Coco

[Luke Skywalker]

Cocoponics vid was little more than a loooong advert.

 

Anyway, there are numerous advantages to growing in coco, but there are also some disadvantages too. Any media has pro's and con's, people should just be aware of them when they use them.

 

Coco can produce excellent results, but being organic, and having a much, much higher water retention rate and cation exchange capacity than other more traditional hydroponic media, it tends to get overwatered by those who've used other methods before. That said, if you pay close attention to watering, and use appropriate nutrients, you can do very, very well.

 

Cogr IMO is better than normal coir. Higher aeration and easier to manage water as a result. Always use a coco based nutrient with any coconut coir media though, as the cation exchange capacity must be accounted for. You can use normal nutrients, but you won't get as good results.

 

An EC meter, (Bluelab truncheons kick ass over any others IMHO) and a pH meter are fundamental tools that make life sooo much easier, either in pure hydroponics or cocopeat hydroponics. It's possible to grow without them, but damn, it does make things simpler. Spend the money for them and you'll never be sorry for it.

 

Hope that helps.

[Pa-uul]

Well, coco was a disaster for me. Mate, if you live in "the cold half of the country" you could be set, but for me coco was the worst thing ever. I live in Brisbane. It's hot and humid and coco soon develops some kind of fungus. It then becomes a breeding ground for scarid fly a.k.a. "fungus gnat". I had two years of struggle with this bastard. Everything I did, from the preparation of the solution to the application of treatment directly to the media, revolved around a constant fight with this pernicious invader. Curses! To be avoided at all costs in a hot, humid climate! More info on request.

I now use clay balls and a bit of perlite and haven't seen 'em yet, fingers crossed. Other than that though, if you had a totally sealed grow room with a sophisticated air-filtration system and split-cycle air-conditioning costing thousands to set-up: yeah, coco's great I guess?

Edited January 9, 2006 by Pa-uul

[Luke Skywalker]

To some degree, yes, your points are very valid. But keeping good hygenic practice in your room will to a large degree offset those problems. Sciarid fly is a toughy though, and hard to eliminate once an infestation has set in.

 

Keeping them out in the first place is the key.

 

I agree generally with you though, I don't use coco for growing weed, just as an additive for orchids.

 

On the air-filtration, you can almost eliminate contamination with insects by having a separate set of clothing for the GR, and ensuring that your inlets are screened with stockings, as flywire just won't cut it. That said, if you are unlucky enough to get some in the plants when they come in, or live in an area with large sciarid populations, it's pretty darn hard to keep them out no matter what you do.

 

Using clay balls and perlite won't prevent sciarid infestation, they like the roots more than the media, but it will help in keeping them away for longer initially, as they don't have a good environment to start out with on young plants. Keeping good control over watering cycles is important in any media type however, and if you overwater, you're encouraging the odds of sciarid, and other pest/diseases attacking your plants.

 

Horses for courses.

[F420]

i totally agree with pa-ul, i tried coco a few times and had nothing but problem after problem after problem. and i will NEVER use that shit again.

[Guest jjfto]

i totally agree with pa-ul, i tried coco a few times and had nothing but problem after problem after problem. and i will NEVER use that shit again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah now that i think about it i have had heaps of problems with coco aswell.

My plants are too healthyand my buds are too BIG.

[Guest jjfto]

Maybe you should try coco one more time bro :smoke

[Sir Crop Alot]

Yeah now that i think about it i have had heaps of problems with coco aswell.

My plants are too healthyand my buds are too BIG.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

:: ::

[Chev]

:: I'm currently using 70/30 coco/perlite. It's the 2nd time I've tried it, the first was a disaster Had pretty good results this time around, but I'm living in a different area. The last place was riddled with fungus gnat and spidermite

I love it for it's organic goodness, but if your GR isn't as tight as a cat's bum, scarid fly will seek it out. They thrive in the warmer temps too, so spring/summer is a real bitch. But yeah, I suppose you have to weigh up the pros and cons :scratchin

[Luke Skywalker]

People who are used to more free draining media such as perlite and clay tend to have more problems than those who've started in coco... but with good management, any media can do excellently.

 

It all comes down to the main factors being in tune with each other.

 

Hey ferengi, nice to see you around.

[BentBuddha]

I use 25% gravel stuff (can't remember the name) and 75% Coco. I put about 3inches of the gravel down the bottom for drainage. I'd be interested in hearing of ways ppl with similar set ups feed their plants. Like how long for and how many times a day. Edited April 14, 2006 by BentBuddha