did you planning only coco and perlite mix? ı personally mix tham% 40-30perlite % 60-70 cocoI am a newbie mixing coco coir. I have perlite, npk fertilizer, cal-mag supplements and sensi coco bloom a and b. Do you recommend any mix to start with?
Buffer in?I would recommend rinsing the coco really good and buffering it if its not already.
I use coco in hemp buckets. I always prepare my coco by rinsing it really really well until the runoff is low ppm. Some coco takes more rinsing then others. Then I buffer it for a day or 2 with cal+mag by letting it soak in water that has cal+mag in it. Pretty much the only thing I use cal+mag forBuffer in?
I remember back when the coco was all full of sand and you would find candy wrappers and other trash in it. I was getting these 20 kg bricks at the time and they were nasty. That was when they just put it in piles after processing the coconuts. It could have been sitting on the beach for months getting full of salt, sand, and other junk. Now that they realize that it's a valuable commodity they are taking better care of it and there are processing facilities that rinse and brick at the source. Most coco coir comes from Sri Lanka and it's become a booming industry there.If you buy a quality coco, rinsing and buffering isn't necessary.......you can use it right out of the bag without issue. Years ago the coco was not processed properly and it required rinsing and pre-charging.
I have used Canna, Mother Earth, Botanicare, and Complete right out of the bag without rinsing or buffering.