Coco: Tips, techniques, and the facts you will need

[jarvild]

Hi Jarvid,
Not everybody has an outdoor place to dump used coco. It's easy to flush and re-use.

Curious to know if you have any issues with salts...allowing your coco to dry a bit. When you water...how much runoff you looking for?
JD

I have been growing in coco coir for 10 years. I don't miss the old ways of block or brick coco to hydrate,wash and buffer before use. Another was the amount of reusable coir that is actually usable after a run is less than half the original amount used at the start as the root mass has replaced most of the space.
The simple truth is that I rarely feed to run-off, people may disagree but it is what works in my garden and I have no issues with salt build-up when you figure out what the plants need for nutrition.

 

[JohnDee]

I have been growing in coco coir for 10 years. I don't miss the old ways of block or brick coco to hydrate,wash and buffer before use. Another was the amount of reusable coir that is actually usable after a run is less than half the original amount used at the start as the root mass has replaced most of the space.
The simple truth is that I rarely feed to run-off, people may disagree but it is what works in my garden and I have no issues with salt build-up when you figure out what the plants need for nutrition.

Thanks jarvid,
That was useful information. I may not start emulating your style...but it's good to know how wide the range of styles is...that will work in coco. I'm going to try and utilize some organic supplements this grow. Probably have to toss it after that.
JD

 

[kwigybo88]

coco is similar to rockwool in term of dryback .. i would say coco needs bigger drybacks, but not much
which means that if you want to promote generative growth your coco pots must be light every morning ... no dry but light ..

Dude this isnt even remotely true. If we're talking established plants, coco need not and should not ever be allowed to dry. The more it is irrigated the faster/bigger the plant will grow. Frequent irrigation allows more oxygen to be drawn in.

Allowing it to dry spikes salt levels. I hardly ever water to runoff and i never, ever check the salt levels of the runoff. Its not necessary. Water 4-6 times a day and you'll pull over a gpw easily.

 

[kingromano]

Dude this isnt even remotely true. If we're talking established plants, coco need not and should not ever be allowed to dry. The more it is irrigated the faster/bigger the plant will grow. Frequent irrigation allows more oxygen to be drawn in.

Allowing it to dry spikes salt levels. I hardly ever water to runoff and i never, ever check the salt levels of the runoff. Its not necessary. Water 4-6 times a day and you'll pull over a gpw easily.

yes but no .. by doing this you keep your plant in a vegetative state ... small night dryback induce vegetative growth ...
if you want to steer the plant toward generative production you have to increase the night dryback

thats why you must slowly water during the first hours of the morning .. to dissolve the moderate and volunteer salt buildup of the nightand get a runoff around midday..
EC increase during the night period steer the plant in flower/fruit production setting ..
by keeping it wetter you dont create the positive stress that will force the plant to produce more/faster

lower water content, bigger night dryback, higher EC in the medium --> fruit/flower production
higher WC , small night dryback, light ec in the medium --> leaves production

no bro science .. agriculturale facts used for tomatoes and other fast growing crops .. herb behave the same

ps: english is not my language ,the you must you have to in my sentences are maybe clumsy

 

[kingromano]

Dude this isnt even remotely true. If we're talking established plants, coco need not and should not ever be allowed to dry. The more it is irrigated the faster/bigger the plant will grow. Frequent irrigation allows more oxygen to be drawn in.

Allowing it to dry spikes salt levels. I hardly ever water to runoff and i never, ever check the salt levels of the runoff. Its not necessary. Water 4-6 times a day and you'll pull over a gpw easily.

ah yeah multi watering through the day with top feed is how it must be done ... im with you except on the night dryback ..
your plants will explode during veg/stretch but if you let the coco/wool become lighter during the night till 1/2 hours after lights on your plants will enter in the bloom phase harder and faster

google crop steering, grodan for exemple

 

[kwigybo88]

You dont water during lights off. Thats it. Lights on, you water every two hours. Anything less is detrimental.

 

[VONDANK420]

Coco is a great medium.
I run canna coco and nutes
Coco a and b
Cal/mag plus
Rhizotonic

5.8 to 6 ph
.6 in veg then bell curve to 1.1ec in flower.
Canna is buffered and I dont do anything but transplant and feed.
I reuse my coco over and over till it practically breaks down.
I de-Root it then pasteurize followed by a simple rebuffering.

 

[kingromano]

You dont water during lights off. Thats it. Lights on, you water every two hours. Anything less is detrimental.

sure .. no watering at night .. nor 2/3 hours before lights out .. except with very big plants in small container

happy to know that it works for you this way .. but with different environnement/strains/container size ..
i could be 4 a day to 10 times ...
the key is to get no more than 25% runoff on the total period. not on each watering necessarly, at the end of the day i want 10 to 25% of my feed volume recovered in the drain bucket
i only runoff at midday , if runoff happen on the first shots of the day i consider im giving too much waterings..
thats crop steering techniques .

you can always keep your coco wet because you have built a big root mass and have a relatively big plant for the size of the container .. but then your plant will act more vegetative

Crop Steering with Rock Wool

In this article we will look at crop steering with rock wool using precision irrigation methods for saturation and dry back. Crop steering is the maximizing of growth rates, minimizing nutrient waste, pushing a crops potential for aromas, yields, essential oils, etc. Rock wool over all other...

www.sea-of-green.com

pretty the same for coco .. would just give 5/10% more dryback than rw

 

[kingromano]

Coco is a great medium.
I run canna coco and nutes
Coco a and b
Cal/mag plus
Rhizotonic

5.8 to 6 ph
.6 in veg then bell curve to 1.1ec in flower.
Canna is buffered and I dont do anything but transplant and feed.
I reuse my coco over and over till it practically breaks down.
I de-Root it then pasteurize followed by a simple rebuffering.

yeah 1.2 1.1 ms is the sweet spot in flower .. looks low but plants love it

 

[jarvild]

Grow how you want but I average 1.5-1.9 gpw with single daily feeds in 9 liter pots of coir.

 

[VONDANK420]

Grow how you want but I average 1.5-1.9 gpw with single daily feeds in 9 liter pots of coir.

Very nice.

 

[Jypsy Dog]

I put .75 gal evey other day in my coco hempy.

 

[danion]

on my way to keep learning, that has white roots and you see that they are getting more brown may be lacking oxygen?
I've noticed that the roots are getting a little brown and I don't know if it's too much watering, watering 4 times a day:
9:45
(10:00 lights on)
15:00
21:45
(22:00 lights off)
3:00
And start again, is it better not to water with the lights off? or start a little before turning on the lights?
I use coco-perlite 70/30 and nutrients atami and aptus

 

[kingromano]

on my way to keep learning, that has white roots and you see that they are getting more brown may be lacking oxygen?
I've noticed that the roots are getting a little brown and I don't know if it's too much watering, watering 4 times a day:
9:45
(10:00 lights on)
15:00
21:45
(22:00 lights off)
3:00
And start again, is it better not to water with the lights off? or start a little before turning on the lights?
I use coco-perlite 70/30 and nutrients atami and aptus

if exposed to air roots will have tendancy to dry and get brown ..

 

[danion]

if exposed to air roots will have tendancy to dry and get brown ..

So should I increase the frequency and amount of irrigation? or decrease the number of irrigations? In growing, I watered once a day in 2gal pots and the roots stood out below and the roots were fat and white, since I put the automatic watering on, the roots do not come out of roots below and have become a little brown

 

[coreywebster]

sure .. no watering at night .. nor 2/3 hours before lights out .. except with very big plants in small container

happy to know that it works for you this way .. but with different environnement/strains/container size ..
i could be 4 a day to 10 times ...
the key is to get no more than 25% runoff on the total period. not on each watering necessarly, at the end of the day i want 10 to 25% of my feed volume recovered in the drain bucket
i only runoff at midday , if runoff happen on the first shots of the day i consider im giving too much waterings..
thats crop steering techniques .

you can always keep your coco wet because you have built a big root mass and have a relatively big plant for the size of the container .. but then your plant will act more vegetative

Crop Steering with Rock Wool

In this article we will look at crop steering with rock wool using precision irrigation methods for saturation and dry back. Crop steering is the maximizing of growth rates, minimizing nutrient waste, pushing a crops potential for aromas, yields, essential oils, etc. Rock wool over all other...

www.sea-of-green.com

pretty the same for coco .. would just give 5/10% more dryback than rw

You brought up something I have never heard of, but my background has nothing to do with agriculture.
Thanks for giving me a new subject to read up on.

 

[kingromano]

So should I increase the frequency and amount of irrigation? or decrease the number of irrigations? In growing, I watered once a day in 2gal pots and the roots stood out below and the roots were fat and white, since I put the automatic watering on, the roots do not come out of roots below and have become a little brown

yeah its normal that the roots that poke out the pot and come in direct contact with the relatively dry air of the room become brown and dry ..
but if you look inside the pot they must be white

 

[kingromano]

dont go too fast in the multifeeding .. except if your container is really small
usually it take minimum 4 days before watering again at transplantation .. then 3 .. 2 .. and after you can feed everyday with 25% runoff

what is important is night dryback ..
the drydown of your medium must happen during the night..
after transplantation you must give bigger drybacks, a bit like in flowering in fact ..

because you want the medium to get lighter so the roots grow .. then as the plant roots in the medium you will increase the frequency of watering, until you are able to feed daily and multifeed

remember you want between 10% and 30% runoff. this % is on the total volume of the day
in your case in 2 gal pots of coco in veg i would give 150mL shots
which means that if you give 4 shots=600mL to get runoff you must give another 150mL to rinse the salts accumulated during nights

especially after transplantation runoff is important.. i give 50% runoff on the first watering to counter salt accumulation (unavoidable at this stage)

when the plant start to drink everyday, night dryback are reduced ..


remember:

veg stage: wetter medium, small night dryback
bloom stage: dryer medium, bigger dryback

10-30% runoff, very important, monitor ec/ph of runoff

 

[danion]

dont go too fast in the multifeeding .. except if your container is really small
usually it take minimum 4 days before watering again at transplantation .. then 3 .. 2 .. and after you can feed everyday with 25% runoff

what is important is night dryback ..
the drydown of your medium must happen during the night..
after transplantation you must give bigger drybacks, a bit like in flowering in fact ..

because you want the medium to get lighter so the roots grow .. then as the plant roots in the medium you will increase the frequency of watering, until you are able to feed daily and multifeed

remember you want between 10% and 30% runoff. this % is on the total volume of the day
in your case in 2 gal pots of coco in veg i would give 150mL shots
which means that if you give 4 shots=600mL to get runoff you must give another 150mL to rinse the salts accumulated during nights

especially after transplantation runoff is important.. i give 50% runoff on the first watering to counter salt accumulation (unavoidable at this stage)

when the plant start to drink everyday, night dryback are reduced ..


remember:

veg stage: wetter medium, small night dryback
bloom stage: dryer medium, bigger dryback

10-30% runoff, very important, monitor ec/ph of runoff

Thank’s man
I'm in bloom now, in the third week
Now, I am giving them the irrigarons that I put above, maybe I should modify them for the dry night, and that the first one is a little longer to drag the accumulation of the night? and distribute the irrigation at 12h light

10:00 light turn on

10:45 first irrigation
13:45 second irrigation
16:45 third irrigation
19:45 fourth irrigation

22:00 light turn off

I measure the ec and the ph of runoff every week, and I don't let it rise more than 0.5 of the EC of the irrigation

 

[TintEastwood]

Thank’s man
I'm in bloom now, in the third week
Now, I am giving them the irrigarons that I put above, maybe I should modify them for the dry night, and that the first one is a little longer to drag the accumulation of the night? and distribute the irrigation at 12h light

10:00 light turn on

10:45 first irrigation
13:45 second irrigation
16:45 third irrigation
19:45 fourth irrigation

22:00 light turn off

I measure the ec and the ph of runoff every week, and I don't let it rise more than 0.5 of the EC of the irrigation

What kingromano said.
For sure no nutes during lights out.

Heres a buttload of coco info...

Watering Coco - How to Water Cannabis Plants in Coco Coir - Coco For Cannabis

Coco Watering Guide. How to water cannabis in coco for maximum growth. Includes guidelines for coco watering frequency and a coco watering schedule.

www.cocoforcannabis.com

I go lighter on nutes with less runoff once in flower.