A Few Questions about coco

[Guest]

Hi fellow ICers
I am thinking of using coco for my next grow and would like some basic questions answering if poss many thx.
What ratio should i use to mix coco with perlite, 25%?
Do i start to give nutes as soon as they have broke surface?
Would they need more frequent feeding in coco than soil?
What is ideal ph for growing in coco?
When its time for transpanting to bigger pots do you prepare the bigger pots with coco in same way as soil? (giving good watering before transplant) and if that is the case do i use nutes or ph'd water?
Phew i think that covers everything for now lol
Many thx

 

[Dr. D]

Hey RJ...i use Canna coco with good results.
Not everyone uses perlite in their coco mix, i do but only a little say 10-15%
Yes you can use nutes straight away as coco hash no nutrients in it.
You will probably have to water less in general as it holds more water than soil but also more air, i usually feed every other watering.
Ideal ph is 5.8
And yes repotting is pretty much the same as soil..though personally i like the media a little dry instead of watered for transplant..hope that answers that all for you...peace

 

[baccas125]

Good advice Dr_d. Good luck jay, rhino.

 

[Guest]

Thx Dr.D i think you covered everything, am i right in assuming i dont give nutes everytime i water them? ph'd water,nutes,ph'd water, nutes etc? sorry for sounding a dumbass but i want to get everythin right in my head before i start...
Thx baccas125 for the support im sure i will be fine and if i do run into any troubles i know where to come

 

[Dr. D]

Thanks Bacass.
Yep you got that right RJ...i always go by that and adjust strength accordingly...

 

[Guest]

so basically Dr.D i feed them just like if they were in soil? quarter strength nutes to start and so on

 

[CoolBreeze87]

can you mix compost with coco coir? i will be using coco coir in an outdoor grow this year. I will be digging up the native soil and replacing it with coir and other soil amendments. I was thinking of a mix of coir, perlite, native topsoil, and composted cow manure. Does anyone think this will work or have tried something similar with success?

 

[Dr. D]

Yes RJ i use coco in pretty much the same way as soil, but i will have to check on the starting strength for seedlings because its not eassy to get it right iv always ended up underfeeding with seedlings so i like to start em in soil then go to coco, it just makes things less problematic imo.
Hey Coolbreeze im not sure how well your mix would work but i do mix coco into my soil mix...personally i wouldnt bother outdoors.

 

[CoolBreeze87]

would it be better to use coir in containers. Ive already bought 2 blocks of coco coir about 5 cubic feet. I was planning on using them outdoors in the earth instead of using peat because coco coir retains moisture and air more. If its a bad idea then i could always use the coir in my vegetable container garden. Why do you think its a bad idea to use coir in the earth? The soil in my area is really sandy and i figured it would be easier to carry blocks of coir than bags of soil to replace the native sand. Hey Dr. D whats your soil recipe, and do you grow outdoors in the earth?

 

[Guest]

start seeds on an ec of 0.8 ph 5.5 ,,increase ec as they grow

 

[Guest]

Thx Dr.D... im gonna just treat it as if it is soil. would using soil then switchin to coco stress the seedlings? would a seedling compost be any good from say b&q or local garden centre? many thx Dr.D

 

[Dr. D]

Hey RJ b&q composts are in general shite to say the least..go for a brand name like Westlands or J Arthur Bowers i use Westlands mutli-purpose with added john innes iv found this to be the best quality "cheap" compost.
CoolBreeze no i dont grow in the ground and i didnt say it was a bad idea i just wouldnt do it personally...because the soil around here is good in general..give it a try if you have sandy soil..what sort of ratios were you thinkin?
I just add a small amount of coco to my multi-purpose compost.
You may do well to speak to someone who knows more about makin their own soil mixes..maybe Lavender Cowboy

 

[CoolBreeze87]

thanks dr. d. I was thinking of using for a seedling mix and outside in my holes. For seedlings i was thinking Three parts coco coir ,Two part perlite, and One part worm castings. I was thinking of soaking the coir in a tea of worm castings, molasses, kelp, and a little high P bat guano instead of using plain water. Outdoors i plan on mixing the native soil with equal parts potting soil, that has no ferts added to the mix, and an equal part of coco coir/perlite mix. Of course will be mixing in some amendments and using tea's to supplement. Ill take your advice and speak to lavender cowboy