help please!

[calibrian]

I'm a novice grower. I gotta nice big bag of coco shavings to start with, I'm going to need 3 more bags to fill all my pots. what else besides coco mix should I use. perlite? dolomite? do I use them in equal increments? I know some things are meant to adjust the ph of the soil but I'm more concerned about it's over texture, ability to hold moisture and aeration. what else should I use if anything?
Brand names would be good too but I really just need to know what to use is best.:rollj:

 

[ibTheMan]

you should go with sunshine #4 it really nice, add about 20 -30% coarse perlite. PH to 6.0

 

[calibrian]

you should go with sunshine #4 it really nice, add about 20 -30% coarse perlite. PH to 6.0

I find myself unable to find it locally and I'm not gonna pay $150 to have it shipped in. any other suggestions?

 

[xerhoss]

Nothing wrong with running straight coco either, bro. Whatever way you choose to go, best of luck with the grow.

 

[SSHZ]

It's available locally...... you are not looking hard enough. Try some of the local garden stores- they use it for their own potted plants in the greenhouses. You need to ask for it because it's usually stored out back because of size/weight/size,etc.......

East coast ask for Premier Pro-Mix BX, out west it's Sunshine Mix.

 

[calibrian]

It's available locally...... you are not looking hard enough. Try some of the local garden stores- they use it for their own potted plants in the greenhouses. You need to ask for it because it's usually stored out back because of size/weight/size,etc.......

East coast ask for Premier Pro-Mix BX, out west it's Sunshine Mix.

if you know a place in san diego, please, I'd love to know where. I just looked for online for about an hour. I cant find it anywhere. I was thinking about cutting the coco like 1/3 coco, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 perlite. would that be somewhat close to ideal for staying safe?

 

[cheech]

i would't add the vermiculite. that is added to a mix to help retain moisture. the coco will do that. check out some of the coco grows on this site. most people ammend it the same way they would with any other soiless mix(promix, sunshine #4) - add a certain percentage of perlite to the mix. i have quite a few plants in coco right now and i added about 30% perlite. or just plant in straight coco. i am using canna coco right now and really wanted to air it up which is why i added the perlite.

 

[Cort]

San Diego is loaded with hydroponics shops. All will have what you need to get started.

Im a noob too, but the first thing I did is spend weeks reading before a single thing was purchased. I highly recommend taking a deep breath, buying a few books, spend some time understanding them and also reading up on this site.

There are some great grow logs that started off just like your post tonight and ended with tons of knowledge learned. Some good buds too.

 

[xerhoss]

the first thing I did is spend weeks reading before a single thing was purchased.

Word. Ditto. :)

 

[calibrian]

Word. Ditto. :)

I've spent a year planning my room. I should have some clones under light this week. I just want to get my last minute details down. I'm hearing so many different combinations of what can be done with coco mix, so far the coco mixed with 10-30% perlite(pending needs) is the most common. so cool! I learned what I needed to learn. I hope to have some beautiful baby girls in a few days.

I'll take any last minute clone advice too, if anyone has some.

 

[xerhoss]

I've spent a year planning my room. I should have some clones under light this week. I just want to get my last minute details down. I'm hearing so many different combinations of what can be done with coco mix, so far the coco mixed with 10-30% perlite(pending needs) is the most common. so cool! I learned what I needed to learn. I hope to have some beautiful baby girls in a few days.

I'll take any last minute clone advice too, if anyone has some.

I've done a lot of reading on coco and even though i have friends that are experienced with soil and DWC, i just fell in love with this sub medium. I don't think you can go wrong with either mixture so long as you keep a good watering regimen.

Looking forward to seeing how yours goes. :party0042:

 

[Cort]

Check out SUBLBC on you tube, he does pure coco grows and explains every detail of what he does. Great spot for coco tips, keeping in mind he is a mass producer flipping 24 ladies at a time. Smaller growers might not find everything tailor made.

 

[strictlyOG]

10% perlite if you wanna feed every other day. 30% if you would like to feed everyday.

 

[Seamaiden]

I'm a novice grower. I gotta nice big bag of coco shavings to start with, I'm going to need 3 more bags to fill all my pots. what else besides coco mix should I use. perlite? dolomite? do I use them in equal increments? I know some things are meant to adjust the ph of the soil but I'm more concerned about it's over texture, ability to hold moisture and aeration. what else should I use if anything?
Brand names would be good too but I really just need to know what to use is best.:rollj:

I am LOVING rice hulls. I am using hulls packaged for animal bedding, so a few sprouts come up. No worries, just pluck 'em. Not only are they significantly cheaper than perlite, they're an already-available agricultural waste product which makes them sustainable, renewable, super-green! Perlite, on the other hand, is several times more expensive, needs to be mined AND heated and processed to make it a product good for gardeners to use. Mostly I'm cheap, thusly, rice hulls.

Coco is not soil, btw, it is its own beast. You need to learn how to work with it, because it is not mineralized and therefore requires a different feeding schedule and additions of calcium and magnesium. Also, it's very high in potassium so feeds need to be a little bit lower in K.

 

[calibrian]

I am LOVING rice hulls. I am using hulls packaged for animal bedding, so a few sprouts come up. No worries, just pluck 'em. Not only are they significantly cheaper than perlite, they're an already-available agricultural waste product which makes them sustainable, renewable, super-green! Perlite, on the other hand, is several times more expensive, needs to be mined AND heated and processed to make it a product good for gardeners to use. Mostly I'm cheap, thusly, rice hulls.

Coco is not soil, btw, it is its own beast. You need to learn how to work with it, because it is not mineralized and therefore requires a different feeding schedule and additions of calcium and magnesium. Also, it's very high in potassium so feeds need to be a little bit lower in K.

I've already invested into coco, I'll take in what you said for next time around and probably go with some peat moss or something. but as for now, I cant afford to up and switch, and my clones are already in the coco. but the rice thing, that is readily available at a garden store? about how much would I need for 10 3 gal pots?

 

[Bud Spleefman]

I've spent a year planning my room. I should have some clones under light this week. I just want to get my last minute details down. I'm hearing so many different combinations of what can be done with coco mix, so far the coco mixed with 10-30% perlite(pending needs) is the most common. so cool! I learned what I needed to learn. I hope to have some beautiful baby girls in a few days.

I'll take any last minute clone advice too, if anyone has some.

Mix it with perlite, 30% perlite, 70% coco, since it's your first grow, it's hard to fuck that mix up. They will drain nicely.... just don't forget to water/feed, probably everyday, once the roots get established.

 

[Bud Spleefman]

You can treat COCO just like soil, I do it in Veg all the time... I know some people rant and rave about how it's not soil, but believe me, PureBlendPro Grow works in Coco the same as Sunshine #4.......... keep it simple on your first grow, and you'll be fine.

 

[Seamaiden]

Coco is not mineralized, which means that all sorts of things will need to go into it, especially if it's not pre-charged. Most important to remember are these two things--potassium levels are much higher in coco, so you have to reduce K in the feed, especially during flowering; and coco latches onto calcium and magnesium like crazy, so it must be supplemented. There is also the issue of what pH values to feed at with coco versus soil, the ranges are rather different in my experience.

I've already invested into coco, I'll take in what you said for next time around and probably go with some peat moss or something. but as for now, I cant afford to up and switch, and my clones are already in the coco. but the rice thing, that is readily available at a garden store? about how much would I need for 10 3 gal pots?

You asked what else you could add to the coco to help with drainage. I answered with rice hulls. ?? Don't try to grow in straight rice hulls. I haven't found them at my local garden center (there's only one), only at the local feed shop (there are a couple). You can only get it in pre-packaged bales, mine are 8'cu, about double the volume of the largest bags of perlite I can find locally. You're going to have to find out how to source them locally yourself.

 

[minster]

what are the problems with growing in straight coco? Why do you need to add something like Perlite? I grow in straight canna coco (newbie) with a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom for drainage - is that wrong/ less optimal?

 

[Seamaiden]

You don't have to add the perlite (or in my case, probably from now on, rice hulls), it's just that it does help to 'open' up the coco if it's a finer, less stringy coco. I've learned that you don't even have to have something on the bottom, just put it in the pots.

The biggest problem I personally see with growing in straight coco is the cost--it's more expensive, so I cut it down with the rice hulls.