Best Coco? New Grower

[DaMunchieMan]

I just had a question regarding Coco coir and what is the best brand to use. I've came across a few different kinds and to me they all look the same basically so I want to know what's the best choice. Here's what I got questions on:

CocoTek by General Hydroponics
-CocoTek Premium Coir
-CocoTek PX
-Natural Coconut Coir Block

Botanicals
-ReadyGro Moisture
-ReadyGro Aeration
-CocoGro

Monster Garden
-Coco Connoisseur

Is any of those better than the others? or is it pretty much all the same thing just different brands?

Is it better to go with straight Coco coir or do a mix of 50/50 coco/perlite for better drainage and aeration?

Also I have seen people using 4" Rockwool cubes with coco. Is that a good option or is it better to grow in straight Coco coir? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using rockwool cubes?

And my lastly is I saw a YouTube video for a mix of what they call Hydrosoil. Any thoughts on this? It is a mix of:

1 part Coco
1 part perlite
1 part Ocean Forest
Sprinkle of powdered root inoculate like VAM


Thanks for the advice and thoughts in advance.

 

[MickFoster]

I've never used those products, but if I had to choose it would be the GH product. I use either Canna Coco or Mother Earth Coco depending on what's available at the hydro shop - I prefer the 50L bag rather than the brick. Some people do use 100% coco with good results, however I prefer adding perlite for a more airy mix because the more oxygen to the roots the faster the growth. I use a 50/50 coco/perlite mix in my 1L propagation pots and a 70/30 mix in the larger 9L final pots. Personally I don't like rockwool because it stays too wet and the growth isn't as fast - Rapid Rooters are the way to go in my opinion. I just had 3 out 3 sprout within 48 hrs. without any type of soaking. Good luck and remember that growing in coco is a form of hydroponics - do not treat it like soil.

 

[gr865]

Have tried a few different but will continue to use Canna Coco.

 

[dom2mac]

The big brick from the hydro store has worked well for me. Coco is inert, if you rinse it well then toss in come perlite, i am not sure if it matters what brand you get.

 

[Scientific]

The big brick from the hydro store has worked well for me. Coco is inert, if you rinse it well then toss in come perlite, i am not sure if it matters what brand you get.

Yeah, I never understood why anyone would buy bagged coco when you can just get a brick or two. Now after going through the prep two times I understand. Coco may be "inert" (i.e. just fiber) but both bricks I got (different brands) were really high PPM (salt, I assume) and had to be washed and washed and then infused with calmag. After a couple of hours heaving around an old pillowcase full of wet coco in the bathtub and then cleaning up the mess, buying prepared coco all of a sudden made sense. And it's not even all that much more expensive!

 

[ondercuver]

be careful , coco blocks drains like nothing else (literally)

 

[Scientific]

be careful , coco blocks drains like nothing else (literally)

I don't understand what you mean.

 

[LB07]

Yeah, I never understood why anyone would buy bagged coco when you can just get a brick or two. Now after going through the prep two times I understand. Coco may be "inert" (i.e. just fiber) but both bricks I got (different brands) were really high PPM (salt, I assume) and had to be washed and washed and then infused with calmag. After a couple of hours heaving around an old pillowcase full of wet coco in the bathtub and then cleaning up the mess, buying prepared coco all of a sudden made sense. And it's not even all that much more expensive!

Dude I'm right there with yah!!! My local hydro store sells canna coco in 50l bags for $28. The bricks are almost the same price and I have no mess or over-saturation issues.

 

[LB07]

Yeah, I never understood why anyone would buy bagged coco when you can just get a brick or two. Now after going through the prep two times I understand. Coco may be "inert" (i.e. just fiber) but both bricks I got (different brands) were really high PPM (salt, I assume) and had to be washed and washed and then infused with calmag. After a couple of hours heaving around an old pillowcase full of wet coco in the bathtub and then cleaning up the mess, buying prepared coco all of a sudden made sense. And it's not even all that much more expensive!

Dude I'm right there with yah!!! My local hydro store sells canna coco in 50l bags for $28. The bricks are almost the same price and I have no mess or over-saturation issues.

 

[MickFoster]

I have found that the bricks contain more powder which when wet is like mud - the bag has a better quality coir in my opinion - more fluffy. When I used the brick I saturated it in a large bucket - the good stuff floats and the powder sinks. I pull out the good stuff from the top and throw away the sludge. I have only had to use it twice - when I couldn't get the bag.

 

[Scientific]

I have found that the bricks contain more powder which when wet is like mud - the bag has a better quality coir in my opinion - more fluffy. When I used the brick I saturated it in a large bucket - the good stuff floats and the powder sinks. I pull out the good stuff from the top and throw away the sludge. I have only had to use it twice - when I couldn't get the bag.

Thanks for clarifying. Another reason to go with bagged.

 

[ondercuver]

I don't understand what you mean.

I mean if you get too much coco in the tub drain it will clog like a mofo

 

[Scientific]

I mean if you get too much coco in the tub drain it will clog like a mofo

The old pillowcase contained it pretty well. I was more worried about my back lifting and squishing that big wet bag.

 

[gr865]

I use a 50L bag of Canna and have never had to wash it. I use Great White at about two tbls per bag, mix well with the coco and transplant or start your seed .
After it is mixed and have the mix in your pot then dig your hole and lightly dust the hole with Great White then transplant.
I do a hand watering using the nute solution once a week and add 1 tsp/2 gallon and drinche the pots to runoff about 20 to 30%. I have added it to my rez but I do a passive aeration of the solution so unsure how it holds up in the rez. That is why I do the hand watering.

 

[Stunned]

I use canna bricks
I roast them in the oven at 200 degrees F for 4 hours, then let cool
Then I throw them into a large rubbermaid tub, add water and inflate them
Once I get it to a consistency that I'm happy with, I fill the appropriate pots that will be housing the plant, seed, ect
You have to flush/rinse it. I don't care who's brand you're using. That goes for bagged as well.
I'll mix up a very large vat of ph'ed water and pass it through till I'm getting consistant runoff ph and ppm readings.
Once that happens, I'll then flush with ph'ed water with the calmag and whatever starter nutes you want you plant, seed, seedling to go into.

Coco is more work upfront getting the medium to where you're confident that it's characteristics are just where you want them
But after that, it's a breeze to keep your PH in line
I'll always take coco over soil because it gives me that extra control over exactly whats in the medium. It also gives me the ability to fix problems fast by flushing

Just my 2 cents

 

[splicendice]

Hey I realize this thread is a bit old and probably doesn't get my attention, but I just wanted to add my experience to the thread. My last grow I used bagged Canna Coco (the fluffy stuff). The bags come with holes punched in them for airflow, but using it I got a huge infestation of fungus gnats that stunted growth and almost wiped out my crop. These holes allow anything in (bacteria, fungus, or insects) between the factory where they bag it and the store where you buy it. This time around I'm using the bricks, and yeah it's definitely more work and slightly less quality, but due to the sealed bag it comes in I'm pretty much guaranteed no bugs got in between their factory and my door.

 

[gr865]

That's very strange that the fungal gnats would get into a semi dry bag of Canna Coco, unless the bag got wet somehow. They tend to gravitate to moisture.
When I had my time with them little bastards I was growing in a cabinet in my garage, was just perfect conditions for gnat infestation.

 

[splicendice]

That's very strange that the fungal gnats would get into a semi dry bag of Canna Coco, unless the bag got wet somehow. They tend to gravitate to moisture.
When I had my time with them little bastards I was growing in a cabinet in my garage, was just perfect conditions for gnat infestation.

The bags of coco carry moisture pretty well. You can see this as clumping in the bag. I'm guessing there were only eggs laying in the coco when I bought it, and once I added the mositure and heat of my grow room plus their favourite food (roots) they took off like crazy. I used traps, nematodes, azamax, mint extract, and diatomaceous earth and nothing got rid of them. They're awful.

 

[Remystemple]

I use Natura brand Beyond Peat. it's amazing stuff. i've never found a chunk in it and stopped rinsing it after i realized i didn't need to. also at $9.99 for 16 gallons worth.
I ordered 10 bricks of it from home hardware and they said it was out of stock. I've notice the price of coco on amazon going up and up, so i feel like the Natura stuff is gonna end up off the shelves for a very short time and come back repackaged and 4x the cost. Just my theory.

 

[gr865]

The bags of coco carry moisture pretty well. You can see this as clumping in the bag. I'm guessing there were only eggs laying in the coco when I bought it, and once I added the mositure and heat of my grow room plus their favourite food (roots) they took off like crazy. I used traps, nematodes, azamax, mint extract, and diatomaceous earth and nothing got rid of them. They're awful.

I used SM90 with great results.
Even used it after that grow as a preventive. Was concerned they had infested my cabinet so continued this until i abandoned the cabinet.
Once I moved indoors into the tent, no more problems