I guess I'm kinda stoned, forgot what my primary question was. If I use canna substra to drain to waste, what kind do I get if using RO water, there is a soft water hard water mix of this canna substra

Kosh said:

I guess I'm kinda stoned, forgot what my primary question was. If I use canna substra to drain to waste, what kind do I get if using RO water, there is a soft water hard water mix of this canna substra

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check this thread out for DTW setups. You should use RO water and coco with at least 30% perlite. I use botanicare moisture formula

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/joes-grow-show-pt-1-the-coco-diaries.86986/page-31

Kosh said:

been growing in soil for about two years now, hand watering (and it's getting a little old).

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You can also use a drip system with soil. There are two main differences between coco and soil as I see it and this is what I would consider... 1.) The water holding capacity of soil is much greater than coco which usually means you don't have to water it as often. Even if you set up an irrigation system coco will need to be watered much more than soil. This factors into how much water you can use and safely remove from your room. Remember whatever water you put into the room you have to remove some how- whether that's through dehumidifying or sump pumps. 2) The yields will be higher in coco and less in soil unless you are a top notch soil guru with special techniques. Basically, the irrigation system you build will likely be more high maintanence if you choose coco over soil but soil will not yield as high as a hydroponic medium will (coco).Choose wisely

Kosh said:

I need a hydroponic nutrient that can drain to my sump pump. So I guess I'm just looking for a little advice on what I should be putting my research into.

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As far as research goes all nutrients offer the same benefits in the end and I would not worry about that so much- whatever is within your budget will be fine. I started with general hydroponics and I could still recommend that line. If I were you I would look into how to build a fully automated irrigation system and keep it clean. Consistency is key.

I recently switched back to growing in coco/perlite after having severe trouble with it about seven years ago. In my own opinion here are some tips I would consider while you are getting started.

-Coco has a fun element to it called CEC or Cation Exchange Capacity. I wouldn't dare to explain it better than it has already been done numerous times on the web, but understand coco substrate will act with and hold specific nutrients differently than just about any other medium I can think of.
-Soil=BigPots=BigRoots=BigBuds Coco=Small Pots=Full Roots=Big Buds, so when switching to coco I was advised by one of the nutrient companies head of R+D to use 1 or 2 gal air pots, and never let them dry out. This seemed counter intuitive at the time, but what about air in the root zone I thought? Don't the plants need a dry out period? He explained that keeping them fed many times per day, the exchange of new water in the root zone brought new oxygen, and when the pots are small, the plant fills its roots out so well that it has no issue taking that many feedings per day. He also explained that the previous issue with the CEC is far lessened when the pot is not allowed to dry. All this ends up in my opinion to being one of the closest methods to a constant feeding massive yielding DWC without the high risk of root issues.
-pH is paramount. Before switching back to coco I was using Sunshine Advanced #4 mix and with my nute program it needed no additional pH tinkering. I literally went a year without testing a pH, was amazing. Now, even with my same mix, I must pay extra attention to the pH of the res as the swings in coco can be quite unforgiving. Grower of over a decade and I almost kill a plant in the flower room last run due to two days of bad pH.

That's what's on the top of my head this morning anyway. Happy Growing

Sherlock

you're getting great advice Kosh. coco is hydroponic. it's very different than soil.

Ya and imo skip the perilite. No need for 30% more air in your coco if you do it proper. I did a side by side on some plants with pure coco and coco perilite mix. The straight coco slightly beat out the perilite mix. Good luck mate

Bearfamfarm said:

Ya and imo skip the perilite. No need for 30% more air in your coco if you do it proper. I did a side by side on some plants with pure coco and coco perilite mix. The straight coco slightly beat out the perilite mix. Good luck mate

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Nice! Been wondering about this!

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'm getting ready to pump some major money into my set up. I think I'm going to just make a grow log to ask question and maybe help some out down the line.