could use some help making strong roots

[specialeddy]

I'm growing in coco , this will be my second run. After harvest I inspected the roots and was not overly impressed. This round I'm growing in 2 gal smart pots, I'll be running H&G full line. I'm looking for some tips on getting the best roots possible. I have come to enjoy my lurking on this site as it has helped my time in the room with the girls Thanks for the help.

 

[jayjayfrank]

veg+bloom gives me the best roots i have ever seen

 

[hotboxes]

If your going into the smarties you wont have to wait long for good strong roots, coco in smarties is like peanut butter and jelly they were just meant for each other

 

[Hammerhead]

coco is much like growing in hydro. When I do coco runs I use a PH 5.8 and my Nutrient level is 2ec for flower..I also use a product called Hygrozyme. It works very well on the roots Its a enzyme that breaks down old root mass allowing for new roots to proliferate.. Good roots means good plants. It also keeps bacteria for entering your system. You need to get the wet/dry cycles under controll when you do the roots will just explode.

 

[hotboxes]

personally I seen more growth in coco when my pots are moist at all times, not soaked but moist but never dry.

 

[specialeddy]

Right on, I appreciate your inputs. I can see a few fresh roots popping out the side .My plan is to put them in my cap ebb&grow bucket set up. Would that be to much flooding?

 

[hotboxes]

not as long as you give it ample time to drain before the next flood, pushing expelled gasses out and then drawling in fresh O2 as it drains.

 

[specialeddy]

I heard you cant over water coco. I hand watered my last run intill I had run off. my roots weren't as handsome as some I've seen on this forum. I'm using roots excel and trying to get them well established before I push them. how will I know there rootbound and what is the wet dry theory?

 

[hotboxes]

Really I don't let my pots get too dry I try to keep them moist. Coco holds 2 x as much air and water combined to where dirt can only handle one or the other so watering with dirt you can only water after the dirt has dried almost completely allowing the roots to get o2 before being watered again. watering coco pushes air into the coco with the water and holds it to maximize root growth by holding water and air together at root level. So every time you water your pushing out old gasses and letting new fresh air in so the roots never have to dry out to consume air.

 

[Puscifer]

If you want healthy root growth then let the coco dry some in between watering. When the coco starts getting dry the roots grow in search of "water". That's how I treat my coco when i first transplant, whether it's transplanting a clone or transplanting into a bigger container. Sometimes it takes several day before the coco is (what i consider to be) dry enough to water again. Once the pots start being bone dry by the time the lights come on every morning then I water everyday without looking back,and the roots always stay bone white.
A common problem in coco is keeping it too wet when the plants roots can't take it yet.

 

[specialeddy]

puscifer thanks, I believe that has been one of my problems. I have been inpatient and skipped letting it dy out!! jayjayfrank hammerhead and hotboxes thank you for your input. I know it's not one thing but a bunch of things that make the magic. Does anyone have a link to making super roots. For some reason the search function is not working very well

 

[Canniwhatsis]

Search works fine,... it's just there's SO many threads that get touched on by the same thing that it gets a bit muddied.



So far I haven't found a PERFECT solution for UBER roots,.... but I gotta +1 rep Blumats if you can swing em.


Proper watering/feeding is the key IMO, Blumats will keep the soil at a set level of moisture when set up right. And I've certainly seen some sick root porn from fella's running blumats.


I'm still working on dialing mine in But I'll get it down,... my Sativa dom blueberry is already starting to try and grow roots out of the topsoil around the dripper...... I do believe there's room for improvement here.... (Haven't hand watered that plant in over a month!)

 

[madalasatori]

I found if I over watered in the early stages then root growth would suffer. Through early veg I find that allowing the coco to dry out substantially helps develop better roots. Might not be accepted wisdom but is my findings thought trial and error

 

[St3ve]

I found if I over watered in the early stages then root growth would suffer. Through early veg I find that allowing the coco to dry out substantially helps develop better roots. Might not be accepted wisdom but is my findings thought trial and error

+1

I've also read about not being able to over water with coco. I believe this is true, but only after having filled the pot with roots. As mentioned here, you gotta let them get pretty dry (not bone dry but almost) between waterings.

 

[TribalSeeds]

You cant over water coco unless you try and even then you would need a very oversized pot.
I wouldnt ever let it dry out. Water as often as you want. The coco starts to get really hard and is tougher to rehydrate, plus you can have all kinds of salt issues.
Even when you think the coco is still moist it could probably use more water and oxygen.
I dont agree with the hygrozyme unless youre using recycled coco. I find it makes my roots look like brown shit even if the plant stays healthy.
I needed atleast 800ppm of V+B just to keep seedlings green under t5's

 

[Puscifer]

Can you over water Coco, as in turning it into mud like if you over water soil? No.
Can the Coco be too wet to encourage root growth? Absolutely.
If salt build up is a concern then water to a good run off.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The secret to roots is 25% O2 at all times. The secret to O2 is the Ca:Mg ratio. In coco you want at least 3:1 Ca:Mg. Good luck finding that in a bottle of anything other the Veg and Bloom...better yet mix your own.

As soon as you get below that ratio in any media with a cec your mix will start to collapse and you will have less than 25% O2 and less than optimal root growth period...no additive will fix that...physics remains physics in spite of the fucking bullshit the hydro industry spouts.

 

[specialeddy]

Yosemitesam......could you break that down a little more ?

 

[ozzieAI]

add neem oil to the water 5ml/litre and you will have excellent root growth...works for me every time...

 

[Rjrom90]

The secret to roots is 25% O2 at all times. The secret to O2 is the Ca:Mg ratio. In coco you want at least 3:1 Ca:Mg. Good luck finding that in a bottle of anything other the Veg and Bloom...better yet mix your own.

As soon as you get below that ratio in any media with a cec your mix will start to collapse and you will have less than 25% O2 and less than optimal root growth period...no additive will fix that...physics remains physics in spite of the fucking bullshit the hydro industry spouts.

http://www.soils.wisc.edu/extension/pubs/A2986.pdf