Coco coir / hydroponic / super soil mix ???

[mightbestoned]

I have posted in the hydroponics forum but I think now I have turned my coco coir grow into a soil grow.

Growing in the 70's was risky business.......Indoor stealth with new technology is more efficient......

Why are my plants so slow indoors???


I’m growing in coir with ammendments…..30% perlite, 10% Black Kow composted manure, 5% worm castings, 2Tbsp.lime/Gal.mix, 2Tbsp.FoxFarm "Happy Frog" 8-2-6 lawnfertilizer/Gal.mix (I'm thinking it is as close to soil as I can get.....Organic----and---Hydroponic)

For water….Tap/2 day letting it bubble…..adding the following nutes……

For nutes….2Tbs/Gal/Fish emulsion 5-1-1….2Tbs/Gal/Liquid Seaweed-Kelp 0-0-1....4 drops Superthrive….1/4tsp epsomsalt…..1/4tsp molasses, 4oz beer( for enzymes)….ALL ADDED TO 1 GALLON WATER

I figure that this gives enough N, P and K plus extra needed supplements for an entire grow……take out the fish emulsion for bloom…..ammendments to coir should be close to depleted during bloom…(Any Thoughts)

"Happy Frog"--8-2-6pH balanced, and it’s blended with premium organic ingredients like bat guano, kelp meal, bone meal, feather meal and important micronutrients.

What would you use for bloom using this formula??? (Non-sythetic)

Anyone familiar with anything close to this grow????
Am I overloading on the epsomsalt??? (Just add to Water????)

My seedlings went from dark green / purple stems / then to yellow bottom leaves with spots and sterted to turn lighter green.........I upped the PH to about 6.5 and they seem to be reviving.

Can I use chemical nutes like SaferGro 20-20-20....RO VEG+Bloom....Peters....Or use natural based AGGRAND 4-3-3.....Vital Earth guano products ETC.....

If I have turned my coco with ammendments to a supersoil grow .... how often should I water / flush etc???

I'm thinking......FEED / Water / Water / FEED / Water / Water / FEED.....

Thanks for any help.....Was PH the problem????

 

[They]

Do you have anything for aeration in that coco/soil whatevers? Perlite or DE ect... My mixes start with peat moss or coco at 50%, 25% aeration and 25% humus or compost.

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Sounds like you have plenty enough gear LOL. I would try simplifying everything and seeing how that works out.

Using what you already have on hand, I would go out to any major hardware store and pick up a bail of Canadian sphagnum peat moss (super cheap and ubiquitous) and make a "water only" soil mix. Let's say something like 40% peat, 30% perlite, 30% castings. Add a half cup of the Happy Frog organic lawn food for every gallon of the aforementioned mix and let it sit, moistened, for a couple of weeks. Throw seeds in that bad mother and add chlorine free water. Seriously. Water only from seedling to chop--all it takes is one grow to make an organic soil convert IME.

You can come to your own conclusions about cold processed fish hydrolysate over fish emulsion, the secondary metabolites available in kelp meal that aren't found in any liquid kelp or any kelp extract product, the actual merits of B vitamins in horticulture, senescence, peats' superior cation exchange capacity over coco coir and how it pertains to base saturation and pH (not to mention the impact of both ingredients), the plants' exudates into the rhizosphere that dictate the populations of bacteria and fungi that create desirable conditions, minerals, the effects of chemical fertilizer on the microbiology of your potting mix, and what-ever-else-have-you later.

Just get one clean and easy grow under your indoor belt before you try to rebuild the wheel.

 

[SeaMaiden]

I have posted in the hydroponics forum but I think now I have turned my coco coir grow into a soil grow.

Growing in the 70's was risky business.......Indoor stealth with new technology is more efficient......

Why are my plants so slow indoors???


I’m growing in coir with ammendments…..30% perlite, 10% Black Kow composted manure, 5% worm castings, 2Tbsp.lime/Gal.mix, 2Tbsp.FoxFarm "Happy Frog" 8-2-6 lawnfertilizer/Gal.mix (I'm thinking it is as close to soil as I can get.....Organic----and---Hydroponic)

For water….Tap/2 day letting it bubble…..adding the following nutes……

For nutes….2Tbs/Gal/Fish emulsion 5-1-1….2Tbs/Gal/Liquid Seaweed-Kelp 0-0-1....4 drops Superthrive….1/4tsp epsomsalt…..1/4tsp molasses, 4oz beer( for enzymes)….ALL ADDED TO 1 GALLON WATER

Why the same amount of kelp as FE? K must be minded when growing in coir, especially if you're going to mix chemical salt-based nutrients. Coir already has a high level of K. It also 'fixes' Ca in a big, BIG way. I'd want to see smoething in there for additional Ca, I would cut that kelp down to no more than 1tsp/gal, drop the Superthrive, and add in something with Ca. The DL won't be anywhere nearly enough, nowhere.

I figure that this gives enough N, P and K plus extra needed supplements for an entire grow……take out the fish emulsion for bloom…..ammendments to coir should be close to depleted during bloom…(Any Thoughts)

"Happy Frog"--8-2-6pH balanced, and it’s blended with premium organic ingredients like bat guano, kelp meal, bone meal, feather meal and important micronutrients.

What would you use for bloom using this formula??? (Non-sythetic)

Anyone familiar with anything close to this grow????
Am I overloading on the epsomsalt??? (Just add to Water????)

My seedlings went from dark green / purple stems / then to yellow bottom leaves with spots and sterted to turn lighter green.........I upped the PH to about 6.5 and they seem to be reviving.

Can I use chemical nutes like SaferGro 20-20-20....RO VEG+Bloom....Peters....Or use natural based AGGRAND 4-3-3.....Vital Earth guano products ETC.....

If I have turned my coco with ammendments to a supersoil grow .... how often should I water / flush etc???

I'm thinking......FEED / Water / Water / FEED / Water / Water / FEED.....

Thanks for any help.....Was PH the problem????

Coir pH cultivation should be in the range of 5.8-6.2, and generally 6.0 is the sweet spot for most cultivars. I'm unsure as to what's going on in the root zone itself if raising the pH is bringing the plants back around.

My gut is that you need to get those K numbers down, cut way down on the kelp, and add back in Ca instead of relying solely on your tap water for available Ca. Also, pictures would REALLY help, because frankly, I'm a bit confused here.

My experience with coir cultivation dictates that I feed at lower EC levels and always feed, rarely just water or I can cause a stall. I do not, however, ever experience problems with salt build-up because my natural tendency is to use the least amount of fertilizer I can get away with, not the most.