Black Gold Coco Blend

Pig-Pen · Sep 2, 2008

I've always mixed my own soils and have been using coco in my mixes for years now.

But I've grown tired of buying all the individual ingredients, making big messes, flushing coco, etc.

It's not (entirely) that I'm lazy, but more so that I've really embraced simplicity.

So, in the interest of simplicity I decided to go ahead and get some pre-mixed soil. I wanted to be able to simply open the bag, dump it in my Rubbermaid container, mix in my 2-3 dry amendments and be done with it.

Wanting something with coco in it, I went with Black Gold Coco Blend.

WOW! This stuff is perfect as-is. My plants and I love it, and the girls haven't looked so healthy and been so responsive in a long time.

I know the hardcore will always be mixing up from scratch, but for those of you looking for a simple "plug and play" soil mix and enjoy the benefits of coco, this is IT. It seems to maintain a perfect moisture/O2 balance, and it waters very evenly.

100% undoubtedly The BEST $18 I've put into my grow in a really, really long time. :canabis:

aligee · Sep 2, 2008

Great news my friend as i have just recently picked up a bag of this blend and the girlies are definantly liking i also like the fact that it is almost hands free lol just pot 'em and water 'em! i used straight coco for a couple runs, but im always looking for the next best products so i had to grab a bag anyhow well see what happens so far i got 'raskals ogxwhite,bubba bx1, and some cdxaffie rockin' with this coco blend im sure this blend would work good outdoors as it says it holds h2o longer which likely wont dry out as quick ! so are you using this in or out Pig-pen? my buddy is using coco outdoors this time 'round and it seems to dry out so i think he'll benefit from this mix also....

Mr Celsius · Sep 2, 2008

....

I was at a friends house last night helping him water and I was bitching how much I hated the stuff. It drains soooo slowly. I don't think you'll see the vigor or growth that you would in a blend that has more coco. It literally took 30 seconds for the water to seep into the soil.

Pig-Pen · Sep 2, 2008

@ aligee, I'm all indo. Though if I had it my way I'd be all outdooor...some other time, some other place, perhaps. Pure or even mostly coco wouldn't work well outside unless you have irrigation or grow in a swamp.

LOL @ Mr. C.... I guess, like most things here, it's a matter of preference and context. I used to love light, fast draining mixes. I've used coco as a total peat replacement in my mixes for years now, and always with lots of perlite too. As my methods and insights have evolved I've developed a preference for more meaty mixes, and in fact I'm logically opposed to draining containers in most (organic) cases. A few years ago I wouldn't have cared for the BGCB, but it suits my current non-draining methods beautifully. And oh-so simple.

Mr Celsius · Sep 2, 2008

All I can say Pig-Pen is that for roots to actually take up water, the water has to vaporize first... this is why plants in clay soils don't grow with as much vigor.

... another medium reminds me of this stuff... hmmm O YA hard, hard clay

W/e, floats your boat, I'm not trying to hate to much, just don't wanna see the nubs running out to buy this stuff.

Pig-Pen · Sep 3, 2008

Mr Celsius said:
All I can say Pig-Pen is that for roots to actually take up water, the water has to vaporize first... this is why plants in clay soils don't grow with as much vigor.

... another medium reminds me of this stuff... hmmm O YA hard, hard clay

W/e, floats your boat, I'm not trying to hate to much, just don't wanna see the nubs running out to buy this stuff.

Hmmm....we must be talking about different things, 'cause this dirt definitely aint like clay. Not even close. Not even the same galaxy. It's high-quality potting soil. It's quite loamy in fact, but not so light that water quickly runs through it, leaving dry pockets, erosion and whatnot. Sounds to me like you're talking about straight compost or something.

ithruxix · Sep 3, 2008

I am running some formula 707 from roots organics... it has a bunch of stuff in it, EWC lime guanos etc, but is coco based. Some peat. Love it, so do the ladies.

Mr Celsius · Sep 3, 2008

This stuff, right? http://www.blackgold.bz/BG_past_articles/The_Natural_Choice_July08.html

Pig-Pen · Sep 4, 2008

Yup. That's the stuff Mr. C. ( :crazy:

)

Unless you prefer constantly over-watering fast draining/eroding mixes, this stuff's titties...right out tha mutha-fuckin bag, yo. :pimp3:

Mr Celsius · Sep 4, 2008

Pig-Pen said:
Yup. That's the stuff Mr. C. ( )

Unless you prefer constantly over-watering fast draining/eroding mixes, this stuff's titties...right out tha mutha-fuckin bag, yo.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree... I'm happy it works well with your style/methods.

Pig-Pen · Sep 4, 2008

Mr Celsius said:
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree... I'm happy it works well with your style/methods.

Never! Bitter enemies 'till the end! :dueling:

MadCow · Sep 8, 2008

I grabbed a bag of this to day to mix with my own amendments and some other omri certified soil. Im sure it will work great for me after mixing.

southpaw · Sep 9, 2008

Hmm, if I see this stuff around the way I might pick up a bag. The straight Black Gold I bought this year was awful, which really surprised me since I've been using it happily for years. Way too much peat and hardly any humus.

aligee · Nov 21, 2008

Well im proud to say Black gold coco is here to stay im getting crazy results using this and gh flnva,n some floro+,cant forget the 'big bud 'also in six " pots to top it off 'WOW', every thang is currently at 8 wks and been flushing bout 10 days enough said back on topic this is great stuff and wont be trying nothin' in 09'
OH YEAH i think i got a 'fire' pheno and a 'white' pheno !
peace to all
Al¡G baby!!!!

Thundurkel · Nov 21, 2008

Can I see a pic of the bag please?? I've been looking at Black Gold brand mixes at my Emigh/Ace Hardware cuz they sell tons of organics so I'm hoping they have it there

maryj315 · Nov 21, 2008

I tried a 5050 cocoa mix with ocean forest I had decent results but could not get my watering method down

The medium always seem to retain water the plants would stop growing or should I say it seems stagnant but when I would try the pick up the pot methods they would seem heavy and my moisture meter would also read green

I would always wait until a day are two when I thought they needed watering again

Everything came out OK but I was always afraid of over watering so I went back to plain peat and ocean forest

After harvesting and taking out the root ball I noticed the roots were bigger and healthier than any of my previous ones

I think if I ever tried cocoa again I will just go all the way that way I do not have to worry about poor watering applications

Mj

Dragor · Nov 21, 2008

maryj315 - I am currently still running a similar mix to yours (~50/50 coco/FFOF)... and completely agree that it's far from being the best potting mix for indoor growing, for multiple reasons - main one being, as you mentioned, water retention. I still don't know exactly how much water these pots can hold without getting "overwatered" - my method has been to give 2 cups, wait ~10min, give 2 more, wait 10, etc.. I usually get in about half a gallon (per 3gal pot) before I notice the soil getting damp thru the drain holes (takes way too long, but I have had it drain thru way too fast when I applied all at once). Pretty annoying that two days later everything is droopy again (prob from water evaporating much faster from coco than dense humus/peat/castings etc). A real pita to say the least... I really prefer the 3-4 days of adequate moisture retention in my previous FFOF/LW/perlite mix, much more grower friendly - although I do see coco as being beneficial if you have the time or resources to maintain consistent wet/dry cycles (i.e. drip system)... also it seems that the plants grow slower in this 50/50 mix bc the microlife is too diluted from being intermixed with the mostly inert coco, plus they have to deal with the unknown of pH balance within the medium... I'm leaning back towards total soil but may move on to total coco/soil less for future runs - as for this Black Gold Coco Blend, seems it could carry the same problems that I & maryj have had to deal with, so I'd be overly cautious & maybe mix in extra perlite to lighten it up and possibly prevent a herniated disc - peace & gl

Pig-Pen · Nov 23, 2008

Thundurkel said:
Can I see a pic of the bag please?? I've been looking at Black Gold brand mixes at my Emigh/Ace Hardware cuz they sell tons of organics so I'm hoping they have it there

See Mr. C's post, #8....linky linky!

inefectualize · Nov 30, 2008

this stuff sounds right up my alley .... gonna have to track some down.....i also prefer a "meatier" mix and i often grow drainless....
this bud was grown in a slow draining mix with no drains

memories · Dec 2, 2008

whats up fellas. I accidentally pick up two big bags of this stuff.Got home said fck it lets give her a try no choice.
girls needed bigger pots now.I must say the lady's love it.
I had easier time watering no problem telling when they were dry.no dry pockets got say this stuff is great. for me at least.just my two cents hope this helps.

Black Gold Coco Blend

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