gaius - thats the reason the plants grown in coco are so lush compared to soil

[gaiusmarius]

yeah right, ........of course the trichoderma added to the coco slabs helps too. coco coir is natures own hydroponic medium. it just seems to make most plants feel at home and achieve their best. as simple as growing in earth if you want it to be. it has an ideal capacity to keep a healthy micro life. this gives it another advantage to conventional hydro, where the mediums micro life is repressed. it's also what makes coco grown buds so tasty when finished correctly. basically in coco they have combined the best of both hydro and earth growing in one medium. it's re useable at least 2, but up to 4 times. its biological, biodegradable and best of all come from a renewable source ie the coconut.

oh yes bonecarver, before i let myself get carried away with my enthusiasm for coco, let me get the label info up of this new product i'm using as a bloom stimulator, called calgel. so far i'm very happy with the way things are progressing, its such a thick syrup, it's like a paste and needs to be diluted in a jug of hot water before adding to the tank.

here is what it says on the english part of the label:

calgel is a high quality plant extract containing all macro and micro nutrients required for growth and bloom in any medium.

-visibly improves the absorption of nutrients at the root;
-assures a tangible strengthening and toughening of the top;
-assures a measurable increase in the mass of end product;
-assures the availability of sufficient magnesium for optimal chlorophyll and protein synthesis;
-does not contain harmful coloring agents and is not diluted with water. it consists only of the purest raw materials. therefore use with a low ec
-biogreen calgel is completely biological
-no best before date.

Use:

give once a week with the feed water. if using hydroponic growth methods use twice a week. if used in combination with the feed, reduce the ec of the feed in the tank by 0.3 and increase it again with calgel by 0.3 from the first week of bloom. (note: my guy told me that they mean after week 2 of 12/12 when the flowers start to show)

Mixing:

shake the container well, pour into a measuring jug. dissolve in hot water then stir well. because this is a pure undiluted fertilizer, it dissolves faster in hot water. once dissolved it is ready for use. fill tank to 3/4 then add solution.

peace out man

coco buds are really tasty - no doubt about that cant get enough

[Bongojaz]

[quote=cough_cough_eer], as I only water maybe once wvery other week?? I'm sure theres some nute burn too,next time I will use the coco and perlite only and water in the needed nutes..
I hand water into 1 gal buckets with epson salts.


you only water once every other week? from the look of your pics your coco is as dry as i've ever seen. you really need to increase the water/feed there asap! you may want to back off on the es salt too. i read somewhere else in here about checking ph. the correct way to measure pH in coir is to take a sample of coir from the rootzone, add 4 parts of distilled water, shake and then measure pH. coir buffers pH at about 6 so pH in coir isn't too much of an issue as long as you feed them the correct pH nutrient.

[stikky budz]

Cheers for your answer earlier Gaiusmarius

Here's another Q for ya >

When do you add PK 13/14 in coco?
When i've added it to soil 'n hydro grows i usually add it around the 5th week into flower ( as per instructions on bottle - 3 weeks from harvest ..ish )
In the coco grow guide on the Canna site its saying to add it at the > "generative stage,, small fruits develop",,, and they give a time schedule of about 2 - 3 weeks into flower,,,,2 to 3 weeks earlier than i would normally add it.

I'm coming up to 3 weeks 12/12 and wondering if i should use it now or wait a lil longer????

[gaiusmarius]

hey stikky budz,

the pk13/14 is one of those products that causes quite a bit of confusion. firstly because there are different companies making and selling the pk13/14, each has their own different recommendations on the bottle. secondly because canna has been researching the pk and it's ideal application rate and timing.

as you say the bottle of canna's pk says to use it 3 weeks from harvest. this is mostly how i use it, once the buds are a nice size with 3 to 4 weeks to go, i'll give them some pk13/14. i reduce the ec and make it up with pk so that the ec ends up only a little bit higher then it was before. this tends to give the buds and extra kick in the ass, causing them to swell up and get compacter.

but according to some, the pk should be started at week 2 of 12/12 in a 1/4 dose. and keep adding a 1/4 until week 4 then go up to half dose, at week 6 change to full dose. stop adding pk at week 7, go back to normal a+b till the last 5 days when you should give only water. remember to reduce the normal nutes a bit according to how much pk you are gonna add. remember that its a mineral based fert and it is very concentrated, give to much and the flowering can stop in it's tracks.

nowadays i don't even use the pk much any more. but thats also because my WW is such a nute sissy that i get great results with very low fert levels and no pk added, lol.

i have recently discovered the cal gel and i must say as the grow moves forward i'm liking the effect of this stuff more and more. it seems to me that the plants are further advanced then normal at this time. the best thing is that it's biological.

anyway i hope this clears up the different opinions on the pk 13/14.

peace out

[stikky budz]

Cheers m8.

Hmmmmm,,,,interesting.
I might do a side by side comparison in that case using both methods.

well put gaius - both methods of the PK use seems to have similar effects in the end

have u tried Ripen by GHE? it also works great

peace

[Human Nature]

I guess I might as well roll through here!

[gaiusmarius]

Originally Posted by stikky budz

Cheers m8.

Hmmmmm,,,,interesting.
I might do a side by side comparison in that case using both methods.

that would be a cool experiment, why don't you document it in a thread? would be interesting to see. when i tried it once from week 2 i wasn't too happy, my plants didn't look as healthy as normal. although the yield was good.

hey boncarver,

yeah i agree, there doesn't seem much difference in the end with the two pk application methods.

as for as the ripen goes, i still haven't gotten around to trying it out. i have always done the last few days in coco with ph corrected water only, the idea of continuing to give them a high ec in the flushing period goes against the grain with me. also i am so very happy with the taste i achieve with my way of treating the coco, that i am scared to change my method. but it sounds like i should pick up a bottle and try it out? good stuff is it? i have seen it on the shelf and thought about it, but never actually got it.


hey Human Nature

good to see you found your way over to the official coco growers thread, lol.