How do you water Coco/Perlite?

[ChenBenTz]

Okay, so I've got 11 18L pots.

I set up a reservoir with a pump attached to dripper.

I fill the reservoir with pH 5.8 water with nutrients and turn the pump on. So..

1.) How long do I leave the pump on (how many liters does each plant get?)

2.) How many times do I turn the pump on (how many waterings per day?)

3.) How often do I have to adjust the pH? I goes up to 7.0 in just a few hours!

4.) How long do the nutrients stay in the water? Don't they decay or something?

Thanks.

 

[giroldo]

1. In coco, *most* people water until there is a slight bit of runoff. This supposedly reduces salt buildup.

2. Just like in bodybuilding, feeding with less food more often can be beneficial. I personally believe feeding 3 times a day at a lower concentration would be better than less frequent larger feelings.

3. Are you using airstones in your res?

4. If you are storing nutrients for a while you need to have a water circulation pump to keep things mixed. Also light leakage will promote unwanted bacteria growth.


Look into bluemats, they too have to be dialed in to work perfectly for you but either is a viable option.

 

[ChenBenTz]

Thanks for this reply, man. I wasn't expecting such a straightforward response.

1. In coco, *most* people water until there is a slight bit of runoff. This supposedly reduces salt buildup.

For me that seems to be about 30 minutes, I think, which comes out to just over a liter of water.

In soil, I water 3L every three or four days on average, so that's 1L per day.

2. Just like in bodybuilding, feeding with less food more often can be beneficial. I personally believe feeding 3 times a day at a lower concentration would be better than less frequent larger feelings.

So, that would mean feeding 3L per plant per day?

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to dispose of the run-off since I don't have much vertical space.

3. Are you using airstones in your res?

Of course.

4. If you are storing nutrients for a while you need to have a water circulation pump to keep things mixed. Also light leakage will promote unwanted bacteria growth.

The water pump I have pumps straight up. So, just find a way to boomerang the water back into the reservoir?

What about Calcium? I read that certain elements will drop to the bottom regardless.

Look into bluemats, they too have to be dialed in to work perfectly for you but either is a viable option.

If I understand correctly, bluemats monitor the water content of the soil and water accordingly.

So, it waters a small amount each time, which doesn't seem to cause run-off.

Wouldn't that be the same as watering 125ml an hour instead of 3L a day?

Thanks again!