What's new
  • ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!

Best Brand Of Coco Coir Today

prune

Active member
Veteran
That's why i've always stuck with the Botanicare blocks, no rinsing needed and if you hydrate them the night before they pretty much dissolve into a usable form without any hard work.
 

Synthesis

Member
I like using Nutrifield coco in brick form.
It's pre buffered, PH stabilised and disease and pest free.

The only time I've ever run into a deficiency was for my first coco run (with a slight Calcium def during veg) but now I know how to grow using coco. This is the brand I stick with :) cheap, easy and never lets me down.
 

RetroGrow

Active member
Veteran
You know... I want to be a fan. I love their nutrient line. But I swear, every bag I get always has some problem. I've seen 2.2ec in the runoff when fresh. Sticks, nuts, bits of plastic and trash, even grass growing out of it. This grow I have a full blown Springtail infestation in every container and there's really only 1 source in my grow space for that. Their coco.

Honestly. Really. I tried to get on board that band wagon. Seems like everyone else is on it. But I've just never had success with Canna Coco.

I'm going to go back to Botanicare on my next run.

Sounds like you may have gotten counterfeit Canna. Yes, the Chinese counterfeit everything, even coco bags. They duplicate the bags, and then fill them with crap. Never had an issue with genuine Canna, and I put it under a microscope before using. It is as clean as can be.
My buddy is a Canna rep. Counterfeit coco is a big problem for them, and Canna is investigating it.
Know your supplier. Only buy from the biggest, authorized dealers. Contact Canna for the authorized dealer near you.
 

whadeezlrg

Just Say Grow
Veteran
canna < b'cuzz

b'cuzz is by far the best coco I've used, finished quality is clearly superior. I just run it straight out of the bag, have been for years.
 

Snow Crash

Active member
Veteran
Sounds like you may have gotten counterfeit Canna. Yes, the Chinese counterfeit everything, even coco bags. They duplicate the bags, and then fill them with crap. Never had an issue with genuine Canna, and I put it under a microscope before using. It is as clean as can be.
My buddy is a Canna rep. Counterfeit coco is a big problem for them, and Canna is investigating it.
Know your supplier. Only buy from the biggest, authorized dealers. Contact Canna for the authorized dealer near you.

I, um. Um... I am the authorized dealer. It was certainly not counterfeit. Picked one bag off of a fresh truckload of about 18 pallets back in April.

If this was an isolated occurrence that would be one thing. But this has been my regular experience with the stuff. Other people like it. Maybe I just had bad luck? I dunno.
 
Last edited:

Vishus

Member
I've used Canna, GH Cocotek and the Botanicare 5kg bales and I like the Botanicare bales, but I'm not all that lazy either. Used clean water or low to full strength nutes to expand, teas even. I've tried it all and never had a problem. Never rinsed and I don't bother to check runoff anymore.
Every bag of Canna I ever got grew gnats and the Cocotek was salty and inconsistent. Didn't matter where I scored from either. These are my personal experiences.
 

RetroGrow

Active member
Veteran
I, um. Um... I am the authorized dealer. It was certainly not counterfeit. Picked one bag off of a fresh truckload of about 18 pallets back in April.

If this was an isolated occurrence that would be one thing. But this has been my regular experience with the stuff. Other people like it. Maybe I just had bad luck? I dunno.

That is strange. Used for a long time, and never had an issue. I have gotten it from the largest distributor on the east coast. I even scope it because of reports like yours that say fungus gnats, root aphids, etc. Never found a thing, and has always performed beyond my expectations. There are counterfeits out there. Not saying you are getting them, but someone is. I wonder if it has something to do with where it's sourced from.
 

Snauseberry

Member
That's why i've always stuck with the Botanicare blocks, no rinsing needed and if you hydrate them the night before they pretty much dissolve into a usable form without any hard work.

those are actually what I started with. I need to sack up and go back to them if that's the case. haha
 

Snow Crash

Active member
Veteran
That is strange. Used for a long time, and never had an issue. I have gotten it from the largest distributor on the east coast. I even scope it because of reports like yours that say fungus gnats, root aphids, etc. Never found a thing, and has always performed beyond my expectations. There are counterfeits out there. Not saying you are getting them, but someone is. I wonder if it has something to do with where it's sourced from.

Maybe. I am on the West Coast. And I don't want to dog the brand or keep people from trying it for themselves. It's just, not my bag... baby.
 

stoned40yrs

Ripped since 1965
Veteran
Maybe. I am on the West Coast. And I don't want to dog the brand or keep people from trying it for themselves. It's just, not my bag... baby.

You aren't alone. The chain of hydro stores here that sells canna coco gets all kinds of grief from their customers about the bugs in canna. So much so that they started selling compressed 5kg blocks of Nutrified coco to give their customers another option over canna.:tiphat:
 

RedBeardy5

Active member
That's weird with the canna. I bought mine when I was living In Chicago and never ever ever had a problem. I am trying the growstone coco mix right now. I add a little coco coir to it though. I have tried the botanicare a couple times and got, springtails and thrips every time. Maybe I'll try it again.
 

Snow Crash

Active member
Veteran
That's weird with the canna. I bought mine when I was living In Chicago and never ever ever had a problem. I am trying the growstone coco mix right now. I add a little coco coir to it though. I have tried the botanicare a couple times and got, springtails and thrips every time. Maybe I'll try it again.

Those Growstones in coco are the tits. Gnat Nix works alright too, about 80% of the answer to a full blown infestation.

I cannot decide what ratio I like best. I do try to put a layer on the bottom of the container because the coco has a way of filling in the gaps and the stones do sort of float up until they get anchored by roots. They even have their own coco mix now the "GS-3" Coco Mix. I haven't had a chance to put it through the ringer but from what I saw at the trade show the stuff looks good on paper.
 

Vishus

Member
Gnat Nix works alright too, about 80% of the answer to a full blown infestation.

I have tried that glass *stuff* before with the Canna problems, but I observed them swimming in it. May have been a slight decrease in population, but it was negligible. I felt duped by the shop that suggested it.
 

Snow Crash

Active member
Veteran
I have tried that glass *stuff* before with the Canna problems, but I observed them swimming in it. May have been a slight decrease in population, but it was negligible. I felt duped by the shop that suggested it.

Probably just misused...

You need to keep the stuff dry. Top feed growers have a tendency to just dump water on the container and let it pool and sink in. When the top inch of the stuff is totally soaked it's not nearly as effective.

Instead, water slowly and it never pools, never soaks the nix, and then the stuff works as advertised. I added in a little tanlin (nilnat) and that did the trick together.
 

RedBeardy5

Active member
Those Growstones in coco are the tits. Gnat Nix works alright too, about 80% of the answer to a full blown infestation.

I cannot decide what ratio I like best. I do try to put a layer on the bottom of the container because the coco has a way of filling in the gaps and the stones do sort of float up until they get anchored by roots. They even have their own coco mix now the "GS-3" Coco Mix. I haven't had a chance to put it through the ringer but from what I saw at the trade show the stuff looks good on paper.
I'm running the GS-3 growstone mix right now. Real airy stuff, I just put my girls in veg so we will see. I'm stepping down from blumats and flooding them 3 times a day.
 
Top