Coco holding too much water. Pots wont dry and roots turning brown
- Thread starter spaceboy
- Start date
So your first problem with ionic nutes out of a bottle, no matter how much gypsum you use is the amount of K you are feeding. As long as you have all of that ionic K in your pot the plant will take up about 50% more K than it needs at the expense of Ca. Gypsum is highly available, but it cannot compete with ionic K. So until you reduce your K the plant is not going to take up the Ca it needs anyways. The Ca will open up the soil, that is true...but you gotta get it in the plant also.
_tessarecting
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Will do slow thanks I'll keep you posted.
I'm screwing up by still using KOH as a base, last time I tried agsil I burned thru it so quick I shrugged it off. Think a 50#r's in order.
Wonder if its drip compatible tho..
I'm screwing up by still using KOH as a base, last time I tried agsil I burned thru it so quick I shrugged it off. Think a 50#r's in order.
Wonder if its drip compatible tho..
I use 360 gallons of medium every 2 weeks, so here's my regimen and advice:
Account for seasonal changes.
In the winter, plants drink less, incoming air and water is much colder, and in rainy areas, humidity skyrockets.
So use Rez heaters in the winter, cut down intake air (mine are off) , switch on dehueys, and...
Add more air to your mix. In the summer we use more coco and less perlite, around 50/50 or so. In the winter, I'm at 80% perlite or clay pebbles to 20% coco. Lighter mixes allow more frequent watering/feeding, which speeds growth and is closer to hydro.
We use 2 gallon fabric pots, veg 3 weeks, flower for 9, flower 16 plants per lite under 1000w DE's. Straigt coco is probably better suited to very arid climates like New Mexico, where you have dry hot air all the time. Anywhere cooler, cut that coco with something to air it out better.
My apologies if this was covered earlier, long thread.
Account for seasonal changes.
In the winter, plants drink less, incoming air and water is much colder, and in rainy areas, humidity skyrockets.
So use Rez heaters in the winter, cut down intake air (mine are off) , switch on dehueys, and...
Add more air to your mix. In the summer we use more coco and less perlite, around 50/50 or so. In the winter, I'm at 80% perlite or clay pebbles to 20% coco. Lighter mixes allow more frequent watering/feeding, which speeds growth and is closer to hydro.
We use 2 gallon fabric pots, veg 3 weeks, flower for 9, flower 16 plants per lite under 1000w DE's. Straigt coco is probably better suited to very arid climates like New Mexico, where you have dry hot air all the time. Anywhere cooler, cut that coco with something to air it out better.
My apologies if this was covered earlier, long thread.
Lethal
Active member
Hi all,
I got question on you Lazyman, how is it going with the mix so heavy on perlite side 80/20? I am reading through the coco forum and this is more or less the first mention of such perlite heavy mix. Take it as a question out of curiosity but can you please specify what kind of nutes you are running in such a case you go for coco specific or roll on with hydro ones?
I am preparing myself for the very first one coco run so I am trying to explore every possibility I have available. Side note: It will be rather smaller grow 1x1x2m tent under 400hps currently looking as a handwatering one (lower number of girls in bigger pots)
Thanks Lethal
I got question on you Lazyman, how is it going with the mix so heavy on perlite side 80/20? I am reading through the coco forum and this is more or less the first mention of such perlite heavy mix. Take it as a question out of curiosity but can you please specify what kind of nutes you are running in such a case you go for coco specific or roll on with hydro ones?
I am preparing myself for the very first one coco run so I am trying to explore every possibility I have available. Side note: It will be rather smaller grow 1x1x2m tent under 400hps currently looking as a handwatering one (lower number of girls in bigger pots)
Thanks Lethal
Why would I recommend repotting from coco mud to an airy mix?
Because I've been there.
Cleaned roots, transplanted and the plants returned to good health. I don't disagree that the OP's coir was broken down to a soil like medium, and that your suggestion may well have worked.
From economy, I have over reused coir until it was sand. Issues mounted, I tightened my belt and forked out what I didn't have for new coir. Everything turned around. Having had gypsum on hand, I probably would have tried it. But at the first available opportunity, I would have bought the new coir.
And he is wanting to grow in coir, not soil. Why the deuce would anyone want part of their coco grow acting like soil and the rest as it should? Repot and get back on course.
You've clustered this thread up with soil advice so much half the posters here don't even grow in coir.
And why would practical experience compare to Google-fu. How did we bumbling fools make this medium work so well for so many years without you will prove to be one of lifes mysteries.
Neg rep, flag posts and throw in a few saucy emoticons. Surely a sign of superior maturity. At least you are attempting to learn about hydroponics before unleashing yourself on another subset of growing you know nothing about.
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I sift my rinsed, dried coco thru coarse steel mesh.
Got better results with the loose fluffy coco, I mix the dust
in with my soil outdoor vegetable beds.
Does anyone else bother to do this, I wonder.
Got better results with the loose fluffy coco, I mix the dust
in with my soil outdoor vegetable beds.
Does anyone else bother to do this, I wonder.
Hi all,
I got question on you Lazyman, how is it going with the mix so heavy on perlite side 80/20? I am reading through the coco forum and this is more or less the first mention of such perlite heavy mix. Take it as a question out of curiosity but can you please specify what kind of nutes you are running in such a case you go for coco specific or roll on with hydro ones?
I am preparing myself for the very first one coco run so I am trying to explore every possibility I have available. Side note: It will be rather smaller grow 1x1x2m rent under 400hps currently looking as a handwatering one (lower number of girls in bigger pots)
Thanks Lethal
The lighter mix is better than my old 50/50 mix, as rockwool clones dry out faster in the 80/20, especially in cold weather. I used to have at least a week of sad, overwatering looking clones after transplant, as watering them in with even 1500 TDS solution wasnt enough to keep them green and perky.
The lighter mix dries out in 2 days instead of 7 to 9, and in the late summer I'll probably switch back to a 60/40 mix so they hold a bit more water.
But growth is faster, more branches and much happier plants with substantial perlite in them, the more the better if you can water multiple times per day.
Oh and I use H&G Cocos nutes but the calculator on their site, but I add AN Bud Ignitor (as recommended by AN) and substitute Koolbloom powder for shooting powder, with RO water and aerated/heated to 71*F. Change tanks weekly.
I would recommend doing a rich soil mix for your first grow or two with something like Ocean Forest, and then start feeding soil nutes after 2 to 3 weeks of watering with plain water, sparingly! The less you water in veg, the more roots they grow to find water. Water them in then let them dry until the pots are light OR you see the first sign of wilting. Then plan to water every 2 or 3 days. Water less in the beginning of veg, and water lots in flower.
Dear Bumbles,
The diagnosis of the situation that he had was right on.
He listened to you.
They died.
Great advice!
Look at my first reply.
To mittensmitten. Unrelated to spaceboy's post, who posted a few days later that he had repotted. Explain how he listened to me before I said anything relevant to his issue.
You're skim reading. Case in point, your interaction with Ratzilla.
You're not even bothering to give your full attention until your ego is bruised. I highly doubt you even knew you were posting in the Coir subforum until it became painfully obvious.
Cheers
To mittensmitten. Unrelated to spaceboy's post, who posted a few days later that he had repotted. Explain how he listened to me before I said anything relevant to his issue.
You're skim reading. Case in point, your interaction with Ratzilla.
You're not even bothering to give your full attention until your ego is bruised. I highly doubt you even knew you were posting in the Coir subforum until it became painfully obvious.
Cheers
I am not blaming you for what the guy did. But he did what you said and the results are the results.
He was in mud with no air. Probably very high conductivity as well.
Your point was correct about the material size, your solution wasn't.
I don't care what folks are growing in. When you hear of the issues this guy was facing, he was not in a porous material, we agree on that. But once he is in that situation, the point is how to go forward.
Telling me that I shouldn't be in a thread because I have never grown in this medium is childish. Then you started with the Canadian french mouth....
Grow up.
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Old Toker
Well-known member
Just planted my seedlings into Cyco Coco 5 days ago (16 oz cups). Thought it seemed very "fine" but I never grew in coco before so figured it must be normal. Then I found this thread and I'm getting worried. It's been 5 days since I initially watered them in (the only time) and the cups still don't feel light. That said....the seedlings still look fine. I have perlite.....anyone think that I should remove the seedlings from the cups and replant in the same Cyco coco with 20-30% perlite added to give it more drainage? Would I be better off just waiting until I re-pot in 2 gal fabric pots before changing mixtures/coco? If not this coco....then what? Thanks!
That's good coco. Don't need any perlite, lots of us grow with 100% coco. Sounds like you don't have enough light on them. Maybe humidity is too high. Anywho if they look good then they are good. You have holes in the bottom of the cups? Soon as you see a root pop out the bottom then feed/water them everyday with a little runoff. Don't think like a soil grower, this stuff is way different. My coco never looks dry from solo cups all the way to harvest. Don't go from solo cup to 2 gal. Solo to 1 gal then 1 gal to 2.
_tessarecting
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The 120g The White looks like less of a bitch than it did before the gypsum
I might try a gypsum injection on my indoor like 100ppm?
I might try a gypsum injection on my indoor like 100ppm?
D
dribbled
How far along should they stay in solo cups? Not time-wise, but how can you tell the plant is ready? From what I understand, you can really fill those cups up with roots in coco and they don't seem to mind.
Is there a good way to tell?
And then going into 2 gallon pots- Would you do that as they're going into 12/12?
Thanks!
IndoorScore
Member
I kind of look for a couple roots coming out the bottom, along with how fast it's sucking down water and the plant size compared to the container. Coco can support massive plants on smaller containers, but as long as you are repotting, you would want to avoid them getting completely root bound in the smaller container. The largest i'd consider indoor would be around 3G bucket or so, more than that would support more of a plant than I have room for.
Old Toker
Well-known member
I know lots of people grow with 100% coco. That was my plan. However, according to the OP it sounds as though THIS coco might be too fine and not draining properly. I don't have enough experience to make that determination. Have you used Cyco Platinum brand coco recently? Is it possible that the latest batches have changed....for the worse? Again....I don't know and am just trying to avoid dealing with a problem before it becomes critical.
I'm pretty sure I have enough light (300w LED). Definitely have numerous holes in the bottom of the cups. Humidity is high 70s / low 80s....temps about the same. Plants are still seedlings - 8 days old. They look fine......however....shouldn't a cup of coco dry out in 5 days? My understanding is that I need to let it dry before feeding again....at least until the roots are established and then after the first few water (light nutes) and dry cycles gradually increase feedings until a daily feed is necessary and THEN up pot. Have I misunderstood how I'm supposed to do this? Appreciate any advice. Thanks!
I'm pretty sure I have enough light (300w LED). Definitely have numerous holes in the bottom of the cups. Humidity is high 70s / low 80s....temps about the same. Plants are still seedlings - 8 days old. They look fine......however....shouldn't a cup of coco dry out in 5 days? My understanding is that I need to let it dry before feeding again....at least until the roots are established and then after the first few water (light nutes) and dry cycles gradually increase feedings until a daily feed is necessary and THEN up pot. Have I misunderstood how I'm supposed to do this? Appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Do you have a fan blowing on them. More air movement makes them dry faster. I never let the coco dry out at any stage. At the most there will be a few dry spots on top layer. I look for roots coming out of the bottom of the cup to know it's time to water/feed. I let mine go awhile in cups, too big- two feet sometimes. If your's look good they are building roots. They will tell you when they want water. Don't worry about drying out the coco.
