Need some info on how to use coco

[mulga bill]

Gidday all, I have just started growing again after an un-scheduled stop. I have had a look around the site and cannot find what i am looking for .my problem is i am having trouble getting my seedlings past week one ! watering issues ? My coco is quite coarse, i ran it through a sieve. I grow only Autoflowers. My problem is, after i have prepared the coco, buffering, rinsing down, adding perlite, and adding some preplanting ferts etc, How wet or dry should the coco be before i plant my seed in the coco ? I put my seeds in a glass of water to get them started, once they shoot i plant them. I plant the seed into their final pot. The seeds are coming up ok, but after 3 or 4 days the leaves droop down and stay that way. Overwatering ? I have tried 3 or 4 different approaches with how much moisture i started the pots with and have had no success. So, what sort of moisture level should the coco in the pot be to start the grow ? Thankyou.

 

[Joe Brewster]

@Bill284 is coco about coco I'm sure he could help you

 

[mulga bill]

Gidday, Bill. Thanks very much for that info. I will have a look. Mulga Bill.

 

[Porky82]

Yeah sounds like it's to wet for the little seedlings. Got any pics of what size pot how much water you giving them at a time?

 

[Bill284]

Gidday all, I have just started growing again after an un-scheduled stop. I have had a look around the site and cannot find what i am looking for .my problem is i am having trouble getting my seedlings past week one ! watering issues ? My coco is quite coarse, i ran it through a sieve. I grow only Autoflowers. My problem is, after i have prepared the coco, buffering, rinsing down, adding perlite, and adding some preplanting ferts etc, How wet or dry should the coco be before i plant my seed in the coco ? I put my seeds in a glass of water to get them started, once they shoot i plant them. I plant the seed into their final pot. The seeds are coming up ok, but after 3 or 4 days the leaves droop down and stay that way. Overwatering ? I have tried 3 or 4 different approaches with how much moisture i started the pots with and have had no success. So, what sort of moisture level should the coco in the pot be to start the grow ? Thankyou.

Good morning @mulga bill
Apologies for the late reply.
Sorry your having issues.
I soak my seeds in 10% h202 for exactly 18 hrs.
This gives them the best chance at staying healthy I find.
18 hrs in water no more or they can drown.
Then moist paper towel with a heat mat set at < 24 ish , until you get a tail.
Now I find solo cups easier to water but you can do final pots.
Poke a hole and put the tail down and seed case at the surface.
The coco should be moist but not soaking.
Then get a spray bottle and use it to keep the coco damp.
For a couple days.
Then you will need more nutrients. Pour a little in a circle away from her.
Gradually getting bigger.
Keep it damp, not soaking.
You need to give enough to get the tap root chasing nutrients to the bottom.
It's in my VIVOHUT thread at the beginning, with pictures.
Have a look and I'll answer any questions.
Take care.
Talk soon.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[bluter]

going with a solo or other small pot for seedling stage will help.

 

[mulga bill]

Hi,Porky82. sorry cannot do pics at the moment, i have not started another grow just yet, my ph meter has failed and am waiting for a new one to arrive. The amount of water i was using around the plant was very little, 10ml for the first couple of waterings , but if the coco in the pot was too moist to start with, then 10ml might be too much. this is why i am asking , what sort of moisture level should the coco be at before i start the grow ? thanks for your help....

 

[mulga bill]

Hi bluter, A number of the seed producers say to plant Autoflowers directly into their final pot, but yes i understand your point. Thanks for your suggestion...

 

[mulga bill]

Hi Bill, I have just spent a couple of hours reading your VIVOHUT thread, i love your new grow hut, you have done an amazing job. You say the coco should be moist but not soaking, that is what i thought i was doing. So, back to the drawing board. I will start the coco a bit dryer, back off the watering a little and see what happens. Thanks for your input Bill it is very much appreciated....

 

[Bill284]

Hi Bill, I have just spent a couple of hours reading your VIVOHUT thread, i love your new grow hut, you have done an amazing job. You say the coco should be moist but not soaking, that is what i thought i was doing. So, back to the drawing board. I will start the coco a bit dryer, back off the watering a little and see what happens. Thanks for your input Bill it is very much appreciated....

Anything you need at all.
I’m available pretty much 31
Take care.
Talk soon.



#vIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[bluter]

Hi bluter, A number of the seed producers say to plant Autoflowers directly into their final pot, but yes i understand your point. Thanks for your suggestion...

you can easily start in a solo and transplant an auto into a larger cup if it is timed well. it will result in an easier grow.

coco doesn't lend itself to planting in the final pot as well as soil. it's harder for the seedlings to catch on in the bigger pot, which is a big part of the reason your seedlings die off.

 

[mulga bill]

Hi Bluter, I may have to do as you suggest, i will have to do something, i am getting nowhere fast at the moment. Time for a different approach. Thankyou for your input....

 

[bluter]

Hi Bluter, I may have to do as you suggest, i will have to do something, i am getting nowhere fast at the moment. Time for a different approach. Thankyou for your input....

hey brother, have you rolled through a fem photo grow yet ? if not i strongly suggest you start there.

autos can be very bitchy, and we can coach you to a better outcome and larger harvest on fem photos. there is no real advantage to an auto for a novice grower. even good growers do better on a fem photo or female reg than an auto.

don't get discouraged. let us know when you are gonna start and we'll get you sorted through the basics.

 

[mulga bill]

Hi Bluter, Sorry for the late reply, my computer decided it was time to stop working. It was about 15 yrs old and still operating on windows7. I had to buy a new one. I don`t know much about computers so it is a steep learning curve. Anyway, i have been looking into fem/photos , and your right time for a change. It will be awhile before i can get some fem/photo seeds, and i will let you know when i am ready to start a grow . Thanks for your help... Mulga Bill.

 

[bluter]

Hi Bluter, Sorry for the late reply, my computer decided it was time to stop working. It was about 15 yrs old and still operating on windows7. I had to buy a new one. I don`t know much about computers so it is a steep learning curve. Anyway, i have been looking into fem/photos , and your right time for a change. It will be awhile before i can get some fem/photo seeds, and i will let you know when i am ready to start a grow . Thanks for your help... Mulga Bill.

make sure you let us know when you are firing up and we'll help you through the process. i 'm just starting a new hempy run this wkend myself.

edit : i'm on the third computer in 18 months so i know your pain lol

 

[Linalool]

Gidday all, I have just started growing again after an un-scheduled stop. I have had a look around the site and cannot find what i am looking for .my problem is i am having trouble getting my seedlings past week one ! watering issues ? My coco is quite coarse, i ran it through a sieve. I grow only Autoflowers. My problem is, after i have prepared the coco, buffering, rinsing down, adding perlite, and adding some preplanting ferts etc, How wet or dry should the coco be before i plant my seed in the coco ? I put my seeds in a glass of water to get them started, once they shoot i plant them. I plant the seed into their final pot. The seeds are coming up ok, but after 3 or 4 days the leaves droop down and stay that way. Overwatering ? I have tried 3 or 4 different approaches with how much moisture i started the pots with and have had no success. So, what sort of moisture level should the coco in the pot be to start the grow ? Thankyou.

Hey mate, howzit goin? Can help with your seedling issues. Duck down to Bunnings and buy a bag of Scott’s Osmocote Seedling and cutting mix. Great product, not as good as home made but it works every time and it’s convenient. Just make sure you fill up your pots and then give it a good flush to get rid of the built up salts before use. I never pre soak, waste of time and only provides more opportunities for disaster. I 90% fill a 140mm pot with seedling mix, usually with coco at the base, and then gently tamp it flat. Water to settle n rinse. Evenly space up to about 10 seeds per pot. Tamp again gently, then cover with about a centimetre of sieved mix. Water again. Put the pots under a plastic dome and don’t water again til they sprout. Day or two later upend the pot and transplant into their own 140mm pot with coco. I’ve been growing seeds like this for fifty years now and if I don’t get over 95% germination then something terrible has happened. I only buy from Darkhorse Genetics, Mosca and Nightowl and never had a seed issue. Also give em a drink/foliar feed with .4 EC calmag as soon as they sprout. If they stretch too much you can repot them and plant deeper so they don’t wobble around.

 

[gr865]

Good morning @mulga bill
Apologies for the late reply.
Sorry your having issues.
I soak my seeds in 10% h202 for exactly 18 hrs.
This gives them the best chance at staying healthy I find.
18 hrs in water no more or they can drown.
Then moist paper towel with a heat mat set at < 24 ish , until you get a tail.
Now I find solo cups easier to water but you can do final pots.
Poke a hole and put the tail down and seed case at the surface.
The coco should be moist but not soaking.
Then get a spray bottle and use it to keep the coco damp.
For a couple days.
Then you will need more nutrients. Pour a little in a circle away from her.
Gradually getting bigger.
Keep it damp, not soaking.
You need to give enough to get the tap root chasing nutrients to the bottom.
It's in my VIVOHUT thread at the beginning, with pictures.
Have a look and I'll answer any questions.
Take care.
Talk soon.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

@Bill284,
Bill I might add, use tweezers to put the seed in the coco. Never touch the root with your hands.
Good info for him buddy. But that is what you do, LOL!

 

[Roy Growin]

... my problem is i am having trouble getting my seedlings past week one ! watering issues ? My coco is quite coarse, i ran it through a sieve.

If you sieve coco you'll remove a lot of the fibres which keep it airy [so it cannot be over watered]
So even by adding perlite, your medium is likely holding too much water and not much Oxygen
Use coco straight outta the bag and mix in any perlite, frass, myco etc

 

[Bill284]

@Bill284,
Bill I might add, use tweezers to put the seed in the coco. Never touch the root with your hands.
Good info for him buddy. But that is what you do, LOL!

Hey Buddy
I have a big box of surgical too when I remember.
Hope your doing well.


Stay safe
Bill284