THCFarmer.com
121,256 Members Log In Register
Log In Register

What do YOU use to amend coco??

  • Thread starter Thread starter LexLuthor
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

What do YOU use to amend coco??

LexLuthor 175 Replies 56,372 Views
Page 6 of 9 · Replies 101–120 of 176
#101
lex strait coco is awesome man. Check the air porosity its greater than rw. Imo either ammend hydrocorn or nothing. I like the reusability of coco and just cutting a plant out by rootball and running an enzyme thru to clean roots and re use for years. Beds rule for this reason
 
#102
I'm bout to plant my seeds in the coco today, I'm using 80/20 coco/perlite for the seedlings, but when I transplant to 3 gallon buckets I'm gonna mix in the perlite at 60/40, maybe even 50/50 if I have enough perlite.

I'm gonna rinse the coco until its below 200 ppm (.5 scale) then pre-charge with Gh Micro, Bloom, Epsom and 0.1% IBA at 3ml, 4.5ml, 0.5g, 0.2g per gallon then dilute the solution to 25% strength, but I won't add the IBA until I already diluted it so it stays at 0.2 g/G. No Cal-Mag products because the Micro has enough Ca and the epsom has enough Mg.
 
#104
midwestdensies said:
lex strait coco is awesome man. Check the air porosity its greater than rw. Imo either ammend hydrocorn or nothing. I like the reusability of coco and just cutting a plant out by rootball and running an enzyme thru to clean roots and re use for years. Beds rule for this reason
Click to expand...

i've been experimenting with this...literally rip plants out, shake em, smack the dirt off, rinse it, cut them to their first nodes, and transplant them into coco. Been trying different supplements in the coco to see what works best, but so far haven't lost a single plant and hardly any have shown stress signs. I think tea with kelp, SG and silica works the best for keeping them on track.
 
#105
as far as amendments go, it depends on what you are going for. I run a synthetic/organic regimen, so azomite and humic soil are two amendments I really like. I also like to water my coco through so a little perilite too, and I also innoculate with a teaspoon per bag of coco of each of cap's packs.
 
#106
We Solidarity said:
as far as amendments go, it depends on what you are going for. I run a synthetic/organic regimen, so azomite and humic soil are two amendments I really like. I also like to water my coco through so a little perilite too, and I also innoculate with a teaspoon per bag of coco of each of cap's packs.
Click to expand...

Good lord, that is the recipe for success...

Which brand of coco do you use? How about your Humic?
 
#107
I switch it up alot, I still haven't found a coco blend that I am 100% set on, but I did like black gold as well as the sunshine coir. Bricks are a pain to work with but there was one brand I can't remember that had such an awesome texture, not super stringy and lots of that squishy pith which is what I like. It must have been some aftermarket company b/c it only comes in every once in a while.

Also - if you've got money to spend the black gold waterhold and most of the royal gold line are probably the best coco products I've used. Seriously no-worry gardening if you're an experienced coco grower
 
#108
Great info We, seems we keep it nearly the same style. Simple, cheap and renewable. I only have noticed better progress run after run on the re use. My current room is on run 1 but will use that shit for years. Imo coco is coco is coco just rinse it. Dont get mexican hydrofarm shit with fucking sand and your good. Seems the difference is the rinsing standards (rhp)
 
#109
Also my peat is crushing coco fwiw. I can post pics if you guys want but this farmer thinks coco came about and was made popular via mmj industry then companies formulated nutrients for coco hmmm.. What do i know just observing some beds i have going on..
 
#110
midwestdensies said:
Also my peat is crushing coco fwiw. I can post pics if you guys want but this farmer thinks coco came about and was made popular via mmj industry then companies formulated nutrients for coco hmmm.. What do i know just observing some beds i have going on..
Click to expand...


oh yeah peat crushes everything...i'd use it if the bugs didn't love it so much. Growing up in commercial nurseries peat/poo mixes is all I ever used or saw used. And yeah coco was just marketed as a growing medium because they use it as a terrace builder in azn countries, and it worked decent. I don't think coco is a perfect medium at all, but the advantages are definitely there so I choose to work with it.

and yeah, keep your coco simple. Remember it's not soil, so whatever you amend will probably be washed out or used up in the first month or so. That's why I like the simple amendments that don't immediately break down, and will contribute more to a "soil" environment for the micros.

also - another good amendment for coco is pelletized calcium carbonate. using standard dolomite or hydrated lime I see weird deficiencies I can't explain, but the prills of carbonate (same idea as slow release fertilizer) last a LONG time and make a good buffer/cal source.
 
#111
Chemically, dolomite lime = CaMgCO3 (calcium magnesium carbonate). Hydrated lime = Ca(OH)2 and is acidic, offers no buffering (buffering up is that carbonate molecule, the CO3, and any time you see that combination, you know it's going to contribute to alkalinity, i.e. resistance to pH shift). I can see that causing problems in coir cultivation.

Other sources of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) include oyster shell (flour) and crab and shrimp shell meals. These meals also offer chitin.

I believe that the prilled products are bound with clay, and I would not be surprised if that clay is adding something unaccounted for in the mix.

I can see any carbonate source being depleted after a grow if using more acidic watering/feeding parameters, because all that's needed to get it into solution is a pH that's in the 6.0 range.
 
#113
I never knew IBA doesn't dissolve in water, but I found out the hard way last night lol. You have to dissolve it in alcohol that is 75% or stronger.
 
#114
Oh yeah, and the GH cocoTek bricks, not as salty as I thought. The run-off after hydration was around 300-400 ppm .5 scale and it took me like 1 gallon to bring it down to 150 ppm, for 1 small brick.
 
#115
Seamaiden said:
Chemically, dolomite lime = CaMgCO3 (calcium magnesium carbonate). Hydrated lime = Ca(OH)2 and is acidic, offers no buffering (buffering up is that carbonate molecule, the CO3, and any time you see that combination, you know it's going to contribute to alkalinity, i.e. resistance to pH shift). I can see that causing problems in coir cultivation.

Other sources of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) include oyster shell (flour) and crab and shrimp shell meals. These meals also offer chitin.

I believe that the prilled products are bound with clay, and I would not be surprised if that clay is adding something unaccounted for in the mix.

I can see any carbonate source being depleted after a grow if using more acidic watering/feeding parameters, because all that's needed to get it into solution is a pH that's in the 6.0 range.
Click to expand...




see what you think of that stuff sea - it def sets the standard! Works well enough to replace Cal/Mg products in coco as long as your magnesium is covered :)


lex0415 said:
Oh yeah, and the GH cocoTek bricks, not as salty as I thought. The run-off after hydration was around 300-400 ppm .5 scale and it took me like 1 gallon to bring it down to 150 ppm, for 1 small brick.
Click to expand...

I was gonna recommend GH coco but figured I might get some flak...I think it's a solid product. Actually thinking about using their 4x8 rolled mats in the last few weeks of flower, see if I can't get a growth spurt from the added root space.
 
#116
Forty % new coco 60% old mix= 50
% coco 50% soil= happy frog ewc, kelp, protein crumples, TTP compost
Image
 
#120
Here's what the top of amended coco looks like with plant growing in it.
Image
 
Page 6 of 9 · Replies 101–120 of 176
Back
Top Bottom