whats the snizz on coco soil?

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
i have mixed it with my soil before. but i read about all these advantages over soil so i started to just grow a bag seed in some. after bout 2 weeks i didnt like the results so i threw it out but im still interested to hear if anyone is doing this successfully.
 

sonar

Well-Known Member
I never used it for ganja, but it makes a great mushroom growng substrate. :)

If I was going to use it, I would probably use it straight rather than mixing it with soil, but that's just me. A little know fact, Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil actually contains a fair amount of coco coir. It has excellent water holding capacity.

Most people I've seen use it like Pro-Mix or as a peat substitute. Others I've see use it almost like a hydro medium.
 

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
I never used it for ganja, but it makes a great mushroom growng substrate. :)

If I was going to use it, I would probably use it straight rather than mixing it with soil, but that's just me. A little know fact, Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil actually contains a fair amount of coco coir. It has excellent water holding capacity.

Most people I've seen use it like Pro-Mix or as a peat substitute. Others I've see use it almost like a hydro medium.
ya i heard it was a "soil-less" alternative or a substrate for hydro systems. from what i've read the root growth is great. but i mainly mix it with my soil for water retention. holds a good amount so you dont have to water all the time but not too much that it over does it. but now people are telling me there could be ph issues with that but i tested the ph of the coco by itself and its about 6.5. my soil/mix runoff is 6.6-6.9 so it seems ok with ph. but then again some of my recent grow is having weird problems. could be from the mix, heat, ect. but using it for mushrooms sounds nice. how would i go about doing that?
 

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
Coco coir is very similar to peat moss, but with several advantages.

- No twigs, bugs, or weird artifacts.
- Highly renewable.
- Neutral pH (peat moss is acidic); usually around 7.0
- Continues to absorb water when dry (peat repels water when dry)
- Holds more water than peat moss, while remaining breathable
- It's sterile so it won't contain plant viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.
- Safe for seedlings and clones
- Useful for hydroponic drain to waste setups.
- Great for amending clay or sandy soils

It's a fantastic medium and amendment, but it's not soil. When I hear people having problems with coir, it's usually because they are treating it like soil and not like a hydroponic medium or a soil amendment. In hydroponics you can use it in place of hydrocorn or any other inert medium. Outside in the garden you can mix coir with the native soil so it holds more water. It's basically like growing in a sponge with water. You have to add your own nutrients because it doesn't break down and provide food for your plants like soil does.

I love it because it's sterile and I hate it because it's sterile. It's all on how you look at it and what you need out of a medium.
 

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
Coco coir is very similar to peat moss, but with several advantages.

- No twigs, bugs, or weird artifacts.
- Highly renewable.
- Neutral pH (peat moss is acidic); usually around 7.0
- Continues to absorb water when dry (peat repels water when dry)
- Holds more water than peat moss, while remaining breathable
- It's sterile so it won't contain plant viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.
- Safe for seedlings and clones
- Useful for hydroponic drain to waste setups.
- Great for amending clay or sandy soils

It's a fantastic medium and amendment, but it's not soil. When I hear people having problems with coir, it's usually because they are treating it like soil and not like a hydroponic medium or a soil amendment. In hydroponics you can use it in place of hydrocorn or any other inert medium. Outside in the garden you can mix coir with the native soil so it holds more water. It's basically like growing in a sponge with water. You have to add your own nutrients because it doesn't break down and provide food for your plants like soil does.

I love it because it's sterile and I hate it because it's sterile. It's all on how you look at it and what you need out of a medium.
so can i use it in the place of rockwool or hydroton? and then pt it on a drip or DWC?
 

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
I'll let the hydro guys chime in if your after Deep Water Culture advice. I'm a soil guy myself. I use coir for starting seeds and clones, but after a month, all my plants go right outside into the garden.
 

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
I'll let the hydro guys chime in if your after Deep Water Culture advice. I'm a soil guy myself. I use coir for starting seeds and clones, but after a month, all my plants go right outside into the garden.
do you get a big root ball from the coco?
 

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
Yeah I get good root balls when using coir.

With clones, I'll get a paper towel roll, fill it with wet coir, and stick the clone in just like if it was a rockwool cube. I seal up the bottom with aluminum foil and poke a few holes with a toothpick for drainage. Mist 3x a day and water as needed. By the second or third week the roots will fill the entire length of the paper towel roll and I can transfer to my garden outside.

For seeds, I like to use a one gallon Smart Pot. I fill the pot with we coir, then push the seed half-inch deep, pinch the hole closed, and in about four weeks the roots will be so thick that I have to remove the smart pot and transfer it into something bigger.
 

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
Yeah I get good root balls when using coir.

With clones, I'll get a paper towel roll, fill it with wet coir, and stick the clone in just like if it was a rockwool cube. I seal up the bottom with aluminum foil and poke a few holes with a toothpick for drainage. Mist 3x a day and water as needed. By the second or third week the roots will fill the entire length of the paper towel roll and I can transfer to my garden outside.

For seeds, I like to use a one gallon Smart Pot. I fill the pot with we coir, then push the seed half-inch deep, pinch the hole closed, and in about four weeks the roots will be so thick that I have to remove the smart pot and transfer it into something bigger.
nice! ill try the paper towel thing.
 

WattSaver

Well-Known Member
Coir works well in a hempy bucket, and it gives you more of a soil grow feel. compared to F&D & other hydro setups.

Use chunky perlite to just above the hole then fill to the top with properly prepped coir.
 

itsraininbuds

Well-Known Member
Coir works well in a hempy bucket, and it gives you more of a soil grow feel. compared to F&D & other hydro setups.

Use chunky perlite to just above the hole then fill to the top with properly prepped coir.
yea i've heard of but am not too familiar with that method. is it worth a try?
 
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