Grow Mediums The mistakes I made using Coco.

[yaowa]

I actually have a few grows experience with coco, started with it so it's the only experience I have.

However, I moved a small plant on its 3rd leaf set into a 10L airpot when the roots started circling the bottom of a smaller pot, I watered the airpot till run off and I wish I hadn't now. Usually I transplant with a more developed root system and they just latch onto the new coco and grow out fine, couldn't wait to get her into her new home though and now I have a really small plant on her fourth leaf set that I havent watered in 4 days even though she clearly needs more N!.

To all coco heads, is it fine to water with small quantities like you would soil? I thought of this before watering till run off but I didn't want the bottom of the pot drying up and messing with micro life etc.. I had to fire up the HPS to speed along the process of drying up the coco, she grew a new leaf set and was perky for the first 2-3 days, now she's drooping/wilting and going pale on the fourth. I'd say in another 2 days I'd be able to get away with a light watering but if it water till run off she's a goner.

I reckon it would be fine to give her say 250ml but watering in such small quantities screams salt build up and an unstable ph to me.

 

[Ez4u2nvBud]

I have 2 five gallon buckets , my babies popped out six days ago and are less than two inches tall. one of them looks yellowish, the other has one big leaf and one leaf that looks burned at the tip. I thought i could grow them like soil until three days ago i found out i need to grow them like Hydro. They looked fine until that point, when i put some nutes on them 33% solution. I'm wating on high quality meters now.. does it sound like they going to die since they are only 2 inches tall after six days above ground, or is it possible they are still developing roots until they explode, since the pot is so big. any info would help thanks.

 

[nick]

Thanks for all the great info, I wish I had taken the time to read this before my grow. I probably could of saved myself from stunting my plants and stressing em out time after time. But we live and learn and each grow should be better than the last (hopefully).

 

[Groff]

I actually have a few grows experience with coco, started with it so it's the only experience I have.

However, I moved a small plant on its 3rd leaf set into a 10L airpot when the roots started circling the bottom of a smaller pot, I watered the airpot till run off and I wish I hadn't now. Usually I transplant with a more developed root system and they just latch onto the new coco and grow out fine, couldn't wait to get her into her new home though and now I have a really small plant on her fourth leaf set that I havent watered in 4 days even though she clearly needs more N!.

To all coco heads, is it fine to water with small quantities like you would soil? I thought of this before watering till run off but I didn't want the bottom of the pot drying up and messing with micro life etc.. I had to fire up the HPS to speed along the process of drying up the coco, she grew a new leaf set and was perky for the first 2-3 days, now she's drooping/wilting and going pale on the fourth. I'd say in another 2 days I'd be able to get away with a light watering but if it water till run off she's a goner.

I reckon it would be fine to give her say 250ml but watering in such small quantities screams salt build up and an unstable ph to me.

I have founf that early on, the less water you give, the bigger the plants. This forces the plant to use energy to produce roots, and while not groin top side, they will be producing huge root system. Check out my AWW ad TD diary, where I tried to take advantage of exactly that to great success

I have 2 five gallon buckets , my babies popped out six days ago and are less than two inches tall. one of them looks yellowish, the other has one big leaf and one leaf that looks burned at the tip. I thought i could grow them like soil until three days ago i found out i need to grow them like Hydro. They looked fine until that point, when i put some nutes on them 33% solution. I'm wating on high quality meters now.. does it sound like they going to die since they are only 2 inches tall after six days above ground, or is it possible they are still developing roots until they explode, since the pot is so big. any info would help thanks.

I just harvested AWW and TD with 20L airpots. Never had such big plant and I seriously screwed up the training I did. Absolutely! Think hydro 95% (the rest is specific to coco)!

Thanks for all the great info, I wish I had taken the time to read this before my grow. I probably could of saved myself from stunting my plants and stressing em out time after time. But we live and learn and each grow should be better than the last (hopefully).

Thats the spirit!! :High 5:

 

[omnious]

I have 2 five gallon buckets , my babies popped out six days ago and are less than two inches tall. one of them looks yellowish, the other has one big leaf and one leaf that looks burned at the tip. I thought i could grow them like soil until three days ago i found out i need to grow them like Hydro. They looked fine until that point, when i put some nutes on them 33% solution. I'm wating on high quality meters now.. does it sound like they going to die since they are only 2 inches tall after six days above ground, or is it possible they are still developing roots until they explode, since the pot is so big. any info would help thanks.

I now have first big girl (on my standards) in 8 liter (~2 gallon) bucket. After the transplant, in a 12 oz cup, she seemed to stop. Healthy color and all but no visible progress. But she just grew roots to new space. After they hit Hempy bottom, boom. Here she is now 22 inches under 2 x 3000k 2 x 2700k, 1500-1800 lm CFLs, Canna coco AB 6 ml in 1.5 liters:

 

[Smeghead]

I know I keep asking in different threads but never get a clear answer.

How much is a regular watering/feeding at each stage? Like how much water should you give a seedling, then how much after 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks and so on.

In the OP it says to give the coco a feeding of PH'd water, how much water is that initial feeding before planting the seedling?

 

[JM]

I know I keep asking in different threads but never get a clear answer.

How much is a regular watering/feeding at each stage? Like how much water should you give a seedling, then how much after 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks and so on.

In the OP it says to give the coco a feeding of PH'd water, how much water is that initial feeding before planting the seedling?

I'm not familiar with coco so dont know the second quesion answer (best)

but in regards to the others... plants use water at different rates depending on MANY factors... so thats why you're not getting a clear answer... its different for each plant, each strain, each environment, temperatures, lights, co2, etc etc... these are just the BASIC factors... so the best thing to do is keep an eye on it and learn to know when it needs water... I'll let a coco expert give you better advice... just thought I'd chime in.

 

[JM]

another tip I'll make... is.. at least in dirt... we like to see a "watering sign wave"
yo water... they dry out a bit... you water....

 

[blue]

Hey Smeghead

Check this out - it's not coco, but has some pretty sound watering advice. https://www.autoflower.org/f142/big-devil-2-%AE-%7C-fast-bud-2-%AE-test-grow-22165.html

For all of my grows i've always pre watered the pot, but now i have a little problem with this.
My problem with this is - If i'm using a 10 litre pot - and pre soak it - the little seedling would be drinking that (and hopefully growing) for about 4 weeks.

That's 4 weeks of just ph'd water.

For my next grow - I will be starting dry. Get my seed germed and drop about 50ml of water in a circle around the seed. With the humidity dome on, i would say that that is good for 3 days. (my heat is 70f and humidy at about 50%)

My plan is to make the plant drink more by not leaving an abundance of water around. I think it will work - we'll see! ^_^

 

[Smeghead]

Hey Smeghead

Check this out - it's not coco, but has some pretty sound watering advice. https://www.autoflower.org/f142/big-devil-2-%AE-%7C-fast-bud-2-%AE-test-grow-22165.html

For all of my grows i've always pre watered the pot, but now i have a little problem with this.
My problem with this is - If i'm using a 10 litre pot - and pre soak it - the little seedling would be drinking that (and hopefully growing) for about 4 weeks.

That's 4 weeks of just ph'd water.

For my next grow - I will be starting dry. Get my seed germed and drop about 50ml of water in a circle around the seed. With the humidity dome on, i would say that that is good for 3 days. (my heat is 70f and humidy at about 50%)

My plan is to make the plant drink more by not leaving an abundance of water around. I think it will work - we'll see! ^_^

This makes sense to me. I was contemplating this before I found this thread and the OP said to pre-water. Instead, I flushed the whole damn 4 gallon pot with 10 liters of water and probably washed away all the prebuffered cal-mag enriched goodness.

Next time, I'm starting dry and just start top watering PH'd water in small amounts like that journal link you posted. That had great information on amounts to feed and when. I'll water in a 4 inch circle, big enough for a 2L soda bottle humidity dome for a few weeks or until 3 or 4 nodes when I have a good idea the roots have hit bottom then use my autopot and airdome system.