Wanting to switch to Coco from Soil for my Greenhouse Grows

Creature1969

Well-Known Member
I switched to coco 3 years ago and haven't looked back (sort of). I've run 50/50 with perlite, coco hempy buckets with air stones and straight coco. Hempy with air gave me the fastest grows/biggest bud but I've been on straight coco only this year. Just less hassle between grows. The growth difference is noticeable but not astounding.
Some say growing in coco is more complicated than soil and things can go wrong fast. I feel the opposite. I've had very few "problems" growing in coco and fixes are fast. PH swings have been my biggest issue but super fast to correct in coco.
I do still run a plant or 2 in soil once in a while just to remind me why I like coco so much.

I gotta admit though, to make things a bit easier I went with all Canna products including their brick coco. Haven't changed that yet but I have some Jacks 321 on the way for the next run. Can't convince myself to try another brand of coco yet though. lol
 
I switched to coco 3 years ago and haven't looked back (sort of). I've run 50/50 with perlite, coco hempy buckets with air stones and straight coco. Hempy with air gave me the fastest grows/biggest bud but I've been on straight coco only this year. Just less hassle between grows. The growth difference is noticeable but not astounding.
Some say growing in coco is more complicated than soil and things can go wrong fast. I feel the opposite. I've had very few "problems" growing in coco and fixes are fast. PH swings have been my biggest issue but super fast to correct in coco.
I do still run a plant or 2 in soil once in a while just to remind me why I like coco so much.

I gotta admit though, to make things a bit easier I went with all Canna products including their brick coco. Haven't changed that yet but I have some Jacks 321 on the way for the next run. Can't convince myself to try another brand of coco yet though. lol
Thanks for your input! So when going with straight coco, you would recommend the bricks? And what About with perlite?
 

Fenceman2727

New Member
I just switched from FFOF to coco, 20%perlite and gaia green dry amendments. The growth is much faster in coco. Just make sure to read up on growing in coco, to avoid major mistakes.
Helpful, thanks! I'm using FFOF now and while I've had healthy growth, it's been slower than I expected, all other variables optimized. Think I'm going to make the switch on my next run as well.
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Hi! This was actually what I was planning to do, since I am in soil now, I figured it would be easier to just add a good amount of the coco to the soil. But I would definitely love to hear why this isn’t a good idea! Thank you for your time
Because you will likely starve or drown your plants. Coco is hydro and is watered and fed daily. Soil you need a microbial herd that processes the nutrients and prefers running dry. I'm sure it's possible but I would not recommend it.
 
Because you will likely starve or drown your plants. Coco is hydro and is watered and fed daily. Soil you need a microbial herd that processes the nutrients and prefers running dry. I'm sure it's possible but I would not recommend it.
Ok i think my best bet is to finish my harvest with this soil, then make a full switch to coco on my next run? Would you agree?
 

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
I would go straight coco. The extra porosity that perlite adds is not needed with coco. In fact, once the roots are established the perlite will reduce the amount of moisture retention, increase runoff, and reduce the overall volume of root space. I’ve ran Promix HP, Coco/Perlite, and straight coco for years in greenhouses and straight coco works the best and is the cheapest option.
 
I would go straight coco. The extra porosity that perlite adds is not needed with coco. In fact, once the roots are established the perlite will reduce the amount of moisture retention, increase runoff, and reduce the overall volume of root space. I’ve ran Promix HP, Coco/Perlite, and straight coco for years in greenhouses and straight coco works the best and is the cheapest option.
Im going to look into the pros and cons of the perlite, but definitely appreciate your input
 

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
Im going to look into the pros and cons of the perlite, but definitely appreciate your input
It’s just an inert medium that adds porosity. For a dense organic soil that is comprised of compost, EWC, etc. it is very beneficial to add some aeration to increase O2 to the root zone. For coco that isn’t an issue.
 
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