Coco Noob, Advice Needed Please...

[dan1989]

Completed my first grow recently after having been converted to coco coir. I ran two plants in straight coco. I know for sure that I had poor drainage, as the space between waterings was massive at times during flowering, like 5-6 days massive. Roots looked ok when I checked them out after the chop. Now I was watering til 20% run-off and blaa blaa, but seemed to be taking a long time for the water to go through. I will be mixing my coco with perlite next run, but wondered if anyone has any input as to how long it should take from watering to see runoff. Growing in 11 litre pots (sorry don't know gallons). Any help very much appreciated

Dan

 

[mulehunter]

Try feeding every other day

 

[d0rk2dafullest]

if you're fine with the results dont change anything. but i would try doing some tea with some bennies and myko. just read a thread here bout watering everyday to bring in fresh oxygen into your pot so the roots will blow up. but i mean i would make some tea and try to get my roots bigger so that it would eat a lot more. usually fulvic and humic will help make nutes more available to your plant. the bennies will eat and shit out enzymes to help break down the nutes in your pot, so that it's also more available. and also ive read that if you feed a plant with almost no roots all the time, it'll get lazy. and wont grow anymore. maybe feed everyday with a little bit less ppm, so it'll eat it all up and at the same time get your roots searching for food.

 

[tinderthumbs]

Completed my first grow recently after having been converted to coco coir. I ran two plants in straight coco. I know for sure that I had poor drainage, as the space between waterings was massive at times during flowering, like 5-6 days massive. Roots looked ok when I checked them out after the chop. Now I was watering til 20% run-off and blaa blaa, but seemed to be taking a long time for the water to go through. I will be mixing my coco with perlite next run, but wondered if anyone has any input as to how long it should take from watering to see runoff. Growing in 11 litre pots (sorry don't know gallons). Any help very much appreciated

Dan

do u rake the medium before watering if not water can just kind of pool on top and soak in over time

 

[dan1989]

do u rake the medium before watering if not water can just kind of pool on top and soak in over time

No I put a layer of perlite Tind, that stops that from happening as the coco doesn't dry out on top. I'm thinking back and when I filled the pots I was compacting down the coco, zero perlite except for on top. They were taking forever to drink whatever I gave them which makes me think underdeveloped roots but...meh what does this amateur know, that's why I joined the site :)

 

[One drop]

No I put a layer of perlite Tind, that stops that from happening as the coco doesn't dry out on top. I'm thinking back and when I filled the pots I was compacting down the coco, zero perlite except for on top. They were taking forever to drink whatever I gave them which makes me think underdeveloped roots but...meh what does this amateur know, that's why I joined the site :)

Try volcanic pummis stone or just plain road base gravel it's a easy imput to get rid of in your system it's hard to get rid of perlite I think it's a slap in the earths face if you just dump it .

 

[Westie]

For me, using a wetting agent to treat the coco helped with slow run-thru. I use EZWet, there are many to choose from. Also used in foliar applications.

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

I water mine with half the water and then wait for 10 or 20 minutes and water it the rest of the way. This seems to help keep from having dry spots. Also, get a dust mask and a spray bottle of water to knock the dust down when working with perlite, that stuff will kill you if you arent careful.

 

[sixstring]

if you water daily and keep the coco moist(which it should be) it should pretty much run right through it in a few seconds. but if you packed the hell out of them at transplant i could see it taking some time to get to the bottom.i ran coco in 3,5 and 7 gal pots and liked the 5 gal best(about 20liters actual coco) i watered daily about a gallon of nutes would give me maybe 10% runoff.

 

[dan1989]

if you water daily and keep the coco moist(which it should be) it should pretty much run right through it in a few seconds. but if you packed the hell out of them at transplant i could see it taking some time to get to the bottom.i ran coco in 3,5 and 7 gal pots and liked the 5 gal best(about 20liters actual coco) i watered daily about a gallon of nutes would give me maybe 10% runoff.

It confuses the hell out of me, watering schedules for coco. If I were to water daily, what amount of nutes should I be using. I was watering every 3-4 days, never seemed to dry out...

 

[sixstring]

It confuses the hell out of me, watering schedules for coco. If I were to water daily, what amount of nutes should I be using. I was watering every 3-4 days, never seemed to dry out...

you dont want it to dry out or you will start having lockout problems or salt build ups.dasily watering even when its already wet keeps things balanced ec and ph wise and helps move oxygen through the rootzone.there are some that will water it multiple times per day like rockwool

 

[dan1989]

you dont want it to dry out or you will start having lockout problems or salt build ups.dasily watering even when its already wet keeps things balanced ec and ph wise and helps move oxygen through the rootzone.there are some that will water it multiple times per day like rockwool

Ok got it about not letting it dry out, but how about nutrient amounts? If we are watering every day, won't the plants overdose? I was told you need to feed with EVERY watering in coco. You'll have to excuse the stupid questions but I'm a coco noob, only used once...

 

[tinderthumbs]

i did a full does then 1/4 then full want keep a eye but that was just me u just got to make sure to keep it wet and the nute u giving is to feed the life in the coco

 

[sixstring]

Ok got it about not letting it dry out, but how about nutrient amounts? If we are watering every day, won't the plants overdose? I was told you need to feed with EVERY watering in coco. You'll have to excuse the stupid questions but I'm a coco noob, only used once...

i fed around 500ppm or 1 ec in veg and 750ppm in bloom no problems.getting some runoff and keeping them wet will deal with not over feeding.if you use 700ppm every day and use enough to get 20% runoff it will remain 700ppm in the coco unless your plants are super fast eaters.checking runoff alot you can dial up or down based on whats happening with runoff.so if your fedding 700 and your runoff says 450- 500 every day you need to bump up a lil bit.if you pour in 700 and the runoff is coming out 800 to 900 you need to drop down to 400 to 500 for a few days and keep checking shit.but there were times when i wouldnt check shit for a week and take a look and be like wtf,i got 2500ppm runoff but my plants look fine lol.as long as they dont dry out it works in a pretty wide range of feeds.its not nearly as forgiving if you let the coco dry out alot.

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

i fed around 500ppm or 1 ec in veg and 750ppm in bloom no problems.getting some runoff and keeping them wet will deal with not over feeding.if you use 700ppm every day and use enough to get 20% runoff it will remain 700ppm in the coco unless your plants are super fast eaters.checking runoff alot you can dial up or down based on whats happening with runoff.so if your fedding 700 and your runoff says 450- 500 every day you need to bump up a lil bit.if you pour in 700 and the runoff is coming out 800 to 900 you need to drop down to 400 to 500 for a few days and keep checking shit.but there were times when i wouldnt check shit for a week and take a look and be like wtf,i got 2500ppm runoff but my plants look fine lol.as long as they dont dry out it works in a pretty wide range of feeds.its not nearly as forgiving if you let the coco dry out alot.

I recently let two of mine in coco dry out too much because I wasnt used to watering gallons per day for huge trees in 7gal pots. Both of the ones that dried out are now showing Ca deficiency. I was baffled as to why these two plants were showing a deficiency and not the other one, but now I remember lifting the pot and it being super light and the leaves drooping at least once...

 

[Fecund Loin]

It confuses the hell out of me, watering schedules for coco. If I were to water daily, what amount of nutes should I be using. I was watering every 3-4 days, never seemed to dry out...

I'm on my first grow and I have six plants currently in flower (Incredible Bulk(which IS fuckin' incredible), Pineapple cheese, Big Buddha Cheese, Critical, Honey Cream and Northern Lights) and they drink between 30 and 40 pints a day 70ml each of Canna A & B and 40ml PK 13/14 in 1m2. I used to water with runoff but haven't in a couple of weeks and the plants are savages. I run 600w HPS with aggressive extraction and have a 16inch oscilating fan on max and a fixed six inch circulating air below the canopy so there is a gale in there. The plants are between 3 - 4ft tall. The base of the tent is tiled with the bricks out of storage heaters to maintain nightime temps, I run extraction and the 6 inch fan 24 -7.

Edit: The nutes quoted are added to 20 litres of water and PH'ed to 5.8

 

[Fecund Loin]

Better Pic.

 

[tinderthumbs]

if u water with run off u putting all the stuff u wash out any build ups of salts and what not right back in on the ladys
but that also depends on the nute u using like fox farm is super full of salt then there is stuff like earth juice that has almost 0 salts have to add Epson salt or calmag

pics look good