Grow Mediums Why organic nutrients do not work in coco

[idiopathic neuropathy]

Ok, I'll play. Been smoking for 35 years, daily for 15, everything from the awful illegal stuff here decades ago to great quality and variety in Washington state, Colorado, and Amsterdam. I know the difference in quality and crap, and am frustrated to the degree I've become a snob.

I am a year and a quarter into growing, since my state legalized, and that is the sum total of my hands-on growing experience. Fourth grow finishing up now, and it's happily my best yet, I'm very excited by the yield and quality, if not the variety. Guesstimating conservatively, one American Pie plant will be the biggest yield with maybe 5-6 oz, a Royal Blueberry not far behind at 4+ oz. I wasn't sure of the other pheno of American Pie, or the DreamBerry since they were so short, but now I'm not so sure.

Now, in my situation, as a medical user growing only for myself, HUGE weight isn't as much of a concern, but I've seen a great improvement in MY ability to grow plants to their potential (or nearly). That's why I've always taken a humble position that I will ALWAYS take the time to listen and learn from people who are clearly more knowledgeable than I am. That's kinda the whole reason for being here.

Here is something I've seen posted repeatedly by detractors of this method, and I've never gotten a satisfactory answer: "These plants look so sick. They aren't healthy."

I've posted three photos taken a couple of days ago, and ZERO snark, I'm really interested in honest answers: What PRECISELY about these plants looks "unhealthy"? Yes, there are tiny spots on some leaves, yes some leaves are brown, yes they are all deep into flower. Trichome production on all of these varieties is crazy, and the buds are all very solid.

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Imho....looks like we is a little high in N....besides me being a little high ! Just sayin.

Peace and keepem' growing.

 

[Overboard]

I appreciate the reply, and the smoking experience, sounds like we are fairly similar there. So let's concede that the smoke is really good, my issue still remains, yeild and size, you covered the unhealthy portions well.

I am medical as well, but if the tent isn't hitting numbers, my jars run empty.

I'll add, I need 4 lbs a yr, that is for myself and one other patient. A run in a 4x4 costs close to 600$ by the time power medium and genetics nutes etc are in. Things need to stay a dollar a gram or less to be workable for me. Here power eats the most at .29cents a kwh.

Ouch. My electricity cost is WAY lower, as well as overall cost for four plants. Maybe $200-250 all-in, including electricity (4 seeds $60; coco $20/ 10lb brick; nutes $20; CalMag/pH/water $10; electricity $35/month: $100-ish total) . I also need less flower, so that is definitely a concern, but I'm really really hopeful the next couple of weeks will see my conservative guesstimate crushed.

 

[Arthur]

Ouch. My electricity cost is WAY lower, as well as overall cost for four plants. Maybe $200-250 all-in, including electricity (4 seeds $60; coco $20/ 10lb brick; nutes $20; CalMag/pH/water $10; electricity $35/month: $100-ish total) . I also need less flower, so that is definitely a concern, but I'm really really hopeful the next couple of weeks will see my conservative guesstimate crushed.

I could bring the cost down some... actually I have some as am mostly running my own genetics now... that's a fair cost. I could get the nute cost down some too, I run a fairly expensive line, but I've tried many others, and just don't get the same end product. If I had the room, I'd go no till, but in the concrete jungle, bottled will have to do for a while.

My power alone runs me 100 to 110 a month on the tent. That's 3 to 330 in power alone. Pretty sucky for a little 4x4. Can't even imagine what it would be with my old hps 1000.

 

[Bigg Al]

Ok, please check out "Stealth Grows " on YouTube. I also have a thread here but it's for soil. I've yet to see anybody on here complete a grow with Mr. Canucks formular.

Stealth Grows also uses a different soil but you can substitute (which is what I did) with what you have. I've been using Dr. Earth Amendments. Also making teas with them to. My thread is "Let's make a simple soil ". The recipe I use I got from Stealth but use what I had. Which was OF, HF,
Compost, warm casting and perlite.

Dr. Earth products that I use:

The new amendments has less cal and mag. He change it cause he said it was to much. But I didnt have a problem with it as I went thru 1 full grow with just water and teas. (Cherry Bomb battle plant. In the Bomb seed sub forum)

What I got growing in my mix now.

Alien Moonrocks

Purple Dodgers

This can happen, it just a soil mix now if you add all other ingredients

 

[MesaBoogie]

I've yet to see anybody on here complete a grow with Mr. Canucks formular.

Posted a pic of one of my plants using Mr.Canucks grow method a few pages back. It's coming down next week as well as another one. I've started up a few more plants now and I'm going to continue with the giagreen. 50% Coco 45%Perlite 5%Worm casting. Tap water, 1/4 tsp/gal cal/mag and every couple weeks molasses added to the water.

Changed a few things up for my next run. I went with a little more worm castings 10% and I will start 1/4tsp calmag earlier in the grow. For the most part the slow release giagreen in coco plants look healthier then my Megacrop coco grows.

 

[Bigg Al]

So it's been a long road on my little giagreen experiment in coco. The first plant didn't auto, then my second attempt the dog pulled my plant out of the pot lol... Dogs REALLY like giagreen. I saw someone mention this before, and I was like "nah my dog would never do that". So here is my third attempt following the Mr.Canucks water only method in coco. I've been watering plain tap water between 6.1 and 6.4 in coco and letting it get pretty dry between watering's. Pretty much everything your not supposed to do in coco. Treating it like I would a soil grow. I have noticed some issues with the soil becoming hydrophobic. I have to water really slowly to over come it.

She's pretty small but that's the genetics.
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Ok, I found yours. Looks good, what size pot is that? Little bushy thang!!

Yea I wanted to see if he was full of BS with his grow method. If you search around you'll see there is a lot of failed attempts to copy his grow. I have not found any journals that have made it work in coco. I can see a few potential issues now why guys are failing. First he doesn't talk about rinsing and buffering his coco. I think he's found himself a really good brand of coco where they do a good job of washing and buffering it for him. Another issues is he's all over the place with what PH to use. Early vids he is using between 6.5-6.8. His later vids he says to keep it under 6.5. I think some people may have missed that. I find watering to be a bit of a pain to not get any run off and give it more of a wet dry cycle. The coco becomes really hydrophobic and if you water too fast it just goes right through the pot. You have to be super slow with it to make sure and get even coverage and no run off. Maybe this is just an issue for me though and I need to water more.

Most of the time he been watering between 6.5 to 6.8 which is somewhere where I water. 6.2 -6.8. I try not to hit 7. I would like to try his method but I cant get any of that stuff. This is why I use OF, HF. Very easy to get. Did you read my thread yet on my soil mix? I also ask that you check out "Stealth Grows "on YouTube.

 

[MesaBoogie]

Ok, I found yours. Looks good, what size pot is that? Little bushy thang!!

It's a cross of strawberry nuggets and jammy dodgers. I was expecting a small bush from this with any type of grow. She's pretty seeded as well. I was a bit careless when applying pollen to a couple of her branches. I had a fan in the area and I was like "meh it'll be fine". I crossed it with some purple lemonade for my next run. I'm hoping it opens up the genetics a bit and gives her a little more color.

Most of the time he been watering between 6.5 to 6.8 which is somewhere where I water. 6.2 -6.8. I try not to hit 7. I would like to try his method but I cant get any of that stuff. This is why I use OF, HF. Very easy to get. Did you read my thread yet on my soil mix? I also ask that you check out "Stealth Grows "on YouTube.

Yea I was reading though a bit yesterday. I didn't comment as I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the stuff you are using. The Fox Farm stuff isn't locally available to me. I havn't yet, but i'll be sure to check out the youtube vids you mentioned.

 

[henry50]

I'm switching to coir so I can get more food into my plants but instead of amendments I'll try pH adjusted liquid organic nutrient - Old Timer ('cause I've got it). Its good to try stuff out.

 

[MesaBoogie]

Here is another Mr.Canuck style grow I started. 50% CoCo, a few cups of Worm Castings and the Rest perlite. I mixed in 9 TBS of GiaGreen 4-4-4 and 3 TBS of 2-8-4 in a 3g pot. Feeding strait tap water PH'd between 6.1-6.3 with 1/4 tsp of cal/mag. I'll add 1/2 tsp/gal Molasses when I remember or feel like it.

I gave her it's first top dress 3 days ago a 50/50 mix of 4-4-4 and 2-8-4. Three TBS of Each.

Day 30 Purple Lemonade

 

[GoodSmoke]

When i was last growing, i stuck 2 bio tabs in a pot full of coco and my plant was epic, just watered it as normal, bit heavy on the N but the result was enjoyable, no problems what so ever, probably my healthiest plant to date. Genetic's : Barneys Farm Pineapple Express, Gold label coco with the clay balls, a little bit of Myco.