[stevr59]

ok boys i got my coco fromthe pet store just soaking it now now here where i need help what else do i mix with it how much what about ferts how much how offen ect ect basic newbee stuff here a list of what i got to work with

one brick coco
2 bags fine perlite from home depot cant find chunky perlite any where
cow manure
mushroom compost
GHflorav nova grow and bloom
GH flora sercies 3 part
lime
epson salt
flourliousi grow and bloom
protekit
GH ph up& down
i need just some basics here to get me going frist run wil be just some bag seeds to see how it works .hopefully i can use what i have lised and will be hand water them not shure about pot sizes i got 1/2 gallon to work with for now will thiswork or do i need bigger pot , and what about starting seeds can i germate right in the mix normaly use jiffy pellets to start then trans plant when i see roots , i have looked tru this fourmom and havent realy found the info i am looking for. ny good link to growing in this stuff would be a great help. i grow manly in hyrod and a lil soil but i want to try this if it work out i want to use this for my mouthers.

How coarse is the coco? Is it pith or fibre? You don't really wanna soak it, you want to rinse it.. how do you plan on watering them? If your going to use coco, just use coco. Do not add other bullshit to the mix, it is absolutely not needed.

Look at BlueHaze's thread for instructions with the GH 3 part.

[stevr59]

well not sure about how coarse it is i know when i soaked it it turned to mud like stuff more like potting soil i squeeze the water out and it has some fiber in it but looks more like a soil to me. but to late on not soaking it thats been done. i was planning on hand watering them, waste to drain method using floranova or gh 3 parts as far as adding stuff. don't i need to add at lest perlite or hyrdon

[bergerbuddy]

Originally Posted by stevr59

well not sure about how coarse it is i know when i soaked it it turned to mud like stuff more like potting soil i squeeze the water out and it has some fiber in it but looks more like a soil to me. but to late on not soaking it thats been done. i was planning on hand watering them, waste to drain method using floranova or gh 3 parts as far as adding stuff. don't i need to add at lest perlite or hyrdon

if it turned into a mud.. its FINE

peace

[gaiusmarius]

no need for perlit or hydro ton. coco works great just on it's own. by adding stuff you just make things complicated for yourself with no benefit to the plants.

use it to fill your pots and then flush some more water through the coco, to reduce the salt content. once you have flushed it real good, then you can get started with clones or seedlings.

[stevr59]

Originally Posted by gaiusmarius

no need for perlit or hydro ton. coco works great just on it's own. by adding stuff you just make things complicated for yourself with no benefit to the plants.

use it to fill your pots and then flush some more water through the coco, to reduce the salt content. once you have flushed it real good, then you can get started with clones or seedlings.

thanks man got em flushing now , next question can you gemate in the coco and if so do i use just plain tab water or do i mix up a light nute mix?

[bergerbuddy]

Originally Posted by stevr59

thanks man got em flushing now , next question can you gemate in the coco and if so do i use just plain tab water or do i mix up a light nute mix?

You CAN but I wouldn't... I have seedling right now in coco and in canna's organic mix.. the mix seedling are heads shoulders and round leaves above the cocos'... 4 sets of leaves vs. 2.... 1st time I have sprouted in the dirt but WON"T do it in coco AGAIN..

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.p...8&page=1&pp=15

Get some small 8 or 10 oz cups put some dirt in there.... once they got say 3 sets of leaves THEN move them to there final pots in cooc..

Peace
BB
Oh.. if you choose to use coco...yeah plain water till the first pot leaves get fairly big.. but ya got to feed them.. or they kinda yellow and just don't do much compared to the dirt..

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I used Botanicares CNS 17 for veg. I use 1/2 - 1 tsp. per gallon ( depends on which strain ) and 1 tsp hygrozyme per gallon per watering which is everyday. I like the CNS 17, no mixing multiple ingredients. It has cal/mag already in it and a hydrolyzing agent, the hygrozyme is like steroids for the roots and I've seen a noticeable improvement in my plants since I started using it. I continued to use it thru the first 3-4 weeks of flower until they stopped stretching.. Here's a pic of my garden a couple weeks ago.

I get better results with str8 promix for seedlings and rooting clones, haven't figured that out yet.

Steve first you soak and expand in hot water for half an hour or so and then flush the coco a couple times with cold water. Then ring out the excess water and let it dry. You can do this on a window screen over a rubbermaid container. You can also put it in a pizza box to really dry. Just keep stirring once in a while.

Now this is important. If you are going to germ and grow in straight coco you have to rehydrate the coco with a weak fertilizer solution. About 25% strength. See even though you don't fertilize fresh seedlings in a soil grow because they can't handle it, there is still some nutrients in any soil. So the seedlings have a little something to nurish them. In coco coir there is absolutely no nutrients available to a seedling. You have to add some.

You have to let the coco dry out completely and then rehydrate with the 25% fert solution.

Coco should be able to start as good or better seedling than soil. If coco is better for an adult it is better for a seedling. I have noticed that the people that have the problems don't pretreat the coco with ferts.

Soak the seeds for 12 hours or so and put right in the coco. Now you can't overwater. You can't bake the medium into a hard lump. The roots will explode.

That pet store tip was a good one. The coco used for pets is super quality. It has to be fine but not powder. It isn't pith. That is powdery. It is actually a very fine shread. It's beautiful. I have gotten about 6 different types. The 2 from the pet stores. Bed a Beast and Repti Bed and also several off the net from the hydro shops. The best texture in my opinion is Bed a Beast and Repti Bed.

It is very handy knowing about the pet stores. You can buy a brick or 2 whenever you are near and just stockpile them until needed. I am going to prepare a bunch over the summer where I can soak and flush outside. Then in the winter I just have to rehydrate it.

I haven't grown a thing in coco yet but I have been researching like a madman and I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. I am a soil man but I already know coco is going to be like "falling off a log". It's hydro in soil basically. It's soil without the number one problem. You can't overwater. Handwatering like with soil. I like to do plant care. Just water until a 20% runoff. Once a week flush real good with plain water. Near the end be aware for Mg defiency and too much potassium that coco can have near the end of a grow as it breaks down. It gives up Potassium and holds Mg.

[stevr59]

Hey guys thanks for the help. now i not sure if i will use gh floranova or the 3 parts but you say 25% strenght will 25% of what. i may go with the 3 part since i dont use it in hyrdo any more and got plenty left. is it 25% less than what the bottle say to use? and if i use the 3 parts do i still add epson salt to or any thing else? and one more thing i think they need to make a newbee tutor teaching us basic stuff so we dont have to keep asking the same stuff over and over just some basic stuff