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A few things that I've learned about growing in coco with a drip systm DTW

G

Guest1298

Excellent thread HGO i have been wanting to try Coco dor a while now!! i am defos going to try it thanx for sharing the info Atb Dankuser
 

Yes4Prop215

Active member
Veteran
so what do yall think is the best size pot for coco in a 4x4 1kw setup...with 9 plants arranged in rows of 3......i used 3 gal pots last run and it seemed like they were rootbound a bit. i watered every day but my setup is no where near dialed...i always wondered if i should water more because the roots most definately overtook the entire pot quickly...

i also DTW coco with a bit runoff at the end...gotta use more drip clean in the future...i was using clearex since i had a gallon lying around.
 

Hundred Gram Oz

Our Work is Never Over
Veteran
Thanks to everyone for the nice comments, I actually wrote up that post for another thread about watering but when I was about to post it I realized that it was in the outdoor forum so I decided to create a thread here in the coco forum lol.

This is great info!!!!! The big factor is pot size. If u water 3+ times I think u really need to have 2 to 3 gallon pots for the best results. With 5 gal smart pots I find that every other day is best, with heavy roots once a day.

Thanks skull, your correct about having the correct pot size, I use 6.5Ltr pots with 6 plants per tent, here's a Chem D at 31 days that eneded up yielding 9.25oz, grown in 6.5Ltrs...


Chem D
Day 31 Flower

picture.php


From my experience with growing in coco and multi-feeding I find that using a smaller pot is better. Unless your looking plants over 10oz I wouldn't go over 6.5ltrs with multi-feeds every day. You have to take a few things into consideration, plant numbers, & lighting used being the deciding variables. If your aiming for 1g/pw then work out how much you need from each plant and pick your pot size accordingly. For example, if your growin 6 plants with 600w, you will want an average of 3.5oz per plant, bear in mind that the above Chem D yielded nearly 10oz grown in a 6.5Ltr pot. You really don't want a big pot when multi-feeding.

nice thread < good info , I just started doing coco dtw, but I didnt use any hydroton , just str8 coco, next time I try it out ,..can we see what you are doing for a drip system?, I thinking I'am going to make some hydro halo's, or something ,....nice work
TS

Thanks teemu, glad you enjoyed. I build my own drip system with 16mm feed pipe going from pump to a manifold with 4mm feed nipples. I'll get more info with pics for ya tomorrow.

What size pot would you recommend for say 6-8 weeks veg before flip? I'm starting in 2L should I step up to 5-10 or 15l

How many plants are you growing and how much lighting are you using?


Man I spent over 6k setting up a new room and I purchased everything for a pro DTW system, but I'm just so used to hand watering fresh batches of nutes that I can't seem to setup my DTW system. Also I'm closing in on week 3 so they're not as easily moved around.

I know the benefits of DTW with multiple feedings, I've seen it first hand and the body builder analogy is spot on. I love my coco and soon enough I know I'll set up my DTW so I can actually go out and have a life, and when that happens I know I probably won't go back to hand watering.

BTW you say you feed for X amount of times per day...do you feed at seconds or minutes? I figure around 14-45 secs? I wanted to eventually give them feed 3x per day at 30 secs to 1 min at a time, depending on flow rates.

Anyways great read and I know this will help some out there without a clue about coco or dtw.

PS....YOU CAN DEFINITELY OVER WATER COCO...Head is off his ass for saying you can't. Like you said if the root structure is massive and i consider massive as much if not more roots then coco, then yes you basically can not over water them, but you really still can. Smaller plants are very susceptible to over watering especially directly after an initial transfer without a structure root system.

Just had to throw that in there, because I felt people read what Head said as 100% truth, when they weren't reading between the lines.

Up.

Hi Up thanks for the great post, I'm glad your digging the thread bro. I wouldn't bother moving everything around now, harvest 'em and build your drip system for the next run. Get a good cycle timer so you can 'set and forget', tell ya what I'm so glad I don't have to hand water anymore lol, another huge benefit of a drip system.

I feed to I get run-off, it all comes down to what your flow rate is, you will have different flow rates with different pumps, I use a MJ1000 which is a 1000Ltr/Hour and it feeds 12 plants with 2 drip lines per plant. You want the solution to be trickling out of the drippers and not pissing out because coco can compact when watered too fast. I time how long it takes for run-off to come out of the pots drain holes then I set the timer accordingly, it works out that my feeds are 2 minutes long.

100% agree with ya bro, you can for sure overwater in coco.

Here we go.....again...so many truths and 1/2 truths with coco cuz NUTHIN`S written in stone when all medium consistencies vary SOOOO much across the board......and yes Bush Dr......

You can most definitely overwater coco as UP brought up with underdeveloped rootzones in smaller plants , and Head and I butted heads about this yrs ago when his thread started , but it all goes back to the consistency and quality control of the medium you purchase and try ta grow with......

The pre-bagged fluffy stuff that most folks use has less problems with compaction and holding water , but I`ve seen many many folks kill plants thinkin they hadta keep waterin their coco plants when in actuality they`d bought the bricks/bales , crumbled em up , hydrated the shit out of em , and had pots full of "cout ffee grounds" mushy shit that wouldnt dry onor drain properly so O2 could be replenished in said rootzone from multiple feeds and fall over dead from drowning/choking......now.....

Got growbro`s that run flood and drain tables with 1 gal pots of aerated porous coco like HGO`s preachin , and pull big plants outta little pots , so yes....multiple feeds per day allows the rootzone to compact and bulk up in smaller containers cuz they don`t haveta dry out to send out "feeder" lateral roots and everything they need`s provided with hydroponic "like" feeds.....but....

I ran #5 smartpots fed once a day as an insurance policy from only goin to my setups once a week with dialed environment and had no problems whatsoever fillin the bags with roots and air-pruned to prevent root spinning where all plant energy could be concentrated on foliage and rootmass building till end of stretch , and with a rootball that size the plants had no problem with nutrient uptake , transpiration , and swellage by end of cycle......many ways ta skin a mule.....

And just like HGO says coco is a hydroponic or "semi" hydroponic medium , it`s actually a "soiless" medium that has to brought under certain parameters and made aerated and porous before yas can dial the shit and make bitches explode like HGO does.......

Gotta know a copy of the rules with coco ......but ......I get this every day from folks at many sites how easy coco is to dial with hydroponic like growth tendencies , and .....

I bite my tongue cuz they`re using the expensive pre-bagged/cal/mag charged shit that`s pretty much bulletproof with the knowledge of cation exchange capacity of cal/mag through end of stretch , and then potassium once full fledged bloomage is in force......anyways....

Coco DTW rocks with dripclean and HGO`s pics are proof in da puddin.....but...there are no constants with coco folks.....too many variables with quality control from manufacturers even from pallet to pallet......and for the kicker.....

I`m pretty sure after much collaboration with many experienced old head growers that the pre-bagged shit has been mostly responsible for rootborn insects by providing heated up warehouse stored environment for the eggs and larvae to hatch , proliferate , and all but be at epidemic proportions in all the med card states.....anyways.....that`s another thread......

Sorry fer cloggin yer thread Bro.......I just try ta keep it real...and...

Peace....DHF..........

Hi Fred thanks for dropping by. I forgot to say that I only use Canna Coco, I've also used Bio Bizz, Plant Magic, & Gold Label. I find the big 50Ltr bags of 'fluffy' Canna Coco Professional have been the best for me. Luckily I haven't had too many problems with it in regards to bugs although I know a few growers that have, I've been lucky that way. I don't mind spending a lil extra for Canna, if it's worth doing it's worth doing right.


I totally agree with everything that hundred gram has said. There not one peice of information that is not correct or needs to be changed. good post bro!! K++


However DHF is also 100% correct. its a slippery slope ive been in coco for years... sometimes i seem to "lose" what i was doing and have a bad run... but then its just back to the basics...

Thanks PTB bro, I always try to KISS. The only time that I ran into problems was when I started using bigger pots with higher EC feeds, thats why I now use smaller pots and lowish strength mult-feeds, back to what has worked best for me.

Respect Poopy...and HGO`s my boy and he knows it.....Hell.....his GF told me ta go get my OWN groceries ta make his delicious lasagna last week cuz I sent my GF while bullshittin and hittin bongs......so...

Guess that kinda makes us fam.......in a "Cross da pond" kinda way........but....

I think the folks in da UK and Euro locations are havin WAAAAY more luck with coco than my medville growbro`s....

Fuckin salty ass inconsistencies in each bag from bag to bag , pallet to pallet with NO guarantees your gettin the same shit yas bought last time this time.....and then there`s the bug larvae.....

I bought the cheap shit from vgrove.com by the pallet and had it drop-shipped at my buddy`s landscape supply house back when it was cheap....Now they got the same price as botanicare , or damn close....and...none of the dry bales ever tested the same.....ever...

Yas gotta sift out the dust before hydrating/charging to prevent the coffee grounds mushy shit consistently and mix the stringy fibers with chunky perlite and chunks/husks for an excellent porous mix that the perlite will help with moisture retention.....

Anyways....Gotta know a copy of the rules with coco......or....you`ll continue to have issues.......

Peace....DHF.........


LOL DHF my GF is a blast, eh? :biglaugh: Glad that lasagna went good for you and the GF, I'm tempted to make another one this week ;) Your fam in my book bro.

I really don't know what the quality of coco is like in the US because I'm stranded in Ireland :biglaugh:, what is Canna like for you guys? The quality here is good but as I said above, I have seen some fellow growers have problems with bugs in Canna, as for salty coco I haven't seen that at all, every bag of Canna Coco that I've bought has been stable and consistent. I never charged it either, no need from my experience.


so what do yall think is the best size pot for coco in a 4x4 1kw setup...with 9 plants arranged in rows of 3......i used 3 gal pots last run and it seemed like they were rootbound a bit. i watered every day but my setup is no where near dialed...i always wondered if i should water more because the roots most definately overtook the entire pot quickly...

i also DTW coco with a bit runoff at the end...gotta use more drip clean in the future...i was using clearex since i had a gallon lying around.

Hi bro, IMO 2gal is more that enough for your setup. Keep watering them gals and they will pay ya back in the end. We call it Drain To Waste but come harvest time it's obvious that the 'Waste' wasn't wasted at all. Constant fresh nutes, salts being washed away, flushing every day, all the little things come together.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=194919 great example of what ur doin Prop215:

MH absolutely killed it this run!

hope ya dont mind HGO!
smile.gif

Not at all Bonzo, all about information exchange here bro.


Peace All & Grow Strong
HGO
 
Last edited:
G

Guest1298

i need to get that Chem D looks like a great strain how does she taste & how is the stone?
would you say its good for insomnia? cheers Dank
 

Ground Up

Member
Here we go.....again...so many truths and 1/2 truths with coco cuz NUTHIN`S written in stone when all medium consistencies vary SOOOO much across the board......and yes Bush Dr......

You can most definitely overwater coco as UP brought up with underdeveloped rootzones in smaller plants , and Head and I butted heads about this yrs ago when his thread started , but it all goes back to the consistency and quality control of the medium you purchase and try ta grow with......

The pre-bagged fluffy stuff that most folks use has less problems with compaction and holding water , but I`ve seen many many folks kill plants thinkin they hadta keep waterin their coco plants when in actuality they`d bought the bricks/bales , crumbled em up , hydrated the shit out of em , and had pots full of "coffee grounds" mushy shit that wouldnt dry out nor drain properly so O2 could be replenished in said rootzone from multiple feeds and fall over dead from drowning/choking......now.....

Got growbro`s that run flood and drain tables with 1 gal pots of aerated porous coco like HGO`s preachin , and pull big plants outta little pots , so yes....multiple feeds per day allows the rootzone to compact and bulk up in smaller containers cuz they don`t haveta dry out to send out "feeder" lateral roots and everything they need`s provided with hydroponic "like" feeds.....but....

I ran #5 smartpots fed once a day as an insurance policy from only goin to my setups once a week with dialed environment and had no problems whatsoever fillin the bags with roots and air-pruned to prevent root spinning where all plant energy could be concentrated on foliage and rootmass building till end of stretch , and with a rootball that size the plants had no problem with nutrient uptake , transpiration , and swellage by end of cycle......many ways ta skin a mule.....

And just like HGO says coco is a hydroponic or "semi" hydroponic medium , it`s actually a "soiless" medium that has to brought under certain parameters and made aerated and porous before yas can dial the shit and make bitches explode like HGO does.......

Gotta know a copy of the rules with coco ......but ......I get this every day from folks at many sites how easy coco is to dial with hydroponic like growth tendencies , and .....

I bite my tongue cuz they`re using the expensive pre-bagged/cal/mag charged shit that`s pretty much bulletproof with the knowledge of cation exchange capacity of cal/mag through end of stretch , and then potassium once full fledged bloomage is in force......anyways....

Coco DTW rocks with dripclean and HGO`s pics are proof in da puddin.....but...there are no constants with coco folks.....too many variables with quality control from manufacturers even from pallet to pallet......and for the kicker.....

I`m pretty sure after much collaboration with many experienced old head growers that the pre-bagged shit has been mostly responsible for rootborn insects by providing heated up warehouse stored environment for the eggs and larvae to hatch , proliferate , and all but be at epidemic proportions in all the med card states.....anyways.....that`s another thread......

Sorry fer cloggin yer thread Bro.......I just try ta keep it real...and...

Peace....DHF.....:ying:.....


:thank you: I torched a three lites this year from a batch of botanicaire shit coco.... lessoned learned...!!
 

Buddy Holly

Member
nice write-up. coco is great, the most flexible medium imo. canna is ok, im not crazy about the consistency, bunch of little balls basically. clumps up. cut it with croutons or a stringier coir like sunshine or botanicare. only ones i havent got gnats from is canna and botanicare.

i keep moms in coco. too easy. floranova 5ml per gal and done. cut em back, root prune, repot every so often to keep them vigorous and healthy. lot easier than dealing with soil or hydro setups in buckets or trays.

gotta say though hgo, the hydroton layer at the bottom of your pots is counterproductive. a layer on top isnt a bad idea but not really necessary but at the bottom all it does is raise the perched water table. you would be better off with more coco there instead. try it sometime.
 
Really good posts HGO. What would you recommend as far as pot size if you wanted to grow, say 2 Lb trees? I was thinking of using 13 gallon buckets with pvc drains plumbed into them. Also my grow will require transplanting in veg. Do you think there is a risk of over watering an established plant after you transplant her into the final container?
 

siftedunity

cant re Member
Veteran
nice post im also addicted to coco nad i love seeing how other people use there own tweaks etc. i will add that if your growing vertical your plants are gonna be that much more explosive and better yielding. but eitherway i think your method would kick ass with standard horizontal lighting also. interesting post mate.
 

siftedunity

cant re Member
Veteran
nice write-up. coco is great, the most flexible medium imo. canna is ok, im not crazy about the consistency, bunch of little balls basically. clumps up. cut it with croutons or a stringier coir like sunshine or botanicare. only ones i havent got gnats from is canna and botanicare.

i keep moms in coco. too easy. floranova 5ml per gal and done. cut em back, root prune, repot every so often to keep them vigorous and healthy. lot easier than dealing with soil or hydro setups in buckets or trays.

gotta say though hgo, the hydroton layer at the bottom of your pots is counterproductive. a layer on top isnt a bad idea but not really necessary but at the bottom all it does is raise the perched water table. you would be better off with more coco there instead. try it sometime.

i dunno if i agree with the last statement, standard pots with the limited amount of holes does actually stop it draining very quickly if you add the layer of hydroton at the bottom it leaves the drainage hole more open to drain any excess water.
 

roll it large

Coco-grower
Veteran
the hydroton in the pots also leap the larvae springtails etc from your pots when you water some old growers in the usa use this method but with chunky perlite instead they call em coco sammies

they uses bales and amend there coco

in the uk its bug central with cannacoco for me, airpots create a similar scenario to the hydroton with the raised bottom the springtails flush straight out and find it hard to get back in

again i can only echo what hgo is saying about pot size it seems for multi plants 6 plus per light over 6.5ltr is a waste of medium


like dhf said theres no definitive rules to coco but this is most definately a leap in the right direction

peace and vibes
 
D

DHF

All this shit originates in Sri Lanka for the most part , and has from the get....for the plant growing community that is........Legal or not...but ....

Who uses more coco than us....and they know it....That`s why they give 2 fucks on quality control........

Guaranteed Canna has the best quality control program to hydrate , dry , and sift out the coffee grounds dust , as well as pre-charging the expensive bags to provide for the CEC/holding onto ca/mag till a certain level is built up before releasing it back to the plants ftw......now...

It`s Calcium Nitrate , or Calcium Citrate that different manufacturers spike their shit with to charge those outrageous prices for the clean stuff.....but.....

It definitely makes a difference in nutrient profiles for the plants once they`re established....so....I wish these idiots could treat all the shit the same and charge decent prices for "exactly" the same product across the board ......but no......

All about profit margins and as little done on each and every end product for advertising and distribution for the bottom line.....and....

That`s why there`s so many inconsistencies in this medium that`s still in it`s infancy and yet to be given the credit it`s due for hydroponic like yields once dialed and hoonin.....

I`m hopeful for better manufacturer quality control in the future.....but not holdin my breath.....

Caveat Emptor....Let the buyer beware....and learn what it takes for coco to give excellent results before jumpin head first and killin or dwarfing buncha plants with shit for yields.........or....just use Canna and pay for it cuz......

HGO`s killin it with it...:dance013:...but....

Still learn a copy of the rules if shit goes sideways and needs help.....

Peace....DHF......:ying:.....
 

habeeb

follow your heart
ICMag Donor
Veteran
thing is, putting hydroton in the bottom does not assist in drainage at all

you could be using even smaller containers, which you mentioned which people really need to pay attention to when using coco.. and not messing with hydroton in the process...
 
Nice pots mate, giving the hydroton at the bottom a go but keeping it coco ontop because I like to get them to dry out a bit more than most seem to do around here. Cheers for the ideas
 

Arminius

"I'm not a pezzamist, I am an optometrist"
Veteran
Heya HGO,
Do you think it is possible to set up coco DTW with #2 smart pots? I know a bucket with a drain would be ideal, just not sure what kind of runoff, and floods I should expect with saucers and smart pots...
 
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