Grow Mediums After two grows using FF, wanting to switch to Roots Organic. How do you like them?

[durbanpoisoner]

I test ppm before PH. I was aiming for 1.6-1.8EC in late veg and now have reduced it to 1.3EC in early flower. I’ve reduced my a and b from 10ml/gal to 8ml/gal and added in a PK booster, sweet candy from Greenleaf nutrients.

PPM meters are usually accurate, it’s the PH meters that go funky.

And thanks! Just trying to keep em happy one day at a time.

 

[GreenBean]

You can get some PPM meter calibration fluid to check the accuracy of your meter. Some of the cheaper meters can be way off. Not all of them though. And less of an issue if you’re able to calibrate it. I don’t check my PPM too often personally unless something seems wrong. I’m usually sitting around 2.0 - 2.1 EC though. I like to try and push my autos to perform more like photos. It’s just a fun challenge.

If you check my grow thread linked in my signature below you can see how some coco stuff can go. My biggest plant last grow yielded 20.5 oz. Don’t mean to butt in on your thread. But if you’re thinking about coco perhaps, it’s not too complicated. And any info is likely to help. I think? My grow thread is long for the last grow so just a warning. And it continues on into my latest run. Good luck.

 

[durbanpoisoner]

Killer. You push yours to 2.0EC in flower too? I may raise mine a bit. It's a balancing act. This is my first coco run so there's a learning curve for sure.

 

[ItzSticky]

I run coco as well. I make my own mix with coco bales. Then I add some perlite and vermiculite. To that I add maybe 20% soil. I use Floraflex nutrients. It retains the benefits of coco, I generally get pretty huge plants. I had to take a few months off for a recent move, hopefully I remember what I’m doing on my latest grow! But the little bit of soil and vermiculite retains a bit more moisture.

I’ve done this in 5,7 and 10 gallon pots. Generally only water once a day till runoff. And can usually skip a day a week here and there. Like durban mentioned, I also mix my nutes ahead of time, and just check and adjust PH.

Hey GreenBean, thanks for stopping by!

That's good to know.
I'll look into vermiculite.


The soil I'm looking at getting is Roots Organics Formula 707 mix.
Ingredients: Coarse Peat Moss, Composted Virgin Forest Material, Perlite, Coco Fiber, Pumice, Earthworm Castings, Feather Meal, Bat Guano, Non GMO Soybean Meal, Fishbone Meal, Greensand, Volcanic Rock Dust, Kelp Meal.

"It was designed with greater water-holding capacity, fewer nutrients, less perlite and less pumice, and it contains ingredients specific to large container gardening."

Sounds pretty good to me as I'll be dropping autos and using 5. gals. Maybe if I add additional perlite and some vermiculite it'll hold more? Or would that be too much?
If I could sometimes go one day without watering it, that'd be a great buffer.

Mix your nutes like a night before and test PH before watering?

 

[GreenBean]

Killer. You push yours to 2.0EC in flower too? I may raise mine a bit. It's a balancing act. This is my first coco run so there's a learning curve for sure.

Yeah I push them as hard as I can until I see that they’re going to handle it, or need me to back off. They usually handle it fine though. Towards the end of flower I’ll start to taper down because it becomes a waste of nutes.

It really IS a balancing act. Observation is key. The plant will tell you what it can take. And I like to have fun and experiment.

Last 3 autos yielded were 20.5 oz, 13.4 oz and 10 oz.

 

[ItzSticky]

I test ppm before PH. I was aiming for 1.6-1.8EC in late veg and now have reduced it to 1.3EC in early flower. I’ve reduced my a and b from 10ml/gal to 8ml/gal and added in a PK booster, sweet candy from Greenleaf nutrients.

PPM meters are usually accurate, it’s the PH meters that go funky.

And thanks! Just trying to keep em happy one day at a time.

Using your PH up and PH down affect your EC?

 

[durbanpoisoner]

You will almost certainly need ph down, not up. It affects EC, but not much.

 

[GreenBean]

Hey GreenBean, thanks for stopping by!

That's good to know.
I'll look into vermiculite.


The soil I'm looking at getting is Roots Organics Formula 707 mix.
Ingredients: Coarse Peat Moss, Composted Virgin Forest Material, Perlite, Coco Fiber, Pumice, Earthworm Castings, Feather Meal, Bat Guano, Non GMO Soybean Meal, Fishbone Meal, Greensand, Volcanic Rock Dust, Kelp Meal.

"It was designed with greater water-holding capacity, fewer nutrients, less perlite and less pumice, and it contains ingredients specific to large container gardening."

Sounds pretty good to me as I'll be dropping autos and using 5. gals. Maybe if I add additional perlite and some vermiculite it'll hold more? Or would that be too much?
If I could sometimes go one day without watering it, that'd be a great buffer.

Mix your nutes like a night before and test PH before watering?

I’m not familiar with the Roots stuff. I generally make my own. With no additives.

A bale of Mother Earth coco is about $13 shipped. Once expanded it’ll fill maybe 5-6 5 gallon pots. Then you add about 20% perlite and 10% vermiculite. But if you’re new to coco maybe just do the coco and perlite to get a feel for it.

Or maybe there’s a mix premade that is just coco and perlite? Since you’re going to be using nutes? I prefer to sort of work with a blank canvas.

 

[ItzSticky]

You will almost certainly need ph down, not up. It affects EC, but not much.

What PH do you strive for in coco?
I remember seeing around 6.9 - 7.0

In soil I always watered 6.4-6.5

 

[GreenBean]

I mix about 5 gallons at a time. That lasts a couple days depending on where the plants are. Check the PH and adjust before every feed. It usually rises while it sits. I also pretty much only use PH down, but I do have PH up on hand in case.