Coco Nutrients

Why coco coir needs its own nutrient

Unlike clay balls or rockwool, coco is not inert. The fibre's exchange capacity holds calcium and magnesium from the solution and releases potassium in their place, so a reservoir formula runs plants short. Growth Technology describes its coco mineral profile as one that “compensates for the tendency of coco fibre to lock up available calcium”; Plant Mechanics flags that coco “tends to bind calcium and magnesium”.

Extra calcium and magnesium, less potassium

Hy-Gen loads extra calcium into CocoGrow and notes that commercial cocopeat buffering already uses calcium. Advanced Nutrients puts bioavailable calcium, magnesium and several chelated iron forms into Sensi Coco to head off lockout. House & Garden cuts potassium instead, running Cocos A&B a notch lower “to account for the K organically released from coco coir decomposition”.

Chelates that hold trace elements available

Growth Technology adds fulvic acid, Nutrifield adds fulvic acid and suspended silica, and Canna uses natural chelates — all to keep minerals available in a medium that ties them up.

Why coco base nutrients come as A and B

The elements will not share one concentrated bottle. Canna is explicit: some elements in parts A and B “clog together” if combined at full strength, and the plant cannot absorb what forms. Add A to the water first, stir, then add B. House & Garden says that undiluted mix solidifies parts of the nutrient; Growth Technology adds that A and B go in at equal rates. Two bottles is the chemistry.

Our range of coco nutrients

Two-part coco base feeds

This is the core of the page. Canna Coco A & B is sold in 1L, 5L and 20L and has no separate veg or flower version — one formulation covers both stages. House & Garden Cocos A&B runs 1L through to 20L, Plant Mechanics Coco+ A&B covers 1L, 5L and 20L, and Reiziger Coco Food A+B, Nutrifield Coco A&B and Dutchfest Coco A&B fill the 1L and 5L sizes.

Stage-split grow and bloom sets

Growth Technology splits the job into Coco Grow A&B and Coco Bloom A&B, each in 1L, 5L and 20L. Hy-Gen does the same with CocoGrow and CocoBloom, and keeps CocoGrow running into early flower before you switch. Starter kits sit beside them — House & Garden's Coco kit, the ISN Starter Pack and the Professor's Growers Kits — each pairing a base feed with that brand's additives.

How to choose a coco nutrient

1. Pick a single formula or a split set. Canna Coco and Plant Mechanics Coco+ are one recipe from start to harvest. Grow-and-bloom pairs give more control at the flip, and more bottles to keep in step.
2. See how much calcium and magnesium is already in the feed. A coco-specific bottle already carries more than the hydroponic equivalent. If the label never says so, or you mix on rainwater or RO, put a cal-mag supplement on the shopping list.
3. Size the bottles to the room. A&B is sold as a pair — a 5L listing is 5L of A plus 5L of B. A 1L set covers a single tent; a 20L drum set feeds a room.
4. Buffer and rinse before you plant. Plant Mechanics wants pre-washed, buffered coco; Growth Technology says flush new coco first. An unbuffered bag will fight even a good feed.
5. Run pH and EC for coco, not for hydro. Plant Mechanics holds pH at 5.8–6.3. Growth Technology aims at 6 and steps EC up through veg from about 1.2mS to 1.6mS.

Feeding coco through the week

Keep coco wet, and water often. Plant Mechanics wants frequent watering with 10–20% runoff so salts cannot pile up, plus controlled dry backs so roots still get oxygen. Growth Technology warns that coco holds far more water than growers expect and that the system needs a weekly flush. Use it in run-to-waste and passive setups, not a recirculating reservoir.

When the leaves look off, start with our guide to yellow leaves and common grow problems. If the base feed is short, the cal-mag supplements range is the top-up.