Brunning's coco coir bricks are great!

[Sir PsychoHashy]

pegz is that bunnings block u posted the same as the brunnings 7-9L bricks? i need around 150 litres of coco in compressed form for easy of portability and stealth mode

 

if pegz aint around anyone else know?

 

i was going to change to nutrifield compressed 5kg blocks as they are already washed but i have two problems, it only makes 50L per block and it has calcium and mag added to the coco and im using dutch master advance which has added cal/mag and dont want to over do it (DM Advance says its not recommended to add extra cal/mag)

 

I used these for my 1st attempt with coco, but found that the hassle of washing it out just wasn't worth the saving over buying pre prepared coco.  Also the blocks I got had bits of rubbish and crap through them, and my plants just didn't seem to like it quite as much.

 

I've been using the NF mega blocks, and find them to break down in water really well and fast, and have only had happy plants in it so far.   Short of getting these Brunnings bricks, it seems to be about the cheapest coco on the market, especially if you can buy it without having to get it freighted.

 

If you're looking at stealth and portability I assume you are looking to take it bush and hydrate on site, in which case I would recommend the NF blocks as they are ready to go without any flushing or other prep.  Enough compressed coco to make 150l would be basically the same either way in terms of volume and weight.  And, I cannot see how being pre buffered would interact badly with any nutrients, in spite of what DM say, and every little bit of preventative measure against a cal mag deficiency the better for my mind.

[Sixty-Eight]

thanks MT and Sir, ill google now to see if anyone is using DM nutrient with the nutrifield coco

[pegz]

Have a look at Bunnings.com.au, search 'coir.'

 

There's different size blocks, and different grades/types of coco, eg, the fine seed raiser or general potting mix with minimal added fert / soil wetter is good. The blocks with the bigger chucks are to be used as a mulch.

Edited January 17, 2015 by pegz

[Sixty-Eight]

yeah went to bunnings they didnt have the big block of coco in stock so i grabed a heap of the little bricks i need to get some more tho but for now ill see if i can fill my 4 pots with what i have

 

i also looked back at the dutch masters site here http://www.dutchmaster.com.au/?language=english&page=product&product=ADVANCE if u scroll down it says " Do NOT use any Calcium / Magnesium supplements as our nutrients are choc full of them!" so i think this nutrient may clash with the nutrifield coco

[pegz]

All they mean is you don't need to bother buffing coz they already did it.

[Sixty-Eight]

All they mean is you don't need to bother buffing coz they already did it.

yeah but cal/mag has already been added to nutrifield coco and its the only coco bricks or blocks i could find that are pre washed

[distiller]

I always add 25% perlite to my bunnings coco, as it is sometimes very fine... I use hydro, run to waste, and have always had good results if I cal/Mag and rinse well.

[pegz]

***Important update!***

 

I've had some real issues with this stuff because I didn't give it a good flush before using it, plants were growing very slowly and there was lots of burned tips. At first I ignored the burning and slow growth but it ended up prolonging the veg stage for many weeks, until I finally realised that this was a major problem, took the plants outside got the hose and pumped about 40L through each pot. Problem solved, plants are now thriving!

 

So guys flush the shit out of this stuff before you use as it's full of salts and crap! (I used a small amount of a nutrient flushing agent and then just lots and lots of tap water.)

 

Longest grow ever because of this small oversight.       

Edited August 27, 2015 by pegz

[nouseforaname]

I've always done the first rinse with boiling water on the cheap bricks then wait 10-20 mins to expand then rinse with cold water till clear.. squeeze then pot up and water with nutes as per usual..

[grow for me]

i use the smaller blocks i think they are blue, i soak 5 of them for a good hour in about 60 litres of water. i do the same with 6 bags of the brunnings perlite. then pot up what i need and soak one at a time until the run off is clear i then move onto the next one, after i get to the last one i do it again. then i rinse with phed 5.8 water and im sweet to go. its no hassle at all and its around 60 bucks for my flowering pots instead of about 140 bucks each round. seeing as its half the price i dont bother reusing the coco so it saves cleaning the crap out of your coco at the end of a grow.

 

not sure if my nutes have plenty of calcium and megnesium but i have not had a deficiency yet and i dont pre rinse with calmag or anything

Edited August 30, 2015 by grow for me