All you need to know about how to feed in Coco

[Remystemple]

Where does the run off go?

well my building is old so all the rooms on that side slant so that the run off goes to the corner of the floor tray. you can see it in the back left of the pics. good thing it doesn't leak. i just use a shop vac to suck it out once or twice a week.

 

[One Of These Days]

ahh

 

[One Of These Days]

funny funghus season in Scotland.

Explored alot of Texas eating those magical things, dont get out like that anymore.

 

[WankirA]

Hey folks, not to ruin the plan or step on advice, recently found out that running your feed through airstone can change PH, also temperature of water can change it too.

Btw Barney, that advice you gave me has moved things in the right direction fella, think with the sudden move, insects, etc etc it screwed with my grow but all back on track now (minus a few casualties!).
Thank you.

Additionally, Remy how have you rigged your dripper, home made or store bought?
Moved my grow recently and would find a dripper set up would be very beneficial to me.

 

[Remystemple]

Hey folks, not to ruin the plan or step on advice, recently found out that running your feed through airstone can change PH, also temperature of water can change it too.

Btw Barney, that advice you gave me has moved things in the right direction fella, think with the sudden move, insects, etc etc it screwed with my grow but all back on track now (minus a few casualties!).
Thank you.

Additionally, Remy how have you rigged your dripper, home made or store bought?
Moved my grow recently and would find a dripper set up would be very beneficial to me.

I bought the orbit 8 manifold online and rigged the rest with pex. It could have been done with half inch flex tube instead but my brother helped and insisted on using pex lol

 

[Barney86]

Hey folks, not to ruin the plan or step on advice, recently found out that running your feed through airstone can change PH, also temperature of water can change it too.

Btw Barney, that advice you gave me has moved things in the right direction fella, think with the sudden move, insects, etc etc it screwed with my grow but all back on track now (minus a few casualties!).
Thank you.

Additionally, Remy how have you rigged your dripper, home made or store bought?
Moved my grow recently and would find a dripper set up would be very beneficial to me.

See mate, that's something I've heard quite a lot. Temp and airstones causing it but my res temps have always been around 25*c and of course I use air stones. Never given me the slightest bit of bother.
Not saying it doesn't happen but it's something that's hard for me to get my head round because of my experience with it. My pH never budges so I don't really see why anyone elses would.
The air stones causing it would also mean that supercharged dwc growers should have a nightmare with it and they don't. My nft res has airpumps and a waterfall and it doesn't move anything other than what its supposed to iether.
Extreme temps maybe more of an issue but I generally just put it down to people not mixing the nutes properly. Iether the first time round or forgetting to mix it before checking the next day. It's salts in water so naturally some will shift about and sink etc if it's not agitated enough.
The airstones should also help with that as they keep the water constantly mixing.
I dunno mate. Just in from work. I'll be back later lol.

 

[Barney86]

Also someone mentioned there being buffering agents in some water to keep the pH around 7ish. Thats what I reckon the most likely culprit is outwith human error in the readings. That's what our safe drinking level is so it makes sense that there would be something in it to keep it there.
Calmag should Bring it back down, that stuff also works as a buffer.
Sillica is definitely my go to for keeping ph stable though. Its a pain In the ass bringing it back down but it stays pretty solid.

 

[Barney86]

Explored alot of Texas eating those magical things, dont get out like that anymore.

Me neither mate but its for the best lol.
I'm too old for that shit. They're worth more than gold though our ones are mental like.
3 grams and your gone all night lol.

 

[Barney86]

I bought the orbit 8 manifold online and rigged the rest with pex. It could have been done with half inch flex tube instead but my brother helped and insisted on using pex lol

I wish I had a manifold. Thats the only way I could make my hempy type bucket experiment any easier.... Hmm... How much was it?

 

[Remystemple]

I wish I had a manifold. Thats the only way I could make my hempy type bucket experiment any easier.... Hmm... How much was it?

They were both less than $20 Canadian. They don't fit on a garden hose like I thought. That's why I had to rig something up

 

[Buddito]

Great read Barney ..Thanks for sharing your methods.. Bud

 

[Remystemple]

Also someone mentioned there being buffering agents in some water to keep the pH around 7ish. Thats what I reckon the most likely culprit is outwith human error in the readings. That's what our safe drinking level is so it makes sense that there would be something in it to keep it there.
Calmag should Bring it back down, that stuff also works as a buffer.
Sillica is definitely my go to for keeping ph stable though. Its a pain In the ass bringing it back down but it stays pretty solid.

I left out 5 gals of solution last night on the table. This morning was still at 5.5 but my reservoir keeps drifting. After work I'm gonna empty the rez and run it through the dishwasher then refill. Also wondering if it is the air stone as I didn't have one in the solution I left on the table over night.

 

[Barney86]

I left out 5 gals of solution last night on the table. This morning was still at 5.5 but my reservoir keeps drifting. After work I'm gonna empty the rez and run it through the dishwasher then refill. Also wondering if it is the air stone as I didn't have one in the solution I left on the table over night.

Your res as in dwc or something with plants feeding from it? If so that's meant to drift

 

[Remystemple]

Your res as in dwc or something with plants feeding from it? If so that's meant to drift

It's probably the florablend compost tea. I dumped it and there was dark brown stuff at the bottom. Gonna stop using it for a bit. Didn't add it to the 5 gal on the table. Also gonna check for a small pump to stir instead of the air stone. I don't mind if it drifts a half a point.

 

[Barney86]

It's probably the florablend compost tea. I dumped it and there was dark brown stuff at the bottom. Gonna stop using it for a bit. Didn't add it to the 5 gal on the table. Also gonna check for a small pump to stir instead of the air stone. I don't mind if it drifts a half a point.

The fact that it has the word "compost" in it rings a few alarm bells lol.
No soil nutes in coco mate.
Coco is hydro so unless your going fully organic then best to stick to just bottled nutes.
No mad teas or soil additives, top layering or slow release stuff in the mix.
Just Complicates things.

 

[Remystemple]

The fact that it has the word "compost" in it rings a few alarm bells lol.
No soil nutes in coco mate.
Coco is hydro so unless your going fully organic then best to stick to just bottled nutes.
No mad teas or soil additives, top layering or slow release stuff in the mix.
Just Complicates things.

Right on. I was actually wondering about that. Will give to my bro who's growing in soil.

Thanks man.

 

[Barney86]

Same goes for reservoirs and dwc etc.
Bottled nutes only unless your really know your shit in a jedi level.
It can be done. There are people that grow fully organic in coco but I'll be buggered if I know (or want to know) how they do it.
Not worth the dramas.

 

[Barney86]

Right on. I was actually wondering about that. Will give to my bro who's growing in soil.

Thanks man.

Haha I've seen you say "right on" a few times now and every time I get an image of Johnny Depp slingin "finger lids" on miami beach in "Blow"

 

[Remystemple]

so coco seems to be pretty good with one or two drip sites. it soaks it up great. but i was wondering if i put hydroton on top if it would help spread the flow over more area. what do you think about that @Barney86 ?

 

[Sidvishus]

HOW TO FEED A PLANT IN COCO

This is a tried and tested, 100% full proof way to hand feed plants in coco.
Just follow a few simple rules and all will go perfectly.

13 words is all you need to know.

Feed quarter strength nutes at the right ph as often as you can.

That's it in a nutshell. 13 words.

This sounds a bit crazy but here's why that's all you need to know....
Wouldn't be science if I didn't back it up with some techno jargon and numbers now would it

Coco is effectively just an empty sponge.
It doesn't do anything.
Just provides something for your roots to grow in.
Coco doesn't buffer ph levels or breakdown solids into nutrient form like soil does.
It's just an empty sponge.
It abides by the same rules as DWC, NFT, ebb&flo and every other hydro method.

There are brands of coco that come preloaded with nutrients but I can't recomend strongly enough to avoid them.

For best results you really want to be watering this stuff as much as possible.
Having anything in slow release form is a bad idea because the more you water, the stronger it will get.

Due to the volume of water going through it you're also best to use around 30% perilite mixed in with the coco.
By doing this you will increase the drainage capabilities of the media.
That means you're increasing the amount of oxygen available to the roots.
And that my friends means your plants can't drown!

Let's just clarify that one too.
There is no such thing as giving too much water to a cannabis plant.
Otherwise DWC wouldn't exist would It??

The problems people get from feeding high volumes come from a lack of oxygen. Nothing else.
There are various reasons behind it but the actual problem is the lack of O2.

In a 70/30 coco/perilite mix, you can feed as much as you want and it will just run right through it, bringing more and more oxygen to the roots every time you try to drown them.

This is also why we only need to feed quarter strength nutes.
The extra oxygen from the Increased watering rates and awesome aeration of the media means the nutrients are more readily available for the plant to absorb them.

(Tbc tomorrow. Night time now. )