the Hand Watering coco thread

[Greyskull]

light green?
i see you're giving them the reccomended nutrient doses (from a previous post)..... which is good. maybe a little N deficiant.... cal/mag is a good choice to add as its 2-0-0... i pretty much always add cal/mag until week 4 of flower

but that hollands hope plant looks pretty good in your album man nice job!
i see what you mean about the plant looking a little pale.... but nothign too bad - buds looks good : )

 

[GreenhouseBobby]

Thanks for your reply again.
Glad I joined this thread very very interesting.
Im going to give them another week and see how i get on.
I have just planted 5 DNA La Confs and 5 Barneys Farm pineapple chunk in soil just incase i need a backup plan.


Yes the plants are very light green and yep im giving the right amount of nutes. Last time i grew in coco this happend. but i was treating it more like dirt last time.
I would water every 2 -3 days in 11 liter pots when the plants started to dry at the top but still wet.
I had the same problem through the whole grow.
This time im watering more often and its still happening/
I dont no if its the water here or something but then i dont get this problem with soil.
I have been looking everywhere and the the only thing i can see is canna has no // is lacking cal mag in the nutes from what i have read on here.

Can i ask what these numbers mean (2-0-0) i see different variations everywhere on the forums.

Thanks Man

 

[Greyskull]

the 2-0-0 refers to botanicares cal/mag that has those NPK ratios... the amounts of Nitrogen Potassium & Phosphorus, though i may have the latter two's order mixed up
the "2" for the Nitrigen... aside from the cal/mag its a little bit of a N boost, too

but thats about as far as i can go regarding npk and what not it can get very scientific

i really think the extra cal/mag will put some more green into your leaves give it a couple of days.

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

Thanks for your reply again.
Glad I joined this thread very very interesting.
Im going to give them another week and see how i get on.
I have just planted 5 DNA La Confs and 5 Barneys Farm pineapple chunk in soil just incase i need a backup plan.


Yes the plants are very light green and yep im giving the right amount of nutes. Last time i grew in coco this happend. but i was treating it more like dirt last time.
I would water every 2 -3 days in 11 liter pots when the plants started to dry at the top but still wet.
I had the same problem through the whole grow.
This time im watering more often and its still happening/
I dont no if its the water here or something but then i dont get this problem with soil.
I have been looking everywhere and the the only thing i can see is canna has no // is lacking cal mag in the nutes from what i have read on here.

Can i ask what these numbers mean (2-0-0) i see different variations everywhere on the forums.

Thanks Man

Hang in there man.. you're gonna get the hang of it.. And, now I agree with GS's 'treat it like soil' train of thought.. it just alarmed me when he said 'let it dry out'.. Let it drain real well, but keep it at least damp.. I always thought Cana's formulation was compensated for the cal/mag deficiency, but maybe not enough. I love growing in Coco... it really fits my particular circumstance where soil would be difficult to deal with. I think you just need to fine tune things a little and you'll be fine.. your plants look really healthy as GS said.. good luck.

mgk

 

[StrictlyGateway]

my guy at the local store tells me that canna was designed to work from a 600ppm starting point (very hard tap water). if this is true, using RO, you are more than likely always low on calcium, even if they pre-charge their coco or nutes.

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

my guy at the local store tells me that canna was designed to work from a 600ppm starting point (very hard tap water). if this is true, using RO, you are more than likely always low on calcium, even if they pre-charge their coco or nutes.

Just a quick note.. regard what you 'guy at the local store' sez with a great deal of skepticism.. a lot of times, they're just spouting nonsense that has no foundation or basis.. You're better off to get your information from the source, such as their website. Hang in there man!

mgk

 

[superbolan]

At my store every bit of helpful advice come with a recommendation of a new product i have to buy

 

[mydnytetoker]

Absolutely, if there was a "best " product, don't you think that is all they would sell? I went to my local shop and saw this young kid and asked him if they had Canna and he said "No but we have House and Garden" so I asked him if they are as good or better? He says "theyre better than Canna" and I asked what makes it better, and after a few seconds of looking like a deer in headlights, all he could say was "I don't know why, it just is". Now thats some awesome advice from such an experienced grower. I rarely ask a hydro employee for advise, thats what this site is for. By the way I already knew H&G is very good just wanted to mess with the kid. Must have only been 18, he'll learn I hope.

 

[StrictlyGateway]

Just a quick note.. regard what you 'guy at the local store' sez with a great deal of skepticism.. a lot of times, they're just spouting nonsense that has no foundation or basis.. You're better off to get your information from the source, such as their website. Hang in there man!

mgk

there is not one part of this statement that i disagree with

my intent was just to say heads up, something you may want to look into. pH, cal, mag are usual suspects in coco (for good reason).

 

[Carl Carlson]

there is not one part of this statement that i disagree with

my intent was just to say heads up, something you may want to look into. pH, cal, mag are usual suspects in coco (for good reason).

Depending on the acid buffering capacity (alkalinity, not alkaline) of the irrigation water, obsessing over the water pH in a drain to waste, soilless, not hydro, but a soilless grow is not necessarily the key.

If you use R.O. or good tap water with low alkalinity (acid buffering capacity), than the pH of the nutrient solution is probably settling right around 5.4-6.0 immediately after you mix the nutes with the water. I mean, has anyone using one of those combos ever not experienced this?

If you choose to alter that pH again, you are micromanaging. When you pour that quality water through the pot of coco, the pH of the water is going to be altered by the coco and not the other way around. Even if you're using shitty tap water with high alkalinity it still takes time for it to raise the pH of the coco. It doesn't change instantly.

some references:

Purdue U. extension: Alkalinity Management in Soilless Substrates

Utah State U. - Optimization of Soilless Media for Alkaline Irrigation Water

NC State - Alkalinity Control for Irrigation Water Used in Nurseries and Greenhouses

 

[Carl Carlson]

remember coco is hydro

Nitpick: Coir is a soilless substrate that can be used in some hydro systems.

 

[Carl Carlson]

My plants are in 4 -6 liter pots.
They are about 2 - 3 weeks old and around 15 - 20 cm tall.
They are extremly light green and i mean really light green.
The coco seems to stay wet for days 7 days easily.
Im feeding them on a 10 ml A 10 ml b and 5ml rhizatonic in a 5 liter mixing jug.
Are the pots im using to big for this stage of growth ????

Your pots are not too big.

Bobby, it sounds to me as if the plants are not uptaking water + nutrients and that is why they are light green because you are certainly using a strong enough nute solution. It sounds like an environmental issue and not a nutrient, pH, water quality or substrate issue.

What lighting are you using, what is the distance from the lamp to the canopy and what is the air temp. around the canopy and what is the relative humidity? No way should it take more than 2 or 3 days for those pots to dry out.

 

[Justin_Credible]

i just thought it could be nice to start a thread with tips for growing in coco - but using handwatering and pots..

since im kind of busy i thought this could run on a question and answer basis - also if other growers feel like chipping in with their bit it would be cool.

first of with the do's and dont's:

do check ur PH! - range from 5.8 to 6.1 works really well
do make sure you use nutes specific for coco! - this will give the best results and easy of use.
do make sure you use pots big enough for the watering intervals you want to have. bigger pots means less watering. but more water is needed to flush out properly.
do make sure you have run off when watering. about 20-40% is enough.
do make sure the coco never gets dry - this is a hydro medium. watering often gives better results.

DONT treat coco like a soil grow.



growing in coco gives great results outdoors also. it slightly more expensive than soil growing - but the end results will speak for them selves. huge yields and lots of flavour!

I just wanted to say thank you to bonecarver for making this thread. I sometimes find myself lurking/reading in this thread for an hour; (or longer) the info is just fantastic..I just made the transition from soil to coco....One/two question/s please...to anyone. bonecarver says to keep feeding them, so even if they are wet; just water them anyway? One more, do I really need to use nutes that specifically say coco on them? I thought that coco was like hand-fed-hydro, so I am using B-Cuzz A&B hydro...they look great so far, but will this change in flower b-cuzz the nutes do not say for coco on them? Thanks

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

I just wanted to say thank you to bonecarver for making this thread. I sometimes find myself lurking/reading in this thread for an hour; (or longer) the info is just fantastic..I just made the transition from soil to coco....One/two question/s please...to anyone. bonecarver says to keep feeding them, so even if they are wet; just water them anyway? One more, do I really need to use nutes that specifically say coco on them? I thought that coco was like hand-fed-hydro, so I am using B-Cuzz A&B hydro...they look great so far, but will this change in flower b-cuzz the nutes do not say for coco on them? Thanks

Hey Justin... I water/feed my plants every day with the nutrient solution. I think if you're using non coco specific nutes, you should supplement with calmag. I do my mom plants and youngsters in non coco based nutes because I have some I want to use up, but after that's gone, they'll go on the coco specific stuff. I love growing in coco.. easy and very predictable.

mgk

 

[Justin_Credible]

Thank you mgk

 

[bonecarver_OG]

Hey Justin... I water/feed my plants every day with the nutrient solution. I think if you're using non coco specific nutes, you should supplement with calmag.

a good tip

 

[MediRI88]

I have coco with cruton on the bottom in hydro pots... isn't it bad to feed everyday even at low ppm just becouse of water soak or root rot nvm lockout and burn.....I water ever 3 to 5 days til the coco is about 80 to 90 % dry then water with nuts at 400to550 ppm every other feed is 500 to 650 ppm..thanks ..?

 

[bonecarver_OG]

when the coco gets dry - also the nutrients and salts that were disolved in the water, dry up and crystalize - i.e turn into salts...

so basicly watering rarelly and letting the coco dry out a lot is increasing the risk of salt build up.

salt-build up is the worst enemy to good coco yields...

peace!

 

[MediRI88]

Thanks BC! Ima keep that in mind also anybody try CLEAREX to wash salt build ups.?.

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

Thanks BC! Ima keep that in mind also anybody try CLEAREX to wash salt build ups.?.

I use House and Garden 'Drip Clean'. I don't think Clearex will help that much as it's more of a 'final flush' type of product. I use Clearex for the last week before harvest.

mgk