I'm growing tomatoes outside in 300mm pots in 100% coco coir. Nothing else added. I water, then fert which flushes as I go. Adding calmag as a foliar spray but also extra in the fert cycle. Calmag needed more for Heirloom (Beefsteak) than Cherry tomatoes. Seaweed amendment added as well in the cycle. This is new to me and the results are amazing so far. Also, I grew from seed in coco to avoid soil in my media. Hence, stopped buying seedlings and will seed save with plastic bag self pollnation. Blight is quite minor, only a couple of spots (considering the soil raised beds nearby). Im in Australia in humid sub tropical. Late Feb for us (which is late July weather in northern hemisphere). Blight normally destroyed my potting mix tomatoes. It was bad, like a race up the plant and struggled for fruit, yield and trying to keep the plant alive. Coco is amazing.
This is awesome man. I throw all of my old coco from my indoor grows in my compost. I also make my own work castings with coco as the substrate. It’s so much easier to manage plants by spoon feeding with coco. I choose to use a mixture of indigenous soil and compost in my outdoor garden. I use the lasagna gardening method.
Highly recommend high frequency fertigation in coco. Watering in coco in a similar fashion as soil will kill your plants. The coco has to stay wet, no drying between feeding/watering. In most cases this means once a day when plants are small, and twice a day when larger. And you need to do it until you see run off so you don’t get salt build up. Use 70/30 coco/perlite
Usually, you have to wash and charge the Coco before you start. That means to check the EC and make sure it's not above 300-350. Then soak in the appropriate mix for what you're doing (stage of transplant). (Seeds wash only, no charge for 5-6 days). Also, never let Coco dry out. An example I use to help folks see is using a washcloth. Dip it in a cup of water and then hang till drips stop. Weigh at that moment (136g). Then squeeze the cloth to wring the water into a cup. Weigh the cloth (78g). That leaves 58g of water. A major point, at 78g the cloth is wet but there is no available water for the plant. The plant's "gas tank" is 58g of water in this example. So do like your car, fill it up and drive till you are at 1/4 tank and then fill it up again. Don't let it runout or keep it topped off at all times. Different media will have various moisture holding capacity amounts and evaporation rates such as Coco and Rockwool. Soils with low drainage will have slower water loss.
Agree. All of this is true and scientificly proven. I would add that the root development is an important factor here. All of this will work fine when having well rooted pots. Transplanting a seedling directly into a big pot (like 3 gals+) isn't a good practice, you would better transplant them more often to achieve a nice and healthy root development. This is advisable especially when running irrigation systems/drippers. Running an irrigation system on coco is the real McCoy!
@@ClearWater7.62 never let Coco completely dry out. Good Coco has about 50% moisture content and you don't want to let it go below 20 to 25% moisture content during your dry back. You can't treat Coco like soil where you want the top layer dry. If you let it dry too much it'll be hard to re-wet and your water will run right through.
good info bro, pretty spot on ;) since i flipped to coco i had almost 0 problems start to finish and been reusing for over 1 year with no difference ;)
Biggest thing with watering coco is to water slow if pot is bigger than the roots intill second or third week also the ph must be in the 5.8 to 6.4 depending on plants prefrence
Coco for cannabis needs to be watered every day, if the medium is allowed to dry yields & growth will be affected. I was using soil watering practices the first time I used Coco watering every few days which was so wrong..
This is not a dumb question at all! I’m fact this is a great question. I use Royal gold basement mix most of the time, and they say you can aggressively feed everyday depending on the environment, and strain. I use fry amendments so I only feed every 3 weeks. My very next run is going to be a hydro run with a new system, and I will be using synthetics and I’m sure I will have to feed once a week! Stay tuned fort that. Hope this answered your question
@@robsreviews9172 That's a relief lol glad you appreciate that question man 🙏 yeah you have answered my question perfectly because I'm still deciding on whether to use dry amendments in coco or not. And now I know, thanks to you, that if I choose to do a synthetic grow it would be sensible to do a nute feed at least once everyday, obviously increasing the ratio as a plant matures. But if I choose to do an organic run then it's best to only feed nutes every 3 weeks which makes sense as dry amendments only last so long. So if I grew an auto strain in the latter scenario essentially it would probably only get feed synth nutes 3 - 4 times in its lifecycle. Thank you for the swift response and feedback Rob and I can't wait to see that hydroponic grow to compare it. All the best dude 😎🙏
I lost 200 organic tomatoe starts using Coco coir. Small market gardner. Ground leaves are working for seed starts . Just add a little vermiculite and perlite.
That’s a great question. I have never used biochar in any of my grows. Some coco you can purchase pre amended with perlite that’s the route I would take. I use basement mix by Royal Gold
I've heard that you basicly can't overwater coco because of it's high air storage capacity. It sounds about right since it's usuable for hydro. But you disagree in your video, and I'm new at indoor growing, so I'm confused ^^
Overwatering isn't a too much water issue, it's a not enough oxygen in the root zone issue,which excess water will cause🌱 you can overwater in Coco But it's pretty hard to do, if you very poor drainage then it could more easily happen,or very crappy Coco that has Lots of fine bits to it as that holds onto water more, that can often be the case with coco bricks but not so much branded bags,which are often also buffered etc ready to use straight away 🌱 Happy growing everyone 🌱🌍😎
Coconut Coir is an Un Ending resource, It helps Major and small real world farmers get money for waste that they could not use. The husks produced in Coconut farming was difficult for the farmers to deal with . The husks don't break down quickly, this sucked up their land and created rat and mosquito infestations making life even harder. About 20 yrs ago, someone came up the the idea to recapture the waste. Small farmers income didn't allow them to purchase the machines to break the husks down'; Eventually as marketing and shipping the Coir became successful, Companies expanded collection from the small farmers and eventually paying small payments for the husks. Win Win Win. Environmentally Using Peat Moss should be considered the same as Mining the Coral Reef. Period ! Peat Moss Companies are using Rhetoric,Lobbing ,and Green Washing. The Peat Bogs take millions of years, and once they are gone that is it. Our modern day land use doesn't really allow for them to regenerate, and don't forget that the climate was very different 1,000s of years ago. Using peat should be considered the same as mining the coral reefs.....Environmentally Using Peat Moss should be considered the same as Mining the Coral Reef. Period ! Peat Moss Companies are using Rhetoric,Lobbing ,and Green Washing.
@@julian-pThat's what I'm thinking too. Biochar helps a lot with the overall health of potting mix and soil. I had a potted hydrangea which was developing root rot and the mix started to smell bad. I took out some of the bottom potting mix and put in some uncharged biochar to act as a dry reserve. A dry charcoal drainage reserve. In a few weeks the excess moisture had been absorbed by biochar and it helped with aeration and microbial health and now the hydrangea is growing fast.
I've been watching so many videos they confuse you one channel says one thing one say another i need to speak to someone who knows what they are talking about, anyone who doesn't mind explaining someone hmu, would definitely appreciate it
I'm new to using coconut coir and it seems like a lot of work as far as buffering is involved . I think Shagum peat moss is better , it's cheaper and has a neutral pH Regular peat moss is acidic so checkout shagun peat moss. 😮
I should have bought that but I bought coco perlite 70/30 I'm a damn beginner I'm growing auto Northern lights they are growing fine but I need some advice should I mix it with top soil or not I bought two bags 2.6 gallon bags I have 4 auto Northern lights anyone that has any tips or advice on what I should do because again I'm a beginner and have no idea what I'm doing
Coco coir is innate meaning it has no nutrients whatsoever for your plant unless they’re added. I heard you say “nutrients from coco” This is untrue, they have none unless added. Source : growing for six years, and my uncle owns a dispo in Boulder.
@@flaman1967 only once. Then it’s reusable, unlike peat. I reclaim about 75% for reuse. No buffering needed for reclaimed CoCo. I rinse it with PHd Water JM2¢
My plants hate coco coir, and therefore so do I. I won't be bothered babysitting; constantly tinkering with nutrients trying to keep the plants healthy while they languish alongside other plants that are thriving with minimal effort (in peat moss based potting mix). Coco coir is also typically four times the price of peat moss. No thanks! it's a good thing I stockpiled enough peat moss to last us years before the supply chain issues and inflation kicked in.
I don’t think so. I made this video 3-4 years ago, but I grow in coco, and only coco. To clarify if you buy pitted cocoa, you should be OK. If you don’t, then you will have to supplement your own nutrients. I use base makes by royal gold, which is pre-amended. And then I feed every two weeks a hydroponic system.
@@robsreviews9172 Ive grown in a soil and promix for years, and did a coco grow over the winter just to see what it was all about, and was impressed by the plants speed of growth in coco. I’ve grown the same plants in Promix and soil in 7-10 gal. Pots, and was able to grow the same size plants and yield in 3 gallon pots of coco. I’m sold on coco.
I'm growing tomatoes outside in 300mm pots in 100% coco coir. Nothing else added. I water, then fert which flushes as I go. Adding calmag as a foliar spray but also extra in the fert cycle. Calmag needed more for Heirloom (Beefsteak) than Cherry tomatoes. Seaweed amendment added as well in the cycle.
This is new to me and the results are amazing so far. Also, I grew from seed in coco to avoid soil in my media. Hence, stopped buying seedlings and will seed save with plastic bag self pollnation.
Blight is quite minor, only a couple of spots (considering the soil raised beds nearby). Im in Australia in humid sub tropical. Late Feb for us (which is late July weather in northern hemisphere).
Blight normally destroyed my potting mix tomatoes. It was bad, like a race up the plant and struggled for fruit, yield and trying to keep the plant alive. Coco is amazing.
Wow! I love this comment. Thank you for sharing! Talk about self sufficient
This is awesome man. I throw all of my old coco from my indoor grows in my compost. I also make my own work castings with coco as the substrate. It’s so much easier to manage plants by spoon feeding with coco. I choose to use a mixture of indigenous soil and compost in my outdoor garden. I use the lasagna gardening method.
Highly recommend high frequency fertigation in coco. Watering in coco in a similar fashion as soil will kill your plants. The coco has to stay wet, no drying between feeding/watering.
In most cases this means once a day when plants are small, and twice a day when larger. And you need to do it until you see run off so you don’t get salt build up. Use 70/30 coco/perlite
Lazy people don’t like coco. True cannabis enthusiast love it and don’t mind the extra work bc it’s something they are passionate about is growing.
Usually, you have to wash and charge the Coco before you start. That means to check the EC and make sure it's not above 300-350. Then soak in the appropriate mix for what you're doing (stage of transplant). (Seeds wash only, no charge for 5-6 days).
Also, never let Coco dry out.
An example I use to help folks see is using a washcloth. Dip it in a cup of water and then hang till drips stop. Weigh at that moment (136g). Then squeeze the cloth to wring the water into a cup. Weigh the cloth (78g). That leaves 58g of water.
A major point, at 78g the cloth is wet but there is no available water for the plant.
The plant's "gas tank" is 58g of water in this example. So do like your car, fill it up and drive till you are at 1/4 tank and then fill it up again. Don't let it runout or keep it topped off at all times.
Different media will have various moisture holding capacity amounts and evaporation rates such as Coco and Rockwool. Soils with low drainage will have slower water loss.
Thank you so much for all the great info
Agree. All of this is true and scientificly proven. I would add that the root development is an important factor here. All of this will work fine when having well rooted pots. Transplanting a seedling directly into a big pot (like 3 gals+) isn't a good practice, you would better transplant them more often to achieve a nice and healthy root development. This is advisable especially when running irrigation systems/drippers. Running an irrigation system on coco is the real McCoy!
Does coco dry out evenly? I know the top should be more dry but how far deep?
@@ClearWater7.62 never let Coco completely dry out. Good Coco has about 50% moisture content and you don't want to let it go below 20 to 25% moisture content during your dry back. You can't treat Coco like soil where you want the top layer dry. If you let it dry too much it'll be hard to re-wet and your water will run right through.
good info bro, pretty spot on ;) since i flipped to coco i had almost 0 problems start to finish and been reusing for over 1 year with no difference ;)
Wow!!
@@robsreviews9172 i know remo is using his for 9+ and other guys 11+... insane...
Re using coco?
I get about 80% of the CoCo back after harvest JM2¢
Biggest thing with watering coco is to water slow if pot is bigger than the roots intill second or third week also the ph must be in the 5.8 to 6.4 depending on plants prefrence
I hope this answers some question you may have on growing with coco!
Coco for cannabis needs to be watered every day, if the medium is allowed to dry yields & growth will be affected. I was using soil watering practices the first time I used Coco watering every few days which was so wrong..
This is probably a dumb question but do you use nutes for every watering with coco?
This is not a dumb question at all! I’m fact this is a great question.
I use Royal gold basement mix most of the time, and they say you can aggressively feed everyday depending on the environment, and strain. I use fry amendments so I only feed every 3 weeks.
My very next run is going to be a hydro run with a new system, and I will be using synthetics and I’m sure I will have to feed once a week! Stay tuned fort that.
Hope this answered your question
One thing I would do is stop nutrient feeds in coco for the last week or few days of a plants life. To get rid of any chemical residues
@@robsreviews9172 That's a relief lol glad you appreciate that question man 🙏 yeah you have answered my question perfectly because I'm still deciding on whether to use dry amendments in coco or not. And now I know, thanks to you, that if I choose to do a synthetic grow it would be sensible to do a nute feed at least once everyday, obviously increasing the ratio as a plant matures. But if I choose to do an organic run then it's best to only feed nutes every 3 weeks which makes sense as dry amendments only last so long. So if I grew an auto strain in the latter scenario essentially it would probably only get feed synth nutes 3 - 4 times in its lifecycle. Thank you for the swift response and feedback Rob and I can't wait to see that hydroponic grow to compare it. All the best dude 😎🙏
I’m so excited to get this next season started!!
I lost 200 organic tomatoe starts using Coco coir. Small market gardner.
Ground leaves are working for seed starts . Just add a little vermiculite and perlite.
If you have good coco it’s almost impossible to over water it.
Yea cation exchanges are no fun no matter the amount of cal mag u put in at times doesn't matter shit can be brutal
Great video Rob. You've got this!! 💚💚🌱💚💚💪🏾
Thank you
Doing Coco? Nice this will be a good series.🤟
I’m hoping so 😂
It’s earlier gonna be really good or really bad. I’m shooting for really good though!
Ph is the crucial step. Always ph ❤
I learned my lesson last gro
Never have used for cannabis but it has peaked my interest that's for sure.
It’s my solution for everything! Sleep, depression, pain, anxiety, hunger the list goes on!!
@@robsreviews9172 no, lol I mean I have never used Coco to grow cannabis lol sorry for the confusion. I've used Coco to grow mushrooms though!
@@robsreviews9172 I also use cannabis as my solution for everything lol
Yeee!!
There’s no such thing as overwatering, what you’re describing is a lack of drainage
what about using coco with biochar?
btw i lived in tropical region, getting raw coco is easy and affordable, while perlite, etc is rare and expensive.
That’s a great question. I have never used biochar in any of my grows. Some coco you can purchase pre amended with perlite that’s the route I would take. I use basement mix by Royal Gold
Awesome content!
Excellent video Rob 👍
Dang it, what's the enzyme? No link?
I've heard that you basicly can't overwater coco because of it's high air storage capacity. It sounds about right since it's usuable for hydro. But you disagree in your video, and I'm new at indoor growing, so I'm confused ^^
Overwatering isn't a too much water issue, it's a not enough oxygen in the root zone issue,which excess water will cause🌱 you can overwater in Coco But it's pretty hard to do, if you very poor drainage then it could more easily happen,or very crappy Coco that has Lots of fine bits to it as that holds onto water more, that can often be the case with coco bricks but not so much branded bags,which are often also buffered etc ready to use straight away 🌱 Happy growing everyone 🌱🌍😎
dripping irrigation, 15 minutes only, three times a day. less labor, saving energy consumption, not overwatered the coco
Overwatering coco is almost impossible. I water/feed my coco about 6 times per day.
Not sure why my plants were showing signs of over watering, maybe the compost I implemented in the beginning. The ladies were def not happy.
Because you have small pots.
Coconut Coir is an Un Ending resource, It helps Major and small real world farmers get money for waste that they could not use. The husks produced in Coconut farming was difficult for the farmers to deal with . The husks don't break down quickly, this sucked up their land and created rat and mosquito infestations making life even harder. About 20 yrs ago, someone came up the the idea to recapture the waste. Small farmers income didn't allow them to purchase the machines to break the husks down'; Eventually as marketing and shipping the Coir became successful, Companies expanded collection from the small farmers and eventually paying small payments for the husks. Win Win Win.
Environmentally Using Peat Moss should be considered the same as Mining the Coral Reef. Period ! Peat Moss Companies are using Rhetoric,Lobbing ,and Green Washing.
The Peat Bogs take millions of years, and once they are gone that is it. Our modern day land use doesn't really allow for them to regenerate, and don't forget that the climate was very different 1,000s of years ago. Using peat should be considered the same as mining the coral reefs.....Environmentally Using Peat Moss should be considered the same as Mining the Coral Reef. Period ! Peat Moss Companies are using Rhetoric,Lobbing ,and Green Washing.
i hear conflicting ideas about mixing soil and coco coir..is it ok to mix soil and coco 70/30...?
That's the best mix I think with perlite
i think about using coco and biochar. coco cannot hold microbes, while biochar can
@@julian-pThat's what I'm thinking too. Biochar helps a lot with the overall health of potting mix and soil. I had a potted hydrangea which was developing root rot and the mix started to smell bad. I took out some of the bottom potting mix and put in some uncharged biochar to act as a dry reserve. A dry charcoal drainage reserve. In a few weeks the excess moisture had been absorbed by biochar and it helped with aeration and microbial health and now the hydrangea is growing fast.
Peet is fine for for a middling grow.
Thanks for the comment
Buffering not discussed ? 😢
I've been watching so many videos they confuse you one channel says one thing one say another i need to speak to someone who knows what they are talking about, anyone who doesn't mind explaining someone hmu, would definitely appreciate it
I'm new to using coconut coir and it seems like a lot of work as far as buffering is involved . I think Shagum peat moss is better , it's cheaper and has a neutral pH Regular peat moss is acidic so checkout shagun peat moss. 😮
@flaman1967 thanks for info, I appreciate it.
Coco Coir will forever remain a mystery to me.
Is it 'choir' or 'core'? Drives me mad...
Great video. Thanks for the info.
Thank you glad you liked it
Nice
just grow coco and perlite. soil is going backwards.
I should have bought that but I bought coco perlite 70/30 I'm a damn beginner I'm growing auto Northern lights they are growing fine but I need some advice should I mix it with top soil or not I bought two bags 2.6 gallon bags I have 4 auto Northern lights anyone that has any tips or advice on what I should do because again I'm a beginner and have no idea what I'm doing
Coco coir is innate meaning it has no nutrients whatsoever for your plant unless they’re added. I heard you say “nutrients from coco” This is untrue, they have none unless added. Source : growing for six years, and my uncle owns a dispo in Boulder.
You must have misunderstood. Your exactly right.
@@robsreviews9172watched it all the way through… no idea what this comment was about. Great info
But it still needs to be buffered and that's the headache.
@@flaman1967 only once. Then it’s reusable, unlike peat. I reclaim about 75% for reuse. No buffering needed for reclaimed CoCo. I rinse it with PHd
Water JM2¢
Can ZZ plant grow in coco coir only? Thanks
What do you mean by “ZZ”?
ZZ is short form for Zamioculcas Zamiifolia
I’m not to familiar with that type of plant. I’m sorry
I got my zz plants in coco, they are fine. I add a splash of cal-mag once a season
As peat dries out it becomes hydrophobic.
My plants hate coco coir, and therefore so do I. I won't be bothered babysitting; constantly tinkering with nutrients trying to keep the plants healthy while they languish alongside other plants that are thriving with minimal effort (in peat moss based potting mix). Coco coir is also typically four times the price of peat moss. No thanks! it's a good thing I stockpiled enough peat moss to last us years before the supply chain issues and inflation kicked in.
My plants are doing better than ever! Fortunately I can afford coco!! Thanks for the comment
@@robsreviews9172 and I bet his quality and yield is dirt quality 👌
I agree, regular hydro store soil is the best thing for home growers.
@@MZ95 info on that?
@@FavDogBisquit I believe he was talking about making your own compost wich cost nothing. You can also get some soil/compost from forest for free.
Did he say Coco will give your plants all their nutrients? Coco alone has no nutrients.
I don’t think so. I made this video 3-4 years ago, but I grow in coco, and only coco.
To clarify if you buy pitted cocoa, you should be OK. If you don’t, then you will have to supplement your own nutrients. I use base makes by royal gold, which is pre-amended. And then I feed every two weeks a hydroponic system.
@@robsreviews9172 Ive grown in a soil and promix for years, and did a coco grow over the winter just to see what it was all about, and was impressed by the plants speed of growth in coco. I’ve grown the same plants in Promix and soil in 7-10 gal. Pots, and was able to grow the same size plants and yield in 3 gallon pots of coco. I’m sold on coco.