I am planning my next grow and want to go organic, which means no more rockwool. I don't like messing with soil either, so I think coconut fiber is the only other choice. My questions: 1) Can I buy bricks of coco fiber and break them up into a pot to use just like soil? I would have the pots in an ebb&flow tray. 2) I also want to be able to tie the plants down (LST). Is the coco fiber dense enough to hold down the ties? 2) Can the coco be cleaned and re-used after the grow?
ok maybe i dont understand what you mean. but it sounds like to me that you think the substrate in which you grow hydropnically has anything to do with growing organic. in hydro growing organically would simply consist of using mostly or all-organic nutes. pure blend pro is a good mostly organic hydro nute. rockwool does not stop you from growing organically. unless your worried about the environment or some gay shit like that. oh yeah but try "cocotek" cubes. they work better than rockwool anyway
If I'm gonna go organic, I figure I should also stop using rockwool so I am 110% organic. Anyway, I know about the coco cubes, but was wondering if they can be broken up and used just like soil in a hydro system.
I used these coconut fiber propagation plugs from a hydro store...they are awesome! The plugs are semi-solid and very porous, and hold moisture like crazy. I germed all of my seeds in these with fantastic results. They even had the perfect depth hole in the top of them for planting the seed. They are even specifically sized to fit in little pods the of the domed chamber I used to germ them in. Here's the best part... After they germed, and became seedlings they were ready to pop over to my hydro. All I did was take them out of their pod, take it to the hydro, and gently work it down in the hydroton rocks I am using. The roots were coming out of the bottom of them in no time, and looked beautiful. They stay in that plug for the duration, it won't break up and get into the tank. No muss, no fuss, and no stress on the babies. If you want to use coconut fiber as a medium it will work great but don't break it up, just cut it into the one-size piece you want and drop it in. If you break it up you will just make soup. Yes it is strong enough for LST. Those roots love wrapping up in that stuff. Not you can't clean it out and reuse it...the roots and everything are completely entwined in it, it wouldn't be worth anything by the time you were done. It doesn't cost that much anyway. Good luck.
What kind of plugs did you use? Can you use an organic plug like the Rapid Rooter Plugs in a flood/drain system if you put the plugs into coconut cubes? I was thinking of starting my clones in propogation plugs and then moving them to 6x6x6" coco tek cubes, then putting those in the flood tray and covering with Hydroton. Was that little plug and hydroton enough to support an adult plant?
