Justiceman's Root Health Tutorial

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mandalaman

mandalaman

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justiceman said:
Good roots in coco come with sound watering practices period!!!!!!!! I prefer 100% coco. No need to mix anything like perlite into it. I prefer simple hydroponic nutrients that are easy to use. No additives or 15 different bottles to measure. That kind of stuff only invites problems in my experience so far.


Examples of simple easy to use hydroponic nutrients:
  1. General Hydroponics Micro and Bloom(6/9 h3ad recipe)
  2. General Hydroponics Maxibloom(1 part powder)
  3. Hydroponic Research Veg+Bloom(1 part powder and my absolute favorite).

Do's:
  • Feed often(At least once a day)
  • Check pH
  • Use a balanced quality base hydroponic nutrient(no organics this is hydro not soil)
Don'ts:
  • DO NOT LET YOUR COCO DRY OUT
  • Do not feed plain water
  • Do not add a plethora of additives(they are mostly snake oil anyway so save your $)

Never let your coco dry out. Did I say that already? I water at least once a day(except for seedlings at the very beginning). The more I water the better growth and the more roots I get because of the fresh oxygen being pulled into the medium on a regular basis.

Dry coco kills roots, and so does wet coco that has stayed wet for too long without irrigation. This is because it has not been fed again to renew the oxygen levels thus causing the roots to suffocate. You just can't "over water" coco. You can only deprive the roots of oxygen. The longer one waits to water in coco the longer the roots are deprived of oxygen.

In other words. Feed often and you will get thick and healthy roots. This is a very hard concept for previous soil growers to grasp. In soil you need wet dry cycles because soil holds so much water and so little oxygen at max saturation. Coco is an entirely different beast so think of it as such.

I truly believe the KEY is FREQUENT IRRIGATION

If you follow these simple guidelines your roots will look better and your nutrient uptake will improve so stop letting your coco dry out. Keeping your coco wet is also a great way to prevent salt build up and salt concentration which in turn obviously leads to healthy roots as well.


Here are some examples of plants that have gotten 1-2 feeds a day. Nothing but Veg+Bloom and occasionally +Life(microbial innoculant). That's it nothing else.

View attachment 670721 View attachment 670722 View attachment 670723 View attachment 670724 View attachment 670725 View attachment 670726 View attachment 670727
Click to expand...

Boom. Killed it. Thank you for linking me here again. Just read everything over and it sunk in. :D
 
mandalaman

mandalaman

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justiceman said:
Thanks! I started off my current run in solo cups and then transplanted 4/5 of them into 2gal fabric pots. 1 of them is in a coco hempy. I feed 2x a day until I see some runoff. That's usually almost 2 solo cups worth of feed each time per plant. If you want more info on my grow feel free to stop by my thread buddy! It's on my signature "Coco Path"
Click to expand...
How much would you feed at a time when they were in solo cups. And how do you do your drainage holes?
 
Wisher619

Wisher619

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mandalaman said:
How much would you feed at a time when they were in solo cups. And how do you do your drainage holes?
Click to expand...
for solo cups I always use my trim scissors and cut 4 slits on the bottom/side as in cut where the bottom and side meet on 4 opposite sides

I think he feeds really low like 400ppm
I always start my seeds at full strength of 1.4ec and retain that ec until day of flush at the end of flower
 
Wisher619

Wisher619

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mandalaman said:
He mentions when they are in two gallons he feeds approx two solo cups per. I'm curious how much actual liquid approx he is feeding into a solo cup.

Also is it problematic to just drill 9 holes in the bottom? Or do you need side ventage?
Click to expand...
drilling holes is fine but it only takes about 4 seconds to cut 4 slits
solo cups are about 12oz so he is probably feeding his 2gal @24-30oz per

I usually do all my runs in half gal squares and I feed about 12oz 3-5x a day depending on the heat level of the day
 
justiceman

justiceman

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Right on guys! @Wisher619 knows what's up man. Ever since I started treating coco like this all the phantom deficiencies and weird happenings went away. Now if something happens it's much easier to actually identify what the real issue is.

@mandalaman Just as long as you cut some slits or drill holes in the bottom it doesn't matter much. Just gotta have some drainage. When I made holes I stacked about 3-4 solos and drilled 4 holes in the bottom. It was pretty easy because I knocked out multiple with just 4 drill points. I tried putting holes on the side one time(didn't see any difference so I stopped).

For solos I feed them give or take about 100ml 1-2x a day. My main aim is to just get a little bit of run off. About 30oz is literally what I give them in 2gals right now 2x a day. I actually want to do 3x a day, but I can't until I set up my drip system.
 
EventHorizan

EventHorizan

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438
When you have plants that have become root bound, when you pull them out, to repot and flip to flower, break up the rootball using a sharp knife. cut the root ball on all four sides by making 2 incisions going down through the bottom and then up to the other side, the cut should be ½ to 1 inch deep. use an exacto knife to make sure the cut is not too deep, but any knife will do as long as he is careful, and sterilizes and does not cut too deep.
 
D

Danolo

25
13
Ok I got it... water until I get a bit of run off.... now what do I do with the run off? Suck it out with a wet vac? leave for roots to use?

Just an amazing thread... thanks so much for the info... just starting my first coco grow soon.
 
justiceman

justiceman

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263
Danolo said:
Ok I got it... water until I get a bit of run off.... now what do I do with the run off? Suck it out with a wet vac? leave for roots to use?

Just an amazing thread... thanks so much for the info... just starting my first coco grow soon.
Click to expand...
You're welcome, I hope you grow goes well!

Suck it out
To keep things safe and simple the best approach is to suck it out like @EventHorizan said. That will help prevent nutrient build up and keep everything fresh and oxygenated. He always beats me to the punch! Event knows whats up. :D

Leave it
It's possible to leave the runoff in the saucer and let the roots use it up but that's a bit more advanced as you have to start accounting for nutrient accumulation within the coco. People do it with success and it can save some water and nutrient, but if not monitored correctly it can be a real headache and that's why most people just do Drain to Waste for simplicity and reliability.
 
EventHorizan

EventHorizan

15,707
438
justiceman said:
You're welcome, I hope you grow goes well!

Suck it out
To keep things safe and simple the best approach is to suck it out like @EventHorizan said. That will help prevent nutrient build up and keep everything fresh and oxygenated. He always beats me to the punch! Event knows whats up. :D

Leave it
It's possible to leave the runoff in the saucer and let the roots use it up but that's a bit more advanced as you have to start accounting for nutrient accumulation within the coco. People do it with success and it can save some water and nutrient, but if not monitored correctly it can be a real headache and that's why most people just do Drain to Waste for simplicity and reliability.
Click to expand...
^^^^^ When suck it!!!! Isnt good enough :)

lmao...
Excellent response!
Honestly I just guess, then i go all in, by posting it online, and wait to see......
So far ive been a good guesser :)
 
EventHorizan

EventHorizan

15,707
438
justiceman said:
You're welcome, I hope you grow goes well!

Suck it out
To keep things safe and simple the best approach is to suck it out like @EventHorizan said. That will help prevent nutrient build up and keep everything fresh and oxygenated. He always beats me to the punch! Event knows whats up. :D

Leave it
It's possible to leave the runoff in the saucer and let the roots use it up but that's a bit more advanced as you have to start accounting for nutrient accumulation within the coco. People do it with success and it can save some water and nutrient, but if not monitored correctly it can be a real headache and that's why most people just do Drain to Waste for simplicity and reliability.
Click to expand...
I apologize as I spoke to him like a newbie lol...

He is very correct in what he said and either will work but both might require different techniques. With that said,
Doing the leave it, could, and most likely would require you to do a flush periodically to make sure you didn't have salt build up. Including the fact of what it will wick back up, is what the coco released as the new nutrients took its place.
The most simplest at the moment is dtw and suck it out.
I will add that wicking up is all right, but fill the saucer, not top feed. That way the coco and the rhizophere will wick only what it needs. Plus i have a feeling it also buffers the ph slightly when wicked up, but that is just my gut,, NO FACTUAL BASIS.... IMO...
 
Wisher619

Wisher619

6,648
313
of course
you can always run a lower ec and run an ewc tea once a week as well as a enzyme to break down the salt and help the rhizosphere become more effecient which coco is a very good enviroment for bacteria/fungi

so either run a normal ec
10-15% runoff
Drain to waste
or
lower ec
maintain constant moisture
maintain bacteria/fungi
introduce organics via ewc tea
introduce enzymes
little to no runoff

always more than one way to be successful just have to chose a path and stick to it to learn all the in's and out's of that path to become expert at it and elevate your game
 
EventHorizan

EventHorizan

15,707
438
Wisher619 said:
of course
you can always run a lower ec and run an ewc tea once a week as well as a enzyme to break down the salt and help the rhizosphere become more effecient which coco is a very good enviroment for bacteria/fungi

so either run a normal ec
10-15% runoff
Drain to waste
or
lower ec
maintain constant moisture
maintain bacteria/fungi
introduce organics via ewc tea
introduce enzymes
little to no runoff

always more than one way to be successful just have to chose a path and stick to it to learn all the in's and out's of that path to become expert at it and elevate your game
Click to expand...
Whats up brother? been doing ok?
Ya the ewc tea! Some thing im becoming a big beleiver in... What do u use to brew your tea?
 
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