Ph testing coco coir

kittybitches

kittybitches

Well-Known Member
i am currently using coco coir to veg my three fems, i was wondering what the best way to test the ph would be. is it to test the solution before application, or is it to use a soil tester in the medium directly? if anyone can help, it would be much appreciated. thank you everyone.
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
Coco-coir used to have a problem, too much salt, had to be rinsed to leach it out. THat has been solved by the manufactures by using coco from further inland. If you reconstituted it with ph'd water you will be fine. VV
 
G

Growbot

Well-Known Member
kittybitches said:
i am currently using coco coir to veg my three fems, i was wondering what the best way to test the ph would be. is it to test the solution before application, or is it to use a soil tester in the medium directly? if anyone can help, it would be much appreciated. thank you everyone.
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to check ph in coco is different that in soil. you can't do a run-off and get accurate readings. you need to get down a couple inches into the rootzone. you take four parts distilled water and mix with one part coco from the rootzone. shake it up real good and let it sit for about 5 minutes. shake it up again and stick your meter in the mix. that'll be your ph. if you ph everything you put in/on your plants, you should never have to wirry about ph issues.
 
dante.

dante.

Active Member
Growbot said:
to check ph in coco is different that in soil. you can't do a run-off and get accurate readings. you need to get down a couple inches into the rootzone. you take four parts distilled water and mix with one part coco from the rootzone. shake it up real good and let it sit for about 5 minutes. shake it up again and stick your meter in the mix. that'll be your ph. if you ph everything you put in/on your plants, you should never have to wirry about ph issues.
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Hypothetically, could i stick a soil ph probe down into the medium and get accurate results?

REVIVE THE DEAD THREAD! REVIVE THE DEAD THREAD!
 
K

Kervork

Well-Known Member
Fill up a rubbermaid tub with water. Adjust PH to 5.8. Add in coco and agitate and let soak.
Remove coco and strain in pillowcase, smart pot etc.

Done.
 
ltkipras

ltkipras

Active Member
Kervork said:
Fill up a rubbermaid tub with water. Adjust PH to 5.8. Add in coco and agitate and let soak.
Remove coco and strain in pillowcase, smart pot etc.

Done.
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my coco ph was imbalanced cause I didn't have a ph meter, the water I watered it with had a ph of 7, so should I flush it with water with a ph of 5 or 5.8?
 
Silky Shagsalot

Silky Shagsalot

Well-Known Member
unless you're plants are displaying some sort of issues, don't fret the ph. if you ph your feed properly (5.8) and get a good amount of run-off, ph will never be an issue. remember though, the run-off is key! i don't put much stock in ph probes. i'm not saying they don't work, but i don't mess with them.
 
Silky Shagsalot

Silky Shagsalot

Well-Known Member
ltkipras said:
my coco ph was imbalanced cause I didn't have a ph meter, the water I watered it with had a ph of 7, so should I flush it with water with a ph of 5 or 5.8?
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i'd just begin feeding at the proper ph, and get a good amount of run-off. i try and get 15-20% run-off.
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
5.8 if you PH your solution and if your checking run off is normal for .5-.7 swings to a lower PH like 6.2-6.5 but i only check run off if i think i have a soil imbalance, but for coir you want to keep your feed at 5.5-6.2 for coir

and personally i dont do run off, but if your new at coco id do 10-15% run off at first, i only do no run off cuase canna(my base) is lowest in heavy metals and i also run a slight organic system additives to increase soil efficiency, i also flush for a 14 days
 
Trousers

Trousers

Well-Known Member
I rinse my coco in a big pot that drains with tapwater. I wait until the water runs clear. I do this with "ph'ed" and "rinsed" coco.
No matter what the label says, it always seems to run a bit dark for a bit.

Then I run a couple gallons of ph'd water with some calmag in it through the coco. (I use RO water)

Also, one of the best tips I ever got here in regards to coco was to check the ppm of your solution then check the runoff later.
If the ppm goes down, your plant is eating. It it goes up, you are over fertilizing.

I like the tip because you can verify it.
I found out I was slightly underfeeding one plant and way over feeding another.
 
Sencha

Sencha

Active Member
Never had a problem with Botanicare coco. General Hydroponics, GroTek, I think it was called. It smelled like faint burning kerosene. I cut that with ProMix and didn't have a problem, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Been growing in coco or Promix for a few years. 5.5-6.2 pH, never had a problem until my pH meter went wacky. I feed, feed, clean water. I only do run off when it's a clean water day and I don't ever worry about the pH of my run off.
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
Trousers said:
Also, one of the best tips I ever got here in regards to coco was to check the ppm of your solution then check the runoff later.
If the ppm goes down, your plant is eating. It it goes up, you are over fertilizing.

I like the tip because you can verify it.
I found out I was slightly underfeeding one plant and way over feeding another.
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This is GREAT advice for coco.

I very rarely worry about pH. EC or ppm, depending how you roll, is the key with coco.

Sure I check my pH of the nutes before feeding incase its too low or high, but if its already between 5.2-6.2 then I don't adjust.

Most of the time its spot on, sometimes if I'm running heavy feeders I need to UP the pH and for that I use liquid silicon(potassium silicate).


J
 
bowlfullofbliss

bowlfullofbliss

Well-Known Member
I think some people take this stuff way too serious. I've got a big tray with 7" pots, top drip fed, coco-coir. I don't do a whole lot of worrying, just feed them botinacare, 5.8. Just like the bag says. Plants love it. I don't have time for all that run off, pre-soak, blah blah.

Fill the pots, drench them, plant in them, drench them again, keep them wet. No sweat.
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
Sencha said:
Been growing in coco or Promix for a few years. 5.5-6.2 pH, never had a problem until my pH meter went wacky. I feed, feed, clean water. I only do run off when it's a clean water day and I don't ever worry about the pH of my run off.
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yup this is pretty much how i treat soil PH and solution PH, only need to worry about it if there is an issue, which rarely happens if its not grower error and i expect it
 
burgertime2010

burgertime2010

Well-Known Member
This is how coco works. It has a natural tendency to hold on to minerals and the alkalinity therein gradually raises the buffer of the medium to around 6.1 all things being equal. Ph is absolutely necessary if you are serious about optimizing growth, in fact at any other ph besides 5.8 you will have a blockage of certain nutrients. What you do is simple use calmag and 1/3 dose of your base nutrients and rinse out the coco at 5.8 to bring the buffer back. Get a runoff that is about 50 %. Now, your ph is stable and the coco is ready to go back to normal feeding. Be cautious of casual attitudes and bad advice, the facts are not negotiable and take them or leave them. Remember, to get good drainage every watering and your Ph should not be an issue. Trousers advice is solid. Having healthy-looking plants is not the goal.
 
Trousers

Trousers

Well-Known Member
I rinse the coco probably out of habit. I do not know if it is necessary.
The last block was GH grotek and the water ran brown for a bit while rinsing it.
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
i had a 1 year old plant that has been in a 10 gallon for 6months, i dont do run off . . . .it was 5.6- at feeding and 6.0 after dry, i never worry about run off, and i get most of my meds reviewed from a local review guy, smooth and potent . . so it is negotionable

i dont add call mag or silica, although i need to add some silica in early veg i just forget

and i get very good yields and they re consistent, 100 ways to skin a cat
 
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