it sure is very concentrated one small bottle is enough for a very long time

we pay here 7 euro for the smalest bottle - dont remember how many ml it is

keep us posted on the kal gel - u can tell where to find mroe info about it?

peace

[sproutco]

So how are coco growers supposed to test the ph? Pour through method of adding a small amount of distilled water to it already wet and measuring the ph of the runoff from the drain holes? Directions for testing soil ph are in my signature. Can coco growers use the same directions?

Wish I could answer that with experience Sproutco...but from what I've read from coco nute manufacturers....you take a small sample of coco from the root zone and place in in a vessel of some sort with some distilled water. Swish it around, and let sit for 15 mins...mixing more if you like I guess. Then measure the runoff from that.

I have never checked my coco ph that way, cause I've never had a preoblem. I have used my Kelway a few times for shits and giggles....but I just keep all water/nute going in to be 5.8.

No lime in my mix either.

Cheers,
Sh

[stikky budz]

What Canna do is this >

Fill a measuring jug to the 150ml mark with deminerlaised water.

Top up to the 250ml mark with wet coco samples taken from various areas of the root zone.

Stir well and let rest for at least 2 HOURS.

Filter the substance and measure the filtrate.

Originally Posted by sproutco

Directions for testing soil ph are in my signature. Can coco growers use the same directions?

After watching the Canna DVD,,, it would seem logical to me that's probably the most accurate way to test ph.... wether it be in coco or soil.
I doubt there are many growers that actually test their ph (and e.c) correctly.
Personally, i dont think the "run off" way is accurate enough.

just my thoughts

[Kenny Lingus]

Quote:
4) How do I prepare the RW-cubes for inserting the rooted clones -will an overnight soak in pH 5,5] balanced 3-part GHE solution for rooting clones be fine or should I use the Coco A+B and maybe some kelp and thricoderma?

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ok if you get grodan cubes or another well known brand you shouldn't have to soak them overnight. i tell you what i do and have been doing for a long time. i spread the number of cubes i need on trays, then i fill a tank with water with very weak dose of nutes like ec 0.8 add the recommended dose of rhizotonic, correct the ph and done. that water i use to make the rw cubes on the trays soaking wet, till they are standing in a puddle in the trays. this takes quite some going over them with the hose as the cubes are slow to take up the water. but once you see that they are really soaked through, they are ready to have the clones planted in the holes. as easy as that. i know people talk about pre soaking the rw cubes, but i have never bothered, maybe if you get some building rw it needs conditioning, but those cubes with the holes have never needed it since i have been using them. but its up to you, if you feel better about it, leave your cubes in the tank for a night. again at this point is where you have to decide will you treat them like hydro or not. if yes, then never worry about squeezing water back out of the cubes or stuff like that, when you water them every 3 days, just give them plenty. of the same stuff you use to soak the rw cubes with.

THX alot for replieing so fast GM and BC!

I'm beginning to feel like a dumbass asking Q's that probably is answered all over the forums. Thing is, that since I've been doing mostly Bio-Bizz and Bio-Canna in organically ammended soil(less)-mixes I have never payed attention to pH for anything. (Just had a few problems due to myself forgetting to put dolomite in the medium or dilluting a feeding solution properly. -I would probably have grown a little better stuff if I always assured the pH was right. But as this was strictly personal supplies and I didn't have the necessary tools to measure it so I managed without.
-I should get done rambling now and head for what worries me.

My tapwater is nominated to drift between pH 5.85-7.15, but I have gotten readings at pH 6-6,5 (a little more sixish I beleive) from GHE testkit-drops. And for test-plants in buckets I gave plain tap-water and nutes that seemed to work fine. I also tried lowering the pH with their dry pH-down wich should give a value of 5-6 in most waters, but it sent it down at pH 4. I had too really reduce the recommended dosage and when I finally did it the bucket worked ok too... (I have a feeling that our public tap-water is very good and clean at pH 6,2 or so, with a very little satls in it like max. EC 0.2ms/sec. Don't think theres much chloride in it either)
-....and again I should quit rambling and ask my questions


1) I just wonder if the cubes internal pH will start hovering, and at what pH I should use at the solution for them and the slabs (what pH to keep in the res.)?

2) Do you people think I will need any pH adjustment with the Canna Coco regime, and if I do; up or down? (Would GHE- Dry pH-down powder suffice?)

3) When I start using my new Milwaukee instruments should I for instance measure the EC/ppm first, and then the pH last?


Hope I'm not bugging you in the middle of a hectic falls harvest. (Especially you outdoor guys down in spain.)
Wish I could leave Scandalnavia for a milder climate and society....- But I guess I will in the future. (And actually I like it here up north. At least most of the year, so its not like I'm complaining or anything...)

[gaiusmarius]

Hey sproutco

if you go back to Mampi's first post in this thread you will find the instructions from canna on how to measure your coco coir ec and ph. it involves taking samples from many places and adding distilled water, yes indeed. although i never bother with that kind of measuring, lol.

hey stikkybudz,

you have a good point about the correct way to measure ph and ec of the coco. the run off is not reliable because it changes values depending on how much water is in the slabs. you can test the run off when it first starts to dribble out and it will give different reading then when the water is gushing out. so yes, good point. the thing is with time you get to understand the coco, and you know how the reaction in the medium is always behind what's actually going on. also by making sure you only measure the return at the point when you have let the pump run long enough for lots of water to be gushing out again. if you only measure at that point it helps to give you an idea of what's going on nute wise. with time you learn at which point the return can be safely ignored and when you should react. but in the end it doesn't matter, you can go through a whole grow with never once checking the ec or ph of the coco. just follow their instruction and throw the return away and you can safely ignore it all, just concentrating on keeping your tank ec and ph at optimum levels. coco is so well buffered that it can take a lot of abuse before things start to go wrong.

hey Kenny Lingus,

1-the solution for soaking your rw cubes should be ph corrected to around 5.8 to 6.0

2-my tap water ph is 7.4 and my ec is 0.3 and it is no problem what so ever. i add the ferts to the ec i want, then i add ph minus (phosphoric acid) to lower the ph to 6.0 the canna nutes do lower it a bit but not enough for my high tap water ph. with your ph of 6.2 you might have to add some ph plus, as you don't want a lower ph then 5.7 really.

3- fill the tank with water, add the zym product if you use it. add the A+B, rhizotonic and mix it all up real good to your desired ec level. then correct the ph, probably upwards if your tap ph is already at 6.2 it could be that you never have to correct your ph at all. as the canna coco already lowers it a bit.

Originally Posted by gaiusmarius

hey stikkybudz,

you have a good point about the correct way to measure ph and ec of the coco. the run off is not reliable because it changes values depending on how much water is in the slabs.

coco explained
according to this link, coco is filled with sodium chloryde , which leads to CA/MA deficiencies.I'm thinking that flushing the medium whith a light grow fert water can do the trick.


a friend has the same problem as sproutco: at 15 days old, seedlings'growth got stunned, lower leaves yellowing, mag deficiency...they're still healing.It looks like the algamic saved them , since the nutrient uptake/balance seemed messed up by coco itself.

still not sure if the plants can be saved though they're doing better


the only way he found was to flush with 5.9 water, then water only with 1ml biobloom, 1ml biogrow, 2 ml algamic (micro nutrients), and give them the same in foliar feed.

[gaiusmarius]

that's because he is letting the coco dry out between waterings. this causes a concentration of the salts. by watering every day or every other day, with ec 0.9 and ph 5.8 and that plant will come around no problems, within days you'll see. coco is not earth, do not let it get dry regularly. if you do you have to use a very low fert level and flush it regularly. to get the best out of coco, treat it like a hydroponic medium.

good growings

thank you very much gaius marius .

[gaiusmarius]

you're most welcome lurker,

the other point to remember, is that coco needs coco specific nutrients to work at it's best. the npk proportions are different in coco ferts then other hydro or even earth ferts. in coco the plants end up using more N then in other mediums. even in the flowering phase a lot on N is still used in coco.