Noob Unhappy with Flora Duo A+B in Coco what should I switch to? What about Canna?

[stoned40yrs]

I haven't done that because nobody has told me to. Everything I read says something different about growing in coco so I decided to use the GH recommendations. Every time I ask online I get a ton of different answers and i'm never sure which is the right thing to do. It's really hard to be a novice and try to learn this way. How do I know which advice is sound? Which methods to use?

So are you saying I should just be using part B, nothing else, and feeding every day? How much per gallon? Why?

Doesn't the yellowing and chlorosis mean I'm not getting enough Nitrogen?

I haven't ever run straight water through them. I've fed with every watering since they reached the vegetative phase.

That's true I forgot about that. I never know who to believe either I have about 50 grows in soil and am doing my first grow in coco. I have the time so I spent the last 4 months reading not hundreds but thousands of pages on this forum and others about growing in coco so I don't screw up.
I can tell you after the coco is charged in the beginning with cal mag and then you start running base nutes that contain calmag (like you are) that you don't add even more calmag from a bottle every feeding
Your Part A is 5-0-6
Your Part B is 1-5-4
According to the feeding schedule you should be at 1 Tsp of A and 2 Tsp of B per gal at 3 weeks into flower, right?
Don't worry about lower leaves not getting any light that are turning yellow. I would quit with the calmag if you are going to keep giving them A and B.

 

[malufizzgig]

No to 1tsp A and 2tsp B, In TSP that would be 5ml a and 10ml. I'm at 5 and 7.5, so 1tsp A to 1.5tsp B per gallon.

But I'm following their simple drain to waste and that's what it says for early to mid bloom. This stays the same until week 11. In their simple drain to waste, the only thing that changes throughout bloom is the concentration of the other nutes I'm not using.

 

[malufizzgig]

So to clarify, I'm currently using 5ml A and 7.5ml B and 2.5 calimagic.

 

[mikeee420]

I strongly think after your description of your symptoms that you have a magnesium deficiency. Intervenial chlorosis on the lower leaves with taco leaves on the new growth. And since the ratio of cal to mag in the calimag is so much more in favor of cal that while adding that you'd think it would solve any calmag problems may actually be further throwing off the balance. You should try adding some epsom salts instead of calimag for a few days since epsom is pure mag, and see if symptoms improve.

Maybe even continue calmag but give em like half of what youre currently doing plus the epsom. What that will do is even out your cal to mag ratio. Optimal is like 3 to 2, your calimagic is probably 5 to 1. Do that and see.. I think it will work well for your situation

 

[RetroGrow]

K.I.S.S.
One part.
Foolproof.

 

[ozzieAI]

like retro said....KISS (Maxibloom) is the simplest i have ever used...i just had to get used to running a higher EC than i did in the past

 

[Coconutz]

Water everyday dude
skip the calmag
a/b done
you're welcome

 

[Justinsane]

I myself use green house powder feeding, one powder all thru veg and bloom.

I use it with tapwater and feed/water every day, and i NEVER go as high as the nutes company tell me to. I ALWAYS look at my plants and let them tell me how much they need.

I start at 10% from day 1.

Now i have 2 Pananama and 2 orient express at day 18 and im up to 25% in nute strenght.

I use GHPF instead of KISS maxibloom because im in Europe and i cant find maxibloom here, only with shipping that cost more then the bag itself.

But check out GHPF mate, and dont give up on growing or coco, coco is the bomb when you get it right,

justin

 

[mowood3479]

i use botanicare pure blend pro... its a one part, easy peasy. i would reccomend never using the suggested dose on any nutrient bottle... start with 1/2 strength or less and work up from there...
any nutrient line administered at full dosage is likely tp cause problems... back off the feed until the plants tell you they want more

 

[mowood3479]

ive run 10 or so harvests just using the botanicare pbp 1 part and nothing else... i start at about 50% of the charted dosage and work my way up to 85%.... havent had to give the full dose yet.

 

[Snow Crash]

It does sound like interveinal chlorisis, likely a magnesium deficiency caused by lock out and over feeding.

The most "idiot-proof" nutrient line I have used in coco is Botanicare's CNS 17 Grow, Bloom, and Ripe. The feed instructions are spot on. They are all 1 part suspensions so there's really no extra mixing to do, sometimes there is a little 2 bottle overlap around the transition and in later bloom.

Veganics in coco was okay for me. Pretty much just like growing in soil as far as the rates are concerned, but more work. I'd go for a stronger soil/compost/coco mixture if you want to go vegan with your nutrients.

Shedding a lot of the BS about coco is tough to do. It's really hard to figure out who's got the good advice and who's just blowing steam. It will take you some grows with coco to figure things out. Best tool in the garden is your journal. Keep good notes, watch your nutrients in and out, and from one grow to the next you'll improve easily and quickly. Without the notes you're relying on imperfect memory and things can get tricky trying to dial it all in. Don't underestimate yourself - Apply a little scientific method here and you'll be off to the races with coco and have a much better understanding of gardening in the process.

 

[malufizzgig]

Thanks a lot for the input snow. I lowered the EC of my solution and am feeding more regularly. I kept the Calmag and I'm feeding a+b and Calmag as per schedule with about a gallon of RO added to dilute a bit. New growth looks better, and I'm not worried about the leaves yellowing toward the bottom, seems that light penetration is poor and next grow needs to be better planned.

 

[malufizzgig]

Thanks everyone this is all really helpful.

 

[Coconutz]

Im currently running 5 strains and just threw out 6 others.
A few of the 5 strains are from seed and I have several different phenos of each.
Not once in the past several years of growing have any of my plants ever needed more calcium or magnesium when they get enough base nutes and are not ever allowed to dry out.
You will never see a cal & mag deficiency... Its always one or the other.
Whats worse is that its usually a mag lockout caused by too much cal or N from the calmag that doesnt even need to be used.
Especially after the coco has met its cation!
Just my 2 cents from years of doing this shit and participating in coco forums.
Canna says you dont need calmag with a/b and suggest that it will throw off the ideal ratio when added to the base

 

[malufizzgig]

things turned around pretty quickly. I know every strain is different but I'm pretty much convinced that the feeding schedule as given is padded out to overfeeding so you'll use nutrients more quickly.

Here's one of the HSO Blue Dream ladies looking really pretty today.

 

[nukklehead]

not trying to hijack just throwing in my .02.. I have lots of dirt grows behind me.. switching to the dark side as my 1st coco grow..

using Cyco coco out of bag and heads 6-9 micro bloom perlite in bottom of Hempys

Using half r/o half tap.. dont know my tap but know its shitty.

No cal mag etc.. all waters ph'd of course 5.4-6.0 whatever piss
yellow on the ph kit..dont know ec's.. etc..


so far very happy with results in 4 th week of flower and tapered off
the micro and using bloom only..

Feed Feed Feed water is my schedule... daily, with shop vac ing the runoff..

Im def. no pro as this is my 1st run with coco.. went with heads because of the ease of application and not following the bottle..

Cant wait to try Maxi-KISS next time around to compare..

Ive got a feeling that heads 6/9 or Maxi KISS is the best way to
start your adventure in coco.. then experiment with other ways
from there if you want too..

Peace

Nuk



So far so good..

 

[malufizzgig]

Thanks Nuk.

 

[stoned40yrs]

not trying to hijack just throwing in my .02.. I have lots of dirt grows behind me.. switching to the dark side as my 1st coco grow..

using Cyco coco out of bag and heads 6-9 micro bloom perlite in bottom of Hempys

Using half r/o half tap.. dont know my tap but know its shitty.

No cal mag etc.. all waters ph'd of course 5.4-6.0 whatever piss
yellow on the ph kit..dont know ec's.. etc..


so far very happy with results in 4 th week of flower and tapered off
the micro and using bloom only..

Feed Feed Feed water is my schedule... daily, with shop vac ing the runoff..

Im def. no pro as this is my 1st run with coco.. went with heads because of the ease of application and not following the bottle..

Cant wait to try Maxi-KISS next time around to compare..

Ive got a feeling that heads 6/9 or Maxi KISS is the best way to
start your adventure in coco.. then experiment with other ways
from there if you want too..

Peace

Nuk



So far so good..

Why do you give them straight water every 4th day Nuk? A habit from growing in soil? Pretty much everyone on here says no straight water in coco until final flush. I'm running 6/9 at half strength on clones in hempy cups right now.

 

[Jnugg]

I'm using Canna Coco and their Coco A and B at 10ml each per gallon of water and highly pleased.

 

[Asslover]

I'm not totally against finishing up on what I've got. I'm just not sure if I need the other nutrients GH recommends for their simple drain to waste feeding that I linked to. Like, is my nutrient solution "incomplete" with just the A+B?

Just as an aside, my tap is over 400 ppm and I'm scared to use it at all. I have calmag though. And I can get epsom salt if I need it.

NO, you're solution is not incomplete! Those additives and boosters are exactly that, additives and boosters. Even the Calimagic (additive) is not absolutely needed in all situations.
I use my 300ppm+ tap water and never have issues. Drop the Calimagic and use your tap water and use the ratio PRINTED ON THE BOTTLE, not on the website. Forget about all the additives. They're not needed as the A+B are complete in and of themselves...