Trying coco for the first time.
Can anyone tell me if what or anything you mix with it while soaking?
Or any advice?
Everyone seems so knowledgeable here.
Please and thank you!
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Ph’ed water 5.8
Don’t forget that you’ll have to lightly feed seedlings approximately 200PPM nutrient solution coco has no nutrients by itself. @bobette best of luck growing.
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It depends if it’s been “buffered”. Normally coco doesn’t carry that much calcium and magnesium. So manufacturers will sell you “buffered”(with cal-mag added) or “unbuffered” (no cal-mag). If it’s unbuffered, you will have to add cal-mag by adding it to your soaking water. That’s the way I understood it.
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I always get coco bale, and I rehydrate with tap water, then I rinse with tap water until the coco is a slight red color, and a lot of the coco peat has been washed out, I then squeeze some of the water out and let it soak in ro water with some calmag and ph-ed to 5.8
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ALWAYS PASTUERIZE COCO I’ve had fungus gnats even in canna coco bricks.
No need to “buffer” with calmag. I buy earth juice coco bricks, flush with hot water until my ec pen reads low. Then I plant seed and feed only water until it needs nutrients.
If you plan to use coco for new clones then you feed full strength nutrients. Transplant clones to pure coco(next top) and feed microbes to encourage and protect root zone from bad pathogens. I also apply BTi every week for fungus gnats prevention.
Use only coco. Don’t mix perlite in coco because that dries out way too fast unless that’s what you want. I recommend using party cups with perlite and coco for starting new seeds.
Also when you transplant clones to pure coco, let the coco dry out some to encourage root growth. Don’t let it dry too much.
After you have an established root system you can treat coco like hydro or soil. 3+ waterings a day for fast growth.
Or water once a day is fine.
Ph should always be 5.8. Water until runoff.
If you see plants not looking healthy check ec runoff. If it’s 1.5-2x your input ec then you should flush with half of your feed until ec is what you’re flushing with.
This has been my experience with 4 years of growing with coco coir.
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Good to know! How do you pasteurize coco?
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It’s the same thing as cooking soil. It’s to kill all bacteria, pest eggs, pest etc., you need hot temperature. Boiling water works.
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Pressure cooker kills everything. As long as it’s up to temp for 20 mins.
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Coco Coir is like every other soilless medium , just use it like you use other soilless mediums .
All those hyped things about coco are for low grade coco coir products grown near sea coming with big amounts of P and Na , all companies make sure not just coco , all potting mixes to come with adjusted PH and Fertilizer charge . Morevore most of the better known manufactures are using coco which is grown far away from the sea . Coco has relatively low CEC of 30meq/100 gram , soil have 10x more 300meq/100 , meaning that the soil will keep 10 times more Ca then Coco ; So question for coco growers why they are worried about Coco pulling the Ca and they are not worried about the soil or other soilless mediums ?
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First time using coco can anyone help with what deficiency I have please.
Many thanks
@PreyBird1 @LoCoRocK @happilyretired @bow4buck
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I’ve just orderd some canna calmag but not 100% sure that’s just it have I got nitrogen problems aswell?
Thank you in advance for any help thanks guys
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Need to see more of the plant.
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Will update with a pic soon for you @PreyBird1 and thanks for reply
And don’t mean to hijack your post @bobette
i get great result’s ph’ing my nutes at 6.0-6.1 Hydro should be 5.6-5.8. dirt is 6.5
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My nutrients had dropped the pH down to around 4.9 so I sure did have a problem there surprised I’ve had the results I have in the past just shows you need to check water after the notes and not to get lazy like I did.
So now I’m hoping it was just my pH.
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New growth looks good, I would flush until your run off ph is back to where it needs to be, and then feed them at proper ph.
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Can’t belive I wasn’t checking my ph 
, my run off is now 5.8 from 4.9 so getting there lol
Thanks @CoyoteCody
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Do you ever water run off? You should. I do a water flush every 3 days. 1 flushd 3 days and then water only and then feed 3 days again.
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Havnt been on much, hunting season!!! Looks like good advice on the flush. When in doubt flush it out. 
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