G
Guest 18340
No way to tell how much water they'll require until you feed them. Just water 'til you see a small amount drip out...
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how often to water in coco coir
- Thread starter GhettoGospel
- Start date
i read a lot of people only feed there plants up to a certain PPM in coco something like 600ppm, and say they dont need high PPM levels, then again some people feed like 1800PPM in coco and report deficiencies when they try lower levels, seems to be a massive divide. Obviously strain dependent, but you see where im coming from.
G
Guest 18340
I see exactly where you're coming from. I myself use either Maxibloom or Lucas formula. Both bring my ppm's @ around 1250 (on my hanna pen). 300+ of that is my tap. It works perfectly for me. Your results may vary...
BongRipkenJR.
Active member
try going to 2 gallon smart pots. I am using canna coco A+b, botanicare cal mag, and Flora Nectar. I have absolutely no salts! Canna is super clean! I had the same problem you are having. Check the photo and let me know if thats what yours look like?
I thought I could get away with no cal/mag because I am using tap water. I was dead wrong. I fed them with some Cal/mag and sprayed some Cal Carb foliar spray on them and they greened right up. I will have some more pics tomorrow, but they look great now. Might want to transplant as well. Hope you get it under control!
I thought I could get away with no cal/mag because I am using tap water. I was dead wrong. I fed them with some Cal/mag and sprayed some Cal Carb foliar spray on them and they greened right up. I will have some more pics tomorrow, but they look great now. Might want to transplant as well. Hope you get it under control!
B
B. Self Reliant
I myself use either Maxibloom or Lucas formula. Both bring my ppm's @ around 1250 (on my hanna pen). 300+ of that is my tap. It works perfectly for me. Your results may vary...
So you have roughly 900 PPM plus whatever useful PPM's your tap water is contributing. . . and you're able to feed with that mixture every watering?
For years I've been feeding with 1200-1500 PPM but then using a 1/4 strength diluted mix every third watering. Your way sounds easier! I'll have to give it a try. I suppose the hardest part will be figuring out what PPM level is the sweet spot for my particular strain.
G
Guest 18340
This pic is for the person who neg rep'd me when I said that I feed full strength (of whatever my formula may be) every time no matter how may times a day they get fed.
These are getting fed full strength Lucas formula (8 ml/gal micro, 16 ml/gal bloom) and tap water. Twice a day...
These are getting fed full strength Lucas formula (8 ml/gal micro, 16 ml/gal bloom) and tap water. Twice a day...
GhettoGospel
Member
i had to give my plants some tap water to stop them drying out, within an hour there was some horrible looking burns on the leaves. Gutted. They looked so healthy before.
Anyone reading this needs to realise if you grow coco you really need to think through where all your good water will come from.
Anyone reading this needs to realise if you grow coco you really need to think through where all your good water will come from.
i had to give my plants some tap water to stop them drying out, within an hour there was some horrible looking burns on the leaves. Gutted. They looked so healthy before.
Anyone reading this needs to realise if you grow coco you really need to think through where all your good water will come from.
Water quality is important no matter how you grow. Some people can use tap water, while others cannot. If you have a doubt, go to the store and buy some RO water from the self serve station. If you just use water without nutes, you are starving them. Get some good water, and mix up some nutes.
L
laylow
i water everyother day but now im in airpots im finding i have to water every day unless i saturate them then i can get away with 36 hours!!! killing my pocket nutrient and additive wise....
to stop lockout and salt build up use House and Garden Drip Clean its the shit fosho!!! no need for run off no waste
to stop lockout and salt build up use House and Garden Drip Clean its the shit fosho!!! no need for run off no waste
Damn now i have to choice... set up an irrigation system and risk being done for growing with hydroponics IF they catch me. Or water twice everysingle day by hand......... I'll feel like a right lazy bugger if i'm put inside for 6 months longer just because i couldn't be bothered to water some plants
Bigger pots need to be watered less. Also plants that are mulched will use less water.
I growing in a big rubbermaid tote filled with coco and some other stuff (no drainage holes) and mulched with old chopped up plant stems and leafs. I water once a day, but I'm sure I could go many days without water. The top of the coco under the mulch is never dry when I water and the tote is pretty f.cking heavy.
Pine
T
thesloppy
I grow with coir pith in 2-liter soda bottles (classy, I know!) and have (d)evolved into just watering by pouring a little bit more water than I know they need into my drip pan and letting the roots and coco feed themselves from the bottom-up capilary style, in kind of a ghetto ebb-and-flow. Most of it gets sucked up within 20-30 minutes, and the 10-25% that would usually run off to waste sits in the drip pan, and is usually sucked up in the following 12 hours, which negates waste AND lets me water every other day through most of flower. The coco prevents too much waterlogging and I flush pretty thoroughly every week to prevent any extra build-up caused by the passive feed. Personally I haven't noticed any ill effects, after switching from constant drain-to-waste, and I water half as much, use less nutes, and have reduced the occurrence of dry-out. Your mileage may vary.
...that said, this thread has reminded me that I may be depriving them of oxygen they'd be getting if I poured water from the top. Maybe I'll add some peroxide to my lazy man's regimen?
...that said, this thread has reminded me that I may be depriving them of oxygen they'd be getting if I poured water from the top. Maybe I'll add some peroxide to my lazy man's regimen?
It shrinks a lot when dry and ican be hard to wet so it should not be allowed to dry out. Soil and all soilless mediums should be kept moist.
I'm using the same mix. I assume that you are planning an organic grow. In this case you just want provide a good climate for micro life by keeping things moist. How much you have to water is going to depend on the size of your pots relative to the size of your plants, your temps, your canopy, whether you mulch. ect.
When I water daily I just water a little bit to moisten things up - not to run off or even close (coco holds a lot water).
Pine
I feed close to a gallon of water to a 5gal hempy bucket every 3 days at the beginning of flowering (now that the roots have finally begun to fill it out more).
The middle of the bucket stays relatively moist, preventing the top or bottoms from drying out completely, but I can feel the difference in moisture levels by touching the coco through the drainage hole.
I spend a little time with them each day and water only as needed by hand.
I flood the bucket with the whole gallon from the top quickly to form a pool on top of the hydroton/perlite layer, which is there to prevent the top of the coco from drying out, and let it drain evenly within the radius of the bucket walls.
Up until today it was usually saturated enough to runoff with just 1 gallon, and I was tilting the hempy bucket a bit and draining them further to prevent over saturation. Today since it absorbed all the water happily, that tells me the roots have settled in nicely to their home and are ready for that push through flowering. I'm going to start watering a little excess of the gallon to make sure I get 5-10% runoff at least.
I do feel like runoff is helpful in preventing nutrient/salt buildup. If I flush a little each time my runoff is consistent with the ppm/ph I am running off. If I water until less than runoff multiple times and then do a flush once a week, my ppm's are usually in an uncomfortable range. The plants haven't had a chance to suffer much in that short amount of time I guess, but I do worry about what would happen if I always watered like that and just let it build up.
I had attempted to clone in some party cups. 2 cups per cutting, one outter layer taped to prevent light and one inner layer that allowed me drain into the bottom cup as well as check for root growth. After the first watering it wasn't dried out enough for over 5 days to water again. Around day 4 when I checked the bottom of the inside cup, I saw what looked like mineral buildup at the base of the inside cup.
The middle of the bucket stays relatively moist, preventing the top or bottoms from drying out completely, but I can feel the difference in moisture levels by touching the coco through the drainage hole.
I spend a little time with them each day and water only as needed by hand.
I flood the bucket with the whole gallon from the top quickly to form a pool on top of the hydroton/perlite layer, which is there to prevent the top of the coco from drying out, and let it drain evenly within the radius of the bucket walls.
Up until today it was usually saturated enough to runoff with just 1 gallon, and I was tilting the hempy bucket a bit and draining them further to prevent over saturation. Today since it absorbed all the water happily, that tells me the roots have settled in nicely to their home and are ready for that push through flowering. I'm going to start watering a little excess of the gallon to make sure I get 5-10% runoff at least.
I do feel like runoff is helpful in preventing nutrient/salt buildup. If I flush a little each time my runoff is consistent with the ppm/ph I am running off. If I water until less than runoff multiple times and then do a flush once a week, my ppm's are usually in an uncomfortable range. The plants haven't had a chance to suffer much in that short amount of time I guess, but I do worry about what would happen if I always watered like that and just let it build up.
I had attempted to clone in some party cups. 2 cups per cutting, one outter layer taped to prevent light and one inner layer that allowed me drain into the bottom cup as well as check for root growth. After the first watering it wasn't dried out enough for over 5 days to water again. Around day 4 when I checked the bottom of the inside cup, I saw what looked like mineral buildup at the base of the inside cup.
medical marvel
Member
I'll feed full strength twice a day if needed. I have the LST plants on drippers and hand water (drain to waste) The drippers are hooked up so i can hit the plants 4 hours before lights on, since as they get bigger there is the chance they will dry out. Mostly it's hand water. My 12 hour area is quite skinny, so i have to move some out, so i don't mind hand watering. With a skinny space crammed with 10 flowering LST'd plants, you really have to pull them out and inspect them...mould and bugs seem to appear like a hippy at a trim party.
I have found though, that twice a week i will let them dry out ( the top 2 inches of coco dry )..they seem to love this.
Once the veg area plants have good roots in 3/4 gallon pots, i turn up the room heater ( winter)...and hand water 3 times a day. As long as your light is strong and your heat is good ( hot and dry ) they will grow like bananas..again i let them dry out once in a while.
From what I have read,a lil from different threads you really do not need large pot for a coco run?I grow in soil and have for the past year.My bud owns a grow shop and has been trying to get me to doa test run with the coco.The otherday when I visited his store he went out to the parking lot and put bags of coco ant the nutes in my car and told me"no reason not to try it now".So I guess i'll give it a whirl.I was planning on doing just a couple in the 5 gal home depot buckets,is that overkill size wise?Thanks for any suggestions,btw I run 6-600's
medical marvel
Member
depends how long you want to veg. 3 gallons work great for larger LST.
2 gallons are great as well..but i have trouble keeping the plants upright when they are in the last 3 weeks.
5 gallon is over kill unless you grow trees in coco or bushes. imo. I use mostly 2 gallon sometimes maybe 3 gallons for mother never any more and that is mixed with perlite. I hand water 1 a day in flower with very little runoff
