DTW Coco- Learning by doing - 600HPS multi strain SCROG

[greenops]

After a couple of good soil runs I felt like trying something new. Prolly the fact that my last grow got hit with powder mildew and had me replace most of my equips except the tent made the decision to go with Coco this time easier.

So I'm going with a Drain to Waste system, feeding 6 plants in a 1m x 1m scrog screen under 600w HPS.
Final pots will be 6.5l but I'll keep em in them 16oz starter pots for the first 2 weeks.

I'm planning to treat em like hydro, meaning watering them up to 2-3 times a day in flowering. I'm going with the Hesi Coco line up.
Obviously I'm hoping for a better yield, however quality is more important. Even more important than quality is to avoid another PM infestation. I'll be applying various sprays for prevention and just try to keep the place as clean and ventilated as possible.

This is my last grow, PM spots everywhere, I ended up throwing it all away =(









I hope this grow will make up the loss of my last grow. This time the strains, all feminized, are:

3 x Headband (Reserva Privada)
2 x Skywalker OG (Reserva Privada)
1 x OG 18 (Reserva Privada)
1 x Lost Coast OG (Humboldt Seeds Org)
1 x Green Crack (Humboldt Seeds Org)
1 x Fruity Chronic Juice (Delicious Seeds)


I'll be selecting only 6 of those come flowering time for the scrog.

 

[greenops]

Day 7 18/6


So my first update starts today, which is already the 7th day in 18/6 for the 3 HeBa, 2 SkyWaKu and 1 OG18. The other 3 seedlings are only1 day old. Currently they're all still under the 110w blue floro veg lights, but ill be switching to a 250 HPS in the next couple days.


Temps in the tent is 17.8 C when light is out and peaks at 26.5 C when lights on, but settles at around 22.5C. rH is usually between 35-45%.

I'm still hand watering as for now. Charged the Coco before planting with an EC of 0.6, tap is 0.4, pH at 5.9. I then re-watered about 4 days later. It's my understanding that Coco has to dry a bit more in the beginning to improve root development.

Before lights on I sprayed them down with 1 part milk to 9 parts water for PM prevention. That's why u may notice some white spots on the leaves.

I'm a bit annoyed by the stretched stems but I'll just bury them to the leaves when repotting.

 

[Sleeper7784]

Looks like the start to a good show with some great strains. I'll be lurking!

 

[RB26]

How did PM set in so quickly on your last run? SM-90 is a good PM preventative that you only need to spray once or twice.

 

[greenops]

How did PM set in so quickly on your last run? SM-90 is a good PM preventative that you only need to spray once or twice.

no idea. i used the same tent in the same location before with no problems. the only difference is i vegged longer as my goal was to push the yield to the max. the scrog got a bit more packed, limiting air circulation. i'll add an extra fan this time, switch to flower earlier and maybe do some pruning.
another reason might be the low rH in my tent, early on it's mostly 25-35% with temps of 27-28C.

SM90 isn't available around here but I got some pesticide spray that was recommended to me by a hydro store. Apparently it's on the stronger side, but for fruits it can be applied until 3 weeks before harvest. So I plan to use that once in veg then once in early flowering .

I'm not sure if alternating chemical pesticides like that with biological sprays is a good idea... but that's what i'm planning to do. I started with milk, wait 4-5 days then ill spray them down with a hydrogen peroxide solution. Repeat that, i might use some garlic in the mix, until the plants have 3-4 nodes. That's when ill use the chemical pesticide.

 

[greenops]

Day 14

A lil recap from the last update.
I switched to 400 HPS on the 10th day. The temperatures with lights on are approx 26C, lights off 18C. Also on the 10th day the Trainwreck from Humboldt Seeds sprouted and joined the others in the tent. All plants are doing good so far.

Lately I've been watering every other day and I'm starting to notice that the bigger pots get light faster. pH 5.8, ec 0.8. I'll be setting up the drippers soon and to give em a feed once a day.

Now here's where i'm having some problems. One day i fed the plants nutes mixed with 5 liters of water then adjusted the pH to 5.8. I let the rest sit for the next feed, but out of curiosity I went to check only 4 hours later. In that time the pH already went up to 6.2, then 24 hours later the pH was already at 7 something. Hope someone can help me out here cuz I have no intention of readjusting the pH every couple hours!

Regarding my battle with PM, I just sprayed them today with some hydrogen peroxide mixed with water. I'm planning to apply some chemical based pesticide when the plants get stronger.

 

[Buddler]

PH swings is good helps plants absorb all nutes long as is doesnt get to high or low.Silica helps plants fight bugs and mold makes stems tough, air flow don't cram plants to tight they need space to transpire.Also now that your getting some roots don't let them dry out. Buddler

 

[greenops]

Thanks for that a solid reply Buddler =)
Yea altough i intendet not to treat it as soil in terms of watering i think i have waited longer than i should have. But now i'm watering everyday, prolly soon ill make it twice a day.

 

[TheCleanGame]

I use high-micron air filters for home heating, a/c units and sturdy cardboard boxes to make cheaaaaaap HEPA filters for 10-12" intakes. Almost no air-flow resistance.

The upside is minimal dust in the flowering room, including spores and pollen from outside. Limiting the amount of PM spores flying around will significantly reduce your chances of uncontrollable outbreaks.

Definitely get more air-flow as dead-air spots are deadly for scrog grows. Once that canopy gets thick it can shut off airflow and create small pockets of dead air that can get super-humid. These little humidity pockets can create PM happy growing grounds when a few inches into the canopy. When the pocket is in the top of the canopy the humidity in that pocket can be heated up by HID lamps and cause leaf taco and crisping.

Keeping a moderate flow of air going at all times through every nook and cranny of the plant is your goal.

Keep it Clean!

 

[dansbuds]

Looks like your off to a good start brutha !!! your gonna luv growing in coco DTW !!! i've been doing it for a few years now & don't see the need to grow any other way . smaller pots bigger yields than soils .... win win !!!

Now here's where i'm having some problems. One day i fed the plants nutes mixed with 5 liters of water then adjusted the pH to 5.8. I let the rest sit for the next feed, but out of curiosity I went to check only 4 hours later. In that time the pH already went up to 6.2, then 24 hours later the pH was already at 7 something. Hope someone can help me out here cuz I have no intention of readjusting the pH every couple hours!

I don't have any experiance with those nutes ..... but what type of water are you using ? Tap or RO ?
you may have to just mix & feed right away with those nutes if the PH swings that quickly ... or switch nute brands . my canna coco nutes in RO water ... i mix at 5.6 & it takes 4 days to empty an 18 gallon rez & my PH is up to 6.1 by the time i need to refill the rez .

 

[greenops]

Day 21

Please note, day 21 only applies to the HB1, SkyWa1 and SkyWa2... others took longer to germinate. The trainwreck, only about 9 days old is the youngest.

About midway in the past week i started to give em a daily feed and gradually increased strength to about 1.1 EC. Thats not even the full dose thats recommended by Hesi. I used about 80% of that.

Just two days ago I transplanted the 6 biggest into their final 6.5l pot. The pots were charged with nutes a day before, ec 0.8.

Yesterday I sprayed em down with a garlic, sesame oil mix fungicide recipe. Man that shit is gonna make your garden smell like a chinese take out. I sure hope that spray won't affect the taste and smell of the buds!

I'm actually being hesitant now of using the chemical fungicide that i have. I don't want my buds to be contaminated... but when i find out that it won't pose any risks to my health i'll def use it. I just dont trust the effectiveness of the more harmless alternatives like milk, hydrogen peroxide, garlic, neem oil etc...

Today, I transplanted the younger Green Crack and Fruity Chronic Juice in their final pots as well...
And also today is the first time the plants are showing signs of over fertilization. Except the Headband1, all of the 6 oldest plants have claw like new leaves.
So I gave em a minor flush with only tap water, pH 5.8, ec .4.

I'm planning to start topping them within the next days....
until next time...




@ the clean game, yup i'm def gonna add at least 2 new fans this time. and I'm using a sheet of hepa filters around my intake ductings.

@ dansbuds... man i sure hope i wont fuck this grow up. I'm still kinda rusty i'm a first timer. The plants are already complaining as u can see in the pix.
I talked with my dude from the grow shop about the pH swing. apparently I'm not using a good one, as it contains 38% nitric acid. He gave me 64% phosphorus acid... now it's more stable =)

 

[dansbuds]

@ dansbuds... man i sure hope i wont fuck this grow up. I'm still kinda rusty i'm a first timer. The plants are already complaining as u can see in the pix.
I talked with my dude from the grow shop about the pH swing. apparently I'm not using a good one, as it contains 38% nitric acid. He gave me 64% phosphorus acid... now it's more stable =)

cool !!! PH is very important in nutrient uptake & if its not in the right range can fuk up a whole grow ! glad to hear ya got it straightened out

 

[Buddler]

After looking at your pics. looks like damage to leaves is caused by the oil you been spraying , plugging up stomata and burning leaves I would spray those leaves with water clean them off . Plants are getting some nice roots should take off soon 4u. I could be wrong but it looks like spray damage as i've done it meself...

 

[greenops]

Hi Buddler, thanks for the info. I was thinking about the same thing. The coating is suppose to protect the plants from spores. Do u think it will cause some permanent damage to the plants if i leave it on? I increased the light distance so it doesn't create too much heat on them. Also.... are any of the sprays applied before the buds are created, affect the quality of the buds later on?

 

[Buddler]

Hi Buddler, thanks for the info. I was thinking about the same thing. The coating is suppose to protect the plants from spores. Do u think it will cause some permanent damage to the plants if i leave it on? I increased the light distance so it doesn't create too much heat on them. Also.... are any of the sprays applied before the buds are created, affect the quality of the buds later on?

Greenops, wont affect new growth, but ya don't hit them late in flower prolly would affect taste garlic smellin buds lol. PM is in root zone time when you see it on leaves its to late. what got rid of it for me was all new gear coco ,pots etc. clean GR with bleach hoping it all works out for ya bro .. Bud

 

[Sleeper7784]

Hi Buddler, thanks for the info. I was thinking about the same thing. The coating is suppose to protect the plants from spores. Do u think it will cause some permanent damage to the plants if i leave it on? I increased the light distance so it doesn't create too much heat on them. Also.... are any of the sprays applied before the buds are created, affect the quality of the buds later on?

Yeah bro, spraying anything on your plants had the potential to damage the foliage. You should always try to correct the atmosphere before spraying a bunch of crap on you indoor ladies is never the first thing you think you need to do. Especially if you don't PH adjust the solution before you spray it on. Nothing should ever touch your plants without ph adjusting to 5.5-6.0. What the hydro store guy should have sold you was a ph meter or test strips. Adding more shit never fixes the problem. He was trippin.

 

[greenops]

Yeah bro, spraying anything on your plants had the potential to damage the foliage. You should always try to correct the atmosphere before spraying a bunch of crap on you indoor ladies is never the first thing you think you need to do. Especially if you don't PH adjust the solution before you spray it on. Nothing should ever touch your plants without ph adjusting to 5.5-6.0. What the hydro store guy should have sold you was a ph meter or test strips. Adding more shit never fixes the problem. He was trippin.

The grow climate, is not in any way extreme, temps and rH are within normal range. This time I'm filtering the intake air and added more fans for air circulation. But I'm still not convinced that it will do the trick.

I don't like spraying shit either, and actually never have bothered with it much in the past. But since the loss of my last crop i'm trying everything to minimize the risk of a repeat.

It's the first time i read about the proper pH for sprays. I'll look into it. Thanks.

 

[Sleeper7784]

The grow climate, is not in any way extreme, temps and rH are within normal range. This time I'm filtering the intake air and added more fans for air circulation. But I'm still not convinced that it will do the trick.

I don't like spraying shit either, and actually never have bothered with it much in the past. But since the loss of my last crop i'm trying everything to minimize the risk of a repeat.

It's the first time i read about the proper pH for sprays. I'll look into it. Thanks.

Forsure look into it. If the plants absorb un ph'd solution through its foliage it will throw their ph off.

When I started growing I battled PM. First I went with a milk spray but it really didn't help, then I tried Serenade(makes the grow room smell like crap), that did work well knocking it down but in flower it will return and murder your crop. How I defeated it was by washing and wiping all grow equipment, pots, tools, walls, floors, everything, with a mild bleach soap solution, then I ran a ozone generator and sealed the room for an hour. Then I added a dehumidifier to my equipment list and bang PM destroyed.

Also store your media in a dry, well ventilated area, off the floor, not in a sealed tote or bucket. If there's any moisture it will sweat like rainforest making perfect conditions for mold to spawn.

 

[greenops]

Day 26

This is just a quick update as I'm looking for some answers regarding the current situation.

Since I transplanted, the bigger and older plants started to claw their upper leaves. Since then, the tips of those leaves turned yellowish and appear dry or burnt, while the bottom fan leaves are yellowing as well. I seldom had this problem in soil, and I think when it happend, it happend later in veg phase.

I charged the coco with an EC of 0.7, pH 5.8 before the transplant, so it's a bit hard to imagine that it was enough to over fertilize them. Are they showing side effects from the spray?

Weird thing is, the younger plants look much healthier, although they're being fed from the same rez.

Anyway, the new leaves appear healthy. I'd just wanna know if I could have prevented this, or if I need to correct something now?


@ Sleeper, when u said that milk and Serenade didn't work when u used them in veg, did the PM already show up then or did u use the products for prevention? Good thing u got an ozone generator. That did the trick... also regarding adjusting the pH, is it safe to dip my pH meter in solutions such as hydrogen peroxide/water?

 

[Nek Minnit]

hi bloke,, i wouldn't think it would be overfertilization,, are you running calmag? it could be a lockout due to salt build up,,how often are you watering? and how much run off are you getting?