pH of mix becoming more basic?

[mig]

Has anyone ever experienced their organic coco mix become more basic over time. When i started out, the pH was a stable 6.25 so i stopped checking it for alil chunk of time, cause the ladies were looking wonderful. Plus the meter i got is pretty crappy, i still dont know how it works, its got no batteries, must be measure EC or something. well i checked it recently and its up around 7's. i thought the problem would have been the soil becomes more acidic, which is why i purchased lime. but knows. maybe its got something to do with the coco medium..,i have read that it can initally bing K and Mg and then release it and bind N. I am seeing some N def. so maybe thats whats happening. Just wondered if anyone else had any info.

 

[BurnOne]

mig-
Coco has neutral pH around 7.0. Dolomite lime will also bring everything to around 7. If you are using organic nutes and a grow medium with coco and compost or worm castings then don't worry about pH.
Burn1

 

[vonforne]

Hey mig,

How do you like the coco. I have not tried any yet. What tips would you suggest and how would I apply them into an organic mix based with peat and composts?

v

 

[mig]

hehehe...vonforne...i think i like your sarcasm if thats what im picking up. personally i liek it alot, i just dont like the fact that i cant measure the pH too accurately. sure i can measure the run off, but whose to say thats the same throughout. I also dont really liek the idea that if i have to add more nurtirents i have to water them in...i like in hydro how you can just add more nutrient into the res. it sucks if i wanna add more nutes and the soil is sstill saturated...i gotta wait like 2-3 days. oh and von, i would suggest adding either peat or coco. they both act as the same base substrate. it just depends on if you want coco or peat. I know there are downfalls to coco medium like it immobilzes nitrogen, and can bind Mg and K and release it later. It is extremely airy which allows root to grow to almost double the denisty without ill effects. I do not much about peat as i do not use it in my mixes. i do like to mix my coco with worm castings, guanos, perlite, some kelp meal extract of your choice, and i use some rare earth, which is humates and leonardites and mychorhizzal fungi to aid in nutrient absorbtion.

and also von, sorry for being stupid about the whole peat moss thing...and esp about the comment i said bout you having ur head in ur ..... i shouldnt have said it and i am sorry. hope this helps...i do recommened a nice organic mix...makes the true flavor of the herb come out.

 

[vonforne]

I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm actually interested in incorporating coco in an upcoming grow. I would like the opinion of some one who uses it on a regular basis. And besides that it would give us something to work on together. Like being on Holy ground where one or the other has no advantage.

The problems you are having with the PH are what has kept me from using it. but I think that should be solved using in conjunction with the peat based substrate. all the amendments used are basically the same. I would like to increase the root structure of my grows. So, that is why I would like to use it. It possibly has the ability to give me the increase I;m looking for with out giving up my peat base.

so, what do you think about that? You might even use some peat to help with the PH problem you are having and I would get to incorporate coco in my grow.

V

 

[Guest]

Whats Peats PH?

 

[vonforne]

Whats Peats PH?

About 6.5 to 7 after you add 2 TBS of dolomitic limestone per gallon.

V

 

[Guest]

About 6.5 to 7 after you add 2 TBS of dolomitic limestone per gallon.

V

k thx

 

[vonforne]

Test the PH before you add the limestone. Products vary. That is the amount to be used in most mixes.

V

 

[mig]

v, are you sayin we try to experiment with organic mixes containing both peat and coco? i wonder?...hmm....might be plausable....but it could have the tendency to become very waterlogged. maybe if there were some pebbles mixed in, to help reduce to bulk density of the soil, that would help...honestly...try just an organic coco mix...add peat if you want, but i suggest just coco, perlite and the organic content (EWC, guanos, kelp meals, humates, etc...) i have read in mostly all the coco grows to soak your coco in a cal mag solution, i assume this would do wonders as i do not do this, i just used distilled water. peace out von

 

[jolene]

A mix of
4 parts coir
2 parts peat
3 parts perlite
1 part worm castings is doing very well - the peat is keeping it slightly acid (after the addition of 2 tablespoons of dolomite per gallon - the coir seems to cause some slight mg problems but nothing mental) which I like for phosphate uptake. Tempted to add a bit of epsom salts as well - bit of a cheat but fuggit.

 

[Suby]

Peat vs coco coir is never a thread I want to see

(EDIT: this was a jokje and NOT a mod like interjection, feel free to rant and rave at each other one against the other! )

Peat WITH coco is something I'm looking foward to trying though.
Coco has a cationic exchange matrix which in the beginning will bind cationic elements like Ca and Mg and K, as the grow moves along the coir acidifies and starts breaking down which releases these elements, that's one of the advantages of coco, it releases and makes available higher amounts of beneficial elements at the right time.
The ph swing up can be explained by this release as your grow progresses, that's why coco growers using coco nutes water until they get 10% runofff, it flushes the mix slightly everytime you feed/water them.
Peat contains humic elements and is the result of years of composting, it is a different medium period, they require different feeding approaches like the fact that coco requires more Ca and Mg that a peat grow, 2tbs of dolomite lime can take care of this usually, calcified seaweed could also bridge that gap in theory.
If your growing organic in peat I can tell you from experience that ph is not something to worry about in an organic grow with the right type of water and a proper soil mix, I cannot say the same about coco until I've tried it, some members swear they have done all organic with plain coco but the results IMHO where sketchy at best.

A blend people, a healthy mix envolving equal part of peat and coco, that's the direction my next grow will take.

Peace All
S

 

[vonforne]

Thats what I have been thinking about Suby. Mixing the two to gain the benefits for both.

It seems you have done some good research in that department. Have you tried it out yet?

V

 

[Suby]

Nope Vman not yet, I'm still piecing this gridge grow thing together.
The minute I get this thing working I will put it in action, I'll be using it at 50/50 with Promix and add the rest from recipe as per usual, I expect good things from that mix.
I will be using a VERY deep soil box in the fridge grow, double what I normally use.
Never do the same thing twice lol.

Suby

 

[Smurf]

I've been using peat moss & coco combined - also with various composts for a while now. Last summer was the only time I had any problems after the initial 'cooking' period.
I failed to maintain the moisture levels during that process,(it dryed out) probably because the mix was receiving full sunlight all day, then checking the pH after it was quite alkaline.
But after watering & reinocculating it levelled out nicely given a couple of extra weeks. Lesson learnt!
If thats any help to you.


smurf

 

[Suby]

A classic mistake when using coco is to underwater.
It's the #1 problem I've seen in coco grows, just so you know you CANNOT overwater when using coco, impossible.
If your not watering every 3 days then your plants will feel the pinch eventually, you can set coco up in a run to waste or a timer feed and it works very well and that's a feeding every 15-30 minutes sometimes.
The real trick is not to have buildup or imbalance in elements when using straight coco.
Unlike peat coco is relatively neutral, so using acidic ammendments is a good start to having a balanced coco medium ph wise.


Suby