socalpunx
- 163
- 43
The only coco I will use is bags of botanicare cocogrow no pre-flush nothing,I have used canna,gold label all of them and I could tell you about the fucked up stuff I find in thier coco.I have never used the bricks though
og dmc
- 363
- 63
Your all right. Dont risk it. Flush it!
og dmc
- 363
- 63
I found a marble sized crystal in canna yesterday and a elecrical dial in the botainicare bales. Lol . I cant help but wonder how a plastic dial ended up in there.
Seamaiden
Living dead girl
- 23,596
- 638
WTF? Please, God, don't let og dmc find a finger or sommit like that!
og dmc
- 363
- 63
I've been in contact with botanicare over the last 3 days. They have been very nice and very helpful. I figured i would post the tips the provided. I have been being a little cheap and lazy about watering until runoff. Heres what they said.
There are many interdependent variables to consider when in growing plants in a controlled environment. When you take into consideration the complex synchronization of factors such as lighting, irrigation timing, composition of the growing media etc., it can be difficult to assess exactly where in the system an issue is occurring. Unless you are using other fertilizer products which provide a significant source of nutrients, the application rates you listed for Cal-Mag and PureBlend Pro shouldn’t be high enough to be problematic. My assumption is that the salt buildup is a result of the nutrient solution not draining adequately, and causing a concentration of nutrients to occur as the water either evaporates or is absorbed by the plant, leaving the salt behind.
Try to remedy the issue for now by flushing the media with a lot of RO water. You could also try alternating you feeding and watering schedules such that you would have two feedings in a row, followed by a watering (using no nutrient products) the next day. Adding the intermediate day of applying only water would help to move the salts out of the media faster. On days which you feed, you may want to consider shooting for an even higher volume of runoff, somewhere between 20-30%. In addition to further impacting the removal of salts from the media, a generous volume of runoff will increase root-zone health. As the liquid exits the bottom of the container, it creates a vacuum which draws in fresh air from the top of the media, increasing oxygen availability near the root-zone where it is needed most, and improves circulation.
Please let me know if I can provide any further information, or if you can think of any other factors in your setup which might be causing the issue. I would be more than happy to help you get the most use out of our products as possible.
If you still have some plants growing in the media, it would be beneficial to flush the containers with a large volume of R.O. water to remove any residual salts in the media and prevent further damage. We also strongly advise that when applying nutrient solutions and other plant food products to plants grown in coco, that you ensure an adequate volume of runoff through the bottom of the container. This allows the excess fertilizer which has not been absorbed by either the plants or the coco to be dissolved and removed from the container, preventing a buildup from occurring.
For quality control purposes, it is best to perform a leachate test (water-media extraction) using 2 parts R.O./D.I. water to 1 part loose coco, by volume. The coco should be allowed to sit in the water for 2-3 minutes to fully saturate with water, and then the slurry should be poured into a cup with small holes to act as a filter. The water which drains out of the cup containing the coco is collected and measured for EC/ppm. Of course, it is necessary to measure the initial EC/ppm of the water used to conduct the test, and subtract that from the EC/ppm measured in the leachate. This is one of the ways which we test growing media for salts, as it has proven to be easy, accurate, and effective.
Meter calibration is crucial to accuracy when performing these kinds of tests. It is advised that you calibrate your meter using the calibration solutions sold by manufacturer immediately before measuring the EC/ppm of a leachate, as digital meters tend to go out of calibration over time. Likewise, a meter which is stored dry or in plain water (as opposed to a high-concentration storage solution) may be damaged over time.
There are many interdependent variables to consider when in growing plants in a controlled environment. When you take into consideration the complex synchronization of factors such as lighting, irrigation timing, composition of the growing media etc., it can be difficult to assess exactly where in the system an issue is occurring. Unless you are using other fertilizer products which provide a significant source of nutrients, the application rates you listed for Cal-Mag and PureBlend Pro shouldn’t be high enough to be problematic. My assumption is that the salt buildup is a result of the nutrient solution not draining adequately, and causing a concentration of nutrients to occur as the water either evaporates or is absorbed by the plant, leaving the salt behind.
Try to remedy the issue for now by flushing the media with a lot of RO water. You could also try alternating you feeding and watering schedules such that you would have two feedings in a row, followed by a watering (using no nutrient products) the next day. Adding the intermediate day of applying only water would help to move the salts out of the media faster. On days which you feed, you may want to consider shooting for an even higher volume of runoff, somewhere between 20-30%. In addition to further impacting the removal of salts from the media, a generous volume of runoff will increase root-zone health. As the liquid exits the bottom of the container, it creates a vacuum which draws in fresh air from the top of the media, increasing oxygen availability near the root-zone where it is needed most, and improves circulation.
Please let me know if I can provide any further information, or if you can think of any other factors in your setup which might be causing the issue. I would be more than happy to help you get the most use out of our products as possible.
If you still have some plants growing in the media, it would be beneficial to flush the containers with a large volume of R.O. water to remove any residual salts in the media and prevent further damage. We also strongly advise that when applying nutrient solutions and other plant food products to plants grown in coco, that you ensure an adequate volume of runoff through the bottom of the container. This allows the excess fertilizer which has not been absorbed by either the plants or the coco to be dissolved and removed from the container, preventing a buildup from occurring.
For quality control purposes, it is best to perform a leachate test (water-media extraction) using 2 parts R.O./D.I. water to 1 part loose coco, by volume. The coco should be allowed to sit in the water for 2-3 minutes to fully saturate with water, and then the slurry should be poured into a cup with small holes to act as a filter. The water which drains out of the cup containing the coco is collected and measured for EC/ppm. Of course, it is necessary to measure the initial EC/ppm of the water used to conduct the test, and subtract that from the EC/ppm measured in the leachate. This is one of the ways which we test growing media for salts, as it has proven to be easy, accurate, and effective.
Meter calibration is crucial to accuracy when performing these kinds of tests. It is advised that you calibrate your meter using the calibration solutions sold by manufacturer immediately before measuring the EC/ppm of a leachate, as digital meters tend to go out of calibration over time. Likewise, a meter which is stored dry or in plain water (as opposed to a high-concentration storage solution) may be damaged over time.
og dmc
- 363
- 63
Sea maiden. A finger would be free bone and blood meal. LOL
Seamaiden
Living dead girl
- 23,596
- 638
Not to mention CHEWY.
I love that you took it upon yourself to contact the manufacturer, they've given some excellent information and I see that they recommend performing a media test in the same manner I prefer--slurry.
I love that you took it upon yourself to contact the manufacturer, they've given some excellent information and I see that they recommend performing a media test in the same manner I prefer--slurry.
og dmc
- 363
- 63
What if I smoked the finger like in How High. LOL
og dmc
- 363
- 63
Ok, so I've been doing everything he told me to do for about a week. I said 3 days, but I have no concept of time. I know, big surprise. This is now looking like what I expected. Complete recovery and astounding health. So what did I learn? Don't be cheap with nutes. I am now mixing up about 33 gallons which lasts about 2 days. Sometimes less. I flood the coco with a spray wand until it starts draining. This is works like a gravity bong, water leaves , air enters. To my surprise, the pots actually feel light again sooner than before. Also, I think it is kind of like changing your resavoir when your ruunning a drip system or something similar. It keeps the nutrients fresh and balanced. I so glad I contacted them. Seamaiden. Could you update my first post. Please add update: problem resolved by following manufacturers recommendations. See post 25. Botanicare is run by really nice, really helpful people. I do not recant my statement about the quality of their coco 10 yrs ago, but they have apparently improved it to a point where it is on par with the other more popular coco brands. I have to eat my words about what the problem was, but that is ok as long as correct info gets out there.
oldirtybastard
- 645
- 113
Thats the good thing about coco, you cant over water, which means you can feed more often... I use the bagged ready grow by botanicare for cloning with great results.. ~ODB~
og dmc
- 363
- 63
So, I've tried it both ways. Watering everyday, and watering when the pot feels about 50% lighter. I have found no noticable benifit to watering everyday. In fact, the results are an under developed root system, and thin stalks. Heres what canna has to say.
Coco peat holds about 33 % more moisture then similar grades of peat based mediums if it is in good structure, but, because a great amount of this is tucked away in the micro-pores, the medium can look dry but still be plenty wet. (Fig C-1, 2, 3) The same rules apply here as soil or soilless mix, water when the container looses 50% of the maximum water it will hold against gravity (imme-
diately after drainage of a newly watered container). Correctly this is done by weight and yes it does change with time, root mass, humidity, temperature and growers temperament (thumb on scale syndrome). By control- ling closely the decomposition and particle size, there is no need for using anything to increase drainage like perlite, which happily removes a disposal concern. Even more air space can be achieved by increasing the frac- tion of coco fibers and husks.
This results in a totally renewable and biodegradable medium that resists compaction.
I hope you benefit from the information and avoid all the misinformation out there surounding this product.
Coco peat holds about 33 % more moisture then similar grades of peat based mediums if it is in good structure, but, because a great amount of this is tucked away in the micro-pores, the medium can look dry but still be plenty wet. (Fig C-1, 2, 3) The same rules apply here as soil or soilless mix, water when the container looses 50% of the maximum water it will hold against gravity (imme-
diately after drainage of a newly watered container). Correctly this is done by weight and yes it does change with time, root mass, humidity, temperature and growers temperament (thumb on scale syndrome). By control- ling closely the decomposition and particle size, there is no need for using anything to increase drainage like perlite, which happily removes a disposal concern. Even more air space can be achieved by increasing the frac- tion of coco fibers and husks.
This results in a totally renewable and biodegradable medium that resists compaction.
I hope you benefit from the information and avoid all the misinformation out there surounding this product.
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