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smaller pots than soil???

G

Guest

my grow space is only able to hold 4 plants in 3gal grow bags. its a pretty tight fit using the bags too.

what i want to know is with coco are u able to use smaller pots and still get decent yields. i heard on another forum that unlike soil u can use smaller pots (like 2gals) and still have good sized plants. in the future when i find a strain that i like i will do a perpetual grow wit clones, when i get to that point i probably will only b growing 2 plants @ a time doing a scrog

also with coco is it easy for roots to get rootbound, i know that sounds like a dumbass question. but i want to end up using the smallest sized pot possible without having shitty yields. what sized pots do u coco growers finish flowering in?
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Aizan, you could grow some good-sized plants in two-gallon pots: going forward, that's what I'm going to use for flowering. I'm flowering my first round of coco ladies (Odyssey, seen below) in one-gallon pots and at just over 30 days can see already that the yields are WAY ahead of where the same strain was last time I chopped in 3.5 gallon pots of soil. When it comes to pot size (and yield!), it's just a whole 'nother medium. You can get away with much smaller pots in coco than you could with soil.

011107nice.jpg


Still, I do wish I'd transplanted into two-gallon pots before flowering, because the plants are getting so heavy that they kept tipping over until I weighed 'em down with river stones! The one-gallon pots don't provide enough weight/stability.
 
G

Guest

ok coo just wanted some reassurance that with coco u can go smaller

and theres the proof wow those are in 1 gals thas hot!!!
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
I know, it's nuts. There's no way plants this size would make it in one-gallon pots of soil, they'd be so totally rootbound. Coco is a miracle medium!
 
G

Guest

let me ask u this do u know the reason y it works out that way

im curious
 
gaiusmarius

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
it really depends on how you feed the coco. regular daily feeding allows for less root volume. with a drip feed you can use incredibly small amounts of coco and still get plants like this. even with only a few days of veg phase on the slabs.



if on the other hand you only water it once every few days, then you will need a pot just as big as in earth ideally speaking that is. treat it like hydro and it can do with an incredibly small amount of root space.
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Yeah, I've been hand-watering the plants every day. At this point they'd probably keel over if I didn't. I'd like to get 'em on a three- or four-times-daily feeding regimen, but that's going to have to wait until I get things automated.
 
G

Guest

gaiusmarius said:
it really depends on how you feed the coco. regular daily feeding allows for less root volume. with a drip feed you can use incredibly small amounts of coco and still get plants like this. even with only a few days of veg phase on the slabs.
Click to expand...

so is a drip system a must then, i plan on and hand watering until i figure out if i can even do a drip setup in my cab and thats a big if

but i'll do some searches n c if i can find something about drip systems
 
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gaiusmarius

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
no a drip feed is not a must, you can hand water them daily if you want. you will still be able to use smaller pots, then with earth.
 
G

Guest

ok cool thanx for yall's help

cant wait to start my second grow lol im still on my first using soil
 
G

Guest

ok so im going to start some new seeds tomorrow i cant wait ne more lol

how do u determine your watering schedule, i mean one guy waters every two days while another person waters everyday and then u have people that water a couple times a day. since i want to keep them small should i just water twice a day.
 
gaiusmarius

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
basically you decide what kind of watering rhythm you want to use. the plants will adapt their roots to what you are doing in terms of watering. hand watering 2 times a day is not realistic. in the beginning you will be all motivated, but with time you will find it a big pain in the ass to have to water 2 times a day. even 1 times a day can be a big pain. so really a dripper or automatic watering setup is a big plus. but it certainly can be done by hand. just takes discipline :D
 
G

Guest

it wouldnt b a pain trust me, im at home alot not all the time but alot lol
 
truecannabliss

truecannabliss

TrueCanna Genetics - Selection is art
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Im a hand watering coco grower that waters daily (sometimes twice) and spends up to 3 hours with my girls a night(their morning).....wouldnt have it any other way, I love the time spent in the grow and feel that a daily interaction benefits the plants massivly(as well as myself).
Plants grown in coco will be able to get much bigger than those grown in soil and show no signs of stress.
Peace
 
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NPK

NPK

Active member
Yeah, I spend at least an hour every evening tending to my coco girls, and more when there are other things to attend to, like reservoir maintenance, emptying receptacles, and so on. I enjoy it, too, but I don't want my human girl to feel neglected, like I put my garden in front of her. The garden IS a top priority and my fiance is amazingly patient and understanding, but I can't keep dividing my evenings like this...it's a big reason why I need to automate. I'm going to make it happen before she moves in with me two months hence.
 
Dalton

Dalton

Member
^^^^^^^
I'm in the same spot NPK. My gf actually asked me if I spend so much time in my garden to get away from her, which isn't the case. I'm automating next month and can't wait to have more time for other things. Aizen I think your going to do just fine
handwatering in a cab because it's alot less work. It will also give you a good understanding of growing in coco. Best of luck!
 
G

Guest

thanx dalton

and since i can go smaller im gonna finish in 1.5 square gal pots i can get six in my flowering cab and now i made a bootleg veg cab lol that can veg alot of plants if i want
 
gaiusmarius

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
yes automation means you can spend your time checking the important things.

to really start learning what the plants are saying at any given stage, you need to spend time with them. it helps to stare at the plants and let your mind wander, really look at the leaves, the color, the texture, the saw teeth, the shape, the position and the color of the stem. all these things tell you some thing about the strain you are growing and by really looking at every stage you can learn so much, specially for next time with the same strain.

anyway, when it comes to popping seeds, you do it just like in earth. no watering every day until the seedling has become a plant. soak the coco, sow the seed and only add water when you see it needs it. depending on the pot size, every few days will be enough. with new clones it's the same you put them in cubes and let them root into those cubes well before you put them in the system with the automated watering or hand watering every day as the case might be.
 
G

Guest

gaiusmarius said:
anyway, when it comes to popping seeds, you do it just like in earth. no watering every day until the seedling has become a plant. soak the coco, sow the seed and only add water when you see it needs it. depending on the pot size, every few days will be enough.
Click to expand...

thanx i planted in straight coco cause i dont like the perlite that they sell in the local stores shit is always floating to the top. guess i shouldnt have to water every day then huh?
 
SilverSurfer_OG

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I have one big plant in a 4 gallon container (100% coco too) and she needs watering every 2 days... in hot weather when my temps sit around the 28 -30C mark she sucks water fast... in 1 gallon i imagine watering every day is a must.
 
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