coco problems.... leaves turning dark and dying

[basilfarmer]

Just back with some pics I snapped at a friends and we have a problem.

If someone could help me sort out this problem it would be much appreciated.

We have never had this problem until we switched over to coco.

Basically, when transplanted or a young plant has started in coco, the leaves turn dark, almost a blackish tint and then they die and get crispy.

This was happening before he was using any nutes so I wonder if its the coco or the tap water. The seedlings recieved no nutes and started doing this after their fist week.

Then he transplanted a bunch into coco but this time made sure it was really well rinsed, fluffy and he also mixed %50 perlite into it. There were no problems of this sort what so ever.

Now this last time, he transplanted a plant just into pure coco that was fluffy and well rinsed --- and the problem is back! --as seen below in the pics

The coco is large Grotek Blocks.

Thanks for any help

oh, and here's his nutes

10ml/gallon/4 liters liquid karma
" " monkey juice a
" " monkey juice b
" " grozyme
1 teaspoon pirahna
1 teaspon tarantula

 

[basilfarmer]

hmmm 40+ views and not a peep

I guess this is not a common problem(?)

 

[thc43]

maby coco rich in nutes what brand/ and did it have added ferts.

They do look over ferted considering good coco has a low ec i cant see the coco causing the burn maby you just hit them too hard with the fert but i dont know the product your using..

 

[teruso]

Well you see, the problem lies with something called green coconut syndrome... did you make that coco yourself or but it.

Just what I thought you made it yourself, now did you remember to remove the white coconut flesh?

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

But, what made you believe you can cultivate in coco without nutrients?

Coco coir may contain some natural nutrients, minerals and hormones, but not enough to sustain a growing plant. Also, it is washed to remove the sodiums, and much of the good stuff goes out with it. Last, coco coir is generally pre-treaded to improve the Cation Exchange Capacity, but none of the coco coir I've used or seen have any nutrients added to them. Perhaps there are in some brands, but mostly not.

Initially the seedling/plant grows on its own storage of carbohydrates, but after a while it keels over and dies.

I've seen many of these posts in the last year, and I think the problem is that growers (unaqainted with the medium) still think of coco as soil.

It is not soil, it does not have the same fiber structure as (peat-based) soil, it does not have the same water-retaining capacities as soil, it does not have the same approximative nutrient and mineral content as soil, it does not have the same Ph as most peat-based soils, it doesn't feed the roots in the same way as soil.

Therefore, you cannot just stick seedlings in coco while thinking that it must be like in soil, the medium itself is enough to sustain them for a while.

Here's how you prepare your coco medium for seedlings. You get a high quality root booster (I use Plagron's Roots), you mix a weak dose (1/3 or 1/4 strenght) of organic nutrients in it with some water with a ph between 6 and 7, and you flush the coco with it. Then squeeze out excess liquid. You won't loose any more seedlings this way. I haven't lost a single one in two years.

 

[Growdoc]

I agree with Rosy Cheeks...

But growing Organic Hydro is not for the newby grower, you have to little space for error.

GrowDoc

 

[snookster]

RosyCheeks....You are the BEST! Excellent response to the question. I am a fan of yours Rosy!!

 

[basilfarmer]

thanks for your responses

the coco he is using is Grotek blocks

the nutes are these:

10ml/gallon/4 liters liquid karma
" " monkey juice a
" " monkey juice b
" " grozyme
1 teaspoon pirahna
1 teaspon tarantula

thanks Rosy Cheeks but he did no nutes for only the first week or 10 days then added mild nutes.

Here's how you prepare your coco medium for seedlings. You get a high quality root booster (I use Plagron's Roots), you mix a weak dose (1/3 or 1/4 strenght) of organic nutrients in it with some water with a ph between 6 and 7, and you flush the coco with it. Then squeeze out excess liquid. You won't loose any more seedlings this way. I haven't lost a single one in two years.

Still, thanks for the good info. Seems like a good system.


If anyone has an answer to this please chime in. Look at the leaves, I've never seen that before. Nute burn (in my experience) is yellow on the tips and moving in.








.

 

[southpaw]

I've "solved" slow growth and "crispy" leaves in young coco plants by doing three things.

Mixing the nute solution to a pH of around 6 and no higher.

Making sure the solution contains adequate calcium.

Making sure it contains adequate phosphorus.

Head's "Modified Lucas" thread in the coco forum straightened me out on a crapload of subjects. Give it a read.

 

[MDT]

Grotek Coco is absolute shit, how well did you rinse and did you measure the ppm of the run off before planting? Grotek Coco is about 700PPM and it's not nutrient like the website claims. Make sure you flush out all the salts until the run off is clear and check the ppm!

 

[Growdoc]

PH at 6.0, and feed at normal recommended dosage. transplant into bigger pots and use a root stimulator.

GrowDoc