GIANT Fan Leaves

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MW7945

MW7945

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There's really no need to water to runoff in coco at all. Soil yes, because you're letting the soil go dry. Coco, no. It should always be moist. The whole point of flushing is to remove salts that form when the medium dries out. Check out the side of a used bottle of nutes and you'll likely find some crystal stuff on the sides of the bottle neck or around the cap threads. This is the salt that forms in your dry media. This is what you're flushing out, which is also why you always remove runoff asap. But since you're gonna be keeping your coco moist at all times, no need for runoff, right? :)

.... not sure if srs?
 
Uckemfup

Uckemfup

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There's really no need to water to runoff in coco at all. Soil yes, because you're letting the soil go dry. Coco, no. It should always be moist. The whole point of flushing is to remove salts that form when the medium dries out. Check out the side of a used bottle of nutes and you'll likely find some crystal stuff on the sides of the bottle neck or around the cap threads. This is the salt that forms in your dry media. This is what you're flushing out, which is also why you always remove runoff asap. But since you're gonna be keeping your coco moist at all times, no need for runoff, right? :)
I understand now. I didn’t get it completely until you explained it like that. Do you ever switch it up and hydrate with plain water? On my nute schedule it says to water w/ plain water every other feeding, which I haven’t been doing.
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dan1989

dan1989

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I understand now. I didn’t get it completely until you explained it like that. Do you ever switch it up and hydrate with plain water? On my nute schedule it says to water w/ plain water every other feeding, which I haven’t been doing. View attachment 795172

Fuck the schedule man, believe me, these things are designed to get the nutes used up nice and quick, cha ching, know what I mean? Imagine someone feeding you on a schedule, maybe you don't wanna eat right now? Maybe you're not hungry cos you gave me full dose two days ago and I can't process all this shit so I think I'll just die instead. That's it pretty much. And yes you can flush with plain water in coco but only if you've let it dry out and salts build up and you need to get rid of them. Other than that you feed every watering. You're watering every day. You're giving it enough to stay alive, but not enough to pump it full of nutes. So we come to the fat cat analogy. It's very well fed, but far from a healthy specimen. If it needs more food later, you can give it some. It's easier to gain than it is to get rid of. If you've overfed then you'll be tempted to flush with plain water and mess with the cation exchange in the coco and bla bla. Get a EC meter my friend, truly do your research on coco cos it's a different game altogether to soil. Peace
 
dan1989

dan1989

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I understand now. I didn’t get it completely until you explained it like that. Do you ever switch it up and hydrate with plain water? On my nute schedule it says to water w/ plain water every other feeding, which I haven’t been doing. View attachment 795172

Now there are some who would crucify me for this and I'm cool with that, just so you know I'm not Ed Rosenthal and its my opinion :) the no runoff I mean
 
dan1989

dan1989

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Sorry I forgot to say yes you can flush with plain water, that's fine. Like I said only for salt build up, which should never be allowed to happen anyway. But immediately feed straight after with a nute solution so you don't upset the cation exchange.

I've mentioned this before so in the spirit of actually explaining it a little, Cation Exchange Capacity is in simple terms how much your organic matter (coco) can hold onto elements/cations (nutes) before releasing them to the plant, or rather over flowing so to speak and becoming available.

The surface of your coco contains negatively charged surfaces which attract positively charged cations. Your coco needs 'charging' with the desired cations I.e Calcium, Magnesium etc but not all coco comes pre buffed. That's why you pre buffer your fresh coco with a nute solution somewhere low in the PPM's because the coco needs time to 'attract' the cations (nutes) and build them up ready for your plant to TAKE them when it needs them.

If you water plain and don't replace the cations immediately then by the time you've figured out what's happened, you feed, then the coco might need 24 hours or something to 'recharge' because as you feed fresh coco more and more the exchange rate slows until it reaches an equilibrium. You can get fully buffed coco but it means you don't go through the process of the nutes releasing really quickly and slowing down while it buffers.

So anyway it might mean your plants can't access the nutes in the coco even though they're 'there', cos you've let the plain water leach out the nutes and now the negative surfaces need to attract positive cations all over again and build them up cos coco holds onto nutes really well.

Edit: @EventHorizan @Wisher619 please read this post of mine and tell me if this is a good articulation of CEC, because...y'know...remember that time? :D
 
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dan1989

dan1989

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I wasn't trying to blow your answer out of the water or anything man. I just like to actually explain my reasons for something. I hear 'don't' flush coco and things like that a lot and to someone new to coco that sounds like NEVER flush in coco, when they may actually need to. You can, just replace the nutes straight away. Your just washing the roots
 
MW7945

MW7945

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I wasn't trying to blow your answer out of the water or anything man. I just like to actually explain my reasons for something. I hear 'don't' flush coco and things like that a lot and to someone new to coco that sounds like NEVER flush in coco, when they may actually need to. You can, just replace the nutes straight away. Your just washing the roots

I'm saying flush the coco, when it's time to flush. No point in running just water through it mid-flower.
 
dan1989

dan1989

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I'm saying flush the coco, when it's time to flush. No point in running just water through it mid-flower.

And I'm saying it's ok to flush through mid flower if you need to. Shit happens in flower, it gets warm one day, it dries out a little faster and you decide to flush cos you can see some white salt deposits round the bottom of your pot. As long as you replace the nutes soon after you're good.
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

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Yes i am removing large fan leaves if they are blocking the light from reaching the lower parts. Actually even a nice defoliation doesn’t hurt, it makes other leaves and altogether the plant explode with growth (my personal experience).
 
CelticEBE

CelticEBE

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My coco is dry? It looks super wet to me...jk, I let it sit for an extra day in early veg sometimes to make the roots search for nutes/water and grow to the edge of the pot since I started them in a much larger container than they originally needed.
You will actually find better root growth if you water daily in Coco. If you let it dry out, as Dan said, salts will begin to slowly build up and the EC of your medium will be through the roof.....and roots don't like that. It burns them and prevents new rooting to occur.
 
Uckemfup

Uckemfup

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You will actually find better root growth if you water daily in Coco. If you let it dry out, as Dan said, salts will begin to slowly build up and the EC of your medium will be through the roof.....and roots don't like that. It burns them and prevents new rooting to occur.
I’ll water daily, thanks for the perspective.
 
Uckemfup

Uckemfup

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You will actually find better root growth if you water daily in Coco. If you let it dry out, as Dan said, salts will begin to slowly build up and the EC of your medium will be through the roof.....and roots don't like that. It burns them and prevents new rooting to occur.

You were so right...
Image
 
Clamwrangler

Clamwrangler

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There's really no need to water to runoff in coco at all. Soil yes, because you're letting the soil go dry. Coco, no. It should always be moist. The whole point of flushing is to remove salts that form when the medium dries out. Check out the side of a used bottle of nutes and you'll likely find some crystal stuff on the sides of the bottle neck or around the cap threads. This is the salt that forms in your dry media. This is what you're flushing out, which is also why you always remove runoff asap. But since you're gonna be keeping your coco moist at all times, no need for runoff, right? :)

You reckon a wee watering in the middle of lights off to keep the coco moist would be good? currently top feeding coco/perlite (50/50) every 90 mins during lights on with about 200ml of nutrient water. Now i have a fan under my net blowing air, it dries my fabric pots up during lights off. Since we are tangentially speaking (big up Dr Chris Ryan) on the subject!
 
Uckemfup

Uckemfup

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Yes i am removing large fan leaves if they are blocking the light from reaching the lower parts. Actually even a nice defoliation doesn’t hurt, it makes other leaves and altogether the plant explode with growth (my personal experience).

I’m thinking about trying this soon...I flowered my plants early and a bunch of bud sites are directly under huge fan leaves.
 
Dbear180

Dbear180

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I had a few mondos this run. People often call me banana hands to put some perspective on it lol.
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