Coco pros, please help me step up my transplanting game

[ridoo]

Using bricks is not much about money than space, weight, storage...

In my place the coco bags comes only in 50L size... so, when you have a small garden and no car... lol...

bricks are just very useful, and it takes only some minutes to be ready

bags are good if you need large quantity and have no issues moving them...

 

[lastmob]

Thanks everybody, I will put suggestions to the test soon. I will probably do a side-by-side of straight out the bag vs soaked coir.

I actually transplanted a few clones today. Used Canna coco straight out the bag, put the clones in without tamping, and watered slowly with a 1.3EC 5.9pH solution equal to the volume of the cup (300ml each). The run off EC got to 1.3 easily; however the run off pH was 5-5.1. I know not to worry too much about it but still I wonder why that happens.
I have always been averse to adding perlite but I see many respectable growers adding up to 50% and getting great results, I might try that. I have read about a silica based alternative to perlite but I don't know where to find it around here.
Thanks y'all

 

[lastmob]

On another note, those last few Canna bags were full of gnats, don't think I have ever had so many before. Canna bricks is supposed to be the same high quality, right?

 

[SuperBadGrower]

Yeah the bags are full of gnats and springtails. Not the maker's fault, it just happens with moist medium in storage and transport. Before I switched to bricks gnats were basically a guarantee. The bricks are much better. Vermiculite is "like" perlite in the sense that you can mix it in. provides si. I haven't checked runoff ph in years - if you want to create problems, end up in vicious cycles trying to solve problems that don't exist, check runoff PH every time .

hydroponic coco feed really is as simple as feeding them the same shit every damn time, using enough water to adequate runoff (in DTW). "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bottle"

 

[medicalmj]

Slightly off topic, if anyone is using bricked Coco and manually hydrating, consider pre fluffed bagged Coco (if it's available to you).

I used to think I was saving tons of money by purchasing bricks instead of bagged.

Honestly the time, effort, and space you need to hydrate bricks is worth more than the small amount more you pay for bagged.
It took me a few years to figure that one out!

I use bricks because I don't want my neighbors seeing me bring a dozen bags of media into the house every couple of months. I have some totes that I use, out in the coco bricks add my 1.9 EC nutes and in an hour or, so done. It does needs a little break up but only takes a couple of minutes. However, reusuing it is a very laborious endeavor. You need to rinse the salts and sterlize best you can. Getting rid of it is also takes some figuring out. I got decent sized back yard and I just break it a little a spread around trees bushes or anywhere really and then I bust out my mulcher mower and it makes a little dust but lt's incorporated into soil and really can't even notice. Another reason not to use perlite.

 

[Beaucephus]

i found when trying to use coco for more then 1 grow it breaks up into finer particles and packs to tight for optimal root growth.

 

[touringfunkband]

FWIW, I've been running Canna for over 10 years now and had issues when transplanting until I stopped overwatering the first two weeks after transplanting. After transplant I water with the same amount I used when they were in solo cups and slowly increase the amount over several weeks. For me, plants seemed to respond much better with much less stress/deficiencies.

 

[Fixer]

Coco is inert. Consider adding microbes.

 

[bigpeter]

Coco is inert. Consider adding microbes.

Mine in coco get hydroguard root inoculant every-watering, and orca premium liquid mycorrizae with beneficials + recharge once a week. Roots are very healthy. Large healthy roots = large healthy plants.

 

[Fixer]

I hit them once a week with inoculant. Granular Mycos during transplants.

 

[lastmob]

Is there any point inoculating with stuff if I am using chem nutes? I thought mycorrhizae didn't live if P levels are above 30ppm

 

[bigpeter]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] To be honest I am probably overdoing the bennies, all I know is I've got great roots. Apart from hydroguard root inoculant , orca premium liquid mycorrizae with beneficials and realgrowers recharge I'm also using Dutch pro root stimulant.. It may be that only one or two of those products are actually doing anything. .
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[ridoo]

I work with Canna nuts
and coco bricks

if needed to transplant

take new brick
prepare 4 Liters solution with 4ml canna A, 4ml canna B, 10ml rhyzotonic the canna root stimulator, and ph this batch at 5.8

soak the brick in this solution, fill the new container, gently put the transplanted in the middle, and wait 24h to water again with a solution nearly same ratio of above
1ml canna a and b for each liter, and some root stimulator, good ph, good drain

if drain comes out very quickly I dont water the next day, let them breath

and so on....

after some days i can see the plants getting bigger, it means they are feeling good, if so then i start giving more of canna a and b and reduce a little the root stuff

dont water every day if the drain comes out very fast, start daily watering when roots are well developed