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

I know these few things about Chlorine removal. Light exposure, heat, temp, surface area, and oxygenation all increase the rate of evaporation. I use an airstone and draw days before.

I use aquarium tap water conditioner for de-chlorinating (chloramine doesn't gas off). Mix 1ml in a 5 gallon bucket and about 30 seconds later you're good to go. I know it works because I use it in DWC and if I don't use it I get root slime every time because the chloramine in my tap water makes the bennies die/sick. The active ingredient is sodium thiosulfate if you want to know how it works.

Well, I have recently been using ebb and flow tables to feed and really am enjoying Coco in a whole new way. I tried the tiny rockwool cubes(chum) off the bat and was unimpressed. I got algae, gnats, and just funky, mediocre growth. So I tried out a mixture of coco, perlite, and rockwool and found RESULTS. No algae for starters, less gnats, as well as no mucky slime in the trays. A few things about this mix is it has great wicking ability provided by the rockwool, aeration from perlite, and the coco keeps the algae at bay(mixed throughout and cover top inch). Here is a system that I do not have to handwater, grows lush and fast, and clean without the lil coco flecks. Another benefit is the minimal water needed to flood and feed....1 inch and the pots drink. So, it is a hydro setup but for the Coco lovers and the growth is just massive.

burgertime2010 said:

Well, I have recently been using ebb and flow tables to feed and really am enjoying Coco in a whole new way. I tried the tiny rockwool cubes(chum) off the bat and was unimpressed. I got algae, gnats, and just funky, mediocre growth. So I tried out a mixture of coco, perlite, and rockwool and found RESULTS. No algae for starters, less gnats, as well as no mucky slime in the trays. A few things about this mix is it has great wicking ability provided by the rockwool, aeration from perlite, and the coco keeps the algae at bay(mixed throughout and cover top inch). Here is a system that I do not have to handwater, grows lush and fast, and clean without the lil coco flecks. Another benefit is the minimal water needed to flood and feed....1 inch and the pots drink. So, it is a hydro setup but for the Coco lovers and the growth is just massive.

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Sounds like a winning combo
What nutes are you using and how many times a day are you flooding?
I'm hand watering a couple of plants in coco and i do like the stuff but would like to go with a few more plants with less veg time so a flood and drain sounds like the way to go.

I am trying to use up the bases I have laying around(heavy 16, Advanced A/B bloom, or Dyna Grow) with an enzyme, cal mag, fulvic acid, carbo-load, Big-Bud, Kushie Kush and a couple other things......more than usual!!! In terms of PPMs no change from normal. The once daily flood would even work with regular coco but gnats are a bitch. On the last feeding before I switch out the resevoir, I dilute it by half and top water each heavily to flush-out. This is only my 2nd time with flooding but it is more relaxed. You do not want to use organics or do mix and match.....that gets the mess beginning. It is nice to only just PH.

I use canna coco full line which i believe is all synthetic so i could carry on with those.
Do you think this would work using just the coco/perlite mix or do you need the wicking ability of the rockwool?

It is hard to say.....I don't think so.....I think it helps but cant know for sure. If you drench the table deep.....no. Small pots? no.....Big plants in big pots? I would for sure.

Hello, I am my first coco grow now. I already nuted too early and stunted them a little. I also didnt prerinse my coco like you said, I am 3 weeks in from seed now and just developing the 3rd and 4th nodes on some. When i check my ppm runoff its 200 more then when it went it, and ph goes from 5.8 to 7. Any suggestions? Killed 3 seedlings but the rest are still looking fine, just slow growth.

I am going to start using fulvic acid for my ph down for its added benefits, i read there is an issue with phosporic acid and the cec problem

challeacewei said:

Hello, I am my first coco grow now. I already nuted too early and stunted them a little. I also didnt prerinse my coco like you said, I am 3 weeks in from seed now and just developing the 3rd and 4th nodes on some. When i check my ppm runoff its 200 more then when it went it, and ph goes from 5.8 to 7. Any suggestions? Killed 3 seedlings but the rest are still looking fine, just slow growth.

I am going to start using fulvic acid for my ph down for its added benefits, i read there is an issue with phosporic acid and the cec problem

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I would be much better able by seeing a pic. What lights, temp, etc.

I cant get pics to upload but its a 4x8 ft tent, have only 1 thousand watt running, got 6 seedligs in 5 gall smartpots, temps holdin stedy at 73, humidity 50%, giving them 1 1/2 gal everyday now spaced out over 3 or 4 hours, mixed in about 25 % perlite.

Hey burgertime big thanks on helping folks out here! And i went ahead and sticky this one for yah.
have a great xmas and keep it green

challeacewei said:

I cant get pics to upload but its a 4x8 ft tent, have only 1 thousand watt running, got 6 seedligs in 5 gall smartpots, temps holdin stedy at 73, humidity 50%, giving them 1 1/2 gal everyday now spaced out over 3 or 4 hours, mixed in about 25 % perlite.

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I know that seedlings given too much root space will take their time growing vertically at the beginning as they stretch out downward and grow roots primarily. If it is just slow growth and no other signs of an unhappy plant that would be my guess. Also, watering seedlings too much will hinder root growth....let them get a little dry so the roots seek out what they need.

So, after having finished my 2nd ebb and flow grow with coco the conclusions are simple. It works better than I had ever imagined and so much easier than before when I was top watering. I am tinkering with ways to formulate a beginner friendly, inexpensive, and easy regimen that will give the results of a pro to anyone.

burgertime2010 said:

So, after having finished my 2nd ebb and flow grow with coco the conclusions are simple. It works better than I had ever imagined and so much easier than before when I was top watering. I am tinkering with ways to formulate a beginner friendly, inexpensive, and easy regimen that will give the results of a pro to anyone.

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I definately want to try this out, i await your regime with baited breath

The Beginners Ebb and Flow coco grow. So, the basic understanding of cloning, vegetative growth, and training/ topping are basics any beginner in any medium needs to understand and I assume that is common knowledge. The goal is an easier way to use coco that is clean, basic, and time efficient. First, Coco is not a soil and is relatively neutral, it can thrive on feeding schedules of up to 4x per day when it is in flowering. I mention this because the tendency is to top-water as if it were soil, allowing it to dry and fearing root rot and overwatering. Well, this is what we need to get started. Res, tray, pump, airstone, coco, medium perlite, rockwool cubes (very small) they come in a bag, and nutes I will explain as we proceed. So, initially there is some output and a cycle-stat and a res-warmer make the essentials really low maintenance. I want the daily responsibilities of our coco garden to be minimal and preventative. The top issues of this medium and ebb and flow will be addressed and a defense built in. Now, during veg I find the use of coco and a bit of perlite a good medium and using beneficials or organic supplements is okay....we want big strong roots before we transplant into larger flowering size pots. The 1/2 coco, 1/4 perlite, and 1/4 mini rockwool will be the actual medium, this combination will wick up nutes, aerate, and keep a great ratio of air to water....overwatering and rot are not likely, and by putting the rockwool cubes along the very bottom the coco remains in the pot. This will keep a level of cleanliness that coco alone just will not. I am using 1 gal pots filled up about 75% and it is amazing what can be accomplished with such little root space and a feeding schedule that is constant. We are ready to fill up our reservoir and flip to 12/12. Now, in the presence of organic matter, water, and light algae will begin to grow as well as other nasties that bring problems so I make my reservoir sterile by adding "Zone" by Dutch Masters. This will eliminate all bacteria and fungal present even the beneficials fyi. It is a funk remover and rot preventer and as a beginner very helpful. More to come.....

So, It seems complicated and I know a lot about coco but have just finished my 2nd ebb and flow.....1st one exclusively this medium. The nutrients are always personal and range in price dramatically. I am going to offer some of my favorite products Cal Mag, Fulvic Acid, Pro-Tekt, Zone, Shooting powder. Whatever combo you use, use it at a lower ppm than straight hydro 80%. As the ebb and flow causes the plants to drink water the ppm of the reservoir increases continuously and must be diluted to maintain ideal strength. The Ph will climb slowly and 5.8 is where I start and 6.2 is where I correct it back. Also, since there is no runoff keeping the root space from buildup, I give a heavy top water 1/2 strength flush at day 14, 28, and 42.

This is my first coco grow also...I am going under a tube cooled 1000W HPS and built my own DTW system ...Plants get 1/3 gallon 2x/day in 3gallon grow bags...vegging for 11 days at this point...I know i could get bigger yield by waiting a while ,,,but I'm flipping this batch to 12/12 tomorrow....I have more clones and seedlings going and more seeds ordered...so I just want to bump this round to flower...Next time...after i see how the stretch goes...i may veg longer.

Been in coco for 4+ years now, never flushed, hand watered every day, 600 ppm in veg, 900ppm in flower

jarvild said:

Been in coco for 4+ years now, never flushed, hand watered every day, 600 ppm in veg, 900ppm in flower

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Been around awhile myself and have tried both flushing and not.....roots need good runoff.

Hi all...I've been reading the pages here and noticed a lil bit of attention being paid to de-chorinating water....

first off. granted, given the low cost of bulk dechlor ($5 of sodium thiosulphate treats 30k gal) and the ease of using a airstone, chlorine removal is pretty innocuous....
Still IMHO chlorine is a internet perpetuated boogie man....
In my long years of Hydro (20+ and even longer gardening), I've yet to see a single plant killed by tap water...heck I've never even read one single verified instance of it ever happening....

but again, de-chloring is no big deal, just pointing out that is very likely a total waste of time