Coco, Mineral Fertilizers And Microbial Life

[GreenZion]

Hi all !

I grew in coco for many years and always used mineral fertilizers and liquid enzymes only.
I've recently heard and red that it'd be beneficial to add good bacteria and microbiology, like trichodermas and mycorrhizas.

I'm not really good when it comes to biology and stuff like that so I'm not sure I understood well, which is why I'd like for your experts opinions. I always thought it was impossible to maintain life in coco while using mineral fertilizers, cold you please tell me more about that ?

 

[Enforcer]

Hi all !

I grew in coco for many years and always used mineral fertilizers and liquid enzymes only.
I've recently heard and red that it'd be beneficial to add good bacteria and microbiology, like trichodermas and mycorrhizas.

I'm not really good when it comes to biology and stuff like that so I'm not sure I understood well, which is why I'd like for your experts opinions. I always thought it was impossible to maintain life in coco while using mineral fertilizers, cold you please tell me more about that ?

Most definitely not impossible to maintain microbial life in coco. Most of us do, or try to. I use mycorrhizae at each stage of transplant, VooDoo Juice, and this stuff.

 

[GreenZion]

Thank you very much for your reply ! I'm going to look at what I kind find in the shop next to my place. I know voodoo juice by name but never tried it.

 

[Growing King]

When you first buy Coco it comes inert and lifeless, which is why it's so great.
Soils can sometimes contain pathogens, bad bacteria, pests, fungus, and pretty much anything you can think of.
When you're growing something you consume, you don't want all of those things to be taken in by your plant.
So that's when coco comes in, it is completely free of everything so you have total control over what your plant will be feeding off of. If you decide to introduce microbial life and good bacteria into it then that's what will be in it and that's what your plants will have available.
The only downside to coco is that it tends to retain calcium and magnesium and doesn't let your plant get as much of it as it should. Unless you get special nutrients for it like Complete Hydroponics Coco AB which have extra cal/mag for the coco.
So it's not impossible to have microbes and bacteria, you just have to do it yourself.