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Guest 18340
I know this much, I fuckin love growing in coco!
not certain actually. have ppm meter, but only occasionally test the ec/tds/ppm of the initial mix. dont really test run-off for ppms, or loss of electrical charge on the nylon rope.
whole point was to put away meters, testing equipment, etc. and see if all of that shit was needed to grow tomatoes. works well. dont need an entire room full of machines for a support system; just a couple buckets and thats it. chose reliable nutes so as to keep big box of gadgets @ bay.
have tested run-off couple times, just to post results in thread. ph was 6.0-6.3 in bottom buckets, after sitting there for a few days - no air stone. only h202 for aeration. no issues.
after doing run a couple times w/out using a meter (except to occasionally test ph of solution before handwatering), have no desire to pull out box of tools, or set schedule for testing this/that.
just feed gh flora nova+floralicious+kool bloom+humic acid+molasses+h202. seems to buffer itself out well. settling aroung 6.0. add vinegar to lower, maybe pro-tekt, or more h202 to raise ph.
if there is any loss of nutes during travel on rope, could be due to the polarity of the specific charges of ferts.
cations are positive charges; they repel like charges. anions are negative; they attract opposite charges.
example:
potassium metal=k+ cation
calcium metal=ca+ cation
nitrogen non-metal=n- anion
nitrate non-metal=no3- anion
potassium nitrate nutrient kno3=cation k, bonded to anion no3
calcium nitrate nutrient cano3=cation bonded to anion no3
the nutes could possibly dissociate on rope, but loss would be negligible. if starting nute was 1000ppms, a loss of even 250 (1/40 would leave 750 ppms. enough to sustain and expand plant. problem would occur if specfic nutes were lost on rope and never made it to root zone.
not into over feeding plants; but giving just enough that they want for nothing. the main ingredient is water. presence of nutes in lots of availale water is key here. can easily foliar spray w/ same nute as root zone @ 1/4 strength, or >250ppm, @ ph 7.0, if any deficiencies. have never witness deficies w/ gh nutes.
there are microfiber towels that have looked into, but ropes work well here. incredibly inexpensive and functional.
really see gardeners coddling their plants, or being too overly concerned w/ a few ppms, or a few points of ph shift. just relax, and enjoy the garden!
had whole room of aero, dwc, pumps (air+water), etc. @ one time. used to go in there and spend an hour checking this/that BEFORE checking plants. want to spend time enjoying peace and tranquility of gardening, not checking a bunch of machines that are, in actuality, not necessary to grow superior fruit. abandoned machines and testing things constantly, and focus on PLANTS themselves. just supply minimum food, plenty of water, and they will do what they do!
hope this helps. enjoy your garden!
*mistress* - that's a hell of a reply... I've only tested with a DuPont material called hydromax. I was worried about buildup in the wicking material and stopped using it. I think you are right, it's prob negligible. I also agree with keeping things simple, but I like my meters 
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Guest 18340
*mistress*, gotta agree with 3dDream, heckuva response! VERY insightful, nice.
thx 3dDream!*mistress* - that's a hell of a reply... I've only tested with a DuPont material called hydromax. I was worried about buildup in the wicking material and stopped using it. I think you are right, it's prob negligible. I also agree with keeping things simple, but I like my meters
salts do build up on the rope, no question.
sludge can build up too. actually let a bucket go w/ absolutely no provision for build up of whatever. gh fnb +the old floralicious bloom can be thick and smell of funk; when mixed w/ molasses, get really sludge-like.
rope was caked w/ shit...
since into experimenting (in imagination), actually mixed solution of hydrogen peroxide (h202) w/ iodine (denatured alcohol w/ ammonium & potassium iodides). works well to oxidize wounds, worked well on ropes + bottom of buckets + drainage hole unwanted-life.
foliar sprayed same h202+iodine solution onto lackluster plants. worked as perker again.
general cleanser/oxidizer of most build-up is h202 @ 2-3 cap fulls per liter. can skip iodine if not experimental.
also ran bucket that constantly had water up to right below drainage hole, so rope was submerged in solution. harder to accumulate build-up in liquid, dry out any.
change wicks ea run...
thx evlme2! enjoy your garden!evlme2 said:
wickedpete66
Active member
Thats why i love hempy buckets. Its almost impossible to over water. Plus having the perlite about an inch over the drain hole. Roots get the nutrients and the coca never gets wet feet
~fvk~
the Lion is going Guerrilla...
Ditto. That's all you'll ever need to know about overwatering coco.
chemsteady
Member
;
;
in regular pots, you can definitely over-water coco...
-c
;
in regular pots, you can definitely over-water coco...
-c
G
Guest 18340
What kind of pots are regular pots?in regular pots, you can definitely over-water coco...
-c
~fvk~
the Lion is going Guerrilla...
I think Chem might mean round pots, and of course... Any plant in coco can be overwatered if the roots aren't relative to the size of the pot their in. When I first started growing in coco, I overwatered in keg cups before with seedlings and just about killed them. 3D said if the plant is smaller than the pot, the plant can be overwatered. I think this would be a damn good rule of thumb...
I've used 6 inch squares, 1 gallon rounds, and 2 gallon rounds. Never had a problem with up to 5 drips a day after nailing the whole root system thing.
I've used 6 inch squares, 1 gallon rounds, and 2 gallon rounds. Never had a problem with up to 5 drips a day after nailing the whole root system thing.
chemsteady
Member
hehe.
hehe.
i was just being facetious. you can over water anything unless it has a sufficient amount of air to supplement roots. theres always something lost im translation, hehe.
-c
ps. i think you should all listen to fvk.
hehe.
i was just being facetious.
you can over water anything unless it has a sufficient amount of air to supplement roots. theres always something lost im translation, hehe. -c
ps. i think you should all listen to fvk.
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PrinSeshJasmine
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chemsteady
Member
kinda.
kinda.
i agree with you to a certain extent princess, but the real issue with over watering has to do with allowing the plants to breathe, not an overabundance of feed.
i think we both agree, however, that even a plant that has a substantial root system developed can be over watered, like you said, with improper irrigation. were all saying the same thing, huh?
-c
kinda.
i agree with you to a certain extent princess, but the real issue with over watering has to do with allowing the plants to breathe, not an overabundance of feed.
i think we both agree, however, that even a plant that has a substantial root system developed can be over watered, like you said, with improper irrigation. were all saying the same thing, huh?
-c
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PrinSeshJasmine
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~fvk~
the Lion is going Guerrilla...
Yeah, the vocabulary gets us all sometimes.
I think the most of us are on the same page though. The bigger the roots, the more it's going to drink, the more it's going to transpire, the more water it's going to need. It's going to drink a lot more when the roots are built up nicely in a smaller pot, a lot less when it's the other way around.
And in my experience, it's pretty much impossible to overwater when the root system is built up nicely and it wants more than one feeding/watering a day. And yeah, like Evl said, coco will only retain a certain amount of water. You could water til run off all day but it's just going to release what it can't hold.
HID's and the sun.
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Guest 18340
Well said.
curious about threshold for overwatering?...
@ what point can a gardener specifically physically identify, and isolate a plant as having symptoms of being 'overwatered', specifically in coco?
in this imaginary garden, have watered 6" over the drain line (4 gallon bucket lodged in 5 gallon bucket, drain hole @ 2" from bottom of 4 g). the plant just drinks the water; especially in mid-bloom. they can easily drink 1-2 gallons a day (~3-4' plant). the water level can easily be below the drain line by morning, or w/in 24-36 hrs, max.
dont really see how it wouyld be possible to overwater such a plant? if anything, most folks w/ an automated watering system, would probably underwater theie plants @ the same period. unless they have a pure-water top-off. they dont eat 1000ppms of nutes during same period (~24hr period), but they get drunk off of water during mid-bloom.
so, for those that need clarity...
what are the specific physical symptoms of
1) overwatering; and
2) underwatering?
in coco...
look forward to all members contributing to defining clear parameters, so all can know bright line, so to speak.
enjoy your garden!
@ what point can a gardener specifically physically identify, and isolate a plant as having symptoms of being 'overwatered', specifically in coco?
in this imaginary garden, have watered 6" over the drain line (4 gallon bucket lodged in 5 gallon bucket, drain hole @ 2" from bottom of 4 g). the plant just drinks the water; especially in mid-bloom. they can easily drink 1-2 gallons a day (~3-4' plant). the water level can easily be below the drain line by morning, or w/in 24-36 hrs, max.
dont really see how it wouyld be possible to overwater such a plant? if anything, most folks w/ an automated watering system, would probably underwater theie plants @ the same period. unless they have a pure-water top-off. they dont eat 1000ppms of nutes during same period (~24hr period), but they get drunk off of water during mid-bloom.
so, for those that need clarity...
what are the specific physical symptoms of
1) overwatering; and
2) underwatering?
in coco...
look forward to all members contributing to defining clear parameters, so all can know bright line, so to speak.
enjoy your garden!
P
PrinSeshJasmine
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CandyColas
Member
So I've had this idea with coco. I know that part of the reason that coco works so well is that it holds a large amount of oxygen for the roots. More oxygen to the root zone (to a point) increases growth right? My idea is to coil up an air diffuser line in the bottom inch of a pot filled with coco to increase air to the root zone. I'm just not sure that it would work as coco is not a fluid like water. The air is probably going to find the easiest route out of the pot and that may mean that instead of percolating evenly through the substrate to the top, it may just go to the outside wall and up. The only reason that it might work is due to the fact that coco holds a large amount of water. I'm going to try this in my next grow with a spare plant unless any of you have already tried this with poor results.
What do you guys think?
What do you guys think?
