Nutrient Help for Noobs First Indoor Grow!

[FiveToMidnight]

Hi guys,,
For days I have been reading up about nutrients and trying to get my head around what I need and how I need to apply it all, but I'm getting pretty confused. I know these questions have been answered but I am still having a bit of trouble and was hoping someone may be able to steer me in the right direction.

I am growing 3-4 plants in 75% Coco Coir 25% Perlite under a 300W LED light, inside a 1200(H)x900(W)x450mm(D) box. I have a 4" duct fan for ventilation as well as a small oscillating fan inside and a passive intake.

I am from NSW, Australia so the products I can get my hands on are a bit limited. I have found so far that I can get a reliable source of Advance Nutrients, Canna Coco, Dutch Master, House & Garden, Ozi Magic & General Hydroponics products. I was looking at the Canna Coco line due to it being on the lower price side of things but also because it is made specifically for Coco mediums and I have seen a few posts where people were saying you only needed a few of their products for the whole grow.

Is there anyone that could give me any advice on what I should be looking and and if they have used the Canna Coco line of product before? If anyone could give a list of exactly what I will need it would be even more help.
Also, if there is anyone that could explain how I mix and apply the nutes to the plants I would greatly appreciate it.

I apologise for such noob questions but I am really stuck and don't know where else to turn.

Thank you in advance for any help anyone can provide!!!

 

[thebudking]

The long and short of it, you need a base nute, canna coco is ok, I prefer general hydro on your list. You need a calcium/magnesium product. That is the bare minimum. That is how I did my first grow. That being said...add in some silica and a pk booster like general hydro Kool bloom and you will have great results. A huge must is a ph meter, a ppm meter and use ro water. With perlite in your coco I would feed/water every other day. When you mix your nutes go 1/2 of what is recomended, use your meter to check ppm. That will be a sure fire winner.

 

[thebudking]

When you get a grow or two under your belt mix it up some but keep it small and simple to start.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

The long and short of it, you need a base nute, canna coco is ok, I prefer general hydro on your list. You need a calcium/magnesium product. That is the bare minimum. That is how I did my first grow. That being said...add in some silica and a pk booster like general hydro Kool bloom and you will have great results. A huge must is a ph meter, a ppm meter and use ro water. With perlite in your coco I would feed/water every other day. When you mix your nutes go 1/2 of what is recomended, use your meter to check ppm. That will be a sure fire winner.

Do you think you could suggest some specific products?
Do I mix all the nutrients together with water and can I use distilled or mineral water? I've read before that is ok. I wouldn't know where to get RO water

 

[thebudking]

Since you have access to general hydroponics, I would stay in their line to start off. Any hydroponic nutes will work with coco, it is like hydro because you basically flush every time you feed. Use either gh 3 part, micro, bloom, grow or the gh flora duo 2 part, either will work as a base. Their cal-mag is called cal-magic. Use base and cali magic in bloom. Starting in week 2 of veg add gh silica called armor si, use silica until week 6 or 7 of bloom, stop it a week before flush. Moving into bloom, use the base, cali magic and silica. Get a bag of gh Kool bloom and use as directed, all nutes should be mixed at 1/2 of recomended dose. That should do you for the nutes, now water and mixing. You want to use your ppm meter and check ypu tap water, if it is under 100 ppm you can use it, if not you need distilled or reverse osmosis water. Don't know where you live but most places have water dispenser machines or you can buy the big 5 gallon bottles. Distilled water will get expensive by the time 12 weeks is up. You can also mix distilled with your tap water and get it under 100 ppm. If you do that the tap water has to sit out for at least 24 hours to get rid of the chlorine. Once you have good water mix in your nutes, any order is ok, just make sure not to mix the nutes together then add to water. Use a clean dry measuring cup for the silica, if you have any other nutes in the cup the silica will gel up.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Since you have access to general hydroponics, I would stay in their line to start off. Any hydroponic nutes will work with coco, it is like hydro because you basically flush every time you feed. Use either gh 3 part, micro, bloom, grow or the gh flora duo 2 part, either will work as a base. Their cal-mag is called cal-magic. Use base and cali magic in bloom. Starting in week 2 of veg add gh silica called armor si, use silica until week 6 or 7 of bloom, stop it a week before flush. Moving into bloom, use the base, cali magic and silica. Get a bag of gh Kool bloom and use as directed, all nutes should be mixed at 1/2 of recomended dose. That should do you for the nutes, now water and mixing. You want to use your ppm meter and check ypu tap water, if it is under 100 ppm you can use it, if not you need distilled or reverse osmosis water. Don't know where you live but most places have water dispenser machines or you can buy the big 5 gallon bottles. Distilled water will get expensive by the time 12 weeks is up. You can also mix distilled with your tap water and get it under 100 ppm. If you do that the tap water has to sit out for at least 24 hours to get rid of the chlorine. Once you have good water mix in your nutes, any order is ok, just make sure not to mix the nutes together then add to water. Use a clean dry measuring cup for the silica, if you have any other nutes in the cup the silica will gel up.

Wow, some real food for thought. Thank you so much for such a detailed explaination.

Do you use this from the moment you plant the sprouted seeds in the coco or does this only start in week 2?
Also how do you water? Pouring on to the potting mix or spraying the leaves? I have heard different things from different people

 

[thebudking]

Use plain water until the seed has sprouted and shows the first 2 single leaves the start with nutes. How are you starting your seeds?

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Use plain water until the seed has sprouted and shows the first 2 single leaves the start with nutes. How are you starting your seeds?

When you say plain water you mean water with the correct ph yeah? Or just plain tap water?
I was going to use paper towels as it seemed the easiest method. Unless you can suggest a better way?

 

[thebudking]

Yeah. Ph water with no nutes. Paper towel is good. I soak my seeds in a glass of water for 24 hours then put them in a wet paper towel in a zip lock bag, in a dark warm place until the tap root shows. I made a seed video.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Yeah. Ph water with no nutes. Paper towel is good. I soak my seeds in a glass of water for 24 hours then put them in a wet paper towel in a zip lock bag, in a dark warm place until the tap root shows. I made a seed video.

The second half of the video talks about putting them on a heat mat and all that. Is that a necessity or can they be put straight in to the coco mix?

 

[thebudking]

You can do it without the heat mat, but it helps. Once they Crack and the tap root shows, take a plastic cup, poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, fill it with coco and soak it with water. Plant the cracked seeds, with the tap root down, about 1/8 inch deep. Put them in a dark place until they sprout then put them under light.

 

[thebudking]

Leave them in the cup for at least 2 weeks, you want the cup to be full of roots before you transplant. I may even wait 3 weeks. Water only for the first week then mix a light dose of nutes. Water every other day while in the cups, if you add perlite to the coco, water less. You can tell when they need water by the weight of the cup/pot.

 

[thebudking]

You asked about spraying the leaves to feed. I never have, some get burns on the leaves, the drops of water work like magnifiers and is is like a sunburn, others do and it is just fine. It can also leave residue on the leaf, some say it an block light getting to the leaf...I don't know...I just don't think I would do it unless I had to for bugs or mildew...

 

[FiveToMidnight]

You can do it without the heat mat, but it helps. Once they Crack and the tap root shows, take a plastic cup, poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, fill it with coco and soak it with water. Plant the cracked seeds, with the tap root down, about 1/8 inch deep. Put them in a dark place until they sprout then put them under light.

Leave them in the cup for at least 2 weeks, you want the cup to be full of roots before you transplant. I may even wait 3 weeks. Water only for the first week then mix a light dose of nutes. Water every other day while in the cups, if you add perlite to the coco, water less. You can tell when they need water by the weight of the cup/pot.

Thank you, I will be sure to do that. What do you call a light dose?

You asked about spraying the leaves to feed. I never have, some get burns on the leaves, the drops of water work like magnifiers and is is like a sunburn, others do and it is just fine. It can also leave residue on the leaf, some say it an block light getting to the leaf...I don't know...I just don't think I would do it unless I had to for bugs or mildew...

That makes sense, thank you very much again for all your help!

 

[thebudking]

I would go 1/4 strength base nute and cal mag. They should have good roots by then.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I would go 1/4 strength base nute and cal mag. They should have good roots by then.

Ok cool. Thank you so much again. Can't wait to get this started!!

 

[rupert]

if it is under 100 ppm you can use it, if not you need distilled or reverse osmosis water.

FYI my tap water is 174 ppm and I am having no problem. I'm a first time grower just starting flower -- so who knows -- but veg went well. I used canna a&b at about 1/3 strength. I had a very healthy veg, with no real problems save some very minor leaf edge burning at one point... which I diagnosed as excess nutes, and which got better when I flushed with tap water and very light nute solution. Eventually I added in just a small amount of a cal/mag product and backed off the base nute to maybe 1/4 strength. No nute problems at all since then. I've begun giving a small amount of PK product during flower. Big stems, healthy leaves, and I removed 4 of my original 6 plants from the cab due to crowding in a 2x4 footprint under a P300 light. Search for public info about your municipal water supply. My city provides a detailed annual analysis. The pH of the water coming out of my faucet is exactly what it is when it enters the city water supply. The ppm coming out of my faucet is almost exactly what the city website says it is when it enters the pipes. So the analysis on the contents is probably right on as well. You can actually find out how much calcium is in your water, etc!

You can also mix distilled with your tap water and get it under 100 ppm.

My plan is to give distilled water for the last three or four days before harvest. Otherwise I wonder about this 100 ppm standard... you could maybe go higher?

If you do that the tap water has to sit out for at least 24 hours to get rid of the chlorine.

Most cities only use chlorine one month per year and publish the dates on their website. You can smell it during that month. The rest of the year they use something that doesn't evaporate out of water. Consult your local water authorities.

 

[rupert]

I am growing 3-4 plants in 75% Coco Coir 25% Perlite under a 300W LED light, inside a 1200(H)x900(W)x450mm(D) box.

In a somewhat larger space than yours, with a 300W light (P300) with actual draw of 185W, I am finding 1-2 plants to be an ideal situation for this light. I removed 4 of my original 6 plants due to crowding, and the P300 provides good coverage for the remaining two plants. I'm considering adding another P300 to get even light throughout the space. Regardless, for my next grow I will probably start two seeds and veg two plants for a 3-4 weeks before eliminating one and scrogging the other. It will easily fill my 4x2 space with canopy, and I'll have only one bucket in my space.

Canna Coco line due to it being on the lower price side of things

I'm using canna a&b and it works well, but gh flora nova is cheaper and I have read over and over again that it is great as a base nute for veg and flower.

 

[thebudking]

Every tap water is differant, do you know the ratio of what is in your 174 ppm water? How much N.P.K? Do you want 174 ppm of whatever in the water or do you want to start with 10 ppm water and add 164ppm more of nutrients your plants can use? Your water is totally differant than mine or his or Joeblows... Start with the best, cleanest water you can, ph the water and check the ppm after it is mixed and you will have success. I am by no means a plant biologist and I am not trying to be a dick but I have friends who are in the commercial business of growing, if I said "just use tap water, it will be fine" I would be told I am insane. Use the best water you can get!

 

[rupert]

do you know the ratio of what is in your 174 ppm water?

Yes, I do... I said so in my last post. My water utility publishes the analysis on their website and updates it yearly.