Recycling Coco, how?

Freakshow

Freakshow

Well-known member
I'm looking for some advice on recycling coco after harvests. I've got a ten year build up of coco in my back yard and I'm running out of spots to dump it inconspicuously Does anyone here recycle their coco? any helpful tips?
 
I was wondering if it would make good bio char stuff. We grill most every night, so was wondering if small amounts could be put into the grill (in some sort of container, baking pan or something) if not to bio char it, but just to kill off some bugs, so that it could be reused. Sounds like a lot of work for big growers, but we just have a few houseplants and could use it for starting the seedlings for the veggie gardens. Mice are getting dang tired of importing bugs into the house with grow mixes from the big box bug stores.
 
Someone, maybe at icy mag, recycled it by running septic tank cleaner through it to dissolve old roots.

I believe he also only got an extra one or two rounds from it as it began to departiculate--turning into smaller and smaller bits and losing its sponginess and aeration.

I don't remember how long he he did it for nor can I find the thread. I would say, though, that his plants didn't look stellar by my own standards.
 
Bush Dr said:
From long term use of the same coco I’ve noticed it breaks down over time and then compacts reducing the air voids, mixing clay pellets in gives another year or two but eventually it breaks down

Just let it dry out and then burn it
Click to expand...

yes but if i can get a another couple rounds with the it, that would help immensely. Im not talking about always reusing it. just a couple more times.
 
You can also make some cheap raised beds for the yard...gosh, i wouldn't ever just haul it out to the dump. Or, ha, advertise it for sale, make a little cash to buy fresh stuff.
 
been doing it for 10 years...I start with coarse ..I do nothing

just dump old stuff out of the pots..stomp on it a flew times ..

grab the stalk ..shake it off....

I don’t worry about a few roots left..
 
I've been recycling my coco, not really removing roots from it except for big clumps and it's working fine. no problems. I still use new coco for cloning though. Had a batch that didn't root in the recycled.no clue why
 
I’ve ran the same coco for over a year or about 3 cycles. After that point I noticed the plants just weren’t doing as well. I removed the coco and rinsed all the dust and fines out on a window screen. Then added about 25% new rinsed coco. At that point it needs to be buffered with calcium. I used cal magic only because I had 10 gallons of it. Almost any calcium will work. Put the coco in a tote and soak with 7 - 10 ml per gallon of h2o. Soak for a few hours or overnight. Then repeat. Drain and fill containers for another few runs. I ended up switching back to soil for two reasons. The coco grew to fast not giving me the flexibility with my schedule and I switched to mostly organic with a touch of salts just to fix deficiency’s. I tried to minimize the use, but found the organic amendments tended to run out about mid flower.
 
I have used 2 gal pots for 7 back to backs grows with no problems.

I use salts to grow so I am only talk about that. A good place to learn is from the berry industry. They have been doing it for yrs.

Anyways. Cut the plants. Clean. Stick the pots back on the table. Then water (I use drippers, run 10 minutes, off 15). I run 1.2 x the water holding capacity of the pots…mine hold 5 liters of water at field capacity. So 6 liters of nutrient that I would feed the clone with. Stick the clone in and go.

What will get you is if/when the structure of the coco collapses and you lose air space

I do not represent them but I use Hort Grow coco. @Green Mopho is the guy to talk with. But those guys have lots of experience
 
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