World Of Hempy

Hey all, how much cal mag do you suggest for a 5 gallon nutrient mix? My medium is coco / perlite with lava rock in the reservoir and I've been told to add cal mag. The bottle says 1-1.5 tsp per gallon. I watered yesterday with 4 tsp / 5 gallon nutrient mix. TDS was 650.

Am I using too much? How long should cal mag be supplemented? I've heard until 2 weeks before harvest.

jonnynobody said:

Hey all, how much cal mag do you suggest for a 5 gallon nutrient mix? My medium is coco / perlite with lava rock in the reservoir and I've been told to add cal mag. The bottle says 1-1.5 tsp per gallon. I watered yesterday with 4 tsp / 5 gallon nutrient mix. TDS was 650.

Am I using too much? How long should cal mag be supplemented? I've heard until 2 weeks before harvest.

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depends on the coco you're using. i usually buy pretty cheap coco, that hasn't been "charged", so i do it myself, when i rehydrate it, i add a good dose of cal-mag, and a big handful of dolomite lime, and i don't have to add much cal-mag, maybe 10 ml in a 5 gallon bucket of feed.
if you buy pre-charged coco, a small dose once a week ought to do you. if you buy the cheap stuff, and don't charge it yourself, you'll have to use closer to 20 ml a bucket. the reason you have to do this is the coco bonds with a lot of the cations and takes the calcium and magnesium out of your feed, till all those bonding sites are filled up. that usually starts to happen around the middle of flower, so keep an eye out, you want to cut back when that happens, or you can cause yourself lockouts late in flower

Roger A. Shrubber said:

depends on the coco you're using. i usually buy pretty cheap coco, that hasn't been "charged", so i do it myself, when i rehydrate it, i add a good dose of cal-mag, and a big handful of dolomite lime, and i don't have to add much cal-mag, maybe 10 ml in a 5 gallon bucket of feed.
if you buy pre-charged coco, a small dose once a week ought to do you. if you buy the cheap stuff, and don't charge it yourself, you'll have to use closer to 20 ml a bucket. the reason you have to do this is the coco bonds with a lot of the cations and takes the calcium and magnesium out of your feed, till all those bonding sites are filled up. that usually starts to happen around the middle of flower, so keep an eye out, you want to cut back when that happens, or you can cause yourself lockouts late in flower

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I bought my coco at home depot on discount. $10 for 1.5 cuft. It had to be rinsed thoroughly and I did not buffer with cal mag prior to use. Do you just soak the coco in a solution of cal mag for a few days?

Does adding too much cal mag cause toxicity issues?

jonnynobody said:

I bought my coco at home depot on discount. $10 for 1.5 cuft. It had to be rinsed thoroughly and I did not buffer with cal mag prior to use. Do you just soak the coco in a solution of cal mag for a few days?

Does adding too much cal mag cause toxicity issues?

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it could i guess, i just add 30 ml to a 5 gallon bucket of water and use that to re-hydrate. i still have to add some as i'm going along, but not nearly as much, and i'm not worried about burning anything.

this is what i'm getting from home depot, as well. i like it, it's not charged, but it's clean. i've bought cheap coco from other sources, and found all kinds of shit in it...salt crystals the size of the tip of my pinky....sticks, pieces of palm frond, chunks of coconut shell....
nothing but good looking coco in this stuff. and free delivery to the store.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vermont-Organics-Reclamation-Soil-11-lb-Coir-Block-COIR11LB/300679904?cm_mmc=hd_email-_-Ready_for_pickup-_-20190115_PP_ET_Merch_Ready_for_pickup_3256226-_-product_image__WD51543840

Roger A. Shrubber said:

it could i guess, i just add 30 ml to a 5 gallon bucket of water and use that to re-hydrate. i still have to add some as i'm going along, but not nearly as much, and i'm not worried about burning anything.

this is what i'm getting from home depot, as well. i like it, it's not charged, but it's clean. i've bought cheap coco from other sources, and found all kinds of shit in it...salt crystals the size of the tip of my pinky....sticks, pieces of palm frond, chunks of coconut shell....
nothing but good looking coco in this stuff. and free delivery to the store.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vermont-Organics-Reclamation-Soil-11-lb-Coir-Block-COIR11LB/300679904?cm_mmc=hd_email-_-Ready_for_pickup-_-20190115_PP_ET_Merch_Ready_for_pickup_3256226-_-product_image__WD51543840

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The store in GR clearanced all of their black magic line. I agree, I was very happy with the quality of their coco. Well you've made me feel better about adding 20ml of cal mag to my feed mix last night. I have done hempy buckets in the past, but this is my first try with coco. So far the growth rate is incredible and no issues. Thanks for the info man.

I have been using Canna Coco in the 50L bag for a few years now. I began using bricked coco when I began using coco and in every run I got bugs, fungal gnats, trips, and the like. I know that they were not in my grow room because after I switched I have not had an issue with the little beggars.
I have not had one issue with Canna. I buy it from my local Hydro store for $20, if I by it online I get a better price but the fucking shipping cost more than the cost of me buying it from the store.

I know Canna is pre-treated but I still prior to use flush with a Cal/Magic and Epsom solution.
Roger A. Shubber knows a lot about growing in coco, he should be listened too.

gr865 said:

I have been using Canna Coco in the 50L bag for a few years now. I began using bricked coco when I began using coco and in every run I got bugs, fungal gnats, trips, and the like. I know that they were not in my grow room because after I switched I have not had an issue with the little beggars.
I have not had one issue with Canna. I buy it from my local Hydro store for $20, if I by it online I get a better price but the fucking shipping cost more than the cost of me buying it from the store.

I know Canna is pre-treated but I still prior to use flush with a Cal/Magic and Epsom solution.
Roger A. Shubber knows a lot about growing in coco, he should be listened too.

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Canna coco is great product. That's a great recommendation for anybody that wants quality. I've even considered their fertilizer for coco. I like the simplicity of a 2 part system. Right now I'm using the Home Depot's Black Magic line (it was on clearance and cheap) which is 4 bottles plus PH down which makes 5. Man, a 2 part does sound appealing eh?

jonnynobody said:

Canna coco is great product. That's a great recommendation for anybody that wants quality. I've even considered their fertilizer for coco. I like the simplicity of a 2 part system. Right now I'm using the Home Depot's Black Magic line (it was on clearance and cheap) which is 4 bottles plus PH down which makes 5. Man, a 2 part does sound appealing eh?

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With Canna nutes I use A&B, Cannazym, Rhizotonic, and Boost. These are very clean nutes, I tried using an alternative to Boost, and they say you can cut out Cannazym and Rhizotonic also, never cut out Zym and Rhizo but used the product in place of Boost. It was very black and thick, a mess to work with and plugged my filters.
I have since gone back to Boost, yes it is a bit costly but it is so much easier to work with.

That being said my "Apprentice" who is growing 8 clones of the BBC, three different pheno's and I have him on a totally different program as he is working on the cheap. He is using GH Flora Micro and Flora Bloom @ a modified H3ED's formula of 2/3 instead of 6/9, Cal/Magic and Epsom. I used Those nutes when I grew in Hempy's and found that ratio work so much better than the 6/9 especially with multiple lite feedings. He is not using Zym, Rhizo or Boost and his plants are doing well.
This first pic was taken on day 40.

And this was taken on day 50.


Now this has very minor tip burn but that's it. His plants look better than mine using all the Canna stuff. Going there in the morning to scope them for him and going to check them very closely for signs of deficiency. Hell I might even go that route.

gr865 said:

With Canna nutes I use A&B, Cannazym, Rhizotonic, and Boost. These are very clean nutes, I tried using an alternative to Boost, and they say you can cut out Cannazym and Rhizotonic also, never cut out Zym and Rhizo but used the product in place of Boost. It was very black and thick, a mess to work with and plugged my filters.
I have since gone back to Boost, yes it is a bit costly but it is so much easier to work with.

That being said my "Apprentice" who is growing 8 clones of the BBC, three different pheno's and I have him on a totally different program as he is working on the cheap. He is using GH Flora Micro and Flora Bloom @ a modified H3ED's formula of 2/3 instead of 6/9, Cal/Magic and Epsom. I used Those nutes when I grew in Hempy's and found that ratio work so much better than the 6/9 especially with multiple lite feedings. He is not using Zym, Rhizo or Boost and his plants are doing well.
This first pic was taken on day 40.
View attachment 4267383
And this was taken on day 50.
View attachment 4267384

Now this has very minor tip burn but that's it. His plants look better than mine using all the Canna stuff. Going there in the morning to scope them for him and going to check them very closely for signs of deficiency. Hell I might even go that route.

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GH flora series are great nutrients. I've shopped in dispensaries off and on for 4 or 5 years, and very rarely do / have I ever smoked pot from their suppliers that was as potent and clean burning as my own. More often than not, it tastes like shit and has very minimal resin production. It tastes like shit because the grower didn't know what they were doing and used 10 bottles of nutrients to grow the shit because that's what "the company" told them they needed. The minimal resin production is because most dispensary suppliers don't work for a living, and live off of their dope growing money. When cash runs low, they chop their plants early to replenish their cash supply. And round and round the shitty merry go round goes. If the dispensary actually buys something worth smoking, they want $300-$400/ounce for it and they can respectfully suck a dick at that price.

Simple is the best method. Too many bottles = chaos in motion. To this day, the best pot I have ever grown (or smoked for that mater) was Blue Dream that I flowered out from 6 clones in dirt. They were all fed GH Flora series at 50% recommended dose with floralicous plus (kelp, molasses, and humic acids - good stuff). My feed water regimen was as follows: feed, water, water, feed. Beginning to end. No crazy tricks or special bottles of overpriced bullshit. You can generally tell which products are bullshit. If the agricultural industry does not use it (organic or otherwise), why would you? Most additives are unnecessary and only serve to enrich the company that sells them to you (advanced nutrients anybody?). Hell look at advanced nutrients (sorry, I can't help myself - they're scumbags) for instance. 10+ bottles (all over priced bullshit) to grow a fucking plant? Cannabis grows just like a tomato. If you've never heard of a tomato grower using 10+ fertilizer bottles to grow a dam tomato, you don't need 10+ fertilizer bottles to grow pot. Okay, my diatribe is over

My friend has a state legal pot farm out in Oregon. He grows organically. Here are some videos he shared with me of his farm and how he grows. I'm planning to utilize his system for my next grow. Have a look if you have a few minutes to burn. His work speaks for itself.
2016 Harvest
2018 Harvest
2018 Grow

How he does his compost tea Part 1
How he does his compost tea Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te8wvLfwEIg

And feeding the local deer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM0jelKkBnA

He starts his plants in organic dirt and uses epsoma Tomato tone in the top 6" of dirt. Also diatomaceous earth to inhibit the creepy crawly's. All the rest of his fertilizer is supplied by compost tea. Grow it like a tomato is what he keeps telling me. Clearly, the mans knows what he's talking about. Grow it like a tomato!

Hey ya'll, I'm seeing what I would assume to be overwatering symptoms if I were growing in soil. But obviously I am going hempy, which is why I am posting here. If anyone could give me an idea of whats going on with my plant. I have 4 girls. 3 look wonderful. the 4th is looking like its droopy and having some issues. Nothing major yet but I am a little worried and overprotective of these ladies. I'm 16 days since the light flip.

jonnynobody said:

He starts his plants in organic dirt and uses epsoma Tomato tone in the top 6" of dirt. Also diatomaceous earth to inhibit the creepy crawly's. All the rest of his fertilizer is supplied by compost tea. Grow it like a tomato is what he keeps telling me. Clearly, the mans knows what he's talking about. Grow it like a tomato!

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I retired from the golf course maintenance biz as a 39 yr golf course superintendent. Began using compost, compost teas, EM1 and other organic methods about 25 yrs into my career. Was the first superintendent to attend the Soil Food Webs, Dr. Ingram's seminars in the early 90's. A very eye opening experience!
Raised herds of compost worms, to the tone of 250 lbs of worm in 40 bins. When I left California in 08' I gave all my bins to the Boy and Girl Scouts, met with them, showed them how to maintain and left with a big smile on my face.
I do not grow organic because I live in a not friendly state so I have to make the most out of my grows.
Plan on a move to Central America in the near future, I will get to use all my organic experience there, so looking forward to it.

Would just like to thank everyone for their input on this thread. I dedicated a couple days of free time to read the whole thing, and now have 4 girls going in 3.5g hempy buckets with Hydroton in the 2" reservoir and CocoLoco the rest of the way up. Also running CRF for the first time ever in this run, and it's been pretty smooth sailing. Plants got just slightly burned when first transplanted, but all bounced out of it quick and are now quickly putting on flowers since being flipped to 12/12 2 weeks ago. I do amend my feeding water with ProTeKt and MagPro from DynaGro. So far, so good!

-Stubbie

Lots of hempies! 2 autoflowers almost finished

I am finally winding down a pheno hunt, with about 12-20 breeds that I would like to
go back to 5-gallon hempys and grow out a bit more. I'll be back. :0)

i was experimenting with peat for a little while, and am now back to 70/30 coco/perlite 5 gallon hempys....have one last plant going in peat. i don't hate peat, but it just doesn't deliver like coco for me. might be me...might not....but it takes a little longer, and i seem to get a little less...the quality in peat is as good as the quality in coco, but it really seems to take at least a week, maybe two, more to finish than the same strain in coco does, and i was getting 8 oz or more per plant out of 5 gallon hempys before, 6 oz is a good haul from a 5 gallon pot with peat....Hempys win...

Roger A. Shrubber said:

i was experimenting with peat for a little while, and am now back to 70/30 coco/perlite 5 gallon hempys....have one last plant going in peat. i don't hate peat, but it just doesn't deliver like coco for me. might be me...might not....but it takes a little longer, and i seem to get a little less...the quality in peat is as good as the quality in coco, but it really seems to take at least a week, maybe two, more to finish than the same strain in coco does, and i was getting 8 oz or more per plant out of 5 gallon hempys before, 6 oz is a good haul from a 5 gallon pot with peat....Hempys win...

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I had that thought of adding some dolomite right into a coco mix to begin with too but was concerned about ph issues.
What have you found to be the effects of the dolomite?

OneHitDone said:

I had that thought of adding some dolomite right into a coco mix to begin with too but was concerned about ph issues.
What have you found to be the effects of the dolomite?

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it raises the ph a little, you can use some, but i wouldn't use more than say a 1/4 cup in a 5 gallon bucket.
dolomite seems to take longer to break down than garden lime, i'd throw a few teaspoons of regular garden lime in with it, by the time the garden lime starts to run out, the dolomite will be starting to break down.