Two weeks from sprout not looking so hot

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
Need more info..

Just straight coco-perlite?
How are you watering?
Do you feed? If so, what? & do you pH?
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
Straight coco perlite, watered once a day until runoff (tapwater), started feed at 1 week at half strength (advanced nutrients ph perfect 3 part) and I do not currently ph. The wife was getting upset about the amount of stuff I was buying for this setup. I'd come home every week or so piecing it together so nutes were one of the last things and i tried to cut a corner with the "miracle" nutrients to keep her happy
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
Need more info..

Just straight coco-perlite?
How are you watering?
Do you feed? If so, what? & do you pH?
Straight coco perlite, watered once a day until runoff (tapwater), started feed at 1 week at half strength (advanced nutrients ph perfect 3 part) and I do not currently ph. The wife was getting upset about the amount of stuff I was buying for this setup. I'd come home every week or so piecing it together so nutes were one of the last things and i tried to cut a corner with the "miracle" nutrients to keep her happy
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
You fed too early. - That's the curled brown tips.
I thought the seed only had enough nutrients for 7-10 days and coco is inert so needed to start feeding earlier? But I did take note of the leaf tips. Should they be ok? The left one appears overwatered
 

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
Straight coco perlite, watered once a day until runoff (tapwater), started feed at 1 week at half strength (advanced nutrients ph perfect 3 part) and I do not currently ph. The wife was getting upset about the amount of stuff I was buying for this setup. I'd come home every week or so piecing it together so nutes were one of the last things and i tried to cut a corner with the "miracle" nutrients to keep her happy
Coco/perlite/hydro setups will usually have you buying more nutes & pH tools compared to straight soil & i agree with hugo, a bit heavy on nutes for a 1 week old plant, most people don't feed for 2 weeks or start out at 1/8 strength if they insist on dosing a seedling in coco.
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
Coco/perlite/hydro setups will usually have you buying more nutes & pH tools compared to straight soil & i agree with hugo, a bit heavy on nutes for a 1 week old plant, most people don't feed for 2 weeks or start out at 1/8 strength if they insist on dosing a seedling in coco.
Since I'm at two weeks should I continue with the nutes but dial down to say a 1/4 or just plain water for a week or so then start again with the nutrients at 1/4
 

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
Since I'm at two weeks should I continue with the nutes but dial down to say a 1/4 or just plain water for a week or so then start again with the nutrients at 1/4
I'd just use phed water for the next week or so, maybe wait for deficiencies before feeding? They don't need much at that size.

You should probably read the bag that came with your coco and see if its pre-charged or if it has any pre-use instructions.
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
I'd just use phed water for the next week or so, maybe wait for deficiencies before feeding? They don't need much at that size.

You should probably read the bag that came with your coco and see if its pre-charged or if it has any pre-use instructions.
It is cocotek brick I didnt see if it was buffered or not so I washed to remove the coco peat then buffered twice with cal-mag at 150%
 

Tuckatan

Well-Known Member
It is cocotek brick I didnt see if it was buffered or not so I washed to remove the coco peat then buffered twice with cal-mag at 150%
You might want to check your tap water too. There is usually an abundance of stuff in there which can contribute to nute burn.

Might want to reign in your calmag too, as you are feeding tap water. Too much calcium can lock out magnesium, manganese, iron etc also.
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
You might want to check your tap water too. There is usually an abundance of stuff in there which can contribute to nute burn.

Might want to reign in your calmag too, as you are feeding tap water. Too much calcium can lock out magnesium, manganese, iron etc also.
I'll make it a point to get the meters as soon as I can for sure, I really wanted to in the first place. But just to clarify I haven't added any supplemental cal-mag that strong solution was just to buffer
 

Juiceifer

Well-Known Member
Did you clean that coco?

It looks like salt stress from dirty coco imo...
Yes I did clean it but i was under the impression the the washing was yes to remove some of the salts but mainly to wash out all the fine particulate coco peat for aeration and that it was the buffering that strips the cation exchange sites of potassium or phosphorus I cant remember which and sodium...... I thought I had (and probably did) an overwatering issue but after maybe I was letting the coco dry out too much causing a nute buildup? Synthetics are essentially salts aren't they?
 

JohnDee

Well-Known Member
mainly to wash out all the fine particulate coco peat for aeration and that it was the buffering that strips the cation exchange sites of potassium or phosphorus I cant remember which and sodium...... I thought I had (and probably did) an overwatering issue but after maybe I was letting the coco dry out too much causing a nute buildup? Synthetics are essentially salts aren't they?
Wrong...the initial washing of coco is to eliminate Na (sodium). Then it is soaked in calmag to fill in the cec sites.
JD
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Straight coco perlite, watered once a day until runoff (tapwater), started feed at 1 week at half strength (advanced nutrients ph perfect 3 part) and I do not currently ph. The wife was getting upset about the amount of stuff I was buying for this setup. I'd come home every week or so piecing it together so nutes were one of the last things and i tried to cut a corner with the "miracle" nutrients to keep her happy
You can't run hydro without a pH and TDS (or EC) meter. You can find some inexpensive ones to get started with for example:
https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1548265873&sr=8-5&keywords=TDS+meter
and
https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Digital-PH-Meter-Tester-Pocket-Portable-Pool-Water-Aquarium-Hydroponic-Wine/221873348870?epid=11025702049&hash=item33a8aea106:g:A08AAOSwdjNZBVjH:rk:2:pf:0

I replaced the Milwaukee with a BlueLab pH pen when it finally died after about 6 years. So you can start relatively inexpensively and move up if you remain in the hobby.
 

eyderbuddy

Well-Known Member
Wrong...the initial washing of coco is to eliminate Na (sodium). Then it is soaked in calmag to fill in the cec sites.
JD
THis is the real reason!

Yes I did clean it but i was under the impression the the washing was yes to remove some of the salts but mainly to wash out all the fine particulate coco peat for aeration and that it was the buffering that strips the cation exchange sites of potassium or phosphorus I cant remember which and sodium...... I thought I had (and probably did) an overwatering issue but after maybe I was letting the coco dry out too much causing a nute buildup? Synthetics are essentially salts aren't they?
My first experiences with Coco led to results similar to yours. I washed my coco to remove "impurities" and "salt", but didn't soak it in cal-mag water ever. This led to months of yellow plants with curling leaves....
 

Way2-High

Well-Known Member
Also let your water sit out for a day before you use it to let the chlorine and shit evap. I mix my water and ferts every Sunday I a 2g pail and keep a small aquarium pump in it to keep it mixed and full of O2.
 
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