planting, prep'ing for transplants, getting slabs ready for use, and how to prep old coco for re-use. This is just a thought, but I figured it could really help some people out as the issue I seem to see pop up most frequently with Coco is poor health in younger plants. I'm going to be germing and planting about 40 or so seeds this week to select 10-15 finishers from and I can't wait to give the coco a go! Please let me know what you think, thanks

[nandro]

There's many methods.

You can literally break it up dry, transplant dry, and watch it go with very little water initially on yer start-up.

But, for optimal results, pour a gallon or two on yer brick [or whatever, depending on size, can use up to 2+], break it up and fill a pot - transplant accordingly and you're done. The medium will usually be perfectly moist for a very killer transplant. You could "soak" with supps like Hygrozyme [and related active and non-active enzymatic products], Liquid Karma, SM-90, etc. No heavy nute soaking, IMVO, but it can can be done and gotten away with for sure. Be safe, though, because you don't want to flush and flush and flush, etc...it'll OWN you after a while.

I used to do some serious 'washing' and flushing due to tha main consensus [at that time] that coco was full of salts and may make my plants have toxic salt buildups later in life. But now, I just 'rinse' a bale/brick with a gallon or two and that's just really to break tha thing up, ya know. I've had great results doing what I do and I've only noticed toxic salt buildups with cheaper coco brands. Botanicare's never done me wrong, Profits are super badass and I'm about to check out these Coco Croutons. I'll see what kind'a "washings" they might or might not need.

Your initial mix could be soppin' wet [may slow growth, but it won't kill it by any means] to bone dry, as experienced, but like I said - for optimal results - give your coco [whether bale/brick, profits, coir, croutons, etc.] a good rinse and you're good. A gallon or two should be fine, depending on what you're working with.

You can start off with soaking and breaking up yer initial mix with a nutrient/water solution and get good results. Personally I transplant into a pure mix and start my feeds after a good root establishment. I've found transplants into coco to be extremely easy, forgiving and provides a BADASS start-up for yer seedlings and clones. I'm sure that soaking yer initial mix with a nutrient/water solution would be a bit 'hot' for seedlings. I've yet to burn a seedling in a pure coco mix. Be safe with little ones and soaking your coco with nutes.

In your case, I'd just soak with tha Rhizo and Cannazym. I'm sure you'd get away with that just fine! Good idea for your sticky(s).

This is all based on my personal experience, but I understand we all have our methods. Always open to hear further methods/suggestions.

Peace,
Nandro

[UNREGISTRD]

VERY GOOD INFO^^^ keep em coming!!!!
also IN a ebb/flow flood/drain setup how do u prevent the coco from draining out of the pots and into the res??? Ive seen alot of pics of pots with coco on trays id think the soil would muck up the res and clog the pumps???

Im waiting for someone with a good solution to this and what exact medium do u use??

[nandro]

Originally Posted by UNREGISTRD

VERY GOOD INFO^^^ keep em coming!!!!
also IN a ebb/flow flood/drain setup how do u prevent the coco from draining out of the pots and into the res??? Ive seen alot of pics of pots with coco on trays id think the soil would muck up the res and clog the pumps???

Im waiting for someone with a good solution to this and what exact medium do u use??

These are your answer. Made by tha same cats that do our beloved rockwool, etc. Grodan's Coco Croutons! They're tha shit!

couldnt a little hydroton at the bottom do just as well, if all you have access to is coco brick?
if i can get those cubes, im on it.
ive had a lot of success with the same lil cubes of rockwool,,,,,but i think im sold on giving the coco a run next. thanks for all the good info nandro.

[nandro]

Originally Posted by blue dog

couldnt a little hydroton at the bottom do just as well, if all you have access to is coco brick?
if i can get those cubes, im on it.
ive had a lot of success with the same lil cubes of rockwool,,,,,but i think im sold on giving the coco a run next. thanks for all the good info nandro.

You can absolutely get away with hydroton at tha bottom to keep tha rez's clean, mah bro. Good call.

Those lil growcube rockwools are tha shit, yeah..Tha Croutons will ROCK. I just know it.

Give coco a try, my man. You won't regret it.
Peace,
Nandro

i got a block, im gonna run a lil no control dwc(just topped off as needed with 4 airstones to a rubbermaid, 2 plants....learn the medium,with a little help of course.)
will a block of botanicare coco be enough for 2 ladies?,,,,i imagine so......
ive heard coco can be knat prone???? any truth to that in your experience,,,?
i dig your zest for the coco.....

[nandro]

Sir, a block of Bot's coco will be plenty for 2. Hell, one profit disk breaks up to a gallon container.



Any media is prone to insect infestation, ya' know?.. Keep plenty of air moving around, keep a clean room and if you're paranoid - put a nice layer of perlite atop yer coco. And some bug strips. Coco isn't any more prone to critters and shit than tha other mediums..

Peace,
Nandro

[gaiusmarius]

great info nandro.

i personally will plant my well rooted rw cubes on the new coco slabs before giving any water. once the whole table is planted and the drippers are in, i fill my tank with plain water at ph 6.0, i then let the pump run, it can take half an hour with new coco. i let it run until every slab is so full of water that it comes gushing back out. once this has happened i will add some rhizotonic and A+B and program my timer to run the pump 4 times a day. i find this way my plants adjust to the coco without any transplant shock or any other problems. i also get a chance to check the salt levels, which are very good and low in these days with the better slabs. but there was a time when the canna slabs used to be so salty that you would get a run off ec of 2.8 or even 3.5 when you first fill it with water. that shit used to force us to flush it well first. but with time canna and others have learned much about producing coco which is ready to grow. nowadays your slabs will have a run off of approximately 1.0 and they are buffered to a ph of 6.0

[nandro]

I know what you mean about shit being really poor [tha coco, itself] back in tha day. So salty, you could probably fry and eat tha stuff with some ketchup.

Sounds like a good transplanting system you got. Nice way avoiding shock.

Peace, MR.G
Nandro