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:
- General Hydroponics Micro and Bloom(6/9 h3ad recipe)
- General Hydroponics Maxibloom(1 part powder)
- Hydroponic Research Veg+Bloom(1 part powder and my absolute favorite).
Do's:
Don'ts:
- Feed often(At least once a day)
- Check pH
- Use a balanced quality base hydroponic nutrient(no organics this is hydro not soil)
- 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.
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How much would you feed at a time when they were in solo cups. And how do you do your drainage holes?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"
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 sidesHow much would you feed at a time when they were in solo cups. And how do you do your drainage holes?
drilling holes is fine but it only takes about 4 seconds to cut 4 slitsHe 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?
That is awesome to hear and exactly why I posted this. You're welcome!Thanks for your help, I really got a good start with coco thanks to your great advice.
suck it outOk 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.
You're welcome, I hope you grow goes well!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.
^^^^^ When suck it!!!! Isnt good enough :)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.
I apologize as I spoke to him like a newbie lol...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.
A real good guesser hahahahaha:smoking:^^^^^ 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 :)
Whats up brother? been doing ok?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
1 5 gal bucketWhats 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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