coco slab success???
- Thread starter fredro
- Start date
cocodreams
Member
I haven't tried them yet. For my money itis coco + smartpots (or any similar fabric pot)
BigFatFatty
Active Member
Any of y'all tried them blocks you can get for like turtle or lizard beddings? They got like two blocks you can buy for under $10 at petco I use it for my reptiles but wondering if it'll work for a medium...
RavenMochi
Well-Known Member
I've been wondering about mediums too. Once I tried starting off seeds in a sponge with a low level of water and they took root in it. Of course that wasn't a whole grow, for all I know a sponge could be prone to growing the wrong type of bacteria, etc. Got the idea though from an aerogarden I had, the seed packs that came with it looked like they were in a synthetic sponge.
BobCajun
Well-Known Member
I used the brick shaped blocks before. There are two kinds, one is fine textured and one is more chip textured. I mixed the two together and it worked pretty good. Later I found a place that had "Big Daddy Coco Gro Bags". They are 10"x10"x3" inside a folded plastic bag. You're supposed to use them in that bag as a pot but I just took the coco out and used it in plastic containers. It works well. I have read that coco causes cal/mag deficiencies, but I didn't have a problem. The fungus gnats liked it though. Had a horrendous infestation that resisted neem oil treatment. Finally had to buy parasitic nematodes to get rid of them. I was mixing small amounts of soil in with the coco, though, so that could be why. I just thought it might be helpful. Maybe that was why I didn't have cal/mag deficiencies.
Later I used pure coco but I did a crazy thing. I thought that if I put some pure clay kitty litter in there it might help to make it hold a little more water and maybe give it cation exchange capacity. I didn't put much, about a tablespoon or two per container. I don't know for sure if that's what did it, because I changed completely to perlite/water crystals after that, but what happened is that the plants all turned almost completely yellow and growth was severely impeded. Turns out the kitty litter must have been sodium bentonite clay, which releases sodium and exchanges it for weaker bases in the nutrients, like calcium or magnesium. I can't be sure if it was the clay that caused it or if it was the coco itself. I put a bunch of magnesium sulfate solution through it to try to get all the sodium to exchange for the magnesium and it did seem to help. After a few more flushings growth returned to normal. Could have been the coco causing cal/mag deficiency and the magnesium sulfate corrected it, don't really know. So be wary of using pure coco OR sodium bentonite clay.
I would try the coco on a small scale at first to see how it works out, if that's what you want to use, but I find that perlite mixed with about equal amounts of wet water crystals works without any problems. Perlite is easier to get in ordinary stores than coco. The crystals save on perlite, because it only takes 20 mls of crystals to make about 2.5 liters of wet crystals. It's almost all water. It makes a good medium with perlite though, which doesn't dry out quickly like pure perlite. The crystals supply the water and hold nutrients while the perlite allows aeration between the crystals. It's not as heavy as you might expect either, about the same as a container of coco or soil. It's good to water with plain water sometimes so the crystals don't build up large amounts of nutrient salts inside them over time from partially drying and then getting more nutrient solution applied, thereby getting more and more concentrated. You would just use plain water for the last few weeks before harvest too. After use, you just let it dry out and there is much less material to throw out, which is very light.
Later I used pure coco but I did a crazy thing. I thought that if I put some pure clay kitty litter in there it might help to make it hold a little more water and maybe give it cation exchange capacity. I didn't put much, about a tablespoon or two per container. I don't know for sure if that's what did it, because I changed completely to perlite/water crystals after that, but what happened is that the plants all turned almost completely yellow and growth was severely impeded. Turns out the kitty litter must have been sodium bentonite clay, which releases sodium and exchanges it for weaker bases in the nutrients, like calcium or magnesium. I can't be sure if it was the clay that caused it or if it was the coco itself. I put a bunch of magnesium sulfate solution through it to try to get all the sodium to exchange for the magnesium and it did seem to help. After a few more flushings growth returned to normal. Could have been the coco causing cal/mag deficiency and the magnesium sulfate corrected it, don't really know. So be wary of using pure coco OR sodium bentonite clay.
I would try the coco on a small scale at first to see how it works out, if that's what you want to use, but I find that perlite mixed with about equal amounts of wet water crystals works without any problems. Perlite is easier to get in ordinary stores than coco. The crystals save on perlite, because it only takes 20 mls of crystals to make about 2.5 liters of wet crystals. It's almost all water. It makes a good medium with perlite though, which doesn't dry out quickly like pure perlite. The crystals supply the water and hold nutrients while the perlite allows aeration between the crystals. It's not as heavy as you might expect either, about the same as a container of coco or soil. It's good to water with plain water sometimes so the crystals don't build up large amounts of nutrient salts inside them over time from partially drying and then getting more nutrient solution applied, thereby getting more and more concentrated. You would just use plain water for the last few weeks before harvest too. After use, you just let it dry out and there is much less material to throw out, which is very light.
cocodreams
Member
If you go that route, make sure to rinse the coco SEVERAL times. That type of coco is not rinsed of salts as well as hydroponic grade coco is.
The coco mega brick from nutrifield is my favorite brand of coco. Inexpensive, and pre-buffered with cal-mag. If you can't find it locally, this is a great place to get it. Some people will advise against using compressed brick coco because of high slat levels, but i find that is not the case with modern name brand coco.
http://www.discount-hydro.com/products/Nutrifield-Coco.html
hydrate it outdoors if possible. It can get quite messy if you don't know what you're getting into. These bricks make a TON of media.
cocodreams
Member
You are referring to 'coco coir' and 'coco chips,' both of which are excellent soilless media.
Coco coir holds a large amount of water and air, but it can at times be a bit too much water/ This is why you will often find people mixing coir with perlite or hydroton. Puutting coir in fabric pots also does the same trick-- you can use 100% coir easily in fabric pots. Coir is well suited for drip, drain to waste, and soilless mixes.
Coco chips are the size of croutons. They hold a huge amount of air in the spaces between, but are not as efficient in their capillary action (ability to move fluid around). They are wekll suited to recirculating systems, especially ebb and flow, but they don't work as well in top feed systems (put it in fabric pots, and you will never have clogs!) It is an an excellent media for orchids.