A few things that I've learned about growing in coco with a drip systm DTW

[PoweredByLove]

I do pots in trays to catch the runoff. I don't water more than they can suck up from the runoff in a couple hours. That being said sometimes I'm not on top of my watering machine like I should and a couple cool days after I already adjusted the water for hot days can lead to a plant sitting in runoff long enough to do damage. As is this case of this #4 that I thought was a fast finisher at 45 days. But it turns out the roots got soggy and started rotting. Leaves turned yellow from the bottom like a nitrogen deficiency but not food did nothing. Only after a few days did I notice pot is always heavy and soaked.

Maybe it's cuz I'm only using 1 gallon pot and they're harder to control. But you can definitely over water coco aka starve the roots of oxygen.

Here's my plant slowly withering away. And there are the dead roots we both just examined for the first time after I wrote the initial reply and before I took the pictures. Because I already knew they would be dead down there.


Like I said... over 10 years.

 

[Stone]

I do pots in trays to catch the runoff. I don't water more than they can suck up from the runoff in a couple hours. That being said sometimes I'm not on top of my watering machine like I should and a couple cool days after I already adjusted the water for hot days can lead to a plant sitting in runoff long enough to do damage. As is this case of this #4 that I thought was a fast finisher at 45 days. But it turns out the roots got soggy and started rotting. Leaves turned yellow from the bottom like a nitrogen deficiency but not food did nothing. Only after a few days did I notice pot is always heavy and soaked.
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Maybe it's cuz I'm only using 1 gallon pot and they're harder to control. But you can definitely over water coco aka starve the roots of oxygen.

Here's my plant slowly withering away. And there are the dead roots we both just examined for the first time after I wrote the initial reply and before I took the pictures. Because I already knew they would be dead down there.


Like I said... over 10 years.

I agree you can starve the roots of oxygen.
I only have ever seen this in brand new seeds, and even then rarely.
Remember roots can live and thrive in water.

I have many plants right now I bottom feed in coco.

Yours would prob take a few days to grow the proper roots to benefit.

This is pretty standard coco knowledge.
What is it you think the plants in coco can’t handle.

Amount of time doing something doesn’t say much about how well one does it.
But this account is 16+ yrs old.

 

[PoweredByLove]

What did you think over watering meant?

 

[Stone]

What did you think over watering meant?

You were talking about overwatering in established coco not soil.

Thats close to saying my DWC or Kratky plants are overwatered.

I’m just saying your treating coco like soil, which is fine.
You just won’t get the hydroponic growth rate aspects.

I’m not trying to be confrontational.
I hope your plants recover.

 

[PoweredByLove]

Overwater is just under oxygen. I'm sure plants die in stagnant water all the time. Not sure what you're trying to prove here but for anyone else listening. You can and will kill your roots leaving them soggy in runoff water for extended periods. I've done the research.

I've got no problems with my growth rates using the method I use. I've carefully developed it over the years and it's the fastest method for me besides doing plain hydro like bubble or drip. It's basically a drip feed system. If I had proper emitters I would...ahh I'm giving away too many secrets

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Week 3 flower 3 gallon pot started as 20 inch clone. Is 5 feet now. If anything they grow too well. Full disclosure. It's mother plant kept in 1 gallon pot for shit... like over a year maybe then I put it into the 3 gallon and flowered it with no extra veg time. I've topped it a million times to keep it in that small pot it's why it has so many tops. Don't want anyone falsely thinking I'm a miracle worker with the 16 inch rooted clones. I didn't count them but I think I left 10 to 12 branches when I flipped. Very thin vines in a tomato cage. The secret to big buds isn't really the big pots it's the...


Buy my book.

 

[Rockchild]

If they’re fully rooted then you can most certainly leave them to bottom feed in a pot full of runoff. That’s exactly how I keep my moms...

 

[Bush Dr]

If they’re fully rooted then you can most certainly leave them to bottom feed in a pot full of runoff. That’s exactly how I keep my moms...

Bad idea

 

[Rockchild]

Bad idea how? I’ve been doing it for 15+ years with no issues. I maintain all my moms the same way. Proof is in the pudding (picture). So please show me why it’s a bad idea..
(Btw, I feed them GH MaxiGro+tap)

 

[CocoNut 420]

I kept plants standing in nutrient 24hrs a day for years without any problems plants grown in autopots don't mind being submerged.

Some years ago I used trays with aqua valves in which the roots would grow out the bottom of the pots of perlite into the tray of nutrient, I also used them for years to flower without incident.

***Edit***
I'm not looking to argue I'm just talking one grower to another tbh idk shit but I've hands on experience.

Take it easy!

 

[Stone]

Not sure where PBL is getting that inert or no medium plants can’t handle standing water.
The tiniest research shows it’s extremely common practice.

The only negative is you could think of it like flood and drain or no runoff watering.
The plants will need a flush of some sort as the old leftover nutes will build up and throw off ratios among other things.

 

[CocoNut 420]

On another subject dtw related, run off is a pain to empty but if you elevate the pots you can use capillary matting to drain suacers and trays without priming the matt.

More matt moves more volume.

I expect some cotton toweling might work similarly if you don't have capillary?