COCO for first timers

[Midget]

Was thinking about using Coco for a the first time.

 

Just a few questions.

 

Is it reusable after a grow and does it need to be treated.

 

can is be washed and seived to get rid of the root ball.

 

Does it require more or less watering..

 

any other advice you guys can recommend would be appreciated

[Lenore]

I'm guessing one COULD recycle coco, but for the cost, you may as well do like everyone I know, including myself, and dice it.

 

Clay is pretty easy to recycle, due to it's size I suppose,

 

Canna Coco you can use straight out of the bag. Is buffered and this and that. I've even been using it to start seeds off in.

Coco bricks take more effort as you need to give that stuff a good flushing before you use it. Some folks amend it to improve it's quality a bit, but I never bothered.
Loving a Canna Coco here.

 

Coco holds a lot of moisture and doesn't need to be watered nearly as often as perlite for example.

In the 9lt buckets we're using for pots, we have a mix of about 35%coco and 65% perlite. These only need a feed/water once a week, it could be done sooner, but we let the medium dry out some (before the plants start to wilt) to help deter fungus gnats.

Another lot of pots that are going is a proper 30/70 coco/perlite mix and needs tending every 5 days at the outside.

 

I used to run a 60/40 mix but found it was still too wet come next time they were due a feed.

 

There will be more coco enthusiasts around, I'm sure they will have more info that I have not covered.

 

Happy Gardening!

Lenny

[DoctorWho]

I recycle my coco by sifting it to remove the majority of the roots, turn some beneficial bacteria into the recycled coco, pot it up and flush it.  To be honest I do it out of poverty and having enough bin space issues in my area trying to dump general garden waste let alone trying to find a spot for a few hundred liters of medium every harvest as well.  If you are only doing a small grow though just ditch it and start fresh every time.

[Midget]

thanks guys..

[Lowman]

Reusable...yes.  I just cut the rootball out with a knife...and replant in my Hempys.  Water as often as you like....the more often the better....just never let it dry out. Never feed straight water...always feed something....even during flush. I water 7 times a day with top drip.  You shouldn't need to add any perlite...just straight coco works great.  I have tried many different mixes and combo's and styles with coco for about 7 years now.  It will work no matter what method you decide to use...I just thought I would say what I find works best.

[Midget]

Reusable...yes.  I just cut the rootball out with a knife...and replant in my Hempys.  Water as often as you like....the more often the better....just never let it dry out. Never feed straight water...always feed something....even during flush. I water 7 times a day with top drip.  You shouldn't need to add any perlite...just straight coco works great.  I have tried many different mixes and combo's and styles with coco for about 7 years now.  It will work no matter what method you decide to use...I just thought I would say what I find works best.

thanks mate but why dont flush with just water?

[Lowman]

thanks mate but why dont flush with just water?

it willthrow the balance off in coco,  coco needs to keep some food stored.  Especially if you are going to reuse it.  After coco has had a run or two....it's really kickass in performance.

[Midget]

it willthrow the balance off in coco,  coco needs to keep some food stored.  Especially if you are going to reuse it.  After coco has had a run or two....it's really kickass in performance.

So how do you flush your plants...?

[louise]

I recycle my coco a little differently to the methods listed. I use about a 50/50 mixture of cheap bricked coco and perlite (the chunky kind if I can get it).

 

When I harvest a plant I leave maybe 1 - 2 cm of stem sticking out of the pot and move the pot to a dry spot where it can be left undisturbed to completely dry out.

 

After a month (summer) or two (winter) the medium and the root matter are completely dry. Then it is just matter of unpotting the medium into a larger tub, removing the stem and breaking up the coco. By this time much of the root ball will disintergrate as you break up the coco.

 

Once the medium has had any lumps or obvious bits of root removed I store it dry in a lidded container. 

 

Prior to use I will rehydrate the coco with plain water, check the ec and if it is under 1.0, I'll water it again with gogo juice and then let it sit for a week. If the ec is higher I will flush the coco until ec is under 1.0 before watering with gogo juice.

 

I don't use recycled mix for germinating seedlings.

[Badseed77]

I am a coco grower and never ever " flush" .

 I just make sure i get 20-30% run off every feed and drop every 3rd feed to about 1/4-1/2 strength.

I have never had problems with salts building up in my medium and believe flushing would do more harm then good .