Trying out my first coco / perlite hempy bucket today

[jonnynobody]

I've been growing in hempy buckets for years now and the yields are excellent and the grow process is fairly simple. The one thing I've been very dissatisfied with is the condition of the roots after harvest while I'm dumping out the perlite / root ball. Also, the roots do not spread through the entire medium. They reach for the reservoir at the bottom and there are absolutely no roots throughout the perlite other than the feeders down to the res. The roots are also not glistening white even though I sterilize my reservoir @3ml/gallon with 33% h202. There's no rot, but they have a slight tan color to them. I don't like it and it's time to change it which brings me to my first coco / perlite hempy bucket.

In nearly every coco hempy I've seen the rootball on after harvest has healthy thick white roots throughout the entire root ball in the bucket. They don't grow like mine in 100% perlite with roots only populating the reservoir area. I believe the coco / perlite hempy will produce superior results by keeping the roots healthier and growing more of them.

I had a bad experience with cheap coco years back which is why I don't use it exclusively today. It was just poor quality product and not a problem with coco as a medium itself. So I bought a brick of the Canna brand coco which was very cheap. It's already buffered and Canna says it is ready to use after hydration. Of course I'll give 'er a good rinse to eliminate any fine bits and pieces in there. Canna also states the medium is pre buffered so that's a stupid process I get to skip. I can't imagine why anyone would want to save a few $ on cheap poorly processed coco instead of buying quality product from a company like Canna. Anywho I'm placing #4 chunky perlite in the reservoir area to ensure rapid drainage and to prevent loss of my coco during water cycles. I'll mix a good amount of perlite into the coco to aid in draining and aeration of the medium rather than letting the coco form a big mud pie.

I'll be running the usual jack's 321 @1.6 ec PH adjusted to 5.8.

Any tips or advice fellow coco growers can offer is greatly appreciated. I'll post a pic of my transplant later. I'm pretty stoked about growing healthier roots and bigger plants

 

[Failmore]

I noticed a similar issue with my roots in my system. Basically same thing but I use expanded clay. Roots always chased the water and went straight down and out the bottom of the bucket.

This go I bought a coco fiber liner for an outdoor hanging plant. Cut the thing up and put pieces of it under where the seedling would go and at the bottom and a couple other places. My hope is the root hits the fiber mesh and then expands out. So far I have not seen roots out the bottom 5 weeks in. I think my pots also have smaller holes this go.

This was my grow last year. Roots were white but all at the bottom of a tall pot.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

100% Canna Coco Professional

 

[rkymtnman]

the only thing that worried me about coco in a hempy was there has (maybe?) to be a dead zone in the middle of the bucket where it dries out. maybe not though?

take some pics for us @jonnynobody .

 

[jonnynobody]

the only thing that worried me about coco in a hempy was there has (maybe?) to be a dead zone in the middle of the bucket where it dries out. maybe not though?

take some pics for us @jonnynobody .

I'm stuck in trim prison today. Been at it since 1:00 and I'm running through to midnight. Knocking out the transplant after that. Wife's on vacation for a few days so I can do what I want for a few days which includes working as late as I dam well feel

I'm trimming god bud the next 2 days and it sure is a dense pretty flower it produces. I'm a slow trimmer though. Wife's very fast. Her pain meds get her working like a champ. It's nice to have her gone for a few days, but I also can't wait for her to get back so I got some dam trimming assistance. Binge watching the hatfields and mccoy's while I'm working. Dam show is addictive.

I'll snap a couple pics after the transplant tonight. I'm actually pretty excited about this. Aside from my lights this is the biggest change I've made in years.

 

[jonnynobody]

Well last night was a long one so I did the transplants today. I kinda dig this stuff. The canna coco brick was very easy to process in a tote with some #4 perlite mixed in for drainage. I filled 3 5 gallon buckets and have 1.5 5 gallon buckets leftover. I'm pretty impressed with how much coco you get out of that little brick. Reminds me of those things you'd buy for a quarter on the way out of the grocery store. Go home and drop it in water. Next day the little rubber spider or whatnot would grow 10x overnight. Ahh...early 90s memories

I did 3 plants in coco with #4 perlite in the res just past the hole. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs versus perlite. Here's some pics from the transplant process. Messy messy process.

 

[1212ham]

I used straight perlite last time but I'm going back to coco/perlite, I think some coco is needed for its wicking effect. I'm also running Jacks 321 so I'll follow your grow. I think I'll start them in 2 liter soda bottles and go to 3.5 gallon buckets.

Did you start them in those little trash cans? Using Epsom? RO water?

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

I used straight perlite last time but I'm going back to coco/perlite, I think some coco is needed for its wicking effect. I'm also running Jacks 321 so I'll follow your grow. I think I'll start them in 2 liter soda bottles and go to 3.5 gallon buckets.

Did you start them in those little trash cans? Using Epsom? RO water?

Solo cups / starter pots work great.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

i've been growing in coco/perlite hempies for about 7 or 8 years now, and i always have big solid root masses from top to bottom. i use 70% coco to 30% perlite, and make sure its mixed up good when i pot anything up.
i let the rootballs dry out for a few days after i cut them and shake them pretty good into a big round 20 gallon tote, then i pick out the worst of the root mass that falls off with the coco and reuse it, mixed half and half with fresh coco and perlite. when it seems like its getting a little too "dirty" i throw it out in my raised beds and turn it into the soil.

 

[jonnynobody]

Solo cups / starter pots work great.
View attachment 4984311

I use to use soil for seedlings but it's coco moving forward. The bugs in soil is a real pain. I think my last batch of ocean forest might have brought mite eggs into my nursery that infected most of the garden. Coco seems like a much better medium to work with. Do you add organics to your coco through the grow cycle or do you prefer synthetics? I've heard of some people even doing a little of both.

i've been growing in coco/perlite hempies for about 7 or 8 years now, and i always have big solid root masses from top to bottom. i use 70% coco to 30% perlite, and make sure its mixed up good when i pot anything up.
i let the rootballs dry out for a few days after i cut them and shake them pretty good into a big round 20 gallon tote, then i pick out the worst of the root mass that falls off with the coco and reuse it, mixed half and half with fresh coco and perlite. when it seems like its getting a little too "dirty" i throw it out in my raised beds and turn it into the soil.

Now that's what I'm talking about. I can't wait to see my first hairy thick white mass of roots after the next harvest in the coco. Haven't seen that in about 13 years when I first started growing. I'm ready for an encore

If you don't mind my asking do you have a preferred brand of coco? I'm using the canna coco I had on hand from a ways back.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

I use to use soil for seedlings but it's coco moving forward. The bugs in soil is a real pain. I think my last batch of ocean forest might have brought mite eggs into my nursery that infected most of the garden. Coco seems like a much better medium to work with. Do you add organics to your coco through the grow cycle or do you prefer synthetics? I've heard of some people even doing a little of both.


Now that's what I'm talking about. I can't wait to see my first hairy thick white mass of roots after the next harvest in the coco. Haven't seen that in about 13 years when I first started growing. I'm ready for an encore

If you don't mind my asking do you have a preferred brand of coco? I'm using the canna coco I had on hand from a ways back.

canna makes good stuff. it's actually not that readily available here, so it's either get it from amazon, or home depot. home depot doesn't keep it in stock, but you can order it and either pick it up or they'll deliver it to your house for free.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/11-lbs-Coco-Coir-Potting-Soil-for-Indoor-Plants-Outdoor-Plants-The-Coconut-Coir-Potting-Mix-is-Great-for-Microgreens-0012001/317316847

i found this to be a good brand, no chunky salt crystals and not much dust, but it's not buffered, so i throw some calmag in when i rehydrate it

 

[StonedGardener]

I've been growing in hempy buckets for years now and the yields are excellent and the grow process is fairly simple. The one thing I've been very dissatisfied with is the condition of the roots after harvest while I'm dumping out the perlite / root ball. Also, the roots do not spread through the entire medium. They reach for the reservoir at the bottom and there are absolutely no roots throughout the perlite other than the feeders down to the res. The roots are also not glistening white even though I sterilize my reservoir @3ml/gallon with 33% h202. There's no rot, but they have a slight tan color to them. I don't like it and it's time to change it which brings me to my first coco / perlite hempy bucket.

In nearly every coco hempy I've seen the rootball on after harvest has healthy thick white roots throughout the entire root ball in the bucket. They don't grow like mine in 100% perlite with roots only populating the reservoir area. I believe the coco / perlite hempy will produce superior results by keeping the roots healthier and growing more of them.

I had a bad experience with cheap coco years back which is why I don't use it exclusively today. It was just poor quality product and not a problem with coco as a medium itself. So I bought a brick of the Canna brand coco which was very cheap. It's already buffered and Canna says it is ready to use after hydration. Of course I'll give 'er a good rinse to eliminate any fine bits and pieces in there. Canna also states the medium is pre buffered so that's a stupid process I get to skip. I can't imagine why anyone would want to save a few $ on cheap poorly processed coco instead of buying quality product from a company like Canna. Anywho I'm placing #4 chunky perlite in the reservoir area to ensure rapid drainage and to prevent loss of my coco during water cycles. I'll mix a good amount of perlite into the coco to aid in draining and aeration of the medium rather than letting the coco form a big mud pie.

I'll be running the usual jack's 321 @1.6 ec PH adjusted to 5.8.

Any tips or advice fellow coco growers can offer is greatly appreciated. I'll post a pic of my transplant later. I'm pretty stoked about growing healthier roots and bigger plants

Stay on call with your fire hose.........those ladies will drink ya under the table.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

I use to use soil for seedlings but it's coco moving forward. The bugs in soil is a real pain. I think my last batch of ocean forest might have brought mite eggs into my nursery that infected most of the garden. Coco seems like a much better medium to work with. Do you add organics to your coco through the grow cycle or do you prefer synthetics? I've heard of some people even doing a little of both.


Now that's what I'm talking about. I can't wait to see my first hairy thick white mass of roots after the next harvest in the coco. Haven't seen that in about 13 years when I first started growing. I'm ready for an encore

If you don't mind my asking do you have a preferred brand of coco? I'm using the canna coco I had on hand from a ways back.

I just use Jack's 3-2-1 and ArmorSi. Use bagged Canna Coco Professional.

 

[.Smoke]

Subbed.
I use a perlite/vermiculite/hydroton mix nowadays with my top feed buckets. Definitely needed the perlite/vermiculite for the wicking action. I had the same root issues with just straight hydroton, but nice full root balls with the mix.
Interested to see how this works out for you.

I just started 4 new GDP"s with Jack's @ 1/2 strength. By 1 month they'll be @ 2.1EC. Will let ya know how it goes.
Keep us updated brother.

 

[ComputerSaysNo]

I'm pretty impressed with how much coco you get out of that little brick. Reminds me of those things you'd buy for a quarter on the way out of the grocery store. Go home and drop it in water. Next day the little rubber spider or whatnot would grow 10x overnight. Ahh...early 90s memories

OMG I remember that as well! The coco bricks are great, so convenient. Plus, you can soak them in nutrient solution and it's all pre-watered for transplanting right off the go.

 

[ComputerSaysNo]

I use to use soil for seedlings but it's coco moving forward. The bugs in soil is a real pain. I think my last batch of ocean forest might have brought mite eggs into my nursery that infected most of the garden.

This! We've had a bad case of the mites because silly me brought in some soil from the outside, it probably had the mite eggs in it. Never bring in soil from the garden, and even the store-bought stuff can carry bugs, as you've said.

Coco seems like a much better medium to work with. Do you add organics to your coco through the grow cycle or do you prefer synthetics? I've heard of some people even doing a little of both.

Coco is so much more controlled, it's also a lot more clean to work with indoors. I have only used synthetics with coco (it's in an AutoPot), added some beneficials as well for good measure. Very pleased with the results so far. Will never touch soil again.

 

[ComputerSaysNo]

Solo cups / starter pots work great.

You can get these starter pots that are made out of coco as well (look a lot like brown cardboard). The roots will grow right through them, you can directly transplant them into larger pots, it's super convenient, and avoids most transplant stress. Great for clones, too.
The fact that the roots grow through the pot walls will also air prune them, so you will have a healthier root ball on the transplantee.

 

[jonnynobody]

I'm very happy to report today that all 3 plants I transplanted into coco are thriving pushing out lush new growth looking healthy as a horse. 2 of the plants were badly damaged before the transplant. I wasn't even sure if they were going to make it due to pesticide damage. The bigger plants took the application without a problem. It was a different story for the smaller ladies. It was just too much for them and by the time I stripped off all the damaged leaves the 2' plants looked like clones instead of 4 week old plants. I'll snap some pics later. I was a little nervous about trying coco again but this ship is seeing nothing but smooth sailing so far. If this run completes without issue I'm using Canna coco exclusively moving forward. I'm looking forward to pulling out a hairy white root ball spanning the entire 5 gallon bucket top to bottom after the next harvest. I hate emptying perlite buckets and only seeing roots at the bottom. It makes me feel like the plant isn't reaching it's full potential.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

I'm very happy to report today that all 3 plants I transplanted into coco are thriving pushing out lush new growth looking healthy as a horse. 2 of the plants were badly damaged before the transplant. I wasn't even sure if they were going to make it due to pesticide damage. The bigger plants took the application without a problem. It was a different story for the smaller ladies. It was just too much for them and by the time I stripped off all the damaged leaves the 2' plants looked like clones instead of 4 week old plants. I'll snap some pics later. I was a little nervous about trying coco again but this ship is seeing nothing but smooth sailing so far. If this run completes without issue I'm using Canna coco exclusively moving forward. I'm looking forward to pulling out a hairy white root ball spanning the entire 5 gallon bucket top to bottom after the next harvest. I hate emptying perlite buckets and only seeing roots at the bottom. It makes me feel like the plant isn't reaching it's full potential.

You should give 100% coco a shot some time too.

 

[ComputerSaysNo]

It was just too much for them and by the time I stripped off all the damaged leaves the 2' plants looked like clones instead of 4 week old plants.

We were in the same spot after our mite infestation; mature plant in veg was stripped down badly.

It all grew back within a matter of weeks; you wouldn't know the difference if it wasn't for the weird branch structure. That plant is semi-outdoors on a balcony. Growing in coco like yours.

So don't worry, your plants will recover, too. All you've lost is time.