Justiceman's Root Health Tutorial

[dan1989]

Yea I agree to a+b and boost is plent do I feed them with every watering or 1 a week ?????

Coco or soil? Listen to the man...

 

[dan1989]

Coco natural

I didn't mean listen cos you're not listening by the way. I meant he knows his stuff...

 

[CelestialGro]

excellent gentlemen! thank you for this thread. I just started coco ,but I am long time soil and hydroponic grower. So I think it will be interesting to mix both these worlds together! I think imo if you understand the wet/dry cycle and are aggressive in your feedings to be on point....you will be fine. So in that case, if you want to grow coco it is simple....but to seek mastery will take years on years. (just like with any medium). I think it allows the grower to be able to customize the way he feeds and also to have hydroponic control over his feeding. but have the feeling of growing in soil. in theory coco is just a hydro system that is disguised as a soil plant!!!!!! hahahaha LAUGHTEARS lol.

A stony day to all,

Celestial gro

 

[JahSun]

Hey Jman, I'm fairly new, and have never used coco, we are using 6" rockwool cubes; we use the VB formula, with 200 ml per 110 gal res in veg of CalMag, and 250 Calmag added in bloom, with life and shine;
Def interested in your formula, but didn't understand the nutrient examples, you use those 3 together? if so what is the 6/9 h3ad recipe. If I should get that info elsewhere on the site just let me know my friend! thanks, will check out your journal!

 

[justiceman]

Hey Jman, I'm fairly new, and have never used coco, we are using 6" rockwool cubes; we use the VB formula, with 200 ml per 110 gal res in veg of CalMag, and 250 Calmag added in bloom, with life and shine;
Def interested in your formula, but didn't understand the nutrient examples, you use those 3 together? if so what is the 6/9 h3ad recipe. If I should get that info elsewhere on the site just let me know my friend! thanks, will check out your journal!

Yo JahSun welcome to the farm! The nutrients are just examples of simple and easy to use products that I have had success with while using coco. I do not use them together. I just use VB, Shine, and sometimes Life. I like VB because it's a powder and it dissolves well for me.

The h3ad 6/9 recipe is 6ml of General Hydroponics micro, and 9ml of General Hydroponics Bloom per gallon. It's simple and very easy recipe for coco that most people can use as well as tailor to their needs.

 

[JahSun]

Yo JahSun welcome to the farm! The nutrients are just examples of simple and easy to use products that I have had success with. I do not use them together. I just use VB, Shine, and sometimes Life. I like VB because it's a powder and it dissolves well for me.

The h3ad 6/9 recipe is 6ml of General Hydroponics micro, and 9ml of General Hydroponics Bloom per gallon. It's simple and very easy for most people to use as well as tailor to their needs.

ok cool, yes I used micro and bloom 2 years ago, using only VB formula now, with calmag added, someone working with me just started using mammouth the whole bloom run in feed. this is the first round we've done that and now my pistils are short and slowly turning brown/orange at the ends, like they're finishing, formations are pretty small too, like it's shutting down, not sure if you have any experience with mammouth, trying to narrow down what happened tho. thanks again man!

 

[justiceman]

ok cool, yes I used micro and bloom 2 years ago, using only VB formula now, with calmag added, someone working with me just started using mammouth the whole bloom run in feed. this is the first round we've done that and now my pistils are short and slowly turning brown/orange at the ends, like they're finishing, formations are pretty small too, like it's shutting down, not sure if you have any experience with mammouth, trying to narrow down what happened tho. thanks again man!

Hmmmm without knowing any specifics it sounds like mammoth might be a possible issue since this did not happen without it. In the past I have also seen pistils turn orange only at the ends when they have been foliar fed.

I have not used mammoth but I have used microbial products. Have you been chasing pH more often than usual after using mammoth? That's usually a telltale sign of a microbial bloom. I'm not a huge fan of adding microbes to the rez unless it's DTW and is gonna get used up fairly fast. Even then I'm still questioning how much benefit broad spectrum microbes really provide in a hydroponic setting but that's just my opinion.

Not sure how much I can help but PM me about the room specs/temps/lighting etc. if you like or start a new thread asking for some opinions. Hope everything gets figured out:smoking:

 

[Soulcalsd]

Epic thread fellas, soaking it all up.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

How do I reuse my coco with root balls in it?
Do you have anymore insight into the auto watering side of it? I have the 1 minute interval timer, a sump pump with a reducer to 1/2" , a rain bird manifold, wyes and tees galore.
I tried when on vaca and it got plugged and ruined the whole show. I have inquired with some farmers about making a ring with the wyes turned down towards the soil to act as misters.
I'm making up for it this time! I'm currently using a form of the @G gnome mix.
I have a side by side and the mix is pretty good but..... The coco speaks for itself.
Interested why u dropped the 3rd part of ur gh nutes? I saw u used micro and gro but no bloom?
Hey its your bud,
-Ty

 

[justiceman]

How do I reuse my coco with root balls in it?
Do you have anymore insight into the auto watering side of it? I have the 1 minute interval timer, a sump pump with a reducer to 1/2" , a rain bird manifold, wyes and tees galore.
I tried when on vaca and it got plugged and ruined the whole show. I have inquired with some farmers about making a ring with the wyes turned down towards the soil to act as misters.
I'm making up for it this time! I'm currently using a form of the @G gnome mix.
I have a side by side and the mix is pretty good but..... The coco speaks for itself.
Interested why u dropped the 3rd part of ur gh nutes? I saw u used micro and gro but no bloom?
Hey its your bud,
-Ty

There are a couple different ways to reuse. I prefer to start over from scratch but coco can be reused as a stand alone medium as long as the particle size is still decent. Once it breaks down too much it doesn't hold as much air. One way is to drench the coco with an enzyme product to break down all the dead roots. Others just break up and sift out the coco from the old root balls by hand or with tools.

I don't have an auto watering set up at the moment, but I feel I know the theory fairly well. Seems like your set up is pretty basic. Less is more IMO. Did you determine at what point the clog started? Generally speaking clogs happen in drip systems when either nutrients with organics are used or beneficial microbes are introduced. If your reservoir ever developed a bit of slime, or a film then the same thing happened within the drip lines and manifold. If build up lasts long enough then you get a clog. Some people run line cleaners as a preventative.

6/9 is just an example of a simple and easy to use nutrient program for coco. It's actually 6ml Micro and 9ml Bloom. No grow. It started by a guy named H3ad who passed down the knowledge to the people. He ended up figuring out the NPK ratios etc. that work well with coco and determined that the grow bottle wasn't necessary for success. Not that it can't be used but it just doesn't have to be used. I actually use Veg+Bloom R/O formula currently because it is even more simple to use than 6/9 and it has been treating me well so far.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

There are a couple different ways to reuse. I prefer to start over from scratch but coco can be reused as a stand alone medium as long as the particle size is still decent. Once it breaks down too much it doesn't hold as much air. One way is to drench the coco with an enzyme product to break down all the dead roots. Others just break up and sift out the coco from the old root balls by hand or with tools.

I don't have an auto watering set up at the moment, but I feel I know the theory fairly well. Seems like your set up is pretty basic. Less is more IMO. Did you determine at what point the clog started? Generally speaking clogs happen in drip systems when either nutrients with organics are used or beneficial microbes are introduced. If your reservoir ever developed a bit of slime, or a film then the same thing happened within the drip lines and manifold. If build up lasts long enough then you get a clog. Some people run line cleaners as a preventative.

6/9 is just an example of a simple and easy to use nutrient program for coco. It's actually 6ml Micro and 9ml Bloom. No grow. It started by a guy named H3ad who passed down the knowledge to the people. He ended up figuring out the NPK ratios etc. that work well with coco and determined that that grow bottle wasn't necessary for success. Not that it can't be used but it just doesn't have to be used. I actually use Veg+Bloom R/O formula currently because it is even more simple to use than 6/9 and it has been treating me well so far.

Even in the schedule for nutes, right from gh, for DTW. It has a very low amount of fro being introduced .I still have a bunch left and was wondering why .Thanks for the insight

 

[justiceman]

Even in the schedule for nutes, right from gh, for DTW. It has a very low amount of fro being introduced .I still have a bunch left and was wondering why .Thanks for the insight

You're welcome. Grow just provides a bit more wiggle room to mess with ratios and grow various plants in various types of grow systems(soil, hydro, coco, etc). It's basically just an N boost for the most part. It can also offset the use of micro a bit but in the end it's all the same. Just less bottles to buy if running gh in coco.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

I'm a huge fan of the Blueprint BDCT-1 to operate my submersible pumps in my smaller setups. Programmable down to the second of on/off times with a photo cell so you can program day feedings as well as night (if you're in to that type of thing). Takes all the guesswork and human error out of the equation, plus you can feed as may times a day as you'd like. All you really have to do is walk your rooms daily as the irrigation is running to be sure you don't have any plugs in your emitters. Depending on the stage the plants are in, I feed anywhere from 4-8 times per day to a targeted daily runoff of 15-20% the total volume fed (if 100 plants are getting a total of 1 gallon each per day that's 100 gallons fed at increments of 1/4 - 1/8 of a gallon per feeding) so your runoff collection should measure out to 15-20 gallons daily. Helps keep consistent saturation throughout the pot for optimal root growth. The added benefit of the photocell on the timer is that these plants get their first feeding at first light EVERY SINGLE DAY. Consistency is crucial.

 

[DesertHeat]

You're welcome. Grow just provides a bit more wiggle room to mess with ratios and grow various plants in various types of grow systems(soil, hydro, coco, etc). It's basically just an N boost for the most part. It can also offset the use of micro a bit but in the end it's all the same. Just less bottles to buy if running gh in coco.

Hey guys, great thread, I've been reading for some time now and I too have deficiency/lockout.
Its my first time growing in coco and I'm in veg photo phase.
The clones have been in 32oz foam cups with runoff for over a month now, about over a week ago i started to feed them with RO water with added nutes. My RO is about 80ppm, tapwater is around 380.
I feed them once a day after lights on. Its currently under 1000w MH about six feet away at 50% brightness.
After checking within the first week I noticed a spidermite infestation, I spray it down with azamax once a week 15 minutes before lights off.
Besides that the the veg feed has been around 390 ppm with RO. @ 5.8ph the runoff is about 610ppm with 5.8ph.
Room temp is 74F and RH is 60%. The leaves are dry and curling with alot of offcolor. Any hints or clues is much appreciated.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Thats shitty.

 

[Trustfall]

Hey guys, great thread, I've been reading for some time now and I too have deficiency/lockout.
Its my first time growing in coco and I'm in veg photo phase.
The clones have been in 32oz foam cups with runoff for over a month now, about over a week ago i started to feed them with RO water with added nutes. My RO is about 80ppm, tapwater is around 380.
I feed them once a day after lights on. Its currently under 1000w MH about six feet away at 50% brightness.
After checking within the first week I noticed a spidermite infestation, I spray it down with azamax once a week 15 minutes before lights off.
Besides that the the veg feed has been around 390 ppm with RO. @ 5.8ph the runoff is about 610ppm with 5.8ph.
Room temp is 74F and RH is 60%. The leaves are dry and curling with alot of offcolor. Any hints or clues is much appreciated.
View attachment 843098
View attachment 843100

Next time try some plastic cups. Styrofoam is just horrible on the environment.

 

[justiceman]

Hey guys, great thread, I've been reading for some time now and I too have deficiency/lockout.
Its my first time growing in coco and I'm in veg photo phase.
The clones have been in 32oz foam cups with runoff for over a month now, about over a week ago i started to feed them with RO water with added nutes. My RO is about 80ppm, tapwater is around 380.
I feed them once a day after lights on. Its currently under 1000w MH about six feet away at 50% brightness.
After checking within the first week I noticed a spidermite infestation, I spray it down with azamax once a week 15 minutes before lights off.
Besides that the the veg feed has been around 390 ppm with RO. @ 5.8ph the runoff is about 610ppm with 5.8ph.
Room temp is 74F and RH is 60%. The leaves are dry and curling with alot of offcolor. Any hints or clues is much appreciated.
View attachment 843098
View attachment 843100

Thank you for checking out the thread :smoking:. Sounds like there is a combination of a few problems here. They've been in cups for over a month but only started getting fed 1 week ago. They were probably deficient and I'm assuming you saw at least some improvement when you started feeding them. Spider mites are a pain and if the infestation gets big enough they suck up a lot of nutrition and cause irreparable damage. Generally they like hot dry conditions so you may want to consider what isn't right about your current environment. Unfortunately they can also be brought in from any clone you bring into the garden and thrive in various conditions. First things first if you want to keep on going with these clones you will have to destroy the mites and keep on focusing on feeding once a day. You're on a good start with azamax. Make sure you spray ever part of the plant.(leaves, stems, and under leaves).

 

[elcolombiano]

...
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)

...

Hi @justiceman , thanks for all the info. If i may, i have two questions:

1. Do you rinse and buffer your coco? Should that be part of a "Do"?

2. you mention not to use organic nutes in coco (if i understand correctly). But I haven't managed to find any of the recognized hydro nutes mentioned in the forums (ok... i have, but they are at least 5 times the price than in the US... that i can't and won't pay). I found a nursery that specializes in organics that sells a hydro nute but they were not able to tell me if it was mineral or organic or what where the sources. The bottles do have printed on them the ppms of the elements it's supposed to contain (https://www.thcfarmer.com/community...ust-add-salts-to-improve.101140/#post-2205677). What would you recommend? I was planning on using them but how can i tell if they are organic or not? Any tips?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DesertHeat]

Unfortunately they can also be brought in from any clone you bring into the garden and thrive in various conditions. First things first if you want to keep on going with these clones

Thanks for the reply, from my estimation the clones were indeed infected with spidermites when i bought them. Is it possible that mites live inside the bags of coco? I noticed the webbing about a week later, and started with azamax. For a few weeks they were dead, but they spawned again. From your experience is it wise to cut my losses now and start with a new batch of clones, not to risk going into bloom and burning energy so that the mites will comeback and destroy my crop. Or is azamax is effective enough to do the job? What would you do? Thanks.

 

[Enforcer]

Thanks for the reply, from my estimation the clones were indeed infected with spidermites when i bought them. Is it possible that mites live inside the bags of coco? I noticed the webbing about a week later, and started with azamax. For a few weeks they were dead, but they spawned again. From your experience is it wise to cut my losses now and start with a new batch of clones, not to risk going into bloom and burning energy so that the mites will comeback and destroy my crop. Or is azamax is effective enough to do the job? What would you do? Thanks.

If it were me. With the clones still small, it’s easier just to dunk the whole plant. I would mix up some Azamax as directed for a root drench, in enough water to dunk half the plant. Then with my hand over the top of the cup and the clone between my fingers. I submerge the top of the plant up to my hand. Making sure the get every leaf covered. Then flip and soak the medium. I would do this just before lights out.

Also sanitize the tent. Walls, floor, trays, the works.