400w, no runoff coco grow

[mpd]

Nice grow. I didn't get that good with coco the last time out, but I am game this time. I just used Miracid and MiracleGro Tomato Plant Food. I know that makes me a freak, but I got a huge yield. But there I was mixing the coir with lava rock and perlite. This time around I am just growing in a bag of coir. Also switched the lighting program, but I am watching what you are doing and remaining very interested.

I love these threads. You never can tell when you will have the chance to learn a new trick or garner that next bit of information that takes your program to the next level.

Keep at it LJB! K+ on effort.

 

[leftyguns]

Which plants, the Jah or the Blue Haze? The measurement from the top of the 2 gallon containers to the Jah canopy was roughly 3.5 feet. It's 2.75 feet for the Blue Haze canopy (1 gallon containers).

It's not a cab, but a closet, built in under a staircase. So the ceiling slopes down at a 45 degree angle. It's something to work around.

I was just asking you the height of what your growing in since you said they stretched a bit. Trying to see how much room i would need for future reference for the those tall strains

 

[LJB]

I was just asking you the height of what your growing in since you said they stretched a bit. Trying to see how much room i would need for future reference for the those tall strains

I want to say a good guideline for Sativa dominant plants that one doesn't have prior experience with is to plan for a 150% stretch.

 

[LJB]

...

 

[secretsrus4818]

I've found that the biggest thing while watering from the top without runoff is to mind the PH of the nutrients going in.

Anytime I've got lazy about that, problems almost immediately crop up.



Hey could you explain a little more? without any run of how are you avoiding a cal build up? What PH do you reccomend? why dont you water till runoff anyway?
thanks

 

[LJB]

without any run of how are you avoiding a cal build up? What PH do you reccomend?
thanks

Keep Ca and Mg in balance by varying the pH of the solution or plain water going in. If the pH is below 5.8, the plant will use more Mg than Ca. If it's above 5.8 the plant uses more Ca than Mg. I switch off from res. to res. right from the start. The range is 5.3 - 6.3. It never starts (at least that's what the meter says) at exactly 5.8. In late bloom when P is again needed the most and Ca / Mg not so much, I adjust the pH accordingly to the low end of that scale.

why dont you water till runoff anyway?

more on that later.

 

[Bigains]

..................

 

[delta9nxs]

ljb, nice plants! you are a gardener! knowing when and how much to water is the single most important part of container horticulture. i'm not that good at it and so i devise built in limiters to keep me from messing up. again, nice job!

 

[LJB]

why dont you water till runoff anyway? thanks

The point of runoff is for what to make sure salts aren't accumulated? I only have those problems with pure coco if the container is allowed to dry out for an extended period of time. They simply never are allowed to.

I hand water slowly and carefully. The bigger the container, the easier it is to control by the way. My constant goal in the veg tent and the 400w bloom room has been to limit that runoff to an amount that will be quickly used by the plants or evaporate.

This setup has limitations, and could cause root damage or rot. For that reason I'll be converting towards wick systems for all stages of growth thanks to wealth of knowledge from delta9nxs, *mistress*, turbolaser, "Al" from davesgarden.com and a few others.

 

[LJB]

Nice grow 400g from a 400w is a very good yield IMO.

thank you. The quality looks very good, but unfortunately the yield is not going to be duplicated with this strain and the smaller plants, even though there are more of them.

 

[LJB]

If you discover you need to increase drainage, you can simply insert an absorbent wick into a drainage hole & allow it to extend from the saturated soil to a few inches below the bottom of the pot, or allow it to contact soil below the container where it can be absorbed. This will successfully eliminate the PWT & give your plants much more soil to grow in as well as allow more, much needed air to the roots.

That (above) is the key paragraph for me from Al Fassezke's Water Movement thread on davesgarden.com.

I simply want to install wicks into and elevate the 1/4" or 1 gallon or 2 gallon coco-filled containers that sit in the

The question is how to elevate them.

 

[LJB]

Taking the advice of from *mistress* and delta and a few others, both flowering rooms and my veg tent to a topfeed / bottom feed optional wick system. Any container that is not bigger 12" wide at the bottom can be used.

Closetmaid sells white wire shelving. Home depot has a bunch of the sizes and will cut them for free if one doesn't have the tools.

1' x 4' (long) = $4.50

I've got these on top of cement blocks and on top of the aforementioned mixing tub, with sterlite plastic boxes below the shelves that serve as runoff trays.

The plants are elevated for increased gravity to aid with the drainage.

I will be experimenting with bottom feeding with the wick.

 

[LJB]

These plants have been blooming for six weeks now.

According to the breeder, it's an eight to nine week strain.

For the last two weeks I've been alternating each day, bottom and top feeding. Bottom feeding without a drain is an artform. If just the right amount of solution is supplied, the plants will drink it all up within one minute, leaving the floor of the tub dry.

 

[LJB]

day 47 of bloom

The three plants on the left and one in the middle (cannot be seen) never got as big as the other five and also started maturing much earlier. They will be done in no more than seven days. The other four are still getting fatter.



The seven colas on the right are from four plants.

I'm starting to wonder if the reflector and bulb should be hung the other way - shifted 90 degrees. Maybe heat is always building up against the wall on the left? It's the third grow in this closet and the plants on that side always seem to be affected in weird ways. The temp. difference is minor, maybe 1 or degrees, but perhaps the air is just getting stuck there.

 

[loudthoughts]

very cool. i have a similar setup.. and have been thinking about trying the coco medium. very impressive!

 

[ShortStackz]

Nice grow for 400w. Great job. I've been running no waste for a while now with straight coco with great results but have recently switch to a 50/50 mix of coco & perlite.

Like you I have found it best to keep it moist & never let the bottom dry out. Roots seem to like it better.

So they were grown a month from seed sprout, topped & switched to 12/12?

 

[LJB]

Nice grow for 400w. Great job. I've been running no waste for a while now with straight coco with great results but have recently switch to a 50/50 mix of coco & perlite.

Like you I have found it best to keep it moist & never let the bottom dry out. Roots seem to like it better.

So they were grown a month from seed sprout, topped & switched to 12/12?

Hi ShortStackz, thank you. If I may ask, why did you switch to the coco/perlite mix? This Blue Haze grow has been by my best yet from start to finish in terms of having to correct the fewest problems caused by me along the way. No deficiencies, no toxicities and nutrient burn only once. I am proud of accomplishing that with no water waste. Wish I had a real camera, because the macro photos would be beautiful.

The Blue Haze plants were not topped.

A couple of things I would do differently next time are using square pots for a slightly better fit, blooming the plants earlier and with those changes being able to squeeze a few more in.

 

[delta9nxs]

i thought you might find this interesting.

http://www.iasa.co.za/downloads/sym...at - A farmers perspective - Andrew Olley.pdf

 

[LJB]

some leisurely weekend reading, thanks.

 

[cheesey]

WOW,
There looks no-where near 14.2 oz there buddy. But well done all the same looks can be decieving as we all know!!
How many times a days are you irrigating and for how long is each drip cycle?
What nutes & adds & coco you using there?
Got any tips for nubes to Coco, any at all would be cool?!
Thanks for your time dude'
Peace...................Scroger!!

i second that . i would say around 10 to 12 oz dry .