WTF with seedlings in coco

[John LOQUE]

Every time i put seeds in wet coco, they germinate, but after 2 days, they die, why this coco stuff is not ready to get seeds in it ?
I bought this stuff in a grow shop, the guy told me it was ready to use, i don't anderstand...
Do someone know what happens ?

 

[]A[Boss]

the coco is too damp/cold most likely.

you have to have warm temps around 80.. and the coco cant be too wet for seedlings.

this is why i like to start seedlings and clones in rapid rooters... but you can do coco no problem.

 

[PistilPete]

Are you damping off? I had a hell of a time with damping off seedlings in coco when i first tried it.
More info as to how exactly they are dying would help you get to the bottom of it.

 

[Capital G]

don't even waste my time. rapid rooters or organic sponge pucks.

 

[]A[Boss]

Are you damping off? I had a hell of a time with damping off seedlings in coco when i first tried it.
More info as to how exactly they are dying would help you get to the bottom of it.

his coco being to cool/damp is the problem. He has to get temps up and the coco cant be too moist.

 

[BPJR]

You may need to rinse the coco. I know the guy at the shop say it is ready to use but are you sure?

 

[libby]

If you start in coco, treat as a normal medium to begin with , I.e. SEED, , small pot, do provide bottom heat?

 

[Kcar]

Check this out...

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=203587

 

[John LOQUE]

they don't seem to die of overwatering, they just dry. The stem dries the cotyledons are OK though. The temp is 23°C. Could it be a salt problem, i mean does the coco need to be flushed with plain water ?

 

[BPJR]

they don't seem to die of over watering, they just dry. The stem dries the cotyledons are OK though. The temp is 23°C. Could it be a salt problem, i mean does the coco need to be flushed with plain water ?

Most coco does seem to need to be flushed prior to use. I would rinse it with ph adjusted water and you should be good to go. I personally don't think its the moisture as I have seedlings in very moist pure coco all the time with out any issue. The salts however will kill a seedling very quickly.

good luck to you.

Cheers,
b

 

[John LOQUE]

You may need to rinse the coco. I know the guy at the shop say it is ready to use but are you sure?

i did not see your post. Yeah that must be the problem, f..., they could tell it, i mean, seeds are not cheap...

They are in little pots, 3 cubic inches, when must i start providing with food...??? first time with coco...

 

[libby]

WAHAY, What size pot,????

 

[libby]

Your seedling doesn't need feeding for a week or two>

 

[habeeb]

^ yes, they need food from day one in coco, unless your in a blend from roots or similar. get a coco nute as it will have less K ( potassium )


people saying its water, no its not. you'd be hard pressed to find over watered coco plants, let alone seedlings...

don't do rapid rooters for seeds. first off they have a harder time getting rid of there shell as they break no surface ( my experience popping about 100 seeds in rooters, and then going to media germing.. ) and second, fix a problem so you know before you go on to something else, try something else when you get bored..



back trace your steps. to much heat from a lamp? fungus gnat babies in coco?

 

[]A[Boss]

if your coco came in a bag its probably don't need to flush it. if it came in a brick then it needs flushing

and yes feed from day 1

i've had cool temps and wet coco with seedlings and they fall over and die (damping off), but your temps are fine... wouldnt hurt to go warmer though for seedlings

 

[sm0k4]

In short, even "good" bags of coco need to be pre-treated in some way.

In my case I got the Botanicare 1.5cu.ft. coco that was supposedly ready to grow with. Well that wasn't the case and my first seedling had issues until I properly pH buffered and treated it with nutes.

Since learning this, I now soak my coco in 1/4 strength nutes and a dash of CalMag for 15 minutes. I then strain it out and plant a seed like any other. Every day I dampened the top layer of soil with water until I saw the cotyledons pop out of the coco. Then I started with 1/8th strength nutes in tap water at 5.8pH when the top layer got dry to let the roots establish. Usually every 2 days in tiny 3" pots. After 4-5 cycles of light feeding/waterings at 1/8th strength, they can pretty much be watered every day if you choose. I feed mine every watering and they seem to eat it up. I saw tip burn once early on, so I reduced ppm by 200 and all is well. Coco responds well to rinsing since it is so aerated. For a flush, use really light nutes(1/8th) of ~300ppm in 5.8pH water.

Coco needs ferts pretty much every watering to keep it replenished. Just go at a steady pace and increase the ppm slowly. 800 ppm seemed fine for me after the first set of fan leaves popped out.

Also, test runoff and make sure it never goes much over 6.0 pH. I got up to 6.4 before I got my meter and some leaves were getting twisted looking. After many 5.5 pH flushings its back to normal. Also the ppm shouldn't be way higher than your feeding ppm. If it is, give a 100-200% flush and it will go back down. Coco is very easy to grow with, and once you get a feel for it, its simple.

 

[Jedi]

Pre-Flushing the coco have fixed my problem !!

First batch didnt make it , as if the little root growth got stunted !

Flushed better the second time , and squeezed all the water out and mist after planting rooted seedling .
Cover with plastic to keep it damp ! Worked fine .

The batch i planted today i rinsed with 1/8th strenth (0.2 ec)nutes.

Wil see how it goes .

(edit)

WOW i,m impressed.......Works even better than the first batch.
SECRET is to squeeze all the water before planting in loose coco and mist heavy , cover with plastic.
Dont wet it !!!!

Charged and lowerd PH to 6.0 with todays batch of test seeds ,

Will see if there's any improvement.

 

[John LOQUE]

yeah thank you every body for your help, but they died the whole 4 and i had flushed gorgiously before the last 3 die. I am disgusted. It was female neville haze, fuck...
I will go again to rw cubes...

 

[whodare]

i posted this in another thread but since people still dont get it...

YOU DONT NEED TO FLUSH HIGH QUALITY LOOSE OR BLOCK COCO... flushing is gunna cause you more problems if you dont recharge the coco after... you need to feed every watering just start weak...

most common coco mistakes, letting it dry... you can over-water when plants roots dont fill the container, too stong of nutes.

these plants are in un-washed loose botanicare ready-gro, they have been feed full strength with no runoff since they were rooted in 4 inch airpots...

coco is the best soiless medium but it can be tricky...

be easy
who.d

 

[Jedi]

yeah thank you every body for your help, but they died the whole 4 and i had flushed gorgiously before the last 3 die. I am disgusted. It was female neville haze, fuck...
I will go again to rw cubes...

I feel your pain !!!
I,ve killed some good seeds in soil and decided to go the coco way.

Nowdays i run a test batch with bagseeds when attempting new growing methods.