well i have used coco now for a number of years, at first for legal crops and then after seeing such astounding growth of tomato crops i just had to try growing weed in it!
i like to think i now have a fairly good handle on the coco growing and have developed my own simple methods to make my grow easy as well as productive.
as many of you will have seen in my fans of the wardrobe thread (aka the never ending diary) https://www.t-g-c.nl/forum/index.php/to ... ing-diary/ i employ a simple run to waste system and allthough i have bought and fitted all the equipment for a dripper system i quickly found this only suitable for holidays not easy to manage flowering plants and after side by side testing established that more vigourous flooding with the watering can seems to work more effectively.
in veg period my theory being the greater draining of more water drags new air through the coco and helps stop salt build up so quick which helps save on deficiencies caused by the salt locking out vital elements so fast watering is best and a simple watering can is good.
i would like this thread to be a good place to learn, and share what we each learn and share experiences good or bad using coco.
also i am rather interested in the controversy between soil and coco grown weed ie soil growers will swear that there weed is sweeter and better tasting and most coco growers become quiet vocal on the subject!
so anyone who has done both please express your preferences and tell us why and how its different?
please feel free to post any pics of your coco grows post questions or problems concerning coco growing or just chat shite like me!i will start with a few pics of my current coco grow and some past drobe scrogs
i found and read this a while ago about coconut and the medium we all love to use, its an interesting read however it contained a few inaccurate bits which i have edited, it also tells a bit of the history of the use of coconut i hope it captures some interest,peace
first of with the do's and dont's:
do check ur PH! - range from 5.6 to 6.2 works really well
do make sure you use nutes specific for coco! - this will give the best results and easy of use.
do make sure you use pots big enough for the watering intervals you want to have. bigger pots means less watering. but more water is needed to flush out properly.
do make sure you have run off when watering. about 20-40% is enough.
do make sure the coco never gets dry - this is a hydro medium. watering often gives better results.
do be careful when using ph up and ph down not to mix the two or even use the same syringe as this will cause chemical reaction,allways dilute ph down with tapwater making using easier and safer.
DONT treat coco like a soil grow.
Coco Coir
Coco coir is a relatively new growing medium available these days for the hydroponics soil less culture. Coco coir is being produced as a bi-product of the coconut tree. Coconut husk is processed to produce fibrous material for use as a growing medium.
the quality of your water will make a difference re feeding and the background ec(ec is measure of feed strength in ms) should be taken into account when setting the ec in coco .so if for eg your waters background is 0.50 and you are needing a total of 1.2ec (adult plant) then you would add nutes to reach 1.2 ec not including the waters background ec this means inc bg meter will read 1.7 ec the plant is now getting what should be just about enough for an average adult plant after a few days feeding this look at the colour of foliage if it is pale next feed up your ec by a tad and check again in a couple of days this is the safest method and will not burn a healthy plant,basically what i think im saying is less is more and im certain in coco less nutrient is required than in other hydro systems imo this is because plants easier utilise nutrient in coco so needing less would make sense.
History
Coconut coir (fiber made out of coconut shells) has been used in different parts of the world for many years. Initially this fiber had been used for making twine, mats and brooms by western civilizations, but it had never been looked at as a growing medium for plant growth in the western world, although it had been used as a growing medium in ancient India and China. The use of this product as a medium for plant growth started in the late ‘80s, and moved into the commercial sector in the early 90s. Since then its use has increased day by day in home gardening, commercial roses and vegetable production, and in the hydroponics industry in general.
Coconut coir is one of the most versatile materials man has ever extracted from Mother Nature. It has traveled a long way since its humble beginnings as the ubiquitous tying ropes. Coir today is used to make everything from door mats to rugs, rubberized coir mattresses, decorative rugs, garden articles and growing medium. It is not just a natural product - it also has some winning advantages that make this product a premium choice for modern soil less growing systems.
Properties
Coco coir is a proven best alternative to any growing medium. Its use as a growing medium outperforms any other medium used for growing vegetables, ornamentals and tree plants. Its soft structure promotes easy root penetration and healthy growth. Coco coir is 100% environmentally friendly. It is a renewable resource that is consistent in quality. Coco coir has the best physical and chemical properties to promote better plant growth.
· Coco has high water-holding capacity. It can hold water up to eight times of its weight and release it over a period of time.
· Coco has ideal pH in the range of 5,6-6.2 with 5.8 being the sweetspot
· It has excellent drainage and air porosity for better plant growth
· Coco is very low in EC and carries mostly potassium salts, which is an essential major plant nutrient
· Cation exchange capacity is very good
· Coco coir has some antifungal properties that help plants to get rid of soil borne diseases. It inhibits pathogens like Pithium
· Coco is very easy to re-hydrate after being dehydrated
· It is a biodegradable source that degrades very slowly and has a life of three to four years
· Contains significant amounts of phosphorous (10-50ppm) and potassium (150-450 ppm)
As mentioned above Coco coir is not just a natural product with very good properties for plant growth - it also has some winning advantages over other growing mediums.
Advantages of Coco Coir
· It is a 100% renewable resource and can by use of either enzymes or earthworms be reused many times
· Coco coir is light in weight
· It is consistent in high quality
· Coco coir is completely environmentally friendly
· The coco holds water/nutes better than any soil based medium
· Coco coir never shrinks, cracks or produces crust
· It promotes better root systems in a short time
· Coco coir is odorless, pleasant to handle, and uniform in composition
How to Use
Breaking
Coco is available in disks, bricks, or blocks. Simply break the blocks or bricks into smaller pieces.
Soaking
Soak these broken Coco blocks (smaller pieces) in water for a few hours.
Removal of Excess Salts (Untreated Source)
There are many untreated coco coir products available in the market, and a few that are already treated. For those untreated products, after soaking, add additional good quality water and let it stand for a few hours. This will bring out the excess of sodium and chloride in the solution. Drain the coco in order to get rid of the excess sodium and chloride. This coco is now ready for use. Use in containers or in bags for better growth of any kind of plants.
Coco coir can also be used as compost in gardens after plants have been harvested. With the use of coco as a medium there would be no problem of over or under watering. Once it is filled in bags, coco coir can last up to three to four years. It has naturally occurring potassium. Coco coir also has 60% water-filled space, and the rest is air-filled space which makes the product a very good choice for better plant growth.
This is why, boys and girls, I am a coco grower and I absolutely love the stuff. I'd smoke it if it got me ripped. smily-spliff.gif All other soiless mediums are inferior.
i also found this tutorial and thought it maybe of use to those using coco for the first time here is a link http://www.breedbay....utons-back.html
i also found little info on making cuttings/clones using coco so thought i would add this simple guide
I do use root stimulator but it may not be necessary.
Get your stuff together cause the only way to really mess up is to go too slowly and let the cutting dry out a little.
Supplies needed:
1. Pruning snips
2. Solo cups/small pot with drain holes in the bottom.
3. Plain tap water (some don't pH at this point but I pH it to 5.8) - NO NUTES!
4. Powdered root hormone or cloning gel if you use them.
5. Coco
1. Get your solo cups and fill with 100% coco. Pre wash the coco if necessary.
2. Water the coco till water comes out of the bottom of the cup.
3. Take a pencil and insert it about an inch into the coco, making a hole for the cutting's stem.
4. Take the cutting from the mom. I slice at a very shallow angle using a clean sharp scalpel or stanley blade(do not cut with scissors as it crushes cells)to expose more of the stems cells. After the cutting is separated from the mom, immediately I insert the cutting into the coco, This improves odds of rooting cut stems shortly before insertion do not allow drying out or touch cut stem with fingers.
5. I immediately dip the stem into water and then into the rooting compound if using it,i dont.
6. Insert the cutting into the hole made in the coco and with your finger tips, press the coco together around the stem to ensure the stem makes contact with the coco.
7. Put the solo cups underneath a high profile dome. I do this so I won't have to worry with watering the cuttings. The dome will keep the humidity up and the coco won't dry out. Make sure your lighting isn't too intense as the new cuttings don't need much of anything at this point, except peace and quiet. lol.
I really can't tell the new cuttings are even aware of what just happened because they don't miss a lick. Mine don't droop and the plant's cells maintain their turgor well. with little luck roots should be visible and new growth obvious within 10 days,often less!
IMPORTANT!!!
Keep all fans and strong drafts away from the cuttings at this point. The roots that begin to form start out as just a few cells and any movement of the stem as these roots try to get started will cause them to rip off as they attempt to attach to the medium.
You'll know the coco is still moist by looking at the condensation on the inside of the dome. You should be able to see condensation on the inside of the dome if you moistened the coco before you put the cutting in and if you haven't kept raising the dome.
dont be tempted to tug at the stems to see if there rooted best to be patient and watch for signs of new growth then look at the drain holes with any luck you should see a few fine white root hairs protruding,in which case they are rooted clones now!,gives me a thrill and a silly grin each time even after 40 years of growing!
After a few days, you can water the cuttings with a mild solution meant for new cuttings. Very mild... 0.60 ec-0.80ec
I use the dutch pro nutrients as they are cheap and work very well but i have seen some confusion as to mixing the a&b type so here is the guidance from dutch pro on the matter,
How to use two part A + B Nutrients
Dutch Pro nutrients come as a two part formula = A + B
A should be added to water first, stirred, left to settle, then add the B. When following the Dutch pro feeding chart, equal amounts of A & B should be added.
Why is it important to mix nutrients properly?
Nutrients are designed as two Part A and B formulas as the mixture of elements they contain would clog up and therefore become less effective if they were mixed together. That is why it is important to follow the instructions and ensure to add the A to the water, stir then add the B.
i hope this is clear and helpful, just to add i would not myself go by the dp chart because im certain it is far higher than needed and is quite wasteful.
your far better learning to judge by the colour and vigour of the plant than following any feed chart,a good way to learn this is to pick 2 clones and feed one at the minimum one at the higher ec and observe the changes and remember then just find the happy ec number for the particular plant as they are all different and no chart can account for mixed strain grows,peaceright meters you need do not need to cost the earth i use these and for the price they are good simple to calibrate and accurate enough link to ph meter is https://www.ebay.co....=item213225dbd5
ec meter here, https://www.ebay.co....=item25eb19e826
and coco i use is this ugro 70ltr xl (not the organic one) https://www.ebay.co....zuco9AdL3gjMjSw
nutrients i use are these dutch pro again not expensive but consistant quality, just make sure to get the coco specific and choose for hard or soft water types
http://www.ebay.co.u... another wonderful use for coco that has not yet been mentioned and that is the ability to control the rate of growth,
this is a very useful tool on those occasions that im sure we all have when we want to keep a clone or mother plant alive but not growing fast,
so as to keep it alive but in a semi stasis or limbo and keep it healthy is possible with coco by careful use of feeds.
myself i have kept clones alive and healthy for 2 months and only grown about half the original size again by feeding low ec 0.80 every 3 days instead of daily and lowering the amount of available light.
granted they do get a little yellow as nitrogen gets low and stems will elongate slightly but this is no problem as a repot and good feed and a little trim and tidy they grow real fast in a seeming effort to make up the time spent in stasis.
this is how i keep my grow perpetual as seen in my now over 450 pages and atleast 60 grows on my fans of the wardrobe thread with only the slight blip when we had babylon hassle,
thats when this method proved most useful for me as it means i can grow and smoke test and make oil,then decide if i want to grow the strain again if so then in comes a plant from stasis and bobs your uncle no starting from seed again!
i will post any more useful bits i think of and if anyone has anything they have found useful to coco grows then please feel free to post here i hope this is useful to someone,peace
the following was said by an ex soil grower trying coco for the first time after reading the guide,
Well I finally read it all, my name is dekay and I am an ex soil grower and now convert to coco, was being silly holding off but man they grow too much in this stuff gonna be very short veg compared to soil grows, pretty happy with what the guys have taught me so far but realise theres plenty of factors and maybe dont be too strict with the numbers, I have stopped measuring run off now and feed how much i think they need and dont stick to a certain PH and its going pretty good so far, so thats me no more soil and mon the coco lol. mon the coco indeed!
and a short while later,,,,
I cant get over this stuff fuck me my first coco plant looks like this
I am gob-smacked a cut vegged for 4 weeks this big, and they were tiny cuts as well that struggled to survive first week, man I deffo not buying soil again if I get this too the end that is but only 7-8 to go now, tis amazing stuff coco cant wait to start next one dont care about the weed just a joy to grow in and I wont be losing leaves half way through either, yous were all right but you all with coco have perfect plants and thats what persuaded me
so folks if you have yet to try coco growing your cannabis you may well be missing out,good luck all
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. Thank you for sharing mate.
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