Slurry test coco

[Apalchen]

So I'm like 35 days into flowering and thought I had a nutrient deficiency but now I'm thinking it could be lock out since
I haven'tt been getting much runoff. I wanted to do a slurry test to help determine what's going on. It is a mix strain run so I have been purposefully feeding light compared with previous runs. At first I thought it was just a deficiency but since then more and more leaves are turning yellow and purple and getting crispy. The buds looks great and seem to be growing well.

I am planning to water to runoff today and try to flush some salts out of the coco but just wanted to make sure I wasnt going the wrong direction and flushing when I really should be feeding.

So does anyone have experience with a slurry test in coco? Can I use RO water?

 

[MickFoster]

You don't have to do a slurry test.
Flush with 1/4 strength nutes pH'd around 6.0.
Start feeding twice a day with substantial run off every time.
Coco is drain to waste hydroponics and should be fed to run off daily.
Never plain water.
Good luck.

 

[Midwestsmoker419]

The run off is key to avoiding salt build up

 

[getogrow]

Yes you can do a slurry in coco. it wont read organic food or matter though. So i am assuming its best to do what mick said and flush with food. Ive seen you around the boards for awhile now so when you say you are feeding light then im assuming very light. Flush with 1/4-1/2 strength food and maybe up your food when thats done.

 

[Apalchen]

Yeah I know it's way easier with runoff. And if it wasn't such a pain I'd get runoff every time. It takes me an hour of crawling around with a shop vac. I used to always get runoff and it was easier (way smaller space) But for the last year I've running with hardly any runoff. Here is a picture of my last run so you can see I'm not making shit up, it's my best run to date as far as gpw.


Ive been feeding this run lower than that one because it's a mixed strain run and was trying to avoid any nutrient burn. But I'm getting yellowing and dying leaves on quite a few of them.

I do plan on buying some rolling tables so I can get runoff and automate my feedings but for now just working with what I got.

Thought it was a nutrient deficiency at first but now I'm leaning toward salt build up and just wanted a way to check and see what was going on.

 

[xtsho]

The run off is key to avoiding salt build up

Or if you're not doing drain to waste with coco using an irrigation method like blumats then feeding is critical. Lower feeding is mandatory if you grow in coco without runoff. Many people growing in coco don't realize that even with drain to waste you don't need high EC nutrient solution. Since there is constant feeding better results are had with lower EC feeding. At least that's been my experience. I rarely go over 1.5 EC. Anything higher than that is pointless in coco.

 

[getogrow]

I would go with your first instinct ..... a def. Feed them more. Although i do not see a bad spot in the room. Are you in 100% coco ?

 

[getogrow]

The only reason i am not saying salt buildup is because you have been around the block on RIU and i just dont see you "missing" a "nute burn" , so that leaves you with underfed coco.....very easy to fix if im right.

 

[Apalchen]

Yes you can do a slurry in coco. it wont read organic food or matter though. So i am assuming its best to do what mick said and flush with food. Ive seen you around the boards for awhile now so when you say you are feeding light then im assuming very light. Flush with 1/4-1/2 strength food and maybe up your food when thats done.

The highest I've been feeding is 800 ppm, which In my setup isn't very high. If I was getting runoff I'd be feeding 1200-1300 ppm. But since Ive been doing the no runoff thing I feed light feeders around 650-800 ppm and heavy feeders 800-1000ppm, both those numbers are at peak flower.

I think I'll just run a couple gallons of 500-600 ppm thru each pot for the next couple waterings. As I don't have a big enough water holding tank to do more than that at a time. Sounds like the right thing to me?

I would go with your first instinct ..... a def. Feed them more. Although i do not see a bad spot in the room. Are you in 100% coco ?

That was last run just so people could see that I'm not a complete idiot and it's possible to do with no run off, lol. This run really looks chunky and nice too just a lot ugly leaves lately. And not near as even a canopy. With about 10 plants throughout the room that look like they are being flushed way too early.

No it's a mix of 1 bag coco loco to 1 bag of mothers earth with perilite. I been using it for a long time and have always treated it just like a coco perilite mix with great results.

 

[Apalchen]

The only reason i am not saying salt buildup is because you have been around the block on RIU and i just dont see you "missing" a "nute burn" , so that leaves you with underfed coco.....very easy to fix if im right.

Appreciate it, but honestly these new rooms are testing my abilities to the fullest. I'm doing pretty good but it's just so much more to keep up with than what I fondly look back on as my small less stressful grows. I love it don't get me wrong, to me all work is stressful so it might as well be something I love, but it is a lot of work.

 

[getogrow]

So now im still leaning on just uping the food a tad but you cant go wrong in coco with a nute flush.

If coco is a hydro medium then so is peat moss and any other soiless mix. You can treat coco as a hydro medium with little to no issues but its by far a hydro medium.Hydro mediums are 100% inert. the ph is what you make it. the food is only what you give it. coco has its own ph....it holds food and water, ect.... just my own 1 cent

 

[getogrow]

Appreciate it, but honestly these new rooms are testing my abilities to the fullest. I'm doing pretty good but it's just so much more to keep up with than what I fondly look back on as my small less stressful grows. I love it don't get me wrong, to me all work is stressful so it might as well be something I love, but it is a lot of work.

i also know ALL about that. Been doing it for over 20 years but when its time to get serious with it ....it turns into work. hard work.

 

[getogrow]

That was last run just so people could see that I'm not a complete idiot and it's possible to do with no run off, lol.

Fuck um. i do everything backwards. i dont do runoff either but im in a soil mix. Coco is much easier to treat like hydro so whether you got runoff or not , you will do good depending on your diet. Im personally thinking your numbers are low enough to keep going without runoff but that is a complete guess. You cannot go wrong with a food flush just for peace of mind. If nothing else hand water one just to see how she reacts. Are you using chelated food ?

 

[Apalchen]

Fuck um. i do everything backwards. i dont do runoff either but im in a soil mix. Coco is much easier to treat like hydro so whether you got runoff or not , you will do good depending on your diet. Im personally thinking your numbers are low enough to keep going without runoff but that is a complete guess. You cannot go wrong with a food flush just for peace of mind. If nothing else hand water one just to see how she reacts. Are you using chelated food ?

I feed Advanced nutrients connie coco.

So I did a slurry test, it was only setting about 5 mins will check again soon. But so far it looks like my pH is higher than expected at like 6.6 and my nutrients are at about 780 ppm. I added 2 parts RO water to 1 part coco I foraged from my pots.

So about the complete opposite of what I was expecting, I figured with no run off the salts had built up and drove my ph down. But it appears I'm just simply underfeeding. Also my pots are getting way drier than I had previously thought so that could have something to do with it.

I don't want to over feed the rest of my plants so I'll feed all the ones that are looking good regular strength and then add more nutes to my rez and feed the other girls second. By the next day the rez will be diluted back down after filling overnight with ro, this way I can use the same rez to feed all the plants.

 

[getogrow]

I don't want to over feed the rest of my plants.....

This is what i suspected. it happens to all of us more then a dozen times.
I am pretty sure you are right and just need to up the feed on some of them. im having the same issues with my multistrain tent.