New to Coco - On the right path?

[Castelvetro]

''northern lights quote''As far as drowning, water the newly transplanted seedlings once, until roots start to show through the bottom. The problem most people have with over watering in coco is they do not let the plants establish a solid root system to utilize the coco most efficiently, and end up with root rot. As soon as they are rooted, you can water as much as you want and long as the pots don't sit in standing water. I sometimes water 5 times a day with my 5 and 3 gallon buckets and never ever once over watered. Each pot gets a gallon plus of nute solution. The more water being introduced the more oxygen that is being


this is the most sensible advice on coco ive seen in the forum since ive said the same thing countless times. listen yall, early on you dont dont dont want to overwater!!!

 

[2Lazy]

So I think I made a pretty huge mistake saturating my coco with a full strength nutrient solution.

My seedlings are already developing spots and sign of burning.

Unfortunately I got the advice to use a nutrient solution to expand my bricks from a grower in one of the stickies. It's so hard to get good accurate information...

So I can't really do much at this stage, the coco is wet, it's a day later, and if I flush it I'll do as much damage drowning them. I have to wait probably 3 days before I can flush, hopefully they'll recover alright.

I know that seedlings don't need nutrients, which is why I transplanted while the roots were mostly contained in the rock wool cube. Unfortunately it seems the root's have already dipped into the coco now and isn't responding well.

I've also found the pH to be closer to 7 in the coco despite using 5.5 solution for my soak. I'm hoping now that my pH meter simply isn't reading the pH of the coco properly, because if not I'm going to have to use an extremely low pH solution to get it within range, also bad for my plants.

Does anyone else use Canna? If so, how much pH down do you have to add to a gallon of water. I'm finding I need almost 1tsp per gallon just to get the pH below 6.

 

[Calimed]

I only have to add 5-7 drops of ph down per gallon during veg nutes, which is canna a + b with rhizo. I don't always use cannazym in the early stages.

My water from the tap is a strong blue with my gh ph test kit. After nutes it is around 6.5. The few drops I add bring it to yellow, approx 6.

What is the ph of your ro water?

 

[2Lazy]

What is the ph of your ro water?

RO water is very pure, so essentially it has no pH until I add "contaminants" to it. It is very neutral, so 7 is the answer, but it's more accurate to say it has no value than to say it is pH balanced.

I've been using GH pH down, and 1 tsp is about 5 ml, so it would seem that you and I are using about the same amount if you're drops are 1ml each.

I just expected the nutrients to take it closer to the right range, hell, I expected to use more Up than Down.

 

[!!!]

I only have to add 5-7 drops of ph down per gallon during veg nutes, which is canna a + b with rhizo. I don't always use cannazym in the early stages.

My water from the tap is a strong blue with my gh ph test kit. After nutes it is around 6.5. The few drops I add bring it to yellow, approx 6.

What is the ph of your ro water?

This isn't aimed at YOU specifically, but I wanna note it down in case people without a pH meter decide to look at people's regimens and try to copy how much pH up/down they're adding.

The amount of pH down you add doesn't necessarily apply universally. It depends on the water's buffering capacity and general hardiness. Distilled water's pH swings much easier than tap water, for example, so it might take 1 drop to lower pH to your desired level with RO/distilled, but 10 drops to lower it in tap.

See
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html

and the Water Chemistry thread by BigToke here on icmag.

 

[Calimed]

I agree with !!!. I only stated what I do as I'm assuming most bay area water is similar? Maybe not. Nobody should estimate ph up or down without a meter.

 

[HAPPYTREE]

whats the ph of the ro water (u say 7) i usually end up with 6.2-6.4 but that could just be my source. When i was using canna there was no need for ph up or down. canna ususally buffered to around 5.9.

about the the coco being overly fertd are the roots already deeply embedded in the coco or could you pull the cubes out and then flush the coco with alight cal mag mix.
just some thoughts.
Man i know this has to be frustrating but dont give up on the coco, it is really kind in the long run.
HT

 

[2Lazy]

whats the ph of the ro water (u say 7) i usually end up with 6.2-6.4 but that could just be my source. When i was using canna there was no need for ph up or down. canna ususally buffered to around 5.9.

about the the coco being overly fertd are the roots already deeply embedded in the coco or could you pull the cubes out and then flush the coco with alight cal mag mix.
just some thoughts.
Man i know this has to be frustrating but dont give up on the coco, it is really kind in the long run.
HT

Totally dude. I'm in no way giving up on coco, it's my medium of choice. After hydrating it and then crushing it in my hand I know it's just perfect, just a matter of dialing in the PERFECT nutrient mix. KISS can only get me so far, and I've been there and done that, so I'm willing to take chances here.

The roots "probably" aren't all that deeply rooted. When I moved the cubes the roots from my seedlings were just starting to poke out the bottoms. Maybe one shoot about 1/4 of an inch long, or just a few shoots a few millimeters long.

And to anyone that is interested I will keep posting updates (and some pictures soon) to keep an eye on what I've done and the consequences, but I am keeping a journal for everyone that got in on the Attitude Seedbank and DNA Genetics Xmas Special. 5 new strains, 3 free seeds for each, all skunk crosses. Oughta be a hoot.

http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-grow-journals/511631-attitude-x-mas-special-side-side-grow.htm

As far as pH adjusting goes I have found my run off pH to be about 7, depending on when and where I measure it's somewhere between 7.2 and 6.7. Being that I'm adding a 5.5 or less solution really isn't encouraging with the whole balance of coco.

 

[Vegan]

using botanicare cal mag ,sweet alternating and skipping some feedings
pk booster advanced big bud(powder)

also supplement with liquid kharma(mainly foliar withcal mag) ,roots exelerator and mychorhizae.SP?

I agreee with the store owner stick with the nutes designed for the medium, just easier

ah as far as i know the 6/9 formula was developed for coco

Today I went to the store. I decided to go with the Canna Coco A&B set up for simplicity. I also chose Botanicare's Cal-Mag plus as a supplement.

very good score onthe cal mag its a must for coco

Tonight I soaked up 3 of Botanicare's compressed bricks with a solution of 15ml A and 15ml B with 2 tsp Cal-Mag, and about 1/2 tsp of General Hydroponics pH down per gallon to get the pH appropriately just below 6.

ya did it right nice




.

I was the same as youused only canna. Coco (which requires no flushing, good to use right out of the bag) If you use canna coco right out of the bag you don't need to add anything for drainage either.

pay attention here the bricks are ok but out of the bag rocks!!!

Totally dude. I'm in no way giving up on coco, it's my medium of choice. After hydrating it and then crushing it in my hand I know it's just perfect, just a matter of dialing in the PERFECT nutrient mix. KISS can only get me so far, and I've been there and done that, so I'm willing to take chances here.

The roots "probably" aren't all that deeply rooted. When I moved the cubes the roots from my seedlings were just starting to poke out the bottoms. Maybe one shoot about 1/4 of an inch long, or just a few shoots a few millimeters long.

And to anyone that is interested I will keep posting updates (and some pictures soon) to keep an eye on what I've done and the consequences, but I am keeping a journal for everyone that got in on the Attitude Seedbank and DNA Genetics Xmas Special. 5 new strains, 3 free seeds for each, all skunk crosses. Oughta be a hoot.

http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-grow-journals/511631-attitude-x-mas-special-side-side-grow.htm

As far as pH adjusting goes I have found my run off pH to be about 7, depending on when and where I measure it's somewhere between 7.2 and 6.7. Being that I'm adding a 5.5 or less solution really isn't encouraging with the whole balance of coco.

good job!!!!

once again for get aobut the compressed stuff..you will not have the ph issues when ya go to bags..

just hydrate them in some cal mag solution the day before using

HTH

Vegan

 

[2Lazy]

once again for get aobut the compressed stuff..you will not have the ph issues when ya go to bags..

just hydrate them in some cal mag solution the day before using

HTH

Vegan

Yeah, that is definitely the plan now. I went with the compressed bricks because I was wary regarding soil gnats and it was about 75% of the price. At this point though I'd much rather add the "anti-gnat" parasites to my mix than ever try compressed bricks again.

As far as the pH questions go, I'd say that the more "void" RO water actually requires MORE pH solution than tap. This is based on personal experience dealing with tap VS RO but would be an extremely easy test for someone to do, which I fail to see on these sites. Good science is very hard to come by in the stoner community. As soon as i have a more reliable meter I'll take the opportunity to test the theory that tap needs more pH modulation due to the higher level of contaminants. My postulation is that this theory is incorrect, as the increase in contaminants will cause an increase in Hydrogen separation from H20 when exposed to an acid and that in fact pure water would need more pH modulation if the ppm is <200.

I will test this, and we will see. I apologize for all "gunna's and will's and suposedta's" in my thread. Stupid work in progress.

True story for any newb that tries compressed bricks. The pH is all screwy!!! I'm going to try bagged coco for the next several seedlings and will let you all know how it goes.

Probably a week away before I have anything substantial to say on the matter.

 

[Stonercool]

Totally dude. I'm in no way giving up on coco, it's my medium of choice. After hydrating it and then crushing it in my hand I know it's just perfect, just a matter of dialing in the PERFECT nutrient mix. KISS can only get me so far, and I've been there and done that, so I'm willing to take chances here.

The roots "probably" aren't all that deeply rooted. When I moved the cubes the roots from my seedlings were just starting to poke out the bottoms. Maybe one shoot about 1/4 of an inch long, or just a few shoots a few millimeters long.

And to anyone that is interested I will keep posting updates (and some pictures soon) to keep an eye on what I've done and the consequences, but I am keeping a journal for everyone that got in on the Attitude Seedbank and DNA Genetics Xmas Special. 5 new strains, 3 free seeds for each, all skunk crosses. Oughta be a hoot.

http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-grow-journals/511631-attitude-x-mas-special-side-side-grow.htm

As far as pH adjusting goes I have found my run off pH to be about 7, depending on when and where I measure it's somewhere between 7.2 and 6.7. Being that I'm adding a 5.5 or less solution really isn't encouraging with the whole balance of coco.

this thread is almost making me want to try coco...but i really like the hydro way.

hmmm. Lots to think about.

dialling in nutes is where it's at. i got an advanced nutes plan from the site that really seems to be working for me...can those plans be used for coco? that's what i want to know...

 

[2Lazy]

pictures

pictures

Here's some pictures of what went on with the initial burn. As you can see the Element Zero shows signs of spotting on the first set of leaves but the follow up sets are looking healthy. The Kandy Kush also got spotting and had a mutant second set leaf but all in all this plant has had issues it's whole life thus far. The OG18 is the youngest plant but it's really phenomenal and it's taken to the coco really well.

The three plants are (in order)
Element Zero (G13 x Hash plant x Big Bud) at 10 days
Kandy Kush x Skunk at 8 days
OG18 x Skunk at 5 days.

 

[HAPPYTREE]

They are looking just fine. Be careful with overwatering the plant right now since those are such large pots compared to the plant.I know people say you cant over water but you can turn the coco to mud/get every where grit,and it will take forever to be drunken up by the plant. which will slow growth and invite those pesky soil gnats in for a stay.
I usually throw my seedlings in a yogurt cup and grow her two about 10 inches or until shes drying out every 24 hrs. into 2 gal grow bags or pots veg 7 more days and into flower.

those little girls are off to a righteous start. keep it up .got a grow diary???
post up a link.
HT

 

[Mr.Meds]

 

[2Lazy]

So how do I go about controlling the mold that is growing on top of the coco? I've never had a mold issue this bad before.

 

[Mr.Meds]

h2o2 and/or vinegar ? I haven't had any problems like that yet. What is your humidity?

 

[dunkybones]

Mold? Just scrape back the mold and throw it away and run the medium drier.

 

[2Lazy]

To take care of the mold I used some Safer's Soap (sulfur) spray. I just sprayed the surface of the coco after feeding and haven't had an issue since. I also used it on the affected leaves with mixed success, appears to not be spreading at all, and I'll remove the sickened leaves as the plants grow.

I will take some pictures and post them tonight after they wake up from their nap. But I can honestly say Coco is effing amazing! Fox Farms soil doesn't even compare. My older plants are between 35 and 39 days since hatching and they are working on their 14th nodes and are already 22" to 24" tall.

I wasn't planning on doing any scrogging this time around but it doesn't seem that I have a choice in the matter. Once I've sexed my plants I'll have an opportunity to do some work because right now I have 8 plants and 8 square feet of space... things are getting cramped in my closet Jumanji.

 

[L-Immortal]

2lazy welcome brother and much luck on your coco ventures. I have used many of the recipes on here as well as some of my own brews. Got some great and some ok results. Then I started with House and garden and I use the entire line. The cool think I think is that I follow their calculator to the “T” and the plants are in heaven. Maybe down the road you give house and garden or canna (coco specific nutes) a whirl and see if you like. I never had to add any cal mag on my girls (white widow, headband, casey jones, bubba kush and OG kush).

 

[2Lazy]

A little late to the game L-Immortal, I'm using Canna Coco right now, with Cal-Mag+, and my plants are definitely in heaven.

Here's a quick peek into the closet. Sorry for the crap quality but you get this jist of it. The tall plants are around 37 days to 40 days. The shorter plants are closer to 28 days, with a few 22 day runts in there as well.

The middle picture is from 2 days ago but it's a little better view.