New Canna Coco Coir, a new start

[dakotamoon]

So I now have a nice new bag of Canna Coco, seeds popping - new plants will be started tomorrow. Just a note on comparisons of various Coco products: I had issues with Coco bricks, wherein the runoff with distilled water (after hydration) was 1700ppm, the new bag of Cana Coco measures 300 ppm! Pictures to follow once seeds are planted.

 

[dakotamoon]

In my first attempt at Coco growing, I did add pearlite - but I see many Coco growers don't use it at all, when I look at how much moisture the Coco holds, and how lush the Canna Coco is.. I'm thinking "Who needs per
lite"?

 

[MickFoster]

I use Canna Coco and I prefer adding 30% perlite - more oxygen to the roots = faster growth. Good luck with your grow.

 

[nickeluring]

Don't use perlite in your coco. The coco itself holds 30% air which is plenty for the roots. Adding perlite will make it more difficult for the root's micro fibers to absorb the nutrients.

 

[gr865]

I use Canna Coco straight, mainly because I am lazy!

 

[MickFoster]

Don't use perlite in your coco. The coco itself holds 30% air which is plenty for the roots. Adding perlite will make it more difficult for the root's micro fibers to absorb the nutrients.

I have never heard that perlite makes it more difficult for the root's micro fibers to absorb nutrients. Could you please provide some type of verification? What about original hempy buckets - that's all perlite? So the plants grown in a hempy bucket will have difficulty absorbing nutes? I doubt it.

 

[nickeluring]

I don't know what hempy buckets are, and cannot comment on them.
I was in contact with Canna Gardening's support o couple of years ago. When they saw I had perlite in my coco they explained to me what I said here. They said their coco was not designed to use perlite, and the rest what I said..

 

[nickeluring]

I have never heard that perlite makes it more difficult for the root's micro fibers to absorb nutrients. Could you please provide some type of verification? What about original hempy buckets - that's all perlite? So the plants grown in a hempy bucket will have difficulty absorbing nutes? I doubt it.

Here are their exact words:
"I noticed perlite in your containers ... CANNA Coco is meant to be used as is. perlite makes it too dry, slows down water movement from micro pore to macro pores.

next time, skip the perlite."

 

[MickFoster]

Here are their exact words:
"I noticed perlite in your containers ... CANNA Coco is meant to be used as is. perlite makes it too dry, slows down water movement from micro pore to macro pores.

next time, skip the perlite."

Then can you explain hempy buckets? Apparently you don't do multiple feeds per day?

 

[nickeluring]

Then can you explain hempy buckets? Apparently you don't do multiple feeds per day?

Do hempy buckets have coco?

I personally feed my plants 6 times a day in coco.

 

[MickFoster]

Do hempy buckets have coco?

I personally feed my plants 6 times a day in coco.

I have no problem with 100% coco. I was disputing your statement that roots can't absorb nutrients properly in perlite. You still have given no verification to the fact.

Some people call coco in a bucket with a hole 2" from the bottom a hempy bucket but it's not. I refer to the original hempy bucket with either all perlite or a perlite/vermiculite mix. So, I ask you to explain how they work so well considering your opinion on the difficulty absorbing nutes?

 

[nickeluring]

I have no problem with 100% coco. I was disputing your statement that roots can't absorb nutrients properly in perlite. You still have given no verification to the fact.

Some people call coco in a bucket with a hole 2" from the bottom a hempy bucket but it's not. I refer to the original hempy bucket with either all perlite or a perlite/vermiculite mix. So, I ask you to explain how they work so well considering your opinion on the difficulty absorbing nutes?

You do what you're happy with doing. As I said earlier, I know nothing about hempy buckets, so I cannot comment on them. What I DO KNOW is that Canna says that their coco works best without perlite. If you want to use perlite in your buckets, go ahead, I'm sure it'll be good.

 

[dakotamoon]

My explorations into Coco went into Bizzaro World last night. Short version: tent sterilized with FG Hydrogen Peroxide after soil grow, then coco brick hydrated .. and plants added .. it was my assumption that the 1700 ppm measurement of the Coco was killing my plants, maybe NOT:..I had one pot left in my tent with a lonely hash plant .. that is in sad shape .. now I know why. The top of the pot last night was literally moving, there were so many bugs in the coco .. like a horror movie. So that brick coco will never be used for another project .. it's buggy coco. The eggs must have been in the coco ..the only thing in the brick coco is 20% perlite!

 

[nickeluring]

Ouch! That sounds pretty bad. I've never used the bricks, just the bulkier but easier to use normal coco. I tend to get fungus gnats in my coco, but nothing like what you describe. I've had the gnats every single grow though. I keep the population down with a layer of sand on top of the coco that supposedly kills the larvae's when they try to crawl to the surface to hatch, and yellow sticky thingies to catch those that have made it into flying gnats. There have still been some around but have as far as I can tell not made any major damage to my roots.
Try a layer of sand next time, a 5-10 mm thick layer on top of the coco. Then to make everything stay in place when watering, I add a layer of clay balls on top of the sand. It makes it look good, too, tidy and clean.

 

[dakotamoon]

Thanks, Nick - yup it was pretty bad, nothing will grow in that coco but bugs, it was right out of a horror flick: "Gnat's Attack"! That pot went outside in the minus 10 temps so fast. The brick coco will go where it belongs, in the trash. The fact that these gnats showed up in Legion - after only 2 weeks of heat . Toxic. I do plan to seal my new Coco pots with sand, not familiar with the clay balls, are they about 1/2 " in size?

 

[nickeluring]

A bit smaller, more like 5-10 mm.
I put a layer of clay balls on the bottom of the pot as well. Like a 50 mm layer or so. That'll prevent your coco from absorbing runoff water in case it floods. The runoff is bad, so you don't want that back in the pot. It all depends on what sort of system you have of course. My system sometimes let some plants sit in a bit of runoff water for 15 minutes or so, so I don't want them to absorb anything from underneath.

These are the ones:

 

[nickeluring]

And don't forget to wash the clay balls before you use them. They are super dirty unless pre-washed.

 

[dakotamoon]

Thanks, I've read so many articles on Coco that my head is spinning, thanks for stating it that way, I've been trying to figure out the "reasoning" behind DTW, and by having you state that it's a one way street .. the nutes go in, but nothing should come back up, thanks - I needed that.

 

[nickeluring]

I'm glad you got that. This will keep your coco clean from poisonous salts, and your plants will love it. If you can make a system that feeds your plants several times a day, it's better. I feed my plants every 3rd hour during lights on.

 

[dakotamoon]

Thanks, Nick .. do you water till about 20% runs out the bottom, when watering every 3rd hour? Or is it smaller amounts? That info would be so helpful, thanks again.