How much coco coir do I need for 3 five gallon buckets for planting
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Quick googling I saw a 10 lb brick should be fine
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welcome to the community. it depends where you but it from. i got mine from a local nursery and it had 4 bricks that totaled almost 9 gallons. it should say on the package how many quarts and such
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3 bricks for my 5 gal fabric pot. 2 bricks for my 3.5 gal plastic pots that are skinnier than 5 gal fabric and taller by 3 inches.
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This is one of those hot dogs and buns problems.
The soil companies list cubic feet as their measurement on the bags or brick, and the grow bags or buckets list gallons as the measurement.
So just fyi 2.5 cubic foot is 18.7 gallons.
Plastic buckets are accurate but grow bags actually hold less than the stated size. Sometimes significantly so. Coco works very well in grow bags. I would suggest them instead of plastic buckets. The root system will be much better.
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nailed that one 
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Welcome to the community 
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Hey @Weedman welcome to the machine.
Don’t forget to add the other essential amendments that coco coir lacks.
I’ve had great results with perlite using Hydroponic nutrients from Gerneral Hydroponics - Flora series.
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I add perlite but thats it.
Any soil ruins the properties of coco that I want. IMHO
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Thanks I appreciate the info
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This is my actual experience the last time I hydrated Canna Coco Bricks.
I hydrated two 20 liter bricks. This is supposed to make 40 liters of expanded coco. A gallon equals 3.785 liters.
Canna bricks is very convenient because its packaging doubles as a bag to hydrate the bricks in.
This time rather than using the bag (like I usually do) I put 1 slab into a 5 gallon bucket.
One slab is supposed to make 20 liters of prepared coco or just over 5 gallons. It comes up way short.
I did the same with the 2nd slab.
The bucket is 14" and I got around 9" of hydrated coco (64%+). I did not drench / saturate the coco because I needed to use it soon. Its volume may have been greater had I done so. I add perlite. When I top off the bucket with perlite it is exactly the mix I like - somewhere around 60/40 to 64/35 coco to perlite.
Based on my experience you will need four 20 liter bricks if 100% coco.
20L brick X 65% = 12.8 liters / 3.785 liters per gallon = 3.4 gallons
30L bricks X 65% = 19.5 liters / 3.785 = 5.15 gallons
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Yep, just make sure you’re using Calcium, magnesium and silica. Coconut coir is high in potassium and that can block calcium.
I prepare my coconut coir by soaking in General Hydroponics CalMagic and GH Armor Si.
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Yes, I do all this as well. I was only thinking about additions to the media and forgot to mention the presoaking components. After I do a grow I reuse the coco in garden or outside potted plants like peppers or tomato.
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Yep I don’t use much organics as well.
But I also have been adding GH Diamond Nectar for the Humic acids that are not present as well.
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Trying out this one currently.
Contains Humic acid as well.
Seems to work fine.
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Ooo new microbes?! Lets see the back of the pack. Does it give a species and %? How much does it use per helping. And most importantly… cost?
Found it!
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This looks like it’s is for potted plants and garden and only list the humic acid. Diamond nectar also has fulvic acid.
Diamond has the humic and fulvic down pat, but the microbes are my jam man. Honestly id use them both if possible…
Two diff kinda products
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Yea I hear that @PurpNGold74 & @Spiney_norman but I’ve been on DWC so been using the Hydroguard for my Beneficial microbes.
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Sweet…. I use Real Growers Recharge (sugars and carb load along with a few microbes) and Tribus together. Works like a charm for soil.
Honestly considered giving Hydroguard a run before I found Tribus
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