Grow Mediums Questions - First coco grow

[durbanpoisoner]

Hey dudes and dudettes,

Doing a coco grow for the first time, I only have experience with soil. I got some dry coco brick, rehydrated and double buffered in 8mg/gallon calmag, no PH adjustment. Mixed with 2qt perlite for each 3g fabric pot and it feels really nice and light so I'm excited. I plan to use canna a+b and rhizotonic which are nutes I've never used before. So I have a few questions.

1) How should I start the seedlings? I have some jiffy pellets. Should I start them in them planted directly in the coco?
2) Should I presoak the coco with nutes and calmag before planting?
3) Nutes + calmag every watering yeah? What bout the rhizotonic? Add that to every watering as well? I plan to germinate the seeds in a dilute rhizotonic solution.

Other than that I've been reading cocoforcannabis which is helpful. I'll be hand watering. Coco seems like an interesting medium. After rehydrating, buffering and adding perlite it feels a lot like a really nice potting soil. Very light and airy. Anyways, that's all I got, thanks.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@durbanpoisoner Welcome to AFN Did you wash the salt out of the coco first? I know some don't need that but some do?

Yes I would use a weak nutrient solution with the Rizotonic in the coco before you plant the seed right in the pot. 1/2 inch deep. If you use the Jiffy pellets be sure to soak them in some PH 6.4 water first. They are peat and naturally low PH.

Coco is hydro and you always fertigate in hydro. The amount of extra calcium you may need depends on all of the sources added up. What is the starting PPM and source of your water?


I would use about 70% of the Lite Pro Nutrient schedule. Be sure to keep it in balance.

 

[durbanpoisoner]

Hey Man'O'Green. Thanks. Yes, I washed the coco first before double buffering it. I'm still waiting to get some canna a+b so I don't have it yet, but will make sure to do perhaps a 1/4 strength nute, ph adjusted watering before planting. As for my tap water, it runs between 250 and 300ppm and the PH is on the high side, 7-7.3 which generally works out okay when adding nutes. But that seems within range for what I've read.

So I think I'll try for 5-600us for the initial light nute watering and go from there. Perhaps half strength calmag with each fertigation. Let me know if I'm missing anything here. Appreciate it.

 

[DCLXVI]

Good luck! I'm a recent coco convert so definitely not an expert but......

Always fertigate to runoff. Nutes in water everytime. It will take a little trial and error to see how much volume you need. For example if you input 500ml you want to see around 100ml of runoff.

I like to collect, measure, and test the runoff for volume, ppm, and pH. It helps to adjust strength if you watch the ppm in runoff. Same with volume. If the in/out stays consistent, great. If runoff volume drops, plant is thirsty and wants more.

Keep fertigation pH to 5.8-6.2 and you should be good. That's what I've been doing with a nice by of success. It sounds like you have a good start planned. I also start mine in Jiffy pellets and dig them a nice hole in the coco as soon as I see them above ground.

 

[JP1]

As for my tap water, it runs between 250 and 300ppm

That's pretty high and most likely already has all the calmag you need already in it. May want to consider watering it down with RO water.

8mg/gallon calmag, no PH adjustment.

That seems like a lot of calmag. Have you tested it? I don't know what kind your using but botanicare calmag is like 50ppm/ml. That would put you around 650-700ppm from just your water and added calmag before even adding any nutrients, which would be way too hot for a seedling

PH is on the high side, 7-7.3

Gotta get the runoff pH in order before getting the seed wet. Eventually the watering to runoff will correct it, but wanna be closer to 5.8 for a good start

 

[Bob's Auto's]

All good advice from the fellow growers!!
Only one thing to add from me... to AFN buddy

 

[DCLXVI]

Oh right starting water is very very important. I've been using jugs of distilled from the store. I cut my tap water down with it. Full distilled/reverse osmosis is the way to go if you can swing it.

 

[Zaaboot]

Hey there - for coco, I would say yes to 2 and 3, but I cant germ seeds well someone better than I will add).
As the others have said, stat low, once rooted well you can up them - the advice on the nutes bottles tends to be high, especially at the start with coco.
Couple of things to note as well, never let it dry out, it is not like soil (not that I know anything about soil) for example, in 18/20ltr pots 60/40 coco/hydroton my planted once rooted well get about 10 waterings for 1 or 2 minutes each per day recirculating, they lap it up and dont worry about overwatering, as they grow they get more. I have never tried handwatering coco for a full grow, but I can only say is keep it moist.

Good luck

Z

 

[durbanpoisoner]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

@Jerseyphresh1 I'm use GH calimagic. Was really just following coco for cannabis guidelines. You make some good points though, when I do my 500-600us EC wash with nutes, I'll leave out the calmag as the buffering will be fine at that point. I may cut down my tap water a bit with RO water, not a bad idea. Using 3gal fabric pots and I've read that they generaly take about 1.1L each day. Obviously each plant is different and some will drink more but that's the guideline I read.

I'm planning on running mephisto forum stomper so we'll see how she behaves. Definitely will make sure the coco stays moist. It's so dirt like but not like dirt at the same time. Lol. Feels great in the hands though, like an ideal aerated soil.

 

[JP1]

I use 5 gallon fabric bags and it takes about 3 weeks until they'll need more then a liter a day. Coco is great since it's pretty easy to flush any issues out and it's totally reusable, so you only have to do the pain in the ass initial work once. After the plants finish you just dump em out and toss the roots, wash the bags and dump the coco back in, good flush and you're ready for another seed