Out Of Coco Bricks?

[t-pain]

whats the deal? two hydro stores today , neither had any 5kg bricks.

 

lady said people buy the bags instead. guy said the bricks would be in tomorrow.

[t-pain]

then shouldnt they have a pile of unwanted bricks??

[trichcycler]

can anyone explain this "buffering" procedure to me?

 

After growing in sand, Styrofoam, pea grave, wood chips and bubbles, I figured coco would be a no brainer, but my coco substrates failed me, and I quickly dismissed it forever.

[pic book]

i'm also stumped...course my coco is 'inherited;' in the pot with the plants i purchase, bag or brick. i can't tell.

[AbominableDro-Man]

Quick clips from some other forums and the web-

 

"pH Buffering Coco coir buffers at between pH 5.5 and 6.5. This means the media helps to maintain optimum root zone pH (resulting in optimum nutrient uptake).

 

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) Coir has a high cation exchange capacity. Cation exchange capacity refers a medias ability to exchange cations between mineral and organic matter and the plants roots. Cations are positively charged elements such as calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg++), and potassium (K+). Cations are held by negatively charged particles called colloids.

The defining feature of colloids is that the particles are small and consequently the total surface area is huge. For this reason the negatively charged colloids are capable of holding enormous quantities of positively charged cations. As plant roots uptake cations, other cations in the nutrient replace them on the colloid. If there is a concentration of one particular cation in the media, other cations will force them off the colloid and take their place. This means that a mineral balance is maintained in coir and these minerals are readily available for uptake. 

 

Root Zone Health Coco coir provides excellent insulation. This means that coco coir isn’t as prone to overheating, due to excessive ambient air temperatures, as many other mediums (making it ideal for warm geographical zones). This is because water tends to make its way into the lower regions of the coco coir, leaving the top layer dry. Because of this, heat needs to penetrate a drier top layer of coco coir before reaching the watered areas of the media. As water is a great conductor of energy (in the form of heat) the lower wet area being protected by a drier surface helps keep the lower areas of the media, where the bulk of the root mass is found, cooler. As media temperature and oxygen levels are interrelated (the warmer the media, the less oxygen) this insulation plays an important role in promoting root health."

 

And for the TL:DR version-

 

"Coco has a negatively charged complex, surrounded by a couple of positively charged ions: sodium and potassium. Because these elements stick to the complex, like iron to a magnet, there is no danger to the plant root initially. The problem starts when fertilizing with calcium. The calcium will push the potassium and sodium aside and take their position. Consequently, the calcium that is connected to the complex won’t be available to the plant, while sodium and potassium that are released into the water will be available.

To avoid this ‘time bomb’ problem we offer buffered coco. In buffered coco the ion exchange, as we call the process where calcium pushes the other ions off the complex, has already taken place and other elements, such as sodium and potassium have been washed away."

Edited February 17, 2015 by AbominableDro-Man

[AbominableDro-Man]

Listen to Zap, he put it into a lot better of wording than my regurgitating of the on-the-line  

[Mjeez]

will take note of that