First Timer. Using Coco

[thepike1984]

Hey all im new to this site and this is my first post. Really impressed with the forum and iv learnt alot so far. Basically im a total nube to growing so i went up to my local grow shop to ask a few questions. Ended up buying a coco coir mix with sum soil and pebbles. Not sure what else is in there. And guy also recommended bio nova's coco nova a+b so i bought that aswell. He recomended getting pk13/14 for when i start to flower. Can someone comment on all of this? Is this stuff really as good as he made it out to be? Im also reading alot about run off when watering. I know this might be a daft question but does this mean watering so much that a percentage of the water runns out the bottom of the pot? I thought that would be to much water in one feed but then again what would i know lol. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Riboflavin]

Sounds like he new what he was talking about, you have a good start going there. Those are some nice nutes, with the proper lighting you will be smoking kind in no time

 

[thepike1984]

Sounds like he new what he was talking about, you have a good start going there. Those are some nice nutes, with the proper lighting you will be smoking kind in no time

You just put a big smile on my face. Have you used these nutes before?

 

[Riboflavin]

You just put a big smile on my face. Have you used these nutes before?

Not personally, no. I've never grown in coco before but I plan to use them on my next grow which will be in coco. I've only heard good things about them, I think you will love them.

 

[thepike1984]

And as for lighting its a 250w halide for veg n changing to 250w hps for flowering. Its only for 1 plant. I didnt want to go over the top with the lighting for just 1 plant. Have i made the rite choice?

 

[Riboflavin]

For one plant that will be plenty, it will thrive, just make sure you have good ventilation/air movement/cooling.

 

[thepike1984]

For one plant that will be plenty, it will thrive, just make sure you have good ventilation/air movement/cooling.

Well thats good. atleast i now know the guy hasnt just sold me any old rubbish to get a sale. You any idea on thhis run off thing i was asking about?

 

[brazilgal]

am outdoors , but coco sounds good , from what i learn the stronger the lighting the bigger the yield, even if is just one plant.... i think

 

[Riboflavin]

Um, I don't really understand the question but when you water you want it to seep all the way down to make sure all the roots will be hydrated evenly. If some water comes out of the bottom of your pots its not a big deal.

 

[4c4oToSyntheSiS]

Yeah bro, You can almost always count on your buddie at the hydro store! get in good with those phox!

This being your first time, Coco might be a little overkill but not really! you gotta learn somewhere and considering it's almost 2010, Soil is age old and almost caveman status! Nothing against soil, i'm just saying.
When it comes to watering coco you want to water it once untill you notice 10% of what you poured in, is pouring out the bottom, after that check the weight of the bucket, adjust and water accordingly, it's very hard to over water CoCo because of the fact that the medium act's like a spunge and only collects what it really need, although possible. You'd have to be praticlly drowning the plant with constant water flow! The drier the medium get's the more oxygen it will pull down for the roots the next watering, i like to water when the pots have Half the weight it was when topped off.


Hope this help bro!

4hoto!

 

[theHIGHlander]

Well thats good. atleast i now know the guy hasnt just sold me any old rubbish to get a sale. You any idea on thhis run off thing i was asking about?

looks like your hydro guy knows what he talking about bro ...i use Bcuzz coco and Bio Nova line of nutes and thay kick ass....as for your runoff bro, its not writen on stone that you need to water till you get runoff (I do but that just me)...eg you wont have to water as much when small so you wont need to water till runoff,,
you want the roots to go looking for water aswell but as soon as the roots hit the bottom of the pots you will be watering everynight (thats how you get the best outa coco)...remember dont treat your coco like soil ,treat it like hydro (it sorta is).. watering till you get 10% runoff will help with salt buildup aswell....good luck in the quest bro,.......

ps..if you get stuck/need help dont be scared to ask thats what we are all hear for bro (the mighty ganja plant)


keep it green
highlander

 

[Elcap]

Skip the hydro shop if you're seeking good advice. Do your research before you go there, know what you want and what other shops are charging so you are negotiating from a position of strength (knowledge). At the end of the day, they are in the business of selling, and I see so many people getting sold so much un-needed gear at my shop it's kind of sickening. I keep my mouth shut, cause it ain't my shop, but I do have a good chuckle under my breath.

You want to water until you get runoff in coco so that the old nutes are flushed out of the medium and don't accumulate. Letting the coco dry out completely will make those nutes settle out as salts in your medium. By keeping it always moist it will also be easier to achieve a proper flushing beacuse those accumulated nutes are likely still dissolved and not percipitated big crystals. You'll want to water with plain pH'ed water with no nutes at some frequency (once a week perhaps) to flush any accumulated salts.

Most people will collect some of their runoff water and compare the PPM to that of their feeding water. When the runoff is significantly higher than the feeding water, you have nute-salts accumlated in the medium and should flush.

Just stuck a new Shiva Skunk clone (will be a mother plant) into coco yesterday for the next run.

Good luck.

 

[thepike1984]

Im not actually using my nutes yet as plant is only 1 week old. When should i start them and how often do i give it nutes. Should i of started nutes on day 1. I was thinking once or twice a week with nutes and the rest plain water but i read so much conflicting info on the web i just dont know what my feeding schedule should be.

 

[thepike1984]

I should probably mention that its an Autoflowering Dwarf strain. I dont know if this will make a difference to my feeding schedule as it only takes 70-75 days from seed to harvest

 

[thepike1984]

I need help quick. Just checked my plant. Its a week old and after reading so much about run off i watered my plant untill i saw water running out the bottom of the pot. that was 3 hours ago. Now it has lots of tiny white bits all over the top of the coco coir. It looks like salt but i dont know how because i havnt used nutes yet. Could it be my coco coir wasnt flushed before i bought it?

 

[Riboflavin]

I believe you are supposed to flush it before you start anything in it, I wouldn't trust the manufacturer of the coco when it comes to my buds.

 

[thepike1984]

I believe you are supposed to flush it before you start anything in it, I wouldn't trust the manufacturer of the coco when it comes to my buds.

I know that cheaper coco you sometimes have to flush but the good coco is usually pre flushed during production. Im not sure what brand of coco coir i have. It came in a plain grey bag with nothing on the front. Not exactly very helpfull i know. I was thinking of just getting a bag of Canna coco. Iv read this is preflushed and one of the best products to use. Dont know what to do with my current plant tho. Its only just over a week old. Should i transplant it into the new coco coir or just start again? Please help

 

[thepike1984]

looks like your hydro guy knows what he talking about bro ...i use Bcuzz coco and Bio Nova line of nutes and thay kick ass....as for your runoff bro, its not writen on stone that you need to water till you get runoff (I do but that just me)...eg you wont have to water as much when small so you wont need to water till runoff,,
you want the roots to go looking for water aswell but as soon as the roots hit the bottom of the pots you will be watering everynight (thats how you get the best outa coco)...remember dont treat your coco like soil ,treat it like hydro (it sorta is).. watering till you get 10% runoff will help with salt buildup aswell....good luck in the quest bro,.......

ps..if you get stuck/need help dont be scared to ask thats what we are all hear for bro (the mighty ganja plant)


keep it green
highlander

What Bio Nova nutes do you use and what is your schedule?

 

[theHIGHlander]

i use the
A/B
PK13/14
CA 15% (liquid calcium) not used alot,,
and i will be adding NFT Aqua supermix/hydro supermix to my list next time i hit up the hydro store..

as for my schedules i go by whats on there site/the bottles...

you can find the schedules hear

http://www.bionova.nl/

keep it green
highlander

 

[thepike1984]

i use the
A/B
PK13/14
CA 15% (liquid calcium) not used alot,,
and i will be adding NFT Aqua supermix/hydro supermix to my list next time i hit up the hydro store..

as for my schedules i go by whats on there site/the bottles...

you can find the schedules hear

http://www.bionova.nl/

keep it green
highlander

Thanks mate. You seem to know your stuff. Do you add the PK 13/14 to your A+B solution? You read about my salt problem? I still dont know what to do about it. Whats your views?