cocoJoe
- 657
- 93
Looking pretty good artcore..
Peace
Peace
ClassV
- 284
- 93
Looking good dude! Coco buffers the PH, so the PH of what you feed and what the runoff shows will generally be different. Don't sweat it.
TOBH is right on time about the value of the runoff PH in coco. A slurry test will give you the real PH value of the medium. That is an important point, because sometimes problems in the media have nothing to do with the nutes. I learned that the hard way last year. Don't sweat the metrics too much. Just keep watching the girls. That said....
While runoff PH is not an accurate representation of the media PH, and many far better growers disregard it entirely, I do use runoff metrics to identify patterns. If the value of the runoff PH is stable, and between 5.5 and 6.5, then you are probably good. If PH rises as EC drops over a short time, they might be hungry. If PH drops as EC rises over a short time, you might be over feeding. If PH and EC are headed in the same direction over a short time, it might be an over abundance of one or more elements. But the operative word is "might", and I always check those metrics against what I see with the plant, not the other way around. Temperature of the runoff can also be helpful. Keeping the root zone from getting too cold while trying to keep the canopy from getting to hot, is a serious consideration in my setup. In most cases, the patterns I see in the runoff, and what I see from my plants, are generally in agreement. When in doubt... slurry test.
Just my $0.02
TOBH is right on time about the value of the runoff PH in coco. A slurry test will give you the real PH value of the medium. That is an important point, because sometimes problems in the media have nothing to do with the nutes. I learned that the hard way last year. Don't sweat the metrics too much. Just keep watching the girls. That said....
While runoff PH is not an accurate representation of the media PH, and many far better growers disregard it entirely, I do use runoff metrics to identify patterns. If the value of the runoff PH is stable, and between 5.5 and 6.5, then you are probably good. If PH rises as EC drops over a short time, they might be hungry. If PH drops as EC rises over a short time, you might be over feeding. If PH and EC are headed in the same direction over a short time, it might be an over abundance of one or more elements. But the operative word is "might", and I always check those metrics against what I see with the plant, not the other way around. Temperature of the runoff can also be helpful. Keeping the root zone from getting too cold while trying to keep the canopy from getting to hot, is a serious consideration in my setup. In most cases, the patterns I see in the runoff, and what I see from my plants, are generally in agreement. When in doubt... slurry test.
Just my $0.02
A
artcore
- 76
- 18
99.9% of problems I had growing in soil were all caused by the environment, heat, cold, lack of extraction, lack of fresh air... from the time I managed to create a stable environment inside the cab I stopped having problems
but in my first two grows I blamed the nuts, then the quality of the water, then the soil, when no longer had anything to blame I invested in extraction and solved all the problems lol
I've done some tests with run off water from soil and had very conclusive results:
. In winter watering plants at 6 am before going to work the run off had a pH of 5.6
. In winter watering plants at 3 pm after arriving from work had a pH of 6.2
Why?!?... there is a difference of about 10º between 6 am and 3 pm... my pH meter only needs to be calibrated when the ambient temp or the water temp rises or falls several degrees in few hours... despite knowing that the temp is a major factor in pH I was convinced that the results would be more credible in coco than with soil.
Today when the light turned on I had a surprise... pre-flowers :D
The plan is to reduce the ppms by half every 3 days and will start watering 3 times per day
but in my first two grows I blamed the nuts, then the quality of the water, then the soil, when no longer had anything to blame I invested in extraction and solved all the problems lol
I've done some tests with run off water from soil and had very conclusive results:
. In winter watering plants at 6 am before going to work the run off had a pH of 5.6
. In winter watering plants at 3 pm after arriving from work had a pH of 6.2
Why?!?... there is a difference of about 10º between 6 am and 3 pm... my pH meter only needs to be calibrated when the ambient temp or the water temp rises or falls several degrees in few hours... despite knowing that the temp is a major factor in pH I was convinced that the results would be more credible in coco than with soil.
Today when the light turned on I had a surprise... pre-flowers :D
The plan is to reduce the ppms by half every 3 days and will start watering 3 times per day
tobh
Supporter
- 4,194
- 263
There's something changing the pH as it passes through, regardless. A slurry test is the definitive (and the ONLY agriculturally recognized) way to know the pH in the medium. Farmers send soil samples off for this reason, collecting run off isn't a real efficient means of knowing wtf is going on in any medium. Slurry tests all the way.
MIKEZILLA
- 2,601
- 263
What are you yielding? Very curious as I am considering building a cabinet for my parents...
A
artcore
- 76
- 18
My first time with micro grow but if I had to guess I would say about 10/12 grams, 8 clones 54w cfl... to have a good harvest in a micro grow I think I'll have to invest in leds, very soon I will make a led panel to install in the PC box. My bloom cab is quite small, half a square meter, with good lighting always get more than 200g.
Pics from yesterday,
In recent days I started to treat the coco as if it were soil... stopped checking the run off water, the plant gives signs of what she needs or that's what I expect lol. I'm watering 3 times per day, 1ml cal-mag+1ml grow+3ml bloom /6 liters = 450ppm 5.9, every 3 days only give 250ppm, 40/50% run off every watering, thats why I stopped checking the run off water.
Last edited:
tobh
Supporter
- 4,194
- 263
Perfect. Should see some beautiful action from here on out. Check occasionally just to make sure things aren't going out of whack but not necessary to check every time since you're keeping the medium consistently wet with frequent change over.
cocoJoe
- 657
- 93
The flowering pot only!!
madscrapper
- 414
- 143
I pH low 5's in veg and high 5's in bloom as a quick rule of thumb..i swing the ph every so often aswell.pH coco like hydro..
tobh
Supporter
- 4,194
- 263
^ that right there. Treat it like hydro.
hermit186
- 335
- 63
I use 3 layers myself as you read this collection of opinions I would say read more if its here and then use what will help you gain the end you wish for. I have found that folks in the north use little or no perlite and run all coco. I have done that and I have reverted to 70/30. Not that it grows better but some coco is to fine. My problem with brick coco is that you have to take time to get it just right I use an old plastic harbor fright cement mixer that broke before it seen the cement so I turned it into a coco mixer. If you just dump water on it and then brake it up it has radical moisture levels until properly mixed. Coco is wonderful stuff but, if one dry lump gets in the roots as you transplant then one side of plant looks funny or the leafs will come out looking like a slept in shirt.
I use Jacks Hydro mix and I have all the meters but if you use ro water and there gram weights of nutrients it will come out the same every time. 5.5 to 5.9 depending on how good a scale and where you ph starts from I mix in batchers of 25 and 50 gals . I check the numbers like most here but my ebb and flow doesn't change the evaporation rate and plant usage are working together and as the level goes down the PH and ppm change less than 10%. It took me 3 grows to find that level. Mostly I started using a one time application of MOST in each as I transplant from beer cup to pot and once at the end of my 2 week bloom feeding. I don't understand why but I have little or no leaf discoloration except with White Widow or strains where it's dominate. @this time I add extra Epsom salts up to flush and that was from Seamaiden it helps but WW ends the bloom looking yellow. Is killer smoke and it taste very good.
CoCo is good and it can be reused but it seems to get thick and starts to hold to much water about 3rd or 4th cycle, I put it in my garden and till it in. Makes for hellified tomatoes.
I use Jacks Hydro mix and I have all the meters but if you use ro water and there gram weights of nutrients it will come out the same every time. 5.5 to 5.9 depending on how good a scale and where you ph starts from I mix in batchers of 25 and 50 gals . I check the numbers like most here but my ebb and flow doesn't change the evaporation rate and plant usage are working together and as the level goes down the PH and ppm change less than 10%. It took me 3 grows to find that level. Mostly I started using a one time application of MOST in each as I transplant from beer cup to pot and once at the end of my 2 week bloom feeding. I don't understand why but I have little or no leaf discoloration except with White Widow or strains where it's dominate. @this time I add extra Epsom salts up to flush and that was from Seamaiden it helps but WW ends the bloom looking yellow. Is killer smoke and it taste very good.
CoCo is good and it can be reused but it seems to get thick and starts to hold to much water about 3rd or 4th cycle, I put it in my garden and till it in. Makes for hellified tomatoes.
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