the Hand Watering coco thread

[MLD]

Hello Everyone,
New grower here. I've done an incredible amount of research over the last month. As I'm currently recovering from a broken leg I've had plenty of time (literally all day) to research. I've read a lot from Growweedeasy and everything from cocoforcannabis. I've also read many threads on these forums including the first 50 pages and last 10 pages of this thread. Lots of great info! At this point I'm feeling ready to begin.

A few of my products are still on the way, but I hope to get started early next month if not earlier.

I will be growing in a Marshydro 4x4x7 tent with a Bestva 1500w LED. I will grow 4 pinneaple express auto flowers in 5 gallon fabric pots with cocopeat perlite 60/40 ratio in the tent, and 1 outside to test it out. I live in the tropics so heat and humidity are my two main concerns. I have a dehumidifier and 350cfm exhaust fan for the tent. Ducting will take the heat out of the room. I also have 4 small fans for circulation.

The only nutrients I have available here are Growth Technology Ionics. I already have the Coco Grow and Bloom + Cal Mag. I will be ordering PK Boost and probably Nitrozyme. The companies feed schedule chart includes quite a range of products for coco. If I go all in it will cost me another 200usd. Im already over budget and am wondering if its worth it. Anyone have experience with this companies products? Any that I should include or exclude?

I will be able to water min of 2 times daily if not more. My tap water is 0046 EC according to my meter. My PH meter is on the way.

Any advice on my setup is greatly appreciated... But especially advice on nutrients.

Ahh, almost forgot. Should I add dolomite lime to my buffer? It's cheap to get...

I undwrstand that the light is somewhat unproven. Its the best I could do with my budget. Cost me 150usd. Most brands have huge shipping costs to Asia. Marshydro and Bestva both ship to me for free or small mounts.

 

[gardener60]

I am using the Kind trio nutrients that has extra cal in the base. Would you also recommend the cal-mag every time i fertilize. This is my first grow in coco. Thanks

 

[gardener60]

What nutrients are you using?

 

[M.C.]

hi everyone just looking for a bit of advice ive tried using the search bar to no avail so hopefully someone can give me a little help here. im using advanced nutrients in my set up grow micro and bloom which seems to work a treat through the veg stage nice healthy fast growing plants, my local grow shop says these are suitable for coc growing however as soon as i put them into flower with big bud added i run into all sorts of problems what looks to be possibly pottasium toxicity drooping yellow edging leaves but starting from the top down. after looking on a/n's website it doesnt seem as if there grow micro and bloom is coco specific and also says that non coco specific nutes can cause pottasium toxicity due to there already being an abundance in coco. i also supplement cal mag in there. my question is are these 3 base nutes suitable for coco or should i switch to the sensi a and b line that they also sell which is for coco ? help please 4weeks in and need a quick solution. thanks in advance

 

[repuk]

Master bonecarver_og, we miss you!

M.C: three tips:

- Use Canna A+B... expensive, but it never fails
- Use RO water, 80% at least.
- Never go past EC=1.

I started growing with Canna Coco A+B. Switched to Micro+Bloom and had all sort of odd issues.

All my odd problems went away as soon as I stopped using Micro + Bloom + ammendments.

Canna Coco A+B and RO/rain water = 100% troublefree grow. No cal-mag, or any ammendments required.

Micro + Bloom as you say work fine in veg, but at least for me, lead to all sorts of nutrient locks, deficiencies, and pests.

I stopped using Canna Coco last year, and turned to RO+100% salts (no feed ammendments but for rhizotonic at rooting/repotting time)... I'm stocked for a lifetime! and I'd say results are equal if not much better than Canna Coco A+B. And stopped using PH- too... PH in the mixing reservoir goes straight to 5.6-5.8 w/o having to use PH-.

If you still have to use PH-, my advice: don't use phosphoric, but Nitric acid. That was also a big change I noticed while using Canna Coco. You can source them at some handcraft stores as is used for etching.

Speaking on hand-watering coco, I use an automated feed system (DTW) indoors; but had to bring outdoors several indoor plants this summer that were hand-watered with the rest of the outdoor (in soil)... I grow mostly pure sativas or sativa hybrids and have learnt by experience, that you still need to leave a wet/dry (but not bone dry!) cycles for them to be comfortable, as it is done with soil.

In summary, the "is almost impossible to overwater them in coco DTW" saying to me is not completely true, specially outdoors, plants wilted and looked drowned/overwatered unless I respected wet/dry cycles, which meant sometimes feeding was done every other day.

Same experience indoors when I experimented with several short feedings a day vs a single one etc.

I use 100% treated coco coir, 0 ammendments.

 

[M.C.]

hi repuk. thanks for the tips. im going to stop the "grow , micro and bloom and go with the a and b line which should hopefully sort them out also do you advise a water only flush first before changing, im new to coc and it can become super confusing real quick. just when you think everything is going great things can go downhill fast. starting to think i should of stuck to trusty old soil. thanks again

 

[pongster]

Master bonecarver_og, we miss you!

M.C: two tips:

- Use Canna A+B... expensive, but it never fails
- Use RO water, 80% at least.
- Never go past EC=1.

Canna Coco A+B and RO/rain water = 100% troublefree grow. No cal-mag, or any ammendments required.

I use 100% treated coco coir, 0 ammendments.

if you can switch to canna coco a+b, do it... it's good
cheers

 

[repuk]

hi repuk. thanks for the tips. im going to stop the "grow , micro and bloom and go with the a and b line which should hopefully sort them out also do you advise a water only flush first before changing, im new to coc and it can become super confusing real quick. just when you think everything is going great things can go downhill fast. starting to think i should of stuck to trusty old soil. thanks again

Yes, a flush with PH'ed (5.6-5.8) water won't hurt, use rhizotonic if you have some.

 

[M.C.]

thanks for the help repuk, il give it a go

 

[Fiet]

It's important to understand: The Plant Eating EC specially in Vege. When you feed 1.0 EC and you check the runoff you will notice the EC is lower than the EC you Feed with! So no need to Flush somethink the Plant is Hungry! So you don't need a Watering with runoff when you give her what she needs! In later Flowing the Plant don't eat much anymore so you you increase the EC in later Flowering. Why feeding more what the plant don't need? Try it out and check the runoff and you will see the runoff EC is not 1.0 its maybe 0.6ec so no worry for any Salt built up.

 

[SMT]

It's important to understand: The Plant Eating EC specially in Vege. When you feed 1.0 EC and you check the runoff you will notice the EC is lower than the EC you Feed with! So no need to Flush somethink the Plant is Hungry! So you don't need a Watering with runoff when you give her what she needs! In later Flowing the Plant don't eat much anymore so you you increase the EC in later Flowering. Why feeding more what the plant don't need? Try it out and check the runoff and you will see the runoff EC is not 1.0 its maybe 0.6ec so no worry for any Salt built up.

you need to re-read what you wrote there....dont think it says what you mean

 

[Fiet]

you need to re-read what you wrote there....dont think it says what you mean

My English is not the best I mean the plant eats the EC so if you give her what she need we don't need to water with runoff maybe a little bit here and there.

 

[repuk]

Take what I say with a grain of salt, as it derives purely from observation plus some deep (stoner) thoughts:

I have grow for like ten years now in coco, and the most successful grow ever, that displayed the most beautiful "fall" colors and yielded the most, along with explosive foxtailing, whitest ash and smoothest smoke, was the one (coco DTW) where I never went past not 1EC, but 0.7-0.8EC, with 100% salts, and changing the mix of salts (less N and more P and K proportion) according to stage.


My hypothesis: this works like a buffet in a hotel. There's variety, but in small doses.

Small doses prevent salt buildup due to low concentration, but don't prevent the plant from taking whatever she needs.

As it gets its new "buffet" daily, the small doses are made up by "repeating".

Pots medium don't get salt buildup, and plants shouldn't feel the need to store any nutrients if she senses all of them are readily available at any time.

Just my theory

 

[OakyJoe]

Subbed

 

[Fiet]

Take what I say with a grain of salt, as it derives purely from observation plus some deep (stoner) thoughts:

I have grow for like ten years now in coco, and the most successful grow ever, that displayed the most beautiful "fall" colors and yielded the most, along with explosive foxtailing, whitest ash and smoothest smoke, was the one (coco DTW) where I never went past not 1EC, but 0.7-0.8EC, with 100% salts, and changing the mix of salts (less N and more P and K proportion) according to stage.


My hypothesis: this works like a buffet in a hotel. There's variety, but in small doses.

Small doses prevent salt buildup due to low concentration, but don't prevent the plant from taking whatever she needs.

As it gets its new "buffet" daily, the small doses are made up by "repeating".

Pots medium don't get salt buildup, and plants shouldn't feel the need to store any nutrients if she senses all of them are readily available at any time.

Just my theory

Great Point and i will try it now in Flower in Vege i never pass the 1.0ec either!

 

[Bonecarver_OG]

13 years after i started this thread and im still hand watering coco

 

[star crash]

13 years after i started this thread and im still hand watering coco

I just started working with Coco and I am extremely pleased with the ease and convenience & excellent growth ! Thank you for the thread

 

[star crash]

 

[ridoo]

13 years after i started this thread and im still hand watering coco

same here

 

[gaiusmarius]

13 years after i started this thread and im still hand watering coco

hahaha so cool to have you back my brotha. i actually hand water my mums in coco pots for a few years now. no space for a tank as i have the cloning shelf under the mum table. so i hand water and once in a while i screw it up and see them hanging down because im a bit late to the watering, hehe. but for mums its no big deal you just spoil them a bit a week before cloning time and they are ready to be reproduced hehe.

ps: gonna make you a full member so you have all your account features again bro.