Hello my friend 😉
That's what you need to know about coconut fiber👍
Regarding watering, as explained above, the substrate being inert it will apply fertilizer at each watering, taking care to measure the pH and EC of the nutrient solution.👍
The EC or Electro Conductivity is the amount of fertilizer or mineral salts present in an aqueous solution, it will be adjusted according to the needs of the plants according to their stage of development. The pH is the measure used to define whether a water is basic or acidic, the pH scale is 0.0 to 14.0.
For the cultivation of coconut fiber it is advisable to maintain a pH between 5.5 and 6.3, depending on the phase of development of plants we will approach more than one value or the other. Generally the ideal PH in growth is 5.8, and 6.0 for the flowering, being able to slightly vary the PH so that all the different nutrients are assimilable by the plants.
Fertilizers must be adapted to this substrate, chelated fertilizers will be preferred because of their high absorption by plants, more efficient and fast. There are many manufacturers who create fertilizers specifically for coconut, which offers a wide choice of increasingly refined product lines specialized in this type of hydroponics.
Mineral fertilizers are the most used, being products specially studied for hydroponics. Note the appearance of organic ranges studied for coconut cultivation, opening up new possibilities for growers accustomed to the strong scent of plants grown in the soil with organic fertilizers.
Containers or pots for coconut substrate cultivation should always have a good drainage system, so that excess water can easily be drained, leaving the substrate moist but also oxygenated, in order to favor assimilation of nutrients, but also to avoid exposing the roots to the risk of rot and other diseases.
We will also emphasize that we will need a smaller amount of substrate and therefore smaller pots, for a development comparable to that of a plant grown in soil. The equivalence Coco VS Terre would be 1.65 L of coconut for 7 liters of soil, for larger plants, pots of 3 liters of coconut will be used instead of 11 liters of soil.
The watering of coconut plants will begin in a manner similar to that of earthen plants, although it may be noted that coco has characteristics superior to the earth in drainage and evaporation of moisture in the soil. substrate, because of its high level of oxygenation.👍
Thus watering at the beginning of the growth period will be done manually, not exceeding 100 ml per plant, to facilitate humidification and rapid drying of the substrate, to alternate cycles of moisture and drought that will allow the system root to develop optimally and wholesome, protecting it from diseases. As the plants grow, the amount of watering will increase. From the second week of flowering we can install an automatic watering system and maintain a regular and constant nutrition to improve production.
Good luck for your grow 🌱
May the force be with you💪