Microbe life

[Dichoti]

Wait.. I just want to make sure I understand the convo.. Some of you are growing in coco, and saying that these microbes work great. I can see that happening in certain situations.. But no one has mentioned those situations yet.. I have a good understanding of microbes and how they work.. Which leads me to a question for the coco growers.. When using microbes in coco, what are the microbes feeding on? Or, what are you feeding the microbes so that they dont just die off in days?

I use “dirty” coco... I’m hoping they eat the left over roots and whatnot from my last grow.
I’ve seen people on other pages talking about “refreshing” them with a little per feed. Maybe they’re going necro and eating the other dead microbes or something.

 

[Boognelson87]

Do any of you coco users foliar feed with it? The grow im on now id rhe biggest plants ive grown to date and i foliar fed. However, im still getting better as a grower and i added another light. So i cant tell you 100 percent how much it helped. Next grow i can..i just know it works lol.

 

[Proph]

I use “dirty” coco... I’m hoping they eat the left over roots and whatnot from my last grow.
I’ve seen people on other pages talking about “refreshing” them with a little per feed. Maybe they’re going necro and eating the other dead microbes or something.

Is dirty coco a term for ammended coco? Whats in the coco that you use?

Microbes dont feed on roots.. Or other microbes or bottled nutes.. They feed on organic matter... and fungi/bacteria.. Then they break that down to make nutrients available to the plant. Straight coco has no organic matter, bacteria or fungi... so adding micbrobes to straight coco doesnt connect in my mind... But people have posted that they've seen noticable results while growing in coco.

 

[Dichoti]

Is dirty coco a term for ammended coco? Whats in the coco that you use?

Microbes dont feed on roots.. Or other microbes or bottled nutes.. They feed on organic matter... and fungi/bacteria.. Then they break that down to make nutrients available to the plant. Straight coco has no organic matter, bacteria or fungi... so adding micbrobes to straight coco doesnt connect in my mind... But people have posted that they've seen noticable results while growing in coco.

Nah, it’s just full of roots and such from the last few grows.



If I remember right, The company page says something about the stuff being fermented... maybe that has something to do with it. No clue.
They’ve got sample packs for $15 or so that I’m going to try out, just to see what happens.

 

[Proph]

Nah, it’s just full of roots and such from the last few grows.



If I remember right, The company page says something about the stuff being fermented... maybe that has something to do with it. No clue.
They’ve got sample packs for $15 or so that I’m going to try out, just to see what happens.

The product is an excellent product. I used it for years.. Nurish-L and Photosynthesis Plus are top notch. But I grow organic though. Im just trying to wrap my head around straight coco ( which has no nutritional value/organic matter to it) and adding microbes that require organic matter to live. I was hoping one of the people who posted that they've seen good results in coco, could help me better understand how that worked!

 

[BII]

In coco or hydro, I presume the desired mechanism of action is microbial colonization of root surfaces, feeding the roots where it matters most. Secondarily, microbial breakdown of any non-living organic material in the medium.

 

[Steviestash]

Is dirty coco a term for ammended coco? Whats in the coco that you use?

Microbes dont feed on roots.. Or other microbes or bottled nutes.. They feed on organic matter... and fungi/bacteria.. Then they break that down to make nutrients available to the plant. Straight coco has no organic matter, bacteria or fungi... so adding micbrobes to straight coco doesnt connect in my mind... But people have posted that they've seen noticable results while growing in coco.

What do you mean coco isn't organic isn't it coconut shells that's organic so how can you say coco has no organic matter it's 100% organic matter

 

[Proph]

What do you mean coco isn't organic isn't it coconut shells that's organic so how can you say coco has no organic matter it's 100% organic matter

Its not the type of organic matter that microbes feed on.. But lets just say it is.. Just for argument sake.. What nutritional elements of the coco are being released to the plant as the microbes break it down? The answer is none.. Straight coco has zero nutritional value in it that micbrobes can break down. Thats why you have to feed plants with bottled nutes from week 1 with coco. Unless its mixed with compost or forrest material then there is not a food source available for microbes to feed on... Which is my point. If certain microbes, "microlife" in this instance, are being successfully used in coco, then they must be getting fed a food source or the coco must be mixed with a food source. Normal soil is packed with food for micbrobe colonies to thrive in. It's not the same with coco.

 

[Steviestash]

Its not the type of organic matter that microbes feed on.. But lets just say it is.. Just for argument sake.. What nutritional elements of the coco are being released to the plant as the microbes break it down? The answer is none.. Straight coco has zero nutritional value in it that micbrobes can break down. Thats why you have to feed plants with bottled nutes from week 1 with coco. Unless its mixed with compost or forrest material then there is not a food source available for microbes to feed on... Which is my point. If certain microbes, "microlife" in this instance, are being successfully used in coco, then they must be getting fed a food source or the coco must be mixed with a food source. Normal soil is packed with food for micbrobe colonies to thrive in. It's not the same with coco.

From Advanced Nutrients site

Consider Coco Coir As a Medium – If you really want to give your beneficial microbes every advantage to grow and thrive in your hydroponics system, you should consider switching to coco coir as your medium of choice. Coco coir, which is made from the husks of coconuts, contains a lot of hormones that actually helps the survival and reproduction of beneficial microbes.

 

[Steviestash]

They also say to try and use organic nutes for something for them to feed on