Hey all- I’m attempting to switch over to coco from a peat based setup and had some questions about brick coco and buffering.
I’m using viagrow brand and currently giving it bath in calmag solution after rinsing and filtering.
My question is what to keep and what to toss. Floating at the top, I have this beautifully aerated layer of brown coco, maybe 3 inches thick.
Then, at the bottom is a much more dense, thick layer of sunken particles that is more mud-like in texture and slightly more grey in color (see pic).
My question is: should I just skim everything off the top and ditch the rest? I imagine that those more expensive bags of pre-buffered coco are probably some form of this top layer floating type material:
So you’re saying include everything because I’ve already strained/filtered the water with a perforated 5 gallon bucket and hosing.
Yeah, I’m probably going over kill with this type of thinking. I guess I’m a little hesitant because everything I’ve read says to skip the brick Coco and go for the expensive stuff.
This is what it looks like sitting in a fabric pot:
That stuff at the top is obviously floating. There’s probably 3 inches of water column in between that and then the sunken sludge at the bottom.
Do you think that the floating stuff is ideal for the plant and then the bottom stuff is less than ideal? Because I’m not trying to save money here I’d buy the canna but I don’t have access to it.
IMO I’d use it all, but let it dry out to a usable consistency and see how it is. Impossible to tell when its wet like that.
There are good brands that come in bricks that you might be able to get shipped up there. Root Royale, koh-i-nur, charcoir all have pretty big distribution. And as far as I know use the same coco in their bricks as their bags.
Couldn’t say man sometimes it’s best to go with your gut I will say that the stuff on the left does more closely resemble the coco I use, but let it dry out before you throw it out.
I’m about to try straight coco also. When you flushed it how many times did you run fresh water through it. I’d let it dry to see the consistency before tossing any. I’m also using a cheap brick haven’t busted it open yet. Ben mixing my own loam mix but wanted to try a couple pots of just coco and see how it goes
I took a 5 gallon bucket and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom of it …emptied about a quarter of the brick into the bucket and I filled it with water about halfway up.
Let it sit outside in the rain for hours and also filled it up probably five or six times with the hose and let it drain.
I’m gonna do some experimenting. definitely gonna leave it separated because I have a feeling that the stuff floating on the top is the quality and the stuff on the bottom is muck that causes people coco problems with the brick stuff.
Drying it out might give me another perspective, but it’s not gonna change density and the stuff at the bottom is still gonna end up at the bottom again when I rehydrate it. And thinking about it further that’s where all the roots end up …so yeah I might want to avoid that and only use the finest of coco particles, lol.
Was smoking and thinking that if you wanted to get a little weird with it… you could separate the floaters from the sinkers and dry it completely (might require some time in the oven). Weigh it, then add water back to the separate mixes to check their water holding capacity, would give you the info you need to decide how you want to use it I think. not a bad idea to check whatever blend you’re using anyway.
I’ve always just rehydrated and rinsed well removing as much dust or coco “peat” as possible. If you feel it is over processed amend it with coarse perlite. I’m not sure how the cloth bags would do with allowing the dredge to pass. However i jist got hip to Rain Science bags, they are crazy good design. I think a 10gal rain science bag would be perfect for this task.
I use brick coco, this is natural… use it all. Mix it all together once its a little drier to distribute the fibers more evenly throughout the mix, and try to find some perlite to add… 30-50% perlite is suggested on the cocoforcannabis website: 30% for general use in larger pots/bags, 50% for extra aeration when in smaller pots. Even though the smallet particles look like sludge, they should still drain well and support good growth.
Hey bro, here in Brazil I use all the coconut, I don’t throw anything away, I boil water and put it in a bucket and put the lid on for a few hours, it kills all the larvae and insects, then I wash the coconut, and finally I buffer it with calcium and magnesium.
I sent you a photo so you can see how it comes from the seller.
I will say that the stuff on the left does more closely resemble the coco I use, but let it dry out before you throw it out.
