The Bio-Osmo-Coco Hempy Experiment

[FletchF.Fletch]

Having had success with Coco/Perlite Hempy buckets, i pondered on making a water/calmag only Hempy. 1 cup of Espoma Bio-tone 4-3-3 was mixed into a 3.5 gallon bucket and 2 capfuls of Osmocote 15-9-12 were scratched into the surface. Amnesia Lemon from Barney's is the test subject. The plant was watered in with CalMag at 1ml per liter at ph of 5.8. All it has been given since is alternating water and the same rate of CalMag. So far so good she is in Flower now finishing stretch.

 

[mexweed]

That's not actual hempy though, that's growing in coco with a drain hole instead of a typical plant container

In hempy the medium above the reservoir is inert and does not hold enough water to allow for a slow release fertilizer to break down

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Cool. Thanks @mexweed . I just call them Hempy's to describe a generic plastic bucket (or any sealed container) with a base of clay aggregate or perlite up to a hole or holes on the side about 5cm/2" from the base.

I run them with Coco/perlite, soilless mixes, potting soil, Rockwool/Perlite, even Super Soil. It keeps the medium above a soaking point, but allows for drink back from the amount retained in the more porous region below. Occasionally I put an airstone in the base and add more air to the roots.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

So 2 weeks later she is too tall and needs more headroom:

Still getting only CalMag and water at ph 5.8

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

She is in a 1m x1m tent surrounded by clones of Lemon Tree from Barney's.
Main cola and a dominant branch:

Just water alternating with water plus CalMag ph 5.8

 

[Tomatoesonly]

That's some pretty amazing growth for as little as you put in there.
There's a big thread in the Nutrient part about osmocote.
Did the plants start out in this mixture or ?
I find your experiment fascinating.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Thanks @Tomatoesonly , it was started in a small Rockwool cube, then into a 1 quart pot of Coco/Perlite.

 

[StickyBandit]

This is a fantastic experiment!
It's nice to see a clean experiment without too many confounding factors!
What is the EC of the calmag please Fletch?

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Hey @StickyBandit thanks!! The well water has an EC of 0.3 and the 2ml CalMag per gallon bumps it to 0.6 . Seems like it could use more so planning to stop alternating with plain water and going with CalMag every time.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Here is a cutting of Lemon Tree (Barney's) getting the same treatment.

 

[Tomatoesonly]

If you believe your leaves, the tips indicate too much fertilizer. Is that from something previous, or is it a buildup? I have the same problem if not worse. My leaves eventually burn the tips at the very minimum... some much worse. It's almost catch 22, the leaf tip says too much, while other indicators say not enough.

 

[StickyBandit]

If you believe your leaves, the tips indicate too much fertilizer. Is that from something previous, or is it a buildup? I have the same problem if not worse. My leaves eventually burn the tips at the very minimum... some much worse. It's almost catch 22, the leaf tip says too much, while other indicators say not enough.

I get exactly that with some Sativa plants! The lower shade leaves pale while the tips burn!

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

I probably mixed in a little too much Osmocote. They've been getting watered every other day so the EC may be climbing a bit high as they dry out.

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Trigger happy posting finger caused a double-up

 

[early_hominid]

Great experiment @FletchF.Fletch , I've been wanting to try coco and oscmocote combined to keep mother plants without additional water brewing.

Have you measured runoff EC to get a feel for how many nutrients are available? That may tell you if it is underwatering or not. When I underwater my coco I get burn tips even at 1.0 EC, just like you say.

Edit: And if you were doing only osmocote would you mix all of it it evenly in the media or is some on the surface beneficial?

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

Thanks @early_hominid , I confess, I have not measured runoff EC. Mostly since things haven't been too bad. My gut tells me to use less Osmocote next time, probably 25% less.

I think with Osmocote it is best topdressed or mixed into the top 2 inches of medium. That way the water passing through it carries a relatively even dose downward to the rootzone each time.

 

[Desert Dan]

Definitely a cool experiment… If you could dial in the plant tone only method you would have a cheap and easy organic hempy solution.

-DD

 

[FletchF.Fletch]

@Desert Dan good call. Leaving a little extra room up top so you could topdress one time (or two if needed) then cover with a layer of Coco to keep that Organic smell down.

 

[Brother Nature]

Love a simple setup that gets good results, looks very promising man. Good Luck!!!

 

[early_hominid]

I wouldn't measure runoff either @FletchF.Fletch your plant looks great. I am rooting some cuttings right now and I will try one with osmocote and post here.