Setting up dtw coco 2.5x5 tent

[Billy the Mountain]

You may want to check your drip halos. It looks like you may be pinching the line in the effort to bend 1/2" tubing in a tight radius.
1/4" tubing works better in that scenario; both for flexibility and pressure considerations.
There's no reason a 400gph or 800gph wouldn't be sufficient for your setup. Kind of perplexing actually. I've run similar setups with more sites and have never experienced insufficient flow using comparable pumps.

 

[medidedicated]

You may want to check your drip halos. It looks like you may be pinching the line in the effort to bend 1/2" tubing in a tight radius.
1/4" tubing works better in that scenario; both for flexibility and pressure considerations.
There's no reason a 400gph or 800gph wouldn't be sufficient for your setup. Kind of perplexing actually. I've run similar setups with more sites and have never experienced insufficient flow using comparable pumps.

You are right, holy cow. 400gph for two plants that was working just ok with valves about 75% open but today it was not working until just now. I saw the hose leaving the reservoir kinked pretty good, undid the kink and halos are bursting water out. Will look into that.

I would buy halos but 6” is too wide for most of my pots.

 

[medidedicated]

I did this with one plant and a super weak 100gph pump with halo holes chucked open with scissors so was wondering what was going on. Now the valves to two plants are half way open which sounds about right, could have two more plants. They say 100gph per plant.

As for the tray of plants, not sure what is going on other than kinked halos, a bit too much. The line to it is not kinked so hmm.

 

[Billy the Mountain]

You are right, holy cow. 400gph for two plants that was working just ok with valves about 75% open but today it was not working until just now. I saw the hose leaving the reservoir kinked pretty good, undid the kink and halos are bursting water out. Will look into that.

I would buy halos but 6” is too wide for most of my pots.

You can make them any size you want without kinks for pocket change. Just use 1/4" tubing and some tee-connectors, a soldering iron makes nice clean holes if you have one handy. Same setup you currently have, just substitute 1/4" tubing to avoid the kinks. You'll also get more pressure; the same principle used in plumbing (3/4" water lines step down to 1/2' at faucets for example).

 

[medidedicated]

Yea, I stand corrected that more solution equals more stable ph. I need that blue lab thing. Anyone use it and have success with it? Pretty costly but I am willing to save up for it. Ph’ing water before each feed is not ideal or ph ing it even twice a day. I could do twice a day for now. Temps are around 72F so probably why but I only had to clean out reservoir once after what, 2 weeks? About average I would say to other people I think.

I put the pumps/wave makers in bucket with warm water and h2o2 to sit for 5 mins and empty/rinse. Running clean so far. Solution got cloudy and smelly prior.

The auto doser sounds like a luxury. A cheap auto doser only, no monitor, I might be able to try out but the inaccuracy is bothering. Like what if the preset dose is too much or little, and you still have to sample it to find it is almost as bad as just doing it by hand.

I did 20 gal last time, this time 25 and it is pushing it, sides bowing but after two feeds it seems better. Like it can hold it just fine. Was dialing in the halos so solution went a little faster but should last a week. Now to see how often I am PH ing the water. Will it hold ph better with more water this time? Will see.

Maybe I went through it too fast and temps too warm so ph rised quicker. Sorry, kind of rambling out loud. Totally interested in that blue lab. Then I literally don’t have to do a thing but refill and clean as needed, weekly.

 

[medidedicated]

Wow, mostly 5 star reviews. I see the pros on here use it too and recommend it. I will start saving for it. I got everything to setup flexi reservoirs. Setting it up soon. This ph doser will really be worth it.

Thinking of setting up reservoirs this weekend. I think I may see how fast solution goes in 25 gallons, if it isn’t enough I will setup sooner or later if my current setup works for now.

Here are some photos in tent to date. Biggest plant has leaves bigger than my hand. Kongs Krush. The rest catching up. Happy with my mars hydro, the plant is eating it up.

 

[kwigybo88]

Dude, literally everything in that 12.5sq.' tent is oversized. 3 gallon pots? 150L rez? 800gph pump? 13mm tube to every pot?

Its all way overkill.

 

[medidedicated]

Dude, literally everything in that 12.5sq.' tent is oversized. 3 gallon pots? 150L rez? 800gph pump? 13mm tube to every pot?

Its all way overkill.

Wanted the biggest plants I could grow but will work my way down to 2 gallons, maybe less eventually. Auto plant did amazing in 3 gallon, photo it may not matter.

The reservoirs only come in 25 gallon, then straight to 60 gallons. I am running 25 gallons already at a time, it aint lasting very long. Wouldnt smaller pots need to be fed more frequently? I was up to five times a day in coco, I thought bigger pots would help but I was still feeding often.

The pumps and tubing was pointed out already to be re-done but they still work. The tray of 4 plants are temporary but it works, especially when I disperse them to run in their own reservoir.

 

[medidedicated]

Last time, everything was undersized and lost my plant to mold due to that and worked my tail off refilling a 5 gallon reservoir every day. Every single day. Drove me nuts.

My latest two grows in soil are showing me you wont have humidity issues or etc if the plants dont fill up the tent too tightly.

Hense the over sizing of everything. Just want a bigger plant to harvest and not have to touch a thing for a week at a time.

 

[TCH]

While smaller containers will need to be fed more often,it shouldn't use any more solution. I had 6' plants in half gallon pots with coco. Get your system dialed in and the plants will take what they need.

 

[medidedicated]

While smaller containers will need to be fed more often,it shouldn't use any more solution. I had 6' plants in half gallon pots with coco. Get your system dialed in and the plants will take what they need.

I am not sure what caused more dryback, excess airflow, low humidity, warmer temps. Maybe it is too much coco in sense that it will already dryback a certain speed and way due to not holding water for very long so it uses more solution?

I think I saw you had a 16gal reservoir for one plant? What is one of your setups as an example? One said 30 gallons, 4 plants, two weeks.

Think I have a bigger issue though, my solution is getting cloudy and smelly faster. Probably warm temps.

 

[medidedicated]

I could of forgotten to peroxide it and soon pool shock, just need know how much to use. I think pool shock is stronger and need to use that next refill. I suffer from stoney memory, if I do something enough I can remember both not doing it and doing it. I really couldnt tell you this time. Just happens. Need smoke less weed!

I havent looked into water chillers yet but it may help, I kept solution in basement and it lasted longer. In warmer temps it gets smelly and cloudy quick.

 

[kwigybo88]

Smaller pots get fed more frequently but much, much less at a time. Oversized pots defeat the purpose of coco, in which the goal is to deliberately get the plant rootbound. This allows for higher frequency irrigation which draws more oxygen into the rootzone which in turn massively increases growth and yield.

You treat it like soil, you will get soil results.

Here are two plants grown in a tent a bit smaller than yours. 1 gallon pots. 12 ounces per plant. Fed 6 times per day.

 

[medidedicated]

Smaller pots get fed more frequently but much, much less at a time. Oversized pots defeat the purpose of coco, in which the goal is to deliberately get the plant rootbound. This allows for higher frequency irrigation which draws more oxygen into the rootzone which in turn massively increases growth and yield.

You treat it like soil, you will get soil results.

Here are two plants grown in a tent a bit smaller than yours. 1 gallon pots. 12 ounces per plant. Fed 6 times per day.
View attachment 5332868

What size reservoirs and how long do they last?

 

[TCH]

I am not sure what caused more dryback, excess airflow, low humidity, warmer temps. Maybe it is too much coco in sense that it will already dryback a certain speed and way due to not holding water for very long so it uses more solution?

I think I saw you had a 16gal reservoir for one plant? What is one of your setups as an example? One said 30 gallons, 4 plants, two weeks.

Think I have a bigger issue though, my solution is getting cloudy and smelly faster. Probably warm temps.

I use a 12 gallon res for 6 plants. BUT I was running bluemats. They basically kept the coco moist without feeding to runoff. Had I flushed them periodically like I should have, it would have been beautiful. But no, I let them go most of the grow without flushing so they got big salt buildup and slowed stuff down. I'm getting ready to swap to a pump and drip system and will most likely need to figure out a new reservoir situation.

And as far as smelly,bleach is super simple to use. Research this, but I think it basically works out to 4 drops per gallon.

 

[kwigybo88]

What size reservoirs and how long do they last?

20 gallon. Lasts a week in summer. 10 days in winter. Go as big as you want dude, 150 litres just seems like a shit ton of water and will most likely go bad before it's even close to being used.

 

[medidedicated]

Dang, my reservoir would hold 4 gallons for two plants per day for a week. Fed 5 times a day or 6, it would be about a gallon. Is a gallon for a 1-2 gallon plant overkill? For 2 gallon maybe not but for 1 gallon it may be.

 

[kwigybo88]

I use a 12 gallon res for 6 plants. BUT I was running bluemats. They basically kept the coco moist without feeding to runoff. Had I flushed them periodically like I should have, it would have been beautiful. But no, I let them go most of the grow without flushing so they got big salt buildup and slowed stuff down. I'm getting ready to swap to a pump and drip system and will most likely need to figure out a new reservoir situation.

And as far as smelly,bleach is super simple to use. Research this, but I think it basically works out to 4 drops per gallon.

You dont need to flush bro. Either feed to runoff or lower feed strength.

 

[medidedicated]

20 gallon. Lasts a week in summer. 10 days in winter. Go as big as you want dude, 150 litres just seems like a shit ton of water and will most likely go bad before it's even close to being used.

Ok yea, thanks for the heads up I just sometimes get set in a plan and not see things like this also being a new grower still. I still would have only wasted 80$ on a 60 gallon tub as the other can surely be used as drain, I know I discovered that perk for sure. Or I can use it for 4 plants if to flower both tents at once.

 

[TCH]

You dont need to flush bro. Either feed to runoff or lower feed strength.

Feeding to runoff is like flushing every feed. The bluemats don't feed to runoff, they maintain a level of moisture. The feed level was already low because bluemats. But with bluemats in coco you should flush them periodically with a low ppm feed to prevent the salt buildup.