Coco: Tips, techniques, and the facts you will need

[gr865]

Yes it is.

I reuse coco...and reused coco must be rinsed and buffered. So I have everything all set up to rinse and buffer. Mild enough weather here to do it outside.

So I rinse and buffer so all my plants have similarly treated coco for consistency.
Cheers,
JD

What is your buffering technique? If you don't mind.

 

[OneHitDone]

The microbes will be fine if you add them after the solution is PHed. The PH Up/Down is very concentrated and will have no impact on nutritional values.

Phosphoric Acid will have Zero effect on NPK Ratio??

 

[JohnDee]

What is your buffering technique? If you don't mind.

I think the word buffering confuses things somewhat...due to it being used mostly with ph issues. But my understanding is the main purpose is to fill the cation exchange sites with Ca++ and Mg++ so that the coco doesn't tie up either of those from your nutes. My technique is pretty standard. After rinsing...I allow it to drain well...then put it in a bath of water plus 1 1/2x usual dose of calmag. I often leave it either all day or overnight...giving it a good soak.

Once the buffering is done...drain well and it's ready for use. I use 3 gal cloth bags so buffering is done while in the bag...that's about it. Not really rocket science...but if you live in an apartment...I can see where it would be a hassle.
Cheers,
JD

 

[gr865]

@JohnDee
I do basically the same, but I go straight from the bag into these tubs,

then rinsed with filtered rain water plus 1.5 X rate CaliMagic and a bit of Epsom and pH the solution. Spread it out on a 4 foot wide weed barrier let it drain but not dry out.
Make up a solution of light nutes along with Cal/Mag, Epsom and pH. Put the coco in fabric pots and then add 1 gal/gal pot size, so, 2 gallon pot = 2 gallon solution. Flush with one gallon of the solution, in the second I add Great White. Flush again, let it drain, plant your seedling or clone and turn on the lights.

 

[danion]

I have been using Canna Coco for yrs and I still prep it before I use it. May be redundant but redundancy is a good thing.

Here we have a saying and it is, prevention is better than cure


in short buffle the coco it would be:
1-clean the coco with water
2-deja que drene en un smartpot
3- prepare water with calcium magnesium with ph 5,8???
4- insert the smartpot with the coco inside the bucket with calcium and magnesium water
5- let stand for half a day or a day
6- let it drain
7- add perlite if used
8- ready to use


Make compost tea with bacteria, is it useful in coco? I used mycorrhiza for the roots (great white, mykos, azos....) and make a tea of bacteria by adding molasses I don't know if it's good in coco...

 

[JohnDee]

Make compost tea with bacteria, is it useful in coco? I used mycorrhiza for the roots (great white, mykos, azos....) and make a tea of bacteria by adding molasses I don't know if it's good in coco...

More and more guys are having success adding mycos to coco...and I've never read anything detrimental...so why not. I'm starting it on my young plants for the first time...hope it goes well.
JD

 

[gr865]

More and more guys are having success adding mycos to coco...and I've never read anything detrimental...so why not. I'm starting it on my young plants for the first time...hope it goes well.
JD

Don't put it in my rez, too messy and I do not aerate so it will go bad.
I hand water at every rez change with Great White, and Mammoth, and one other of the L. Bacillus to about 50 runoff.

 

[kingromano]

coco is similar to rockwool in term of dryback .. i would say coco needs bigger drybacks, but not much
which means that if you want to promote generative growth your coco pots must be light every morning ... no dry but light ..

 

[JohnDee]

coco is similar to rockwool in term of dryback .. i would say coco needs bigger drybacks, but not much
which means that if you want to promote generative growth your coco pots must be light every morning ... no dry but light ..

Maybe this is true for very young plants...but most experienced growers do not allow coco to dry during flowering. By generative...I assume you mean vegetatively...
JD

 

[kingromano]

Maybe this is true for very young plants...but most experienced growers do not allow coco to dry during flowering. By generative...I assume you mean vegetatively...
JD

in all medium more agressive night drybacks steer the plant to generative behaviour..
in veg after the plant established in the medium you want to keep the medium wetter than in flowering .. to promote vegetative growth

 

[Jypsy Dog]

in all medium more agressive night drybacks steer the plant to generative behaviour..
in veg after the plant established in the medium you want to keep the medium wetter than in flowering .. to promote vegetative growth

In hydro, drying (drybacking???) out coco or RW makes for a salt lick. Great way to burn your roots.

 

[kingromano]

generative growth (fruit and flowers) are also promoted by a higher ec .. when you let dry you medium (not dry like soil ... just letting it become lighter, around 35/40% water content for rockwool) the EC will climb in this medium

thats why a good watering schedule in top feed must have have a drain/runoff around midday.. to clear the substrate of salts buildup of the night

more agressive drydown are used in crop steering as a positive stress to send the signal to the plant that its time to produce flowers quickly.. as it would be in nature

ps: these techniques must come with a good monitoring of the runoff to avoid like you say, to fry the plants ..
by doing 25 % runoff of even less in bloom the little accumulation of the night will get leached .. after this runoff the conduxtivity of the runoff must be the same as the feed we just gave ... if runoff EC > feed EC then you are feeding too much ... (usually over 1.5 ms in bloom is useless)

 

[Chunky Stool]

Yes it is.

I reuse coco...and reused coco must be rinsed and buffered. So I have everything all set up to rinse and buffer. Mild enough weather here to do it outside.

So I rinse and buffer so all my plants have similarly treated coco for consistency.
Cheers,
JD

Good coco is cheap here so I just toss my used stuff on the recycle pile.

Worms the eat dead roots while pooping fertilizer.
Coco eventually breaks down and adds potassium.
It's a win-win.

 

[danion]

the water with calcium and magnesium to prepare the buffer that EC has to have?
0.4? 1? 1.5? 2?

and the ph? 5.8 or 6.2?
Thank’s

 

[JohnDee]

the water with calcium and magnesium to prepare the buffer that EC has to have?
0.4? 1? 1.5? 2?

and the ph? 5.8 or 6.2?
Thank’s

Hi Danion,
I just use the calculations for mixing one gallon x however many gallons x 1.5

I'd suggest 200 or so ppm...maybe go .4 ec on the 500 scale. But that's over and above whatever your tapwater ec is.
JD

 

[danion]

Hi Danion,
I just use the calculations for mixing one gallon x however many gallons x 1.5

I'd suggest 200 or so ppm...maybe go .4 ec on the 500 scale. But that's over and above whatever your tapwater ec is.
JD

Hi
I use RO water, so the water is 0.00 and I add calcium and magnesium of canna and I don't know until EC goes up to leave it and then add the coco to let it soak, just like with the PH

 

[JohnDee]

Hi
I use RO water, so the water is 0.00 and I add calcium and magnesium of canna and I don't know until EC goes up to leave it and then add the coco to let it soak, just like with the PH

I don't bother adjusting ph on the calmag soak...and I let it soak usually half a day...but some guys only do a few hours. Sounds like you have a plan. Did I answer all your questions?
JD

 

[jarvild]

Good coco is cheap here so I just toss my used stuff on the recycle pile.

Worms the eat dead roots while pooping fertilizer.
Coco eventually breaks down and adds potassium.
It's a win-win.

Yes, an $18 bag of coir gets me 6- 9 liter pots, each 9 liter pot gets me a min of 4 ounces per plant with a 25 day veg from cuttings. So not worth the time and effort to recycle it goes to the outdoor garden for organic composting.
Simple fact is that cannabis plants prefer more dry time than wet time, so none of my coir plants get more than one feeding a day and I'm talking 6' plants in 9 liter pots.

 

[JohnDee]

Yes, an $18 bag of coir gets me 6- 9 liter pots, each 9 liter pot gets me a min of 4 ounces per plant with a 25 day veg from cuttings. So not worth the time and effort to recycle it goes to the outdoor garden for organic composting.
Simple fact is that cannabis plants prefer more dry time than wet time, so none of my coir plants get more than one feeding a day and I'm talking 6' plants in 9 liter pots.View attachment 4412865

Hi Jarvid,
Not everybody has an outdoor place to dump used coco. It's easy to flush and re-use.

Curious to know if you have any issues with salts...allowing your coco to dry a bit. When you water...how much runoff you looking for?
JD

 

[danion]

I don't bother adjusting ph on the calmag soak...and I let it soak usually half a day...but some guys only do a few hours. Sounds like you have a plan. Did I answer all your questions?
JD

yes man!
thanks!!!