Let's talk coco slabs with drippers

[jonnygotah]

gravity fed res and coco?

gravity fed res and coco?

very interesting thread.

i am a noob to coco but so far i like what i see. i think a local publix gets coco grown tomatoes form time to time. they are yummy!

Anyway, is it possible to do a gravity res dripper with coco? can it be done? i was kicking back thinking about a micro setup and the gravity fed idea just jumped into my head. lol. it's so simple.... i seems

I want to use coco cubes on a coco slab of about 12" x 24" tray with about 6-9 cubes(grow sites). i want to have a 2-5 gallon res above the grow chamber to where i have easy access for checking nutes, ph, changing water, refilling etc.

I would need to gravity drip from a tube that could run to 6-9 cubes. could i use spike emiters with setup like this? is there speical tubing nozzels that would be better for clog free dripping?

i'll sure apreicate any pointers from the coco pros
jonny

 

[Raijin]

Jonny, if you're going to use any organics in your res, then using bigger drip lines will help you keep dripping with less clogging. By this I mean use 1/4" drip lines with non clogging drip stakes instead of the 1/8" line that clogs very easily and the corresponding drippers/sprayers that use the 1/8" line. Many people run 1/2" line the length of the tray and from that 1/2" line they branch off with either 1/8" or 1/4" line that goes to the drippers/sprayers. If you spray you need a bigger pump to make the pressure. You should use a gate valve or check valve just after your pump so that once the pump is shut off, the water doesn't keep flowing to your plants from inertia or a simple siphon. Many rooms flood because folks aren't hip to siphoning. 1/2" check valve will do the the trick. They come with different springs inside -- some easier some harder to open. You want an easy opening check valve with a somewhat weak spring inside.

 

[jonnygotah]

domo arigatou raijin-san


i'm going organic so 1/4" with no clog spikes is a go thanks. but what about splicing the tube to each cube? how is that done? say for 4-10 cubes ?

can this be done powerless without a pump? instead usign gravity to drip feed the plants at a very slow trickle? i would like to have a steady but slow drip to wast that is just enough to keep the coco damp. can i do this?

can this be done witha relativey small res like a 2-3 gal?

 

[jonnygotah]

all the difert parts for do it your self is a little confusing.... is't there a simple duch slab/coco slab dripper complete system that includes all the tubing,feeders, nozels, tray etc. ?

what is the cheapest way to get set up for coco slabs for the first time coco guy?

 

[Cannabinofil]

building interest in coco these days ... thank you for a great thread ...

can I use clay carrots to feed in coco medium?

spageti hoses hoked to clay carrots that are buried in medium, when they get dry the roots pull nuts trough them ... would it be sufficient?

how about a table filled with coco and lots of perlite, not to deep with clay carrots?

 

[humble1]

There's a wonderful system called "tropf-blumat" from europe that uses the clay carrot plus a vacuum valve thingamajig that acts as a controlled siphon.... so no pump needed. It's expensive to get them in the states, but for so few it shouldn't be too bad.
And it's totally compatible with coco, although I wouldn't use perlite. Just my preference, though, to go without perlite.

Peace, Love & Coco

 

[whodi]

I'm thinking about trying some tree grows in coco. 8 x 600 watts vertically... 7 trees in 5 gallon containers of coco.. drain to waste.

What is my best option for a good drip system and rez to last me a week at a time?

 

[inreplyavalon]

I have been using the forums for a while trying to teach myself to grow. I have had mild success and have been in soil. I jumped in a little too large to start.

Anyhow i would like to say RESPECT to the contributors of this thread. No single thread has explained so much to me. So many of you folks, all sharing ideas with little to no ego getting in the way. Beautiful stuff. Thanks, I am definitely going to try coco.
I am setting up a flower room that is about 10ft x 10ft. I have 6 x 600W. I am trying to decide whether to use pots with coco or use cubes on top of slabs. I JUST FINISHED READING THIS ENTIRE THREAD. Even though i have a few questions.
I am under medical guidelines so i have a 40 plant limit. Should i veg in cubes for 2-4 weeks and then just switch to flower as i put the cubes with plants on top of slabs? Is that how it works? I am used to soil where i am transplanting often. Thanks peoples

 

[Nonphixion]

I have been using the forums for a while trying to teach myself to grow. I have had mild success and have been in soil. I jumped in a little too large to start.

Anyhow i would like to say RESPECT to the contributors of this thread. No single thread has explained so much to me. So many of you folks, all sharing ideas with little to no ego getting in the way. Beautiful stuff. Thanks, I am definitely going to try coco.
I am setting up a flower room that is about 10ft x 10ft. I have 6 x 600W. I am trying to decide whether to use pots with coco or use cubes on top of slabs. I JUST FINISHED READING THIS ENTIRE THREAD. Even though i have a few questions.
I am under medical guidelines so i have a 40 plant limit. Should i veg in cubes for 2-4 weeks and then just switch to flower as i put the cubes with plants on top of slabs? Is that how it works? I am used to soil where i am transplanting often. Thanks peoples

Hope this info comes in time, but when growing with Coco coir you are supposed to veg for only 2-5 days before switching to 12/12 flowering cycle.

It is much like hydro in that way, do not treat the coco like soil.

 

[onegreenday]

"that i never grew with coggr, as my research didn't convince me to change. the main reason being that coggr is totally sterilized and has no trichoderma or beneficials in it, which the coco does."

do you have a reference on this as the Canna literature i read says they
don't sterilize their coco.

 

[onegreenday]

Hope this info comes in time, but when growing with Coco coir you are supposed to veg for only 2-5 days before switching to 12/12 flowering cycle.

It is much like hydro in that way, do not treat the coco like soil.

i take it if their root mass gets too large in coco they'll just take over the grow space in flower (of course strain dependent)

evidently they are like super-plants in coco, is the drift i'm getting and
you gotta watch getting run over by the train..........

 

[jamrockjay]

Hi there, gr8 thread..... Could we have a thread on using coco in buckets with drippers please????

 

[mkmaster]

I'm getting ready to set up a coco slab drip system, I'll be using dutch leach trays and draining to waste. I just have a couple of questions:
1. Would the neoprene inserts that are used with an ez-clone unit work with the coco slabs? seems like they would be too flimsy, would it be better to just root them in the larger 4x4 cubes?.. I'm going for 50 plants so cloning differently than i usually do might be a bit of an endeavor, but if its necessary i will do it.

2. Once the clones are rooted nicely, and I have placed them on the slabs, how many days should i wait from that point to switch to flower... I've never grown hydro before and have no idea how fast I'm supposed to expect those roots to reach into the coco.

thanks for any help, I'm sure I'll need more along the way...

 

[paranoidalien]

If I were you man, I'd let them veg out for a week or two, if time is not a matter, and then start the flower. However, I usually veg out for about a month before I flip to flower. As for the dude with the 8x600 super setup, for that to last a week you would need a big res, but preferably multiple res. If you are doing 10 plants or so, two 55 gallon drums should be sufficient. However, if you water 3+ times a day, you might want to go bigger.

 

[PolioJoe]

Wow, I just joined the forum here and have read enough to set up my recirc-dripper system on my previously hand watered table. One quick question though...

Right now the kids are almost a month into veg and ready to switch over soon. I transplanted rooted clones right into 1 gal grow bags filled with coco (shoulda taken a few smaller steps...) and have been hand watering them basically when they are very light and dry feeling (also seems like keeping them wet is the way to go).

Reading about this, I have seen people refer to the plants as going hydro-rootwise and that you need to do this from the beginning. I am wondering if my kids will be able to take this increased amount of water at their 1-2 foot height in veg if they havent been watered this way until now. It took tooons of water and time to wet them with the system at first, but upon my second daily feeding (im watering to runoff twice a day to start) it only eats a few gallons up every time till sufficient runoff. Using these grow bags with my coco has seemed more like a soil grow to me hand watering and letting dry, and I have done rockwool drip running more times a day before to awesome results...so hopefully keeping my coco wet and feediing a few times a day will give me much faster results! As long as these plants dont get overwatered if their roots cant handle it tho!

Any help is greatly appreciated...

btw I grow a awesome strain out of the midwest called Polio....fully organic...anyone heard of it??

 

[inreplyavalon]

Polio if the roots are filling the pot, and the pot is drying up in a day or close to a day, then you should be able to water them as often as you want. It will bring fresh Oxygen to the roots and a fresh supply of nute. I have switched from once a day to three times a day after many weeks of veg and noticed no over watering issues. Hope that helps

 

[JamieShoes]

I read elsewhere that watering too quickly and "gurgling" isnt a good thing to do. but I was wondering why not? doesnt it draw even more oxygen down into the roots in those big bubbles?

sorrry for the newb question, but I am one :wink:

 

[inreplyavalon]

Not sure Jshoes. The bubbles are the air escaping the coco as the water takes its spot. As for the pouring being bad, all i can surmise is the root hairs are affected by the heavy flow of water? maybe...

 

[PolioJoe]

Well I kind of answered my own question...started them here at once a day instead of hand watering once every other day and wow, they seem to be really happy and growing like mad. I am already liking this drip system. I am thinking about stepping them up to two times/day soon (2 weeks into flower currently).

My whole opinion on the hand watering thing is that it seems to compact the coco more, as well as being less efficient as it takes a slower pour to uniformly wet it without alot of the nutes just running down the sides of the containers. So if you are pouring like it sounds like, then it would most likey work better to pour slower or wet down the media with half the normal amount first, then come back and finish off your containers.

Has anyone also noticed this hydrophopic quality of coco...kind of like peat where it takes a lot of water to rewet once dry? I can see now the benefits of keepin it wet with the drip system set up.

My two cents...

Polio'

 

[Danknuggler]

Well I kind of answered my own question...started them here at once a day instead of hand watering once every other day and wow, they seem to be really happy and growing like mad. I am already liking this drip system. I am thinking about stepping them up to two times/day soon (2 weeks into flower currently).

My whole opinion on the hand watering thing is that it seems to compact the coco more, as well as being less efficient as it takes a slower pour to uniformly wet it without alot of the nutes just running down the sides of the containers. So if you are pouring like it sounds like, then it would most likey work better to pour slower or wet down the media with half the normal amount first, then come back and finish off your containers.

Has anyone also noticed this hydrophopic quality of coco...kind of like peat where it takes a lot of water to rewet once dry? I can see now the benefits of keepin it wet with the drip system set up.

My two cents...

Polio'

I cant keep my coco wet by handwatering.They are almost bone dry when the lights come on and take quite a bit of water to get a runoff.I need a drip system badly!!!!!!!!!!!!!nuggler