First time with coco

Sumby

Sumby

Active Member
Hi guys. I have a few photoperiod soil grows under my belt now and have improved every time. Just out of interest and wanting to expand on my knowledge, I have bought some gorilla glue autos. I’m wanting to also try coco now for the first time. Usually I use biobizz and have had good results but I know coco is an inert medium so no microherd (or this is my understanding correct if wrong). So I have ordered canna a+b. Do I need a calmag and if so which one suits the canna. By the way I’m using canna coco plus Also any tips for autos/coco would be great. A few questions I have are :

To early top an auto or not ?

Just coco or add perlite ?

Will canna a+b be sufficient on its own for ferts

If my tapwater is moderately hard, with a PH of 6.95, will I need ph up/down with a+b

Thanks guys
 
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CannaCountry

Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan of autos, but I understand your best bet is to plant them in the pot they'll finish in and don't goof with them too much. I'm sure some others with more defined experience will chime in on this.

As to your Coco. In my experience pure coco works perfectly; no perlite needed. I don't use Canna A+B, but from what I've read in numerous threads, it's a good nutrient line. I would guess with the success it has, that it will carry you sufficiently through a grow. The only way to know if you'll need to pH up or down is by mixing up your feed and testing its pH. You'll then need to adjust it up or down depending. Coco likes a pH of @ 5.8, don't water with plain water (ever) and don't let your coco dry out completely...these three little things are very important. Also keep in mind coco likes to bind with Ca and Mg, so be sure you're adding enough of both so the plant also gets its share. Good luck.
 
jonsmith2012ad

jonsmith2012ad

Well-Known Member
CannaCountry said:
I'm not a fan of autos, but I understand your best bet is to plant them in the pot they'll finish in and don't goof with them too much. I'm sure some others with more defined experience will chime in on this.

As to your Coco. In my experience pure coco works perfectly; no perlite needed. I don't use Canna A+B, but from what I've read in numerous threads, it's a good nutrient line. I would guess with the success it has, that it will carry you sufficiently through a grow. The only way to know if you'll need to pH up or down is by mixing up your feed and testing its pH. You'll then need to adjust it up or down depending. Coco likes a pH of @ 5.8, don't water with plain water (ever) and don't let your coco dry out completely...these three little things are very important. Also keep in mind coco likes to bind with Ca and Mg, so be sure you're adding enough of both so the plant also gets its share. Good luck.
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Thanks for this man. I started my first coco grow but I had no perlite and no money so I’m just using straight canna coco and it seems to be working good so far still drains very well.
 
Sumby

Sumby

Active Member
My tap water is moderately hard and the ph is pretty much bang on 7. Looks like I’ll need some ph down/up before I start. So I should mix my soloution , ph it to the 5.8 sweet spot, water accordingly.
 
doniawon

doniawon

Well-Known Member
I love to add a big n chunky perlite. At almost 60/40, coco/perlite. Makes it more of a hydro substrate.
But to each their own. Many ways to do things well.
 
doniawon

doniawon

Well-Known Member
Sumby said:
My tap water is moderately hard and the ph is pretty much bang on 7. Looks like I’ll need some ph down/up before I start. So I should mix my soloution , ph it to the 5.8 sweet spot, water accordingly.
Click to expand...
Most bottled nutes these days include buffers, that will correct the pH from tap etc.
Add nutes check pH, if it's n out of range, adjust then feed .

Use micro first if using a synthetic 3part.
Use silica first before anything if using a silica .
 
Sumby

Sumby

Active Member
doniawon said:
Most bottled nutes these days include buffers, that will correct the pH from tap etc.
Add nutes check pH, if it's n out of range, adjust then feed .

Use micro first if using a synthetic 3part.
Use silica first before anything if using a silica .
Click to expand...
Ah great. I didn’t know that. I’m used to soil being a great buffer but I though I had to do it every time with coco. I’m using canna a b. Will this be sufficient on its own ?
 
U

upnsmoke13

Well-Known Member
A&B will be fine for the entire grow. I overfed through flower but harvested bud that got me buzzed! Give your roots enough time to establish before feeding too heavy. Allow the coco to dry, a little, before rewetting. A wet/dry(ish) cycle will encourage roots to explore for moisture.
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Sumby said:
Ah great. I didn’t know that. I’m used to soil being a great buffer but I though I had to do it every time with coco. I’m using canna a b. Will this be sufficient on its own ?
Click to expand...
A and B, a bottle of calmag for if its needed and ph down.
That's all you really need, just be steady with the ph down so you get to around 6. Then you don't need ph up.

You will find if you reuse coco you probably wont need calmag after the first use, especially with hard water.

Feed somewhere in the range of 1/2- 2/3rds of the recommended hard water feeding on the canna schedule and you will cut the chance of problems to a minimum.

Water until run off. Clean up the run off.

Happy growing.
 
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