Help me get this ?'s

Plotting my first attempt at growing . Coco DTW has me intrigued . The idea of numerous smaller feedings per day , ability to automate & keeping growing medium flushed with multi-feeding sounds really good . Initially I'll go with autos & when comfortable most probably shift to photos . Some of what I'm trying to understand is what type of pots to use ? I see everything from generic plastic nursery pots , fabric bags , airpots etc. I'm begining to think pot type doesn't matter & is mainly personal preference . It also seems that the size is what's important , especially if one wants to go the multiple feeding w/ runoff each feed Is this correct ? It also seems that finding good quality Coco is a royal PITA . Since I'm only growing 4 @ a run , I guess the bagged prewashed & buffered would be easiest & cost more too . Do you only feed when lights are on ?
Now this might be out there . Considering that Coco as I understand is basically inert . We supply everything the plant needs . In theory is it possible to use say Hydroton or Rockwool in a pot & drip feed from the top DTW w/ runoff etc , just like Coco ? Sorry was taking a break & am starting to go off on a tangent . OK gents take me to school .

try hempy buckets with perlite/vermiculite. i used to grow in them DTW with an auto feed res. super simple.

i hate coco personally. but others love it.

Looks simple enough but I don't see that it allows multiple feeds per day . One of the attractions of Coco DTW is the ability to make more nutes available , increase oxygen to the roots & stimulate growth . Big enough res with auto feed / timer would = bottom reserve of a Hempy . It is another option I didn't consider & for that I thank you .

boatbum325 said:

Looks simple enough but I don't see that it allows multiple feeds per day . One of the attractions of Coco DTW is the ability to make more nutes available , increase oxygen to the roots & stimulate growth . Big enough res with auto feed / timer would = bottom reserve of a Hempy . It is another option I didn't consider & for that I thank you .

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depends on the size of your hempy. i've done singles in 5 gal buckets and 3 plants in a 2 foot long flower planter. you won't go wrong autofeeding smaller container sizes

I really like airpots and made the switch from fabric pots, one thing they do really well is all the airpots have a few cm of elevation so root pruning occurs on the underside. I personally use a flood and drain tray, the drainage is excellent with the airpots after using the fabric pots in the same setup, the roots of all plants grew into the tray when using the fabric pots, so if youre gonna use them i recommend elevated the pots somehow for underside root pruning. cost is a concern with airpots, but honestly i feel like the durability and ease of use makes the cost worth it.

for coco quality, i recommend using canna professional plus coco. its buffered, really nice and fluffy and comes with trichoderma which is a really great beneficial fungi for coco that helps with root health. strongly recommend you use perlite to improve the drainage, 30-50% perlite makes a great medium that cant be overwatered. use less perlite if you want to water less frequently, more perlite if you want to water more frequently.

pot size is definitely important, consider how big you want each plant to be and how frequently you'd like to water. anywhere from 2-7 gal is typically used, smaller pots require more frequent fertigation and larger pots you can get away with daily fertigation. I use 3 gal airpots, 40% perlite, fertigated x4-x12 times per day. the idea for higher frequency fertigation is that you have a very high degree of control on the rootzone EC and nutrient ratios because the medium is constantly being flushed with fresh nutrient solution. ideally, you'd start fertigating daily and then increase frequency as the roots grow.

you would treat it similar as it is an inert hydroponic medium like you said, however coco uniquely requires a bit more cal mag, this is usually accounted for in most coco nutes and if you use a quality buffered coco product it's much less of a concern.