How to Hydrate Coco Coir Bricks (makes 9-10 gallons) - plus a tutorial on how to grow cannabis in coco coir

by Nebula Haze

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Table of Contents

Introduction

• Why Use Coco Coir for Growing Cannabis?

• Cons of Using Coco Coir

Coco Coir Rehydration Tutorial - Make an Excellent Coco Coir Mix at Home

• What You Need

• Step-By-Step Instructions

How to Grow Cannabis with Coco Coir

• Coco Coir Nutrients

• What Else Do You Need?

• Step-By-Step Growing Tutorial

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$300 Hydro Grow (Coco Coir with CFLs)

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Interested in growing cannabis with coco coir? Coco coir is a relatively new growing medium for cannabis that gives the experience of growing in soil, but many of the benefits of growing cannabis in hydro (such as faster growth and bigger harvests).

A lot of cannabis growers have started adding coco coir to their garden, but there isn't a lot of information about exactly how to use coco coir for cannabis. It can be confusing since coco coir usually comes in dehydrated bricks with no instructions.

What is Coco Coir?

Coco coir (coir is pronounced "coy-er") is made of fibrous coconut husks. These husks have proven to create a great growing medium for cannabis. Recently coco coir has started replacing peat moss in popular potting mixes.

Coco coir is a versatile growing medium that has benefits for many different types of growers. Coco coir can be used by itself as a growing medium, or it can be mixed with soil to help fix compaction and loosen the soil. One of the most suitable ways to use coco coir for cannabis (in my opinion) is to mix pure coco coir with about 30% of an airy amendment like perlite, and provide nutrients through the water. This creates an amazing environment for cannabis roots to thrive. 

Why Use Coco Coir for Growing Cannabis?

• Feels Like Growing in Soil - Coco coir is a soilless growing medium which gives the experience of growing in soil. Plants are kept in regular pots, and growers simply water their plants with nutrient water. Coco coir can be treated basically the same as soil for growing cannabis.

• Great for Plant Roots - Coco coir is effective at holding onto moisture and nutrients for roots, but also has a lighter texture that lets it hold onto more oxygen. This helps prevent over and underwatering. Coco coir tends to promote healthy and fast root development compared to other potting mixes.

• Good for the Environment - Unlike peat, coco coir is sustainable for the environment. It also doesn't have to be replaced every grow. Instead of breaking down like peat, coco coir is slow to break down and can be used more than once. 

• Does Not Attract Insects - Coco coir does not make a good home for many garden pests that affect soil growers. Cannabis growing in coco coir are much less likely to be attacked by pests or bugs.

• Get the Benefits of Hydro - Hydro is effective at making plants grow faster because it provides exactly the right amount of nutrients to the roots, in the most easily accessible form. Plant roots don't have to go out and search for nutrients, saving the plant precious energy. But growing directly in water can be complicated. Coco coir gives many of the benefits of hydro with a soil experience. This results in a quicker harvest and bigger yields for you as the grower, without having to manage a water reservoir.

 

Cons of Growing Cannabis in Coco Coir

• Coco coir is an inert growing medium with no inherent nutritional value, so growers must provide nutrients and manage pH throughout the grow. However, this is also the case for many soil growers as well. Unless starting with composted super soil, most soil growers end up having to add nutrients and manage pH just like with coco coir.

• Cannabis plants grown in coco coir tends to need more calcium compared to other growing mediums, so usually a standard "Cal-Mag" supplement is needed to make sure plants get all the calcium they need.

• Coco coir usually comes in dry bricks, so the bricks have to be re-hydrated before you can grow plants in the coir (explained below, it's actually really easy).

• There are premade mixes with coco coir, but they tend to be expensive. It's much cheaper to spend the half hour to make your own mix.

Coco coir holds onto a lot of moisture, but also holds onto more air than similar materials, so your plant roots are getting the oxygen they need to thrive. When mixed with perlite, it provides and ideal amount of water and air for cannabis roots. Coco coir drains well so plants are less likely to get overwatered, but it also holds onto nutrients so you use less fertilizer.

Once your plants are in a good coco coir mix, you just add nutrients, water and light to get happy plants.

pics by FirstDescent

Although growing cannabis in coco coir is becoming increasingly popular, one of the problems is that there's not enough free information to help new growers know what to do. It's only a few simple steps get your coco coir mix in tip-top shape, and this tutorial will show you exactly how to do it.

 

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Which Nutrients for Coco Coir?

When growing cannabis in coco coir, always use nutrients made for coco coir or hydroponics. Most growers also benefit from adding a "Cal-Mag" supplement, which is a common gardening supplement that provides extra calcium. Learn more about which nutrients you should use for growing cannabis in coco coir.

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There are pre-made coco coir mixes, but these are much more expensive than making a mix yourself. A pre-made mix is also heavy like soil because of the water that's been added. This makes a pre-made coco coir mix expensive to ship, and heavy to carry around. But you can get everything dry and just add water at home, so you're not paying a premium for water.

Everything you need to make your coco coir mix can be sent discreetly to your house. You just need some coir bricks and an airy bag of perlite which can be bought at any garden store. With this method, there's no lugging a huge bag of potting mix home, or paying for shipping to have it delivered.

This tutorial will show you how to re-hydrate coco coir bricks and mix with perlite to create a rich, cannabis-friendly potting mix. I will also share some hints about growing cannabis in coco coir and how to take care of your plants for the best results.

If you follow these instructions, you will end up with 9-10 gallons of potting mix. I used this to fill four 2-gallon pots plus six solo cups, which is a perfect amount of soil for me to grow 4 plants.

Ready to start your coco coir tutorial? Your garden will thank you for it!

 

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Coco Coir Rehydration Tutorial: What You Need
Makes about 10 gallons of potting mix

 

2 coco coir bricks (650g each)

For this tutorial I used two bricks of "Nature's Footprint 650g Coconut Coir Brick, Medium." However, any similarly sized bricks from a reputable company will also work. 

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8-quart bag of perlite

I used "Black Gold" perlite, but any 8-quart bag of perlite will work. Perlite can often be found in garden stores or the garden section of places like Home Depot and Lowes. I normally advise against all things Miracle-Gro, but their 8-quart bag of perlite is okay for this tutorial if you can't find anything else. But remember, never use Miracle-Gro soil or their standard nutrient formula! But their perlite is okay. Any 8-quart bag or perlite will work for this tutorial. There's not much you can do to mess up perlite.

 

10-gallon fabric container & 5-gallon bucket

I use a 10-gallon fabric container from Mad Farmer (basically a Smart Pot by a different company) because it’s sturdy, has handles and will stand up on its own after adding coco coir. ​You could use a 10-gallon Smart Pot, two pillow cases stacked inside each other, or any other fabric container that lets water through and is tough enough to hold 5 gallons of soil.

Here’s the 10-gallon Mad Farmer fabric pot & 5-gallon bucket in a bathtub

 

Note: You also need access to water and a drain for this coco coir tutorial.

 

Before You Get Started
(optional)

Run your finger nails over a bar of soap. This adds a layer of soap under your finger nails, which will prevent coco coir from getting stuck under your nails. Save yourself the time it takes to clean your nails after you're all done!
 

See What You're Making
Makes about 10 gallons of potting mix

This will make about 10 gallons of potting mix, just enough potting mix for...

• 2 x 5-gallon containers

• OR 3 x 3-gallon containers plus a little extra

• OR 4 x 2-gallon containers plus extra

• OR any setup that uses about 10 gallons of potting mix

Note: I hydrate the two bricks one at a time in the 5-gallon bucket because the 5-gallon buckets are easier for mixing in perlite, and the whole process goes by in less than a half hour anyway even if you do bricks one at a time. If you wanted, you could hydrate both bricks at once in a 10 gallon container, but that's too heavy for me to work with :) 

 

How to Rehydrate Coco Coir & Mix in Perlite
 

1.) Gather all materials and place everything near your tub (or wherever you’re going to rehydrate to coco coir bricks)
 

2.) Line inside of 5-gallon bucket with fabric container.

The inside of the bucket should be lined all the way to the top, and you need to have enough extra to be able to easily grab the top so you can lift it up later.

 

3.) Put the first coco brick inside the liner 

 

4.) Fill the bucket halfway with water.

Optimally, you can add a Cal-Mag supplement and pH this water to 6.0 before soaking. This can help make sure your coco coir has extra Calcium and also help it get into the right pH range right from the beginning.

Honestly though I often use water right out the tap. You'll be adding Cal-Mag and setting the pH later, but the "best" way is to start supplementing your coco coir now, and it definitely may save you time and trouble later. 

You’ll see the brick almost instantly starts getting soft once it makes contact with the water. 

 

5.) Wait 8-10 minutes or until the coco coir gets fully hydrated.

If you stick your hand in and there’s no more hard parts left, then you’ve waited long enough. The coco coir should feel soft all the way through the bucket. You can mix the slurry around with your hands to get it to break up faster if you're in a hurry. 

Some growers let it soak longer, especially if they're using pH'ed water that's been supplemented with a Cal-Mag supplement, giving the coco more time to "take in" the good stuff. But I usually wait about 10 minutes and go to the next step.

6.) Pull liner up and out, letting water drain.

First let the majority of the extra water drain out into the bucket, then place the liner in the tub or on the ground so it can continue to let water drain out slowly.

 

7.) Pour half the 8-quart bag of perlite on top of your coco coir

 

8.) Mix in perlite with hands

Make sure to mix everything thoroughly, and check around the sides too, where you'll often find pockets of perlite or straight coco coir. It's really easy and quick. Just stick your hands in and mix everything together until it looks even all the way through :)

This moving gif should hopefully give you an idea. 

After mixing, your potting mix will feel light and kind of soggy. You should end up with something that looks like this.

 

9.) Fill your containers with potting mix

One batch will fill just under than 3 x 2-gallon containers or 2 x 3-gallon containers. It should fill a 5-gallon container.

Don’t worry if the mix feels wet, it will dry in the fabric pots once you have a fan blowing over them in your grow tent.

10.) Repeat steps for second brick of coco coir & remaining half of perlite bag

Now you fill the rest of your fabric containers and possibly solo cups for seedlings.

Note: If you do use solo cups, make sure to cut holes into the bottom so that water can drain out after you've watered your plants. Always test to make sure water runs through cup freely. If you have a hard time filling up an empty solo cup with water because it's running out the bottom, you have added the right amount of drainage.

 

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Which Nutrients for Coco Coir?