How to prep COCO COIR for indoor growing!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- For the 2021 indoor grow I have switched to using coco coir and perlite as my grow media instead of doing straight hydro. Coco tends to be much more forgiving with moisture retention, less maintenance, and a great way to deliver hydroponic nutrients to your plants roots!
In this video I will show you how I take coco coir from a brick form and get it into ready to plant media. I am using this batch to transplant more pepper seedlings from seed trays to nursery pots. It's very easy to prep, quite affordable, and my new favorite way to grow peppers indoors!
baus grows "Plants Help Us Grow" gear!!!!
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A portion of any profits from merch sales is donated to garden focused charities!
Links relevant to this video:
Learn How To Grow Hydroponic Vegetables:
• Look Ma, No Soil - Hyd...
My video on making hydroponic nutrient dispensers:
• DIY Hydroponic Nutrien...
Link to my grow updates on the Space Peppers growing in coco coir:
• They Came From Outer S...
Amazon affiliate links for the products I use:
Coco Coir: amzn.to/2ZfVBhv
Cal Mag: amzn.to/37dd7HJ
Perlite: amzn.to/2ZdrgAe
Multitool: amzn.to/2LQMrFd
Nursery Pots: amzn.to/3pmn4Zk
Seedling Trays: amzn.to/2ZdtBeo
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You can also grow indoors with pure hydroponics and its EASY! Check out this video series: th-cam.com/play/PL1a98WUFhio9InE4H6pD89TKKI8psyK4q.html
The best part no soil bugs 🐛. Great video
Thank you for taking the time and effort to make and post this video. It was helpful and fun to watch.
Thank you for watching!
Very informative. I love my Coco coir for the Mel's mix. One brick gives so much.
Great video. I was literally thinking about trying this method method yesterday and wished you had made a video explaining it it more...and I wake up this morning to see that you had made a video explaining it.
Thanks!!
Let me know how it goes if you do try it!
@@bausgrows definitely
Great video thanks can't wait to try
Thanks for the video, great info. I'm in!!
Greetings from Texas, Zone 9a!
I was watching the Pepper Geek channel and some of his viewers mentioned that you had sent them his way. Mighty decent of you!
I’ve subscribed to your channel, to see what you’ve got going. 🌶👍🏼😃
Thanks for watching! Pepper geek makes awesome content and I'm a big fan of fellow pepper lovers, gardeners and creators who are making great videos for us to enjoy! Happy growing to you :-)
I need to do this.
Thanks bub! I needed this video!
Good luck! It has seriously changed my indoor grow this year, very happy with it!
the exact video i was looking for. thank you SO much!!!
Glad it was helpful! Depending on your coir, you may need to buffer it first too. Guess I should do a video on that process soon.
@@bausgrows by buffer do you mean take out any chunky bits? i am growing microgreens so i wondered if i should still use perlite
I use this now exclusively after learning how complicated the peat moss process is. Works for me. I top a little sprinkle of vermiculite on top. Still lets light through and functions as a less bulky mulch for the surface. I've never tried the calcium supplement (never seen it, for that matter!). Will look for that.
Using it as part of the substrate for my moss terrarium. Great video 👍
Thank you for watching! Hope your terrarium turns out great!
I purchased 2 bricks a few months ago and yes this stuff is awesome for many things mainly retaining moisture, great tips for usage and just subbed. Thanks for being to the point.
Thank you for watching! I have really been happy with coco this year and am hoping to share some more on automatic watering systems I'm working on for my coco plants. Happy growing!
On spot mixing 😊❤
I've noticed if you add the calmag to the water at the beginning of the soak the coco seems to absorb it better and my plants are happier. I kinda did a side by side comparison and thats what I found.
Great straight forward video. Thanks for uploading. I'm formulating a plan to grow herbs and vegetables at home and coconut coir/perlite is where it's at. Peace bro!
I am a few weeks away from reclaiming my grow tent from the outdoor starts, then it's back to coco for my indoor pepper grow this summer. Thanks for watching!
I've learned a lot from this channel. If the author has helped you, too, remember to put something in the tip jar by smashing the "Thanks!" button.
I always make sure to tip them so they don't start putting commercials in their videos. That's annoying. I'd rather tip for good content. Can a brother get an "Amen?"
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kindness!
Keep in mind most these tips are for coco and synthetics ...in organics we dont run off out the bottom plants we do still use calmag and perlite and we top amend food and water it in slowly with time release ...we dont monitor ppms besides that all good tips nice vid man
Huh? Run off out the bottom plants? What does that mean, I like the video but trying to keep it organic over here, please elaborate for the newbies
@@sweetheart6722 with coco coir you water every day and wait for 20% or so run off out the bottom of your pot and you check that water with a ppm/EC pen etc etc, its essentially a way of making sure you dont have salt build up and stuff around your roots. Organics as in soil, if thats what you mean its completely diff to coco
I would suggest straining off the washed coco prior to buffering with calmag. I use a kitchen strainer. Getting rid of the smaller particles really helps control any issues.
Thanks for that tip! It is almost time for me to do an updated coco video with excellent tips like this included.
its good if you can to rinse the coco & perlite first to remove dust
Love the shirt and the info
I saw pretty peppers and got excited😊
I just did a mix of this but added 1 part compost for nutrients. Hopefully it works
TY getting ready to try this out on my indoor maryjane and other veggies i grow and i will be doing some peppers mostly lettuce and other greens i like that are not available or they are to expensive which is going to start being more of an issue now that our economy we getting MUCH WORSE
Just use cal-mag and water to rehydrate your coco m8. ✌🏼😎
No buffering bro ??
Great video subbed !!
I have not needed to buffer this particular brand of coco to my delight. Thank you for watching!
You gotta wash out that peat with dried coco. That's the stuff that holds water. I'll take your word on buffer/no buffer for whatever brand you're using (I buffer), but you should still rinse it out to get out all that coco peat.
Awesome video! I recently purchase coco and loving it so far. I noticed you mentioned that you feed (water w/ nutes) everyday. I'm in the process of figuring out my watering cycle and many sources suggest that you should wait for the top inch to dry out. Is there a good rule for when to water / feed for indoor plants with coco?
I don't usually let coco get that dry, but the best way is to do a little experimenting by adjusting your schedule and seeing how your plants react!
Always rinse coco to it reads 55ppm near that.then you have to soak coco in ph 6.2 ad cal mag will raise it to 6.5ish perfect to keep ph under 6.8.
I’m trying to grow peppers this year.
Excellent! I am growing over 60 varieties for 2021 both indoors and outdoors so let me know if you have any questions along the way!
I think that Miracle Grow perlite is the best. It's all they had at Ace, I'm thinking Miracle Grow, baaaad. But used the perlite. ITS THE BEST.
My researching always comes back to Coco and perlite as the best medium indoors and outdoors. I'm wanting to try it and have the coir.and perlite but I still feel a little worry and skepticism. The biggest and I feel is huge is it's so dang expensive to fert that combo medium , the biggest being using cal-mag everyday. That's costly , then adding the ferts into the equation makes this so expensive that if you did like 4-6 plants that it's not lucrative at all..I've wanted to do this method for too long in and outdoors. And then like you said , water till you have a 20 % runoff. I know plants need adequate and thorough watering but in reality that's money running down the drain.. Throwing money away on anything is just plain stupid. Yrs ago my boss said to me. "You have to spend money to make money , but be wise about it". Then enter the cost of other ferts etc. it leans to unlucritive.. Blows me away with daily application in liquid for. I've considered a powder form of cal-mag....plus how do you know if you need cal-mag with/ without Iron.. I'm also caught between air pots and fabric bags with later "probably" requiring less of everything. Im stressing. Any advice would be so appreciated
Here's a dirty secret....I capture that run off and use it to water other plants or put it into the next days fertigation. I grow peppers because I love the varieties and flavors you can't get at the grocery store. So I am less concerned about the cost. It's an investment in my hobby. A jug of calmag lasts me a full year usually, you use so little! If cost is a concern then coco and hydro nutrients is probably not the ideal setup.
@@bausgrows I'm going with it and been potting up clones. I thought of catching runoff and figured you probably did too as others also. I'm just sensibly frugal...chuckle. Green , red , orange bells are my big focus leaning on the green harvesting enough to freeze diced for a year. I eat a big salad daily loaded with red , orange. I'm probably gonna sub. Perhaps a little mines bigger than yours comp. A War Of The Bells per say..😏. I appreciate your rapid response and help. Thanks
I am having an issue as I attempted to use the coir in a vertical column with plants running linearly down the pipe with 2 1/2 inch openings. The plant area dries out quickly/‘it holding water and drains to base. Did I not pack it tightly enough?
Hard to say. I have never tried to grow in a vertical column using coco. Gravity is going to pull the water down so I expect the upper openings to dry out faster.
Perlite in coco for airation :))))
What brand of coco coir do you use?
Put your coir (wetted-out & fluffed) in a 30+ gal plastic garbage bag (new), add 25% Perlite by volume and then tie the bag closed and roll it back & forth on the patio or whatever. Mixes well that way.
M
great tip!
In my current seed starting setup I like to water by letting my cells wick it up from the tray. Is this problematic when nutrients are involved? (I seed start planning to transplant and haven't tried incorporating fertilizers yet)
Do you follow a different process for plants you know you will be transplanting in ground?
That is no problem. The reason I top water coco plants is because I am growing them to maturity in this media and the run off helps prevent salt build ups over time. For just seed starting bottom watering is fine as you will be transplanting them up into another pot/media
I'm about late to post but after you wash your Coco coir and it's hydrated do I transplant a small plant and then water with nutrients , or do I wait until the plant needs water again and then water with nutrients? Cheers
With Coco I pretty much always have nutrients mixed into the water. The Coco itself will essentially provide nothing, so you need to provide nutrients more often, much like a hydroponics system.
No buffering?
Do you feed full strength every time, or is it watered down some?
Depends on the age of the plant. For seedlings it's very diluted, about 3:1 water:nutrient and that increases up to half and half then to full as the plants grow
I run organics in soil for mom plants and run pure coco coir in 1 gallon pots in flowering tent.
I’ve ordered some coco coir and am planning on growing my tomato, chillies, peppers and egg plants in a greenhouse (UK). I was gonna do 1/3 coir; 1/3 perlite and 1/3 compost. Any tips?
That should be a good mix! You might even go a little higher on the perlite
Don't overwater. This is how I grow mine outdoors in Australia. It is hot and sunny here though. And I really soak my cheap coir bricks and squeeze out the water, and hopefully any salt.
Make up some super soil using the compost, but it takes a while and isn't super critical.
Can you do this mix for cannabis growing for its seeds...Thank you.
I don't have any experience in that area, however plants are plants. You should be able to grow cannabis this way no problem.
hi ive got calmag activera and biobizz trio pack along with some canna coco perlite and worm castings , is that going to be an okay combo? im new
It should be ok, a lot depends on what you plant in it, and how you plan to feed etc... for coco I tend to keep it just Coco and perlite as I am feeding with every watering. Once you add in active organics like worm casting you are moving more towards a soil type mix than a coco media.
@@bausgrows so should i just take the castings out of the equation
@@bastian4887 it's up to you, they do great things for plants so it's a tough call! I can't opine directly as I have never used a mix like that
Hi. Just wonder if you have problem of perlite floating on top each time you water? It seems to be a common issue and people suggest to water gently but I still got this problem no matter how. Thanks.
That can definitely be a problem. I do recommend a very gentle water and once roots really develop they do a good job holding the perlite in place so it's less of an issue.
Try putting a coco only layer at the top of your pots of say 2cm.
Coco coir also great for cannabis :)
Man I feed and then skip a day, and I don't have the algae problem, my plants also seem to grow faster and stronger doing it that way.
Can you use epsom salt and calcium nitrate if you don't have cal mag?
You can if it's measured and applied per the instructions. Usually I see that more with masterblend and other powdered nutrients
Miracle-Gro perlite has added nutrients
It does, and they rinse away pretty fast in my experience. It's not my favorite, but sometimes the only thing I can get locally.
Is it possible to mix coco and fox farm together? Or wouldn’t recommend?
Possible - yes. Would I do it? Probably not. You'd be introducing a lot of non-inert organic matter into the mix, and as wet as coco stays you may run into issues with mold and fungus etc...
@@bausgrows appreciate that !
Is there any fertilizers or pellets or anything else that I could mix into the mixture so I don't have to "feed" the plant everyday?
Some people add slow release fertilizer granules to their coco, but I have not tried that so can't say with any certainty how it would work. Maybe something I can do as an experiment for the channel.
@@bausgrowsyes...Gaia stuff
I really want to see a all natural grow. Like two seeds. One in regular dirt and just water it, and do whatever with the other one. Then compare the results
The dirt would lose to hydroponics even if you add expensive ferts to the dirt. But regular dirt will lose really bad.
The coco soil is a kind of hydroponics as well, and would also defeat dirt easily.
If you use solid fertilizer do you just use less at young age?
If I'm doing that I will usually make a blend of coco and compost as the organic fertilizer, still keeping a healthy portion of perlite in the mix. I don't like to use slow release fertilizer pellets in coco because it's tough to regulate their feeding levels.
I am trying coco coir but not sure how to water it. it holds so much water and feels like too much for my seedling. should I just water little bit every time? from top or bottom?
Great question! I tend to top water with my coco plants because I am feeding with every watering. I look for 15-20% of what I feed to run off out the bottom so I can avoid salt build up.
Some people also bottom water coco with great results. The thing to keep in mind is you need to feed consistently since coco offers no nutrients. At seedling stage it only needs water and you can let the coco hold the moisture it needs. As it matures, you will start feeding and your coco will never dry out. It's essentially hydro, but with a media much more similar to soil in some ways. Good luck growing!
For seed germination and seedlings before repotting, i use 50/50 coco/perlite. For plants i use 75/25.
Any issues with fungus knats using coco core?
Yes, but it's been easy enough to control them using mosquito bits on top that I water over each day. That kills the eggs/larvae and yellow sticky traps catch and kill the adults.
@@bausgrows what are mosquito bits?
They are little rock looking bits of a safe to use chemical called BTi that are useful for keeping mosquitos from laying eggs in standing water, but also work great to control gnats be sprinkling on top of the pot. amzn.to/3aj8v4A
@@livinglifeonlifesterms2450 Do not use chemical, They all got some side effect in the end.
I use pyrethrum spray. Also good againt spider mites.
how do you know you're not overwatering?
Perlite. Coco is very good at not being overwatered. You can lift your pots and feel the water weight. You can also use a bamboo skewer. Pull it out after 5 mins to see the moisture like an oil dipstick.
Do you not rinse your perlite?
Almost never, I will sometimes screen it if I get a particularly dusty bag, but rinsing it isnt usually necessary
Do you get fungus gnats using coco coir ?
You can, yes. But you are less likely to have them originate from the compressed coir. They will happily lay eggs in the moist coir once you have planted. Sticky traps and watering with mosquito bits does a good job controlling them.
does it need to be rinsed to rid of any salt?
It depends on the brand. Some are pre washed and buffered, others you need to do the work
How often are you flushing the salts from this?
I feed until there is a decent runoff, which helps. On occasion I rinse with distilled water, but rarely.
I may try this. I’m a little intimidated by the liquid nutrients thought 😬
They are super simple! I'd recommend a 1 part product like DynaGro or even Aerogarden brand nutrients. All you have to do is add the amount specified on the bottle to a gallon of water and shake/stir!
Liquid nutrients BLOW!!! Waaay to much testing, watering, ppm, ec, ro...screw that!!! Mix your Coco/perlite with Dr earth All purpose 444 and Dr Earth Flower Girl organic dry amendments and EWC. EASY!!! JUST WATER!!! Topdress every 3 weeks, Use a compost tea in between topdress. SOOOOO EASY!!! Liquid nuts ya gotta mix, test, feed couple times a week. Just use dry organics
A must is to monitor the pH and EC "strength" of the nutrient mix. To not be blind is to get the monitoring pens and use pH up or down (almost always down for me) to correct you nutrient mix.
Can you use any water soluble fertilizer or does it have to be hydro nutes
You can use anything, but you may get more salt build up from some.
@@bausgrows awesome i just wasnt sure cause everyone always talks about hydro nutes but never other things thanks for the reply!
I use flower/fruiting fertiliser rather than the nitrogen vegging fertiliser on chillies.
You don't buff it?
It really depends on the coco. This brand I have found its not really necessary, but others I have used I had to buffer thoroughly. It's never a bad idea, but in my experience not always necessary. Thanks for watching!
You should let it sit in cal-mag for a few hours
I have to do that with some brands for sure, the one I was using here always did fine without...but its a great tip either way! I will be doing an update on this soon.
@@bausgrows thanks for the reply
I’ve heard that Coco Coir has to much salt to plant succulents and other flowers in. If so how do you wash it?
It depends on the coco, but if you do plan to use it for delicate plants I would recommend putting it in a large bin, fill with water and let it soak for 30 minutes or so, then pour through a screen. Repeat until the water runoff is not "dirty" looking. It can take a few rounds.
@@bausgrows thank you👍🏾👍🏾
I wash in 400mm garden pots and also 20L pale bucket (with holes drilled). I water until the colour of the water changes from brownish to clearish. By then i estimate the salt is washed out.
It would be great to weigh the dry coco you used before you water in that 5 gallon bucket so that there’s a template for us students to go by. 😢
I don't even try to measure that kind of thing...go by moisture level. Get rid of any dry spots, don't have puddles of water. You can always drain excess water out, and add more in as you are working...more art than science I guess!
Those bricks needs to be flushed well. I have seen ppms over 1900.
That's true, I've had good luck with this brand. I test runoff ppm every few feedings and so far no issues.
Miracle Gro is the worst perlite to use, it has other stuff in it. Use organic.
I am not an organic gardener, I feed with hydroponic nutrients. That is good advice though, for organic gardeners. Thank you for adding it in! If I ever make the move to Organic I will keep that in mind!
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 do prefer Coir over peat for some of these reasons, but unfortunately the coir production industry also has some serious issues to work on, including human and animal rights in the harvesting and processing steps. Thanks for commenting!
isee ppl strain their coco like wtf
you need a pony tail lol
In coco u literslly cannot over water what u talkin lok
You sure can. Coco holds water very very well and too much will drown a plant just like too wet soil for too long. I speak from experience of drowning plants 🤣
Lmfao grown top end cannabis for 2 decades i actuakky stopped using the perlite cause it drys out soo fast
@@bowzee1502 congratulations on your success and best wishes.
Bowzee, I went ~25% perlite and my setup dries out way too quickly. Column set up with 2” 90 elbows coming out along the sides. Central column is filled with coir/perlite. All my water is draining to base and fitting/plant area dries out way too quickly. What would you recommend to keep moisture from leaving too quickly?
@@danielVonMises its always good to discard the runoff. But after that you do, you could try filling the saucer with fresh water to be sucked up. Just watch for nutrient deficiencies and don't over rely on it.
Miracle grow for ANYTHING edible/consumable 🌱👀🤮🤮
Ive read a lot from both sides of that argument and feel fine about using their products. Thank you for raising it as it's a choice every gardener has to make - how they prefer to feed their crops.
Maybe I will spend all that money and headache and not go to the grocery store and save the money.🤔
I use coir for my red wiggler worm farm then after 6 months I harvest that coir take out all the worms start again fresh coir. The coir is infused and the plants are insane.
That sounds awesome! I really need to get into vermicomposting soon. Thanks for the great tip!
Hey brother, I’ve been interested in wanting to start a small worm farm on my own in soil, but I am now intrigued with the idea of using coco coir. Would it be possible to learn a little from you on doing this on a small scale?
Thanks for sharing your input!
Love the video great info slapping some likes for ya, check us out sometime 💚
Thanks for watching, I'll check out your channel as well!
Peppers are a nightshade so no peppers
okeedokee