Coco vs sunshine m ix #4 with H@G

[chefro420]

Couple pix of some OGC i just finished in ss#4.

 

[]A[Boss]

no, never let coco dry out on established plants. There is no reason to. If that 5 gallon isn't filled with roots then you can water once a day until it's filled up then you should have no probs watering twice.

 

[headband 707]

no, never let coco dry out on established plants. There is no reason to. If that 5 gallon isn't filled with roots then you can water once a day until it's filled up then you should have no probs watering twice.

I agree but if it's wet your going to need to back off if it's showing mold or overwatering problems.. I fucked up on my coco not understanding it's limitations lol peace out Headband707

 

[Buddler]

Couple pix of some OGC i just finished in ss#4.

Nice job on the og ..Can def grow some bud there . Buddler

 

[Buddler]

no, never let coco dry out on established plants. There is no reason to. If that 5 gallon isn't filled with roots then you can water once a day until it's filled up then you should have no probs watering twice.

Yes so true you cant overwater coco .Check out Grateful H3ad coco thread keep it wet all the time .Plants will grow way faster.Kind like a e/f system flood twice a day feeds oxygen to roots which plants love.. i used to grow in peat so its hard to convert to not treating like soil cause they will grow like that, but not as fast.. B

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Question for yall's. Im rather new to growing and been having trouble with PH and soil mixes. I switched to SS #4 this grow, mixed with very little worm castings, it appears im getting locked out. Im upset because iM doing everything by the book, keep my area clean and get spotty purple plants again. looks like rust. Im using Botanicare nutrients with liquid Karma and feeding at 6.3-6.5. Just a night mare. Do you add anything to your mixes? What fertilelizers have you had sucsess with? What Ph do you feed with?

MC,

I've grown in Promix BX the last 2 years with no problems. Before that I did about 4 runs in FF Happy Frog with mixed results.
I mix 1 gal Promix with 1/3 gal perlite, 2 cups EWC, one cup of hydrated dolomite lime, and a cup each of N and K bat guanos.
I feed using AN 3 part using 1/4 the recommended dose on their schedule. pH buffer to 6.5 if needed, but it's usually close. Anything 6.2 to 6.8 is close enough. Runoff pH is usually between 6.5- 6.7 regardless, because of the lime fixation.
Letting the pH fluctuate a little each way each feeding allows me to attack a pH lockout. I occasionally need to do a foliar feeding with epson salt if the Mg gets low. Happens usually once a grow.

I also like to brew up a tea or two during a promix run and skip the chem nutes for a spell. Pretty easy and the plants sure seem to like it.

 

[chefro420]

All plants got lollipopped yesterday

 

[Chomp]

All plants got lollipopped yesterday

Que es this...lollipopped???

Otherwise looking very good bro

Chomp

 

[chefro420]

I cut off the branches and leaves on the bottom 2 feet of the plant. Helps with airflow and removes material that gets little light.

 

[Chomp]

I cut off the branches and leaves on the bottom 2 feet of the plant. Helps with airflow and removes material that gets little light.

I've heard of doing that, but never heard it called lollipopped before...

Looks good man...Chomp

 

[chefro420]

The coco is showing quite a bit more of a stretch. A lot more then the previous times I have ran this cut .

 

[fletchman]

Straight out of the bag Sunshine #4, what PH are you guys recommending?

Thanks for any info,

 

[chefro420]

The stretch in the coco kicked my ass , not anticipated at all! The clone in ss#$ is a good 1-2 feet shorter then the coco clones!

 

[Chomp]

Wow that's crazy man....are they really stretched out and stringy, or was it a good healthy stretch?

Chomp

 

[3gunpete]

heyo!! I was wondering what the benefits and or cons would be with mixing coco and soil. I did it years ago, had problems, didn't really understand everything i was doing back then and have drastically simplified my syst. But would like to start experimenting more again.

Was also hoping yall can share techniq for starting newly rooted clones into coco. I'm currently rooting them in grow plugs sunkin in straight perlite that is in transparent tupperware. And rooting fast healthy clones. But they would struggle when transed into ffof premix soil.( it would take sum strains weeks to start growing in this ff soil and then they would do well once they got going.?. kinda tired of inconsistent soil and am considering the switch to coco, ew castings and perlite.

(BTW my tap comes out at around 7+, should i use ph down on my clone water after adding cal/mag?) And how often should i use the 5ml pg cal/mag on new cuts,established cuts and full blown plants when using coco with ew castings? Great thread by the way.

 

[Chomp]

3gunpete, clones are usually very hungry when they first root and need ferts right away...especially if you transplant into coco which has no nutrients in it at all. What I like to do is presoak the coco with 1/2 strength veg nutrients with 1/2 strength cal/mag added to "precharge" the coco.

I grow straight coco so I feed with every watering at this strength until the plants show they need more.

IMHO if you are going to switch to coco...just go straight coco and ditch the perlite and EWC...you'll be more than happy as your plants explode!

Chomp

 

[3gunpete]

IMHO if you are going to switch to coco...just go straight coco and ditch the perlite and EWC...you'll be more than happy as your plants explode!

Chomp[/quote]


thanx chomp! Any reason why i should ditch the perlite and ew?
Also any advise on balancing ph of plain as well as nutrient water? Any difference for clone water and plant water? I have been led to believe coco base should be slightly lower ph than soil. Any in sight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chomp]

thanx chomp! Any reason why i should ditch the perlite and ew?
Also any advise on balancing ph of plain as well as nutrient water? Any difference for clone water and plant water? I have been led to believe coco base should be slightly lower ph than soil. Any in sight would be greatly appreciated.

Ditch the perlite and ewc because you don't need it in coco. Once roots are well established you can't overwater coco, but if you start putting things like ewc in it then you change the equation. Coco is a supreme grow medium all on its own as long as you have good drainage. Check out the coco section in the grow forums; it's very informative....

Coco works best at a lower pH than soil... IME I like to let it swing between 5.5 and 6.0 at different feedings...You can get the cheap GH test kit for about $7.... No difference between plant and rooted clones. Since you're feeding at every watering use 1/2 strength nutrients and your plants will love you....no plain water ever IMHO. Even seedlings need to be fed in coco because there's nothing in it until you put it in there....

I use vinegar to lower my pH...It's cheap and effective for coco if you're hand watering. If you're doing a drip system using a res then you may want to get some GH pH down for its longer effect. Vinegar doesn't work well in a reservoir because it won't keep the pH down for a long time.

Oh yeah...I only use Botincare coco bales...the big blocks that you have to expand. It's the only coco I've ever used due to it's relative low salt content. One good rinse with hot water and it's good to grow

Hope this helps...any more questions I'll be happy to help...

Chomp

 

[3gunpete]

thanx again chomp!! advise is much apprec.

I used to be too proud to ask for help. Now im smart enough to know better. Proof is in the pudding and ill have to find out for myself through experience, but if you can get some advice that saves some time and money........

 

[3gunpete]

hey fellas, got another question.

What nutes are you all using?

Are there any omri listed organis coco nutes out there?

Cant i use a full spectrum liquid regimen just like soil?