Below is an article i found on the web concerning the growing of plants in COCO.
I have had 6 years successful experience with the medium and have learned over those years to read what my plants are doing, in a very rudimentary way to be honest ,i'm no expert. So having everything down pat as far as COCO was cocerned i thought i could do with a change
so i decided to try my hand at a Hydro recirculating system, just for something to do. Worse thing i ever did! Spectacular failure.(but thats another story)
The story i would like to tell is that since i have returned to COCO i have had to seek information regarding sick and unhealthy plants ,which has never happened to me previously .
Thing is ,after buying all the gear for the recirculating system,PH kits ,EC meters etc i thought i'd start to monitor my COCO grows, which i had never done before,in the hope of even bigger healthier plants. Couldn't hurt hey?
Another failure!!
WTF am i doing wrong i thought. I'm measuring EC- measuring ph ,flushing, adding this and that micro nute etc but my plants are turning yellow ,growing slowly, dying, stems turning purple.
(I have three different strains ,all of which suffered from my leap into the 21 century)
Finally i found the afore mentioned article (which appears just a bit further down) and all my problems were solved within a few days.Miraculous really.
After returning to what i had done for years ie: non flushing, no ph testing, got rid of the blue truncheon , im back to a healthy happy grow. Turns out i was flushing the Magnesium out of the plants and over dosing on potassium . Also the plants were existing happily with an EC of 2.9 (i found out using my trusty truncheon) and above before i tried to lower it to the Canna COCO recommendation.
Of course my reckless slap happy growing method won't be everyones cup of tea ,and the article does not suggest doing what i do,but it did help me correct my problems .
There might be some useful info there for you all..
Growing on Coco: Busting the Myth
by Ralph B. Par
The Indoor Gardener Magazine Volume 3 - Issue 6
In my travels and correspondence around the world, I find there is much confusion about the use of coconut husk litter, commonly known (after aging) as coco peat or mulch, in crop production. I was first made aware of the produce as a potential additive to mineral soil or light peat mixes in the early 1980s. The thinking then was that it had too many issues to use as a straight mix, but did have some interesting side results when used as a fraction in a potting mix, or as a soil amendment to improve soil structure. It was first introduced to the Royal Botanical Society in 1862 and proved successful initially but dropped out of favor because of its inherent issues. Now it has exploded onto the scene in all manners of sue, from fraction to complete, but what are we dealing with, and why such a delay before it was accepted into the general market?
To start, the physical characteristics of coco are unique, in that it changes its physical and chemical characteristics dramatically over time. Green or newly harvested mulch is actually the dust (and broken fibers) generated by removing the fivers from the husk of a coconut. THis matter is unusable at this point. After several months of decomposition, it begins to take on some usable characteristics: it holds moisture better and releases potassium and other salts slower, down to a reasonable level. Its structure also remains intact. There is a fairly short period from this point during which the coco peat is usable in container plant production.. Ideally, the coco peat has to go further to actually work with the plant correctly, but by then much of the structure is lost and the usable time in situ is severely shortened. While later stages of coco degradation are very acceptable as a soil amendment, the are not suitable for direct use. Structural problems are, however, a small part of the issue.
Water moves from an area of low EC to an area of higher EC in an attempt to balance out or achieve equilibrium; where a semi-permeable membrane isolates the two solutions, only certain elements or molecules can cross, typically a water molecule or smaller (selectively permeable), through the process of osmosis (Fig A). Membrane can also be selectively permeable, allowing certain sizes of particles to pass while restricting others. In typical soils and container mixes, fertilized at recommended levels, the EC of the root zone moisture (which includes nutrients [salts]) is lower than the internal EC of the root cells, allowing water to move, or diffuse, across the barrier membranes. As the root zone's EC reaches the EC levels of the plant, water movement slows and eventually halts. Unfortunately, it does not stop there and can move the other way, but not all. To compensate and get the water in the seawater solution (a solution of water plus many different salts) to move through the plant, the palm concentrates salts in the areas between the cell walls, known as interstitial spaces. This effectively shows an increase in the internal EC while allowing the actual cells to function normally. The process of harvesting the fivers also increases EC levels, because the coconut husks are first soaked in seawater (the most abundant water supply near where coconuts grow), which imparts its salts into every pore of the coconut material. When decomposition occurs, these salts come out in very high amounts, especially potassium, the most prevalent element found as an ion (salt).
All usable nutrients become available to the plant's internal processes as ions, or charged atoms or functional groups like nitrate. Ions affect each other. In fact, they combine in a controlled fashion, in a solution with other ions and no controls, they still combine or associate with other ions of opposite charge. They also affect the availability of each other as similar charges. This is known as antagonism, where one element in a large amount will decrease availability of another in a smaller amount. In this case, as the concentration of potassium increases, the availability of both calcium and magnesium decreases. It is more commonly known as locking out. When combined with the effects of pH and temperature, precipitation of these salts can occur. The effect works the other way. When calcium increases, potassium availability decreases. Additionally, potassium has the ability to almost move at will throughout a plant, as it is mostly unregulated, a characteristic all plants have adapted by harnessing these ions to do work as they move around.
This is all well and good, but how does that affect the use of coconut peat/mulch with plants? As the coco decomposes, it "gives off" salts that increase the EC of the medium, which will result in burning and imbalances in calcium/magnesium and potassium ratios; the "greener" the coco, the worse the problem. About the time this "give off" slows enough to really grow a crop in, the structure has the characteristic of muck peat and requires amendments like perlite, sand, pebbles or other large particles added to it to give the medium air. Also, the state of decomposition is at its highest, so what is left will not last long, and can easily be washed out of the container. We know that if the level of salts AND the ratio of these salts could be controlled at an earlier stage, we would have the advantage of good physical structure and proper nutrient balance.
Coconut peat has some wonderful physical properties that greatly benefit plant growth. To begin, it is renewable - no stripping of nature's resources. It makes use of the final product left over from cultivating and harvesting the much-prized nut. At the right point in its decomposition, coco peat can be used as a stand-alone medium with no need to add perlite or other persistent amendments. Coco peat itself is fairly pH-stable and buffers the pH well, in a very acceptable range for plant growth. WHile they are fairly solid and big early on, once the peat particles are treated and decomposed to a certain point, they are like sponges with micro-pores that hold water, away form the plant roots but available to replenish the larger pores the plant root can access. This effectively limits excess water while retaining water reserves. These particles hold onto no ions, only what may fill and dry on the particles themselves. So as long as the medium is moist , nutrients are available. At the proper point of decomposition, the particles form the perfect combination of air-to-water, because of the different fractions now present, which can actually mean more air space to water pace, with the micro-pores holding a reserve of water, giving a nice water buffer. Unlike peat moss, it has no oil on its surface, so wetting the particle is never an issue. The key in all this is to decompose the particle to the perfect point. The problem is still that the rate of salt release remains high at this perfect point.
Controlling the decomposition process, adding the correct nutrient buffer to adjust the ratio, feeding the plants the proper ratio of nutrients to offset the coco's "giving off" will produce the perfect growing conditions. When the medium is not taken into account, the results can be disastrous. Even when fed correctly, and the correct "buffer" of nutrient ratio set up, just one watering with plain water will wreck the buffer, sending the plant and medium into shock and rapidly escalating the potassium level. Consequently, plants that do not have enough of some ions like calcium (there are several) due to underfeeding or washing out will show a deficiency in these and other elements. Meanwhile, potassium builds up the plant tissue, ultimately leading to margin burning on the leaf surface, mostly at the tip. The first thing the inexperienced grower assumes is that he is overfeeding and has salt issues. He will decrease the feed concentration and leach the medium. This, of course, magnifies the problem and makes it worse. The key to proper coco growing is to use the right feed to balance the products the coco gives off. Think not only about availability, but about the ratio of one mineral to another as well. It is also important to water correctly.
Coco peat holds about 33% more moisture then similar grades of peat-based mediums if its structure is sound. Since a great amount of this is tucked away in the micro-pores, the medium can look dry but still be plenty wet. The same rules apply here as in soil or soilless mixes: water when the container loses 50% of the maximum water it will hold against gravity (immediately after drainage of a newly watered container). This is done by weight and yes, it does change with time, root mass, humidity, temperature and grower temperament (thumb on scale syndrome).
By controlling the decomposition and particle size closely, there is no need for anything to increase drainage, like perlite, and this removes a disposal concern. Even more air space can be achieved by increasing the fraction of coco fibers and husks. This results in a totally renewable and biodegradable medium that resists compaction. Finally, the pH of the medium, when buffered and controlled, remains constant pretty much throughout its useful life. The medium sets its pH at between 5.2 and 6.2, a perfect range, and will hold it there, unlike peat-based products that try to go back to a pH of 4.5 or less within three months of being planted. By using the correct age of coco with the right porosity, coco potting medium should be able to work through almost a year's worth of crops before being changed. The pH stays correct and only the structure changes, limiting the useful period.
So, we see that by controlling the aging process, using the correct ratio of nutrients, using the correct composition of nutrients, and pre-buffering the coco peat, growers can anticipate getting the perfect medium, correctly balanced, correctly composed, with good porosity, a water buffer, and a lot less headaches then peat-based soilless mix products. That is great for a start, but to complete a crop, it is critical that the correct nutrients be used as well. Consider coco as needing to be "fed" along with the plants. Once the medium establishes a buffer, which it will do based on the nutrients it sees, right or wrong, the grower can wipe this out by applying plain water to the medium. The medium hangs on to nothing and will readily flush away its nutrients; then the plant will suffer until the buffer is restored. Always use fertilizer when you water coco that a plant is actively growing in, at least at about EC = 0.6mS/cm3. This will hold the balance or ratio of the nutrients to each other and insure that the plant gets exactly what it needs.
Pentola
I have had 6 years successful experience with the medium and have learned over those years to read what my plants are doing, in a very rudimentary way to be honest ,i'm no expert. So having everything down pat as far as COCO was cocerned i thought i could do with a change
so i decided to try my hand at a Hydro recirculating system, just for something to do. Worse thing i ever did! Spectacular failure.(but thats another story)The story i would like to tell is that since i have returned to COCO i have had to seek information regarding sick and unhealthy plants ,which has never happened to me previously .
Thing is ,after buying all the gear for the recirculating system,PH kits ,EC meters etc i thought i'd start to monitor my COCO grows, which i had never done before,in the hope of even bigger healthier plants. Couldn't hurt hey?
Another failure!!
WTF am i doing wrong i thought. I'm measuring EC- measuring ph ,flushing, adding this and that micro nute etc but my plants are turning yellow ,growing slowly, dying, stems turning purple.
(I have three different strains ,all of which suffered from my leap into the 21 century)Finally i found the afore mentioned article (which appears just a bit further down) and all my problems were solved within a few days.Miraculous really.
After returning to what i had done for years ie: non flushing, no ph testing, got rid of the blue truncheon , im back to a healthy happy grow. Turns out i was flushing the Magnesium out of the plants and over dosing on potassium . Also the plants were existing happily with an EC of 2.9 (i found out using my trusty truncheon) and above before i tried to lower it to the Canna COCO recommendation.
Of course my reckless slap happy growing method won't be everyones cup of tea ,and the article does not suggest doing what i do,but it did help me correct my problems .
There might be some useful info there for you all..
Growing on Coco: Busting the Myth
by Ralph B. Par
The Indoor Gardener Magazine Volume 3 - Issue 6
In my travels and correspondence around the world, I find there is much confusion about the use of coconut husk litter, commonly known (after aging) as coco peat or mulch, in crop production. I was first made aware of the produce as a potential additive to mineral soil or light peat mixes in the early 1980s. The thinking then was that it had too many issues to use as a straight mix, but did have some interesting side results when used as a fraction in a potting mix, or as a soil amendment to improve soil structure. It was first introduced to the Royal Botanical Society in 1862 and proved successful initially but dropped out of favor because of its inherent issues. Now it has exploded onto the scene in all manners of sue, from fraction to complete, but what are we dealing with, and why such a delay before it was accepted into the general market?
To start, the physical characteristics of coco are unique, in that it changes its physical and chemical characteristics dramatically over time. Green or newly harvested mulch is actually the dust (and broken fibers) generated by removing the fivers from the husk of a coconut. THis matter is unusable at this point. After several months of decomposition, it begins to take on some usable characteristics: it holds moisture better and releases potassium and other salts slower, down to a reasonable level. Its structure also remains intact. There is a fairly short period from this point during which the coco peat is usable in container plant production.. Ideally, the coco peat has to go further to actually work with the plant correctly, but by then much of the structure is lost and the usable time in situ is severely shortened. While later stages of coco degradation are very acceptable as a soil amendment, the are not suitable for direct use. Structural problems are, however, a small part of the issue.
Water moves from an area of low EC to an area of higher EC in an attempt to balance out or achieve equilibrium; where a semi-permeable membrane isolates the two solutions, only certain elements or molecules can cross, typically a water molecule or smaller (selectively permeable), through the process of osmosis (Fig A). Membrane can also be selectively permeable, allowing certain sizes of particles to pass while restricting others. In typical soils and container mixes, fertilized at recommended levels, the EC of the root zone moisture (which includes nutrients [salts]) is lower than the internal EC of the root cells, allowing water to move, or diffuse, across the barrier membranes. As the root zone's EC reaches the EC levels of the plant, water movement slows and eventually halts. Unfortunately, it does not stop there and can move the other way, but not all. To compensate and get the water in the seawater solution (a solution of water plus many different salts) to move through the plant, the palm concentrates salts in the areas between the cell walls, known as interstitial spaces. This effectively shows an increase in the internal EC while allowing the actual cells to function normally. The process of harvesting the fivers also increases EC levels, because the coconut husks are first soaked in seawater (the most abundant water supply near where coconuts grow), which imparts its salts into every pore of the coconut material. When decomposition occurs, these salts come out in very high amounts, especially potassium, the most prevalent element found as an ion (salt).
All usable nutrients become available to the plant's internal processes as ions, or charged atoms or functional groups like nitrate. Ions affect each other. In fact, they combine in a controlled fashion, in a solution with other ions and no controls, they still combine or associate with other ions of opposite charge. They also affect the availability of each other as similar charges. This is known as antagonism, where one element in a large amount will decrease availability of another in a smaller amount. In this case, as the concentration of potassium increases, the availability of both calcium and magnesium decreases. It is more commonly known as locking out. When combined with the effects of pH and temperature, precipitation of these salts can occur. The effect works the other way. When calcium increases, potassium availability decreases. Additionally, potassium has the ability to almost move at will throughout a plant, as it is mostly unregulated, a characteristic all plants have adapted by harnessing these ions to do work as they move around.
This is all well and good, but how does that affect the use of coconut peat/mulch with plants? As the coco decomposes, it "gives off" salts that increase the EC of the medium, which will result in burning and imbalances in calcium/magnesium and potassium ratios; the "greener" the coco, the worse the problem. About the time this "give off" slows enough to really grow a crop in, the structure has the characteristic of muck peat and requires amendments like perlite, sand, pebbles or other large particles added to it to give the medium air. Also, the state of decomposition is at its highest, so what is left will not last long, and can easily be washed out of the container. We know that if the level of salts AND the ratio of these salts could be controlled at an earlier stage, we would have the advantage of good physical structure and proper nutrient balance.
Coconut peat has some wonderful physical properties that greatly benefit plant growth. To begin, it is renewable - no stripping of nature's resources. It makes use of the final product left over from cultivating and harvesting the much-prized nut. At the right point in its decomposition, coco peat can be used as a stand-alone medium with no need to add perlite or other persistent amendments. Coco peat itself is fairly pH-stable and buffers the pH well, in a very acceptable range for plant growth. WHile they are fairly solid and big early on, once the peat particles are treated and decomposed to a certain point, they are like sponges with micro-pores that hold water, away form the plant roots but available to replenish the larger pores the plant root can access. This effectively limits excess water while retaining water reserves. These particles hold onto no ions, only what may fill and dry on the particles themselves. So as long as the medium is moist , nutrients are available. At the proper point of decomposition, the particles form the perfect combination of air-to-water, because of the different fractions now present, which can actually mean more air space to water pace, with the micro-pores holding a reserve of water, giving a nice water buffer. Unlike peat moss, it has no oil on its surface, so wetting the particle is never an issue. The key in all this is to decompose the particle to the perfect point. The problem is still that the rate of salt release remains high at this perfect point.
Controlling the decomposition process, adding the correct nutrient buffer to adjust the ratio, feeding the plants the proper ratio of nutrients to offset the coco's "giving off" will produce the perfect growing conditions. When the medium is not taken into account, the results can be disastrous. Even when fed correctly, and the correct "buffer" of nutrient ratio set up, just one watering with plain water will wreck the buffer, sending the plant and medium into shock and rapidly escalating the potassium level. Consequently, plants that do not have enough of some ions like calcium (there are several) due to underfeeding or washing out will show a deficiency in these and other elements. Meanwhile, potassium builds up the plant tissue, ultimately leading to margin burning on the leaf surface, mostly at the tip. The first thing the inexperienced grower assumes is that he is overfeeding and has salt issues. He will decrease the feed concentration and leach the medium. This, of course, magnifies the problem and makes it worse. The key to proper coco growing is to use the right feed to balance the products the coco gives off. Think not only about availability, but about the ratio of one mineral to another as well. It is also important to water correctly.
Coco peat holds about 33% more moisture then similar grades of peat-based mediums if its structure is sound. Since a great amount of this is tucked away in the micro-pores, the medium can look dry but still be plenty wet. The same rules apply here as in soil or soilless mixes: water when the container loses 50% of the maximum water it will hold against gravity (immediately after drainage of a newly watered container). This is done by weight and yes, it does change with time, root mass, humidity, temperature and grower temperament (thumb on scale syndrome).
By controlling the decomposition and particle size closely, there is no need for anything to increase drainage, like perlite, and this removes a disposal concern. Even more air space can be achieved by increasing the fraction of coco fibers and husks. This results in a totally renewable and biodegradable medium that resists compaction. Finally, the pH of the medium, when buffered and controlled, remains constant pretty much throughout its useful life. The medium sets its pH at between 5.2 and 6.2, a perfect range, and will hold it there, unlike peat-based products that try to go back to a pH of 4.5 or less within three months of being planted. By using the correct age of coco with the right porosity, coco potting medium should be able to work through almost a year's worth of crops before being changed. The pH stays correct and only the structure changes, limiting the useful period.
So, we see that by controlling the aging process, using the correct ratio of nutrients, using the correct composition of nutrients, and pre-buffering the coco peat, growers can anticipate getting the perfect medium, correctly balanced, correctly composed, with good porosity, a water buffer, and a lot less headaches then peat-based soilless mix products. That is great for a start, but to complete a crop, it is critical that the correct nutrients be used as well. Consider coco as needing to be "fed" along with the plants. Once the medium establishes a buffer, which it will do based on the nutrients it sees, right or wrong, the grower can wipe this out by applying plain water to the medium. The medium hangs on to nothing and will readily flush away its nutrients; then the plant will suffer until the buffer is restored. Always use fertilizer when you water coco that a plant is actively growing in, at least at about EC = 0.6mS/cm3. This will hold the balance or ratio of the nutrients to each other and insure that the plant gets exactly what it needs.
Pentola
All the perlite in coco does is decrease the volume of coco making it hold less water/feed and dry faster (because of less volume of coco) so that it MUST be water/feed sooner thereby drawing more 02 to the roots. Seeing how you can feed straight coco as often as you like once the roots are well established any added perlite is useless fluff. That act of giving the water/feed is what draws the 02 to the roots. Put the perlite on top of the pile of stuff you don't need in coco. I'm not saying it doesn't work in any percentage mixed with coco, just saying there are no benefits if you know you can water/feed straight coco once or multiple times per day without it. Like adding water to your fine whisky. Both will get you drunk but there is something about 100% straight BANG, at least in your mind.
