New Year swap to Coco

[Sid the Seedkiller]

Due to the impending peat ban it looks like some serious changes are in order for the new year, and as it seems that no till is off the cards, (the mention of potential worms, bugs and other critters had the Mrs instantly put the kybosch on that one, not to mention the soil building, bed building blah blah blah, plus the fact I like to get the plants out, to inspect them, train and trim a little etc), it looks like coco is going to be the only way forward, unless there are things I don't know of, which is highly possible.  So my questions are..

 

Apart from the obvious coco coir, what do I need, in as minimalist fashion as possible to get a good grow on the go? For reference I like to grow 3-4 plants each in 2 4x4 tents, and maximise space with training as much as possible. Veg for 6-8 weeks after potting up 2 times into 12L fabrics, I used Tropic Mix and Intense Organix and will probably continue with Intense Coco, unless anyone advises otherwise. Its such a pain just getting one style down then being forced to change but we move anyway. I know I'll need a ppm/ph meter and use it again and again, probably some form of cal-mag supplement, but are things like myco still viable, or molasses, liquid seaweed? Can I still use aerated tap water, or do I now need to waste most of my water bill with an RO system? Should I go to solid pots as opposed to fabrics? What brand of nutes do most people recommend for ease of use? How do you even start the little ones in coco??...  I'm going to run one coco next to my next Organic grow to try to get a feel, but it really does feel like I'm back to being a true novice again, can't wait for all those deficiencies to kick in.... 

 

Sorry for so many questions in one post, but my drawing board is blank and I just snapped my mechanical pencil.

 

Cheers in advance chaps. Sid the (hopefully not) Seedkiller.

 

[Shumroom]

I still consider myself to be a bit of a coco newbie after growing in it for just a couple of years,

but I’m happy to share my thoughts 

 

Intense Nutrients works well for me.

 

That’s Coco A and B 

 

Before that…

It really helps to know what your water already contains,

I’m quite lucky that my water doesn’t contain much of anything so I have full control,

it’s almost like using RO I guess  

 

So if you get a lot of build up(scale) in your kettle you’ll probably want to send a water sample to Growers Ark.

 

They’ll tell you how much Calcium and Magnesium is in your water and how much Epsom Salts to add to give you a 3:1 ratio.

 

They’ll also recommend either hard or soft water mutes.

 

 

I know they’re expensive but I’d highly recommend the Bluelab EC truncheon 

 

A pH pen is very important but you don’t necessarily need to spend too much,

don’t get the ‘essential’s’ ones.

 

 

A root stimulant is a good idea.

 

I still use endo and ecto mycorrhizae at pot up even though I’m mostly relying on salt based feeds,

I do include the occasional splash of ‘Plant Success Myco Chum’,

so there is some organic stuff going on(I think),

but not too much as this causes the pH to drop  

 

I also use enzymes for breaking down any dead root matter,

dunno if it’s essential though.

 

 

You don’t really need much else,

maybe a couple of big buckets for mixing up notes.

 

 

As for starting seeds you can get Jiffy coco pellets which don’t take up much space and allows you to see the roots develop before potting them up for the first time.

 

 

It’s pretty easy when you get used to how much of what you need to add to get the right values.

 

Good luck with the swap.

 

Atb

 

 

 

[Sid the Seedkiller]

7 minutes ago, Shumroom said:

Intense Nutrients works well for me.

 

I've just been going through one of @Owderb coco diaries and I think I'm going to give Growers Ark a go. Grow by (his) numbers, literally lol. 

 

9 minutes ago, Shumroom said:

It really helps to know what your water already contains,

I’m quite lucky that my water doesn’t contain much of anything so I have full control,

it’s almost like using RO I guess  

 

So if you get a lot of build up(scale) in your kettle you’ll probably want to send a water sample to Growers Ark.

 

They’ll tell you how much Calcium and Magnesium is in your water and how much Epsom Salts to add to give you a 3:1 ratio.

 

They’ll also recommend either hard or soft water.

 

Funnily enough I was just looking at that service on their website, I already own a PPM meter, and my water is hard, about 250 out of the tap. And I have a mid range PH pen as well, but im going to need an EC meter. I was looking at the Bluelab truncheon but nigh on a ton is a bit much for me.

 

14 minutes ago, Shumroom said:

A root stimulant is a good idea.

 

I also use enzymes for breaking down any dead root matter,

dunno if it’s essential though.

 

Any recommendations?

 

17 minutes ago, Shumroom said:

As for starting seeds you can get Jiffy coco pellets which don’t take up much space and allows you to see the roots develop before potting them up for the first time.

 

Thanks, I wasn't sure planting straight into coco was advisable, you probably can but Jiffy pellets seam a good option. 

 

18 minutes ago, Shumroom said:

It’s pretty easy when you get used to how much of what you need to add to get the right values.

 

Good luck with the swap.

 

Atb

 

Thanks for your time mate, you never know, might actually get a diary out of me soon. 

[Shumroom]

Foundation from Intense Nutrients or Root Tonic from Growers Ark are the 2 that I’ve used  

 

Runzyme from Intense Nutrients,

I used to use Cannazyme from Canna sometimes when I was growing in compost.

 

Atb

 

 

 

[Subutai]

There is another option, Beanstalk One Pot pack, has everything needed for 90 days, and iirc you don't even need to adjust the Ph of your water.

It is expensive at 13 a packet but maybe worth a punt if you want a low maintenance option.

 

There is a thread on here somewhere about it.

[stu914]

Have a look at my 'Mish-Mash' and 'Gavie' systems bud if you want one of the easiest ways to grow...

[Slippy One]

Beanstalk for the win, no nutrient mixing, no runoff, no mess, no ph or ec adjustments and so far, no mg from my nasty ol' .7 EC tap water with a cal:mg ratio of 19:1 (should be 3:1)

 

Would be perfect to use with Blumat system, which needs no timers, pumps, heaters, aerators, electric , wifi or even circulation pump. Just gravity. 

 

Sorry to be a spanner in the works. The old way with reservoirs, 20% runoff and all manner of equipment, pumps,  brains and meters works, but gardening has evolved, the old way feels like spinning plates to dial in the plant needs. 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Slippy One

[Clubs]

You can use Easy Plugs and Easy Blocks for the first few weeks. They're the bomb. 

[Lux_Interior]

I'm currently using Coco (Ecothrive) with Charge, Intense Coco A&B, TNC Bactorr13 & CalMag. I'll run PK13/14 though the plants once (week 4 flowering). I use Litmus paper (cheap as chips) to check acidity and a little P/H down when required. This is only my 2nd Coco run, so I'm not an expert, but I'm happy so far. I'm growing in 12l fabric pots.

 

Jiffy plugs are excellent for germination or taking cuttings. I'd recommend Formulex for the babies.

 

Good Luck.

 

[Bud Baker]

If you want to grow coco with out automated dripping I’d advise you to use bigger pots so the ec stays more stable/or small plants.

 

just for example I have a very big plant that’s in 6 gal of coco and is currently being drip fed four times per day with minimal run off (20% is not need) to keep the ec stable.

 

if you have a reasonable size plant like 3 foot 12  litres of coco will need watering more than once per day for especially halfway through flower.

 

I personally wouldn’t grow in coco if I wanted “low maintenance” I would use compost. 
 

If you have a complete automated system that collects run off and discards it also it becomes low maintenance.  Watering once everyday by hand is a pain in the arse especially when plants numbers grow. Equalling high maintenance.

 

also to me coco is definitely hydro especially when automated with multiple feeds.

 

use beanstalk or bigger pots/water once day and your probably going to have similar growth to soil.

 

I can literally go on holiday for a week and it’s all done for me. That time watering the plants can be used for pruning, cleaning ect and oh yeah also having a life haha 

 

peace 

 

[mikeydoughnut]

Most of its been covered. Bluelab truncheons are good but expensive. Inkbird do an EC pen that’s less than £20 on the big river. Works like a dream.

[Sid the Seedkiller]

On 14/08/2023 at 10:05 PM, stu914 said:

Have a look at my 'Mish-Mash' and 'Gavie' systems bud if you want one of the easiest ways to grow...

I'll check them out mate if I can find them, nice one. 

[Sid the Seedkiller]

On 14/08/2023 at 10:28 PM, Slippy One said:

Beanstalk for the win, no nutrient mixing, no runoff, no mess, no ph or ec adjustments and so far, no mg from my nasty ol' .7 EC tap water with a cal:mg ratio of 19:1 (should be 3:1)

 

Would be perfect to use with Blumat system, which needs no timers, pumps, heaters, aerators, electric , wifi or even circulation pump. Just gravity. 

 

Sorry to be a spanner in the works. The old way with reservoirs, 20% runoff and all manner of equipment, pumps,  brains and meters works, but gardening has evolved, the old way feels like spinning plates to dial in the plant needs. 

 

 

I was going to hand water, but its looking like that won't be an option either, I simply won't be able to keep up with the frequency. 

[Barry blunt]

Just now, Fatboy77 said:

I hand watered in coco for years and never once watered more than once per day.  You can water every other day if you use a bigger pot.

Many ways to skin a cat.

Exactly what I do, every second day works for me, coco benefit’s from a wet and dry cycle of sorts imo.