I use big bud as well . If you're using their standard products in dwc & pro mix, then I would imagine that it's good for coco. They just have A coco line now. Big Bud coco, Bud Factor coco and so on.I don't use coco but have used AN for 16 years and don't plan on changing anytime soon.
I'm either DWC or ProMix soil/soilless like now and happy with the buds I get.
Get the Big Bud if you get nothing else. Rhino Skin is another need for me.
Good luck!
I believe they have different ratios of Calcium and Phosphorus. Coco tends to "hang on" to Calcium, but later in the grow it gets saturated and ceases to be as big of an issue, unless you supplement of course. Coco can release Phosphorus I think, so Coco products have less of it. I'm still figuring it out because my mix is a Hybrid. It's part peat, part coco. Sunshine Advanced #4. I do seem to have Calcium/Magnesium issues even with supplementation, but there could be other factors at play. My latest batch, I added Azomite Rock Dust, which has a good percentage of calcium and magnesium, as well as other micros. I'm gonna monitor that. I use RO and I've now been adding about 5ml/gal of Botanicare Calmag Plus. It's better, but not the best. However, my plant in bloom seems to be just fine. I have bigger issues when they are young, up to 4 - 6 weeks. I get the rusty necrotic spotting on some leaves, purple stems, and purplish new growth. I use GH nutes though that claim to be Coco safe, but they also have a coco line. I have advanced on the shelf too though and have contemplated going back to it. I've changed a lot of variables though and hate to keep fucking with it. One reason I did switch though is I don't see much calcium and magnesium in the base nute mix. A lot of the additives contain Magnesium though. I bought their SensiCal, but damn, that has 4% Nitrogen and I'm not real keen on using that in bloom. Botanicare is only 2%.
BTW, Botanicare Calmag @ 5ml/gal seems to bring me to about 250 ppm. I do add AN's B-52 @ 5ml/gal almost always too, except for the first two weeks of bloom, which they recommend. I figure it provides some gentle nutes, and feeds the beneficial bacteria/fungi with the kelp, and helps keep stress down supposively with the B vitamins, which is good till I figure my shit out completely...haha
It sux that AN has no real info about how to use their products for soil, coco and the straight soilless. I first started doing DWC in '01 with the 3 part older stuff and was quite reluctant to start using the pH Perfect stuff but as I ran out of my first 3 gallons only about 4 years ago I bit the bullet and got me some. I got Sensi Grow and the Connie Bloom but didn't like all the N in the Connie and have gone back to using the 3 part but did buy 3 new gallons last August. Using up the Sensi on my veg plants and the Connie for the stretch as I want the N then but then switching to the 3 part using twice as much Bloom as Micro and no Grow at all. Lucas formula kind of thing and it seems to be working good. At 46 days flower I'm getting some yellow fans on the earlier strains just how I like it. I did some slight nute burn on a couple plants sharing a pot but flushed 2L of RO thru it and the burning didn't get any worse.
Still figuring it out? You sound way ahead of me lol! I was using soil before and everything seemed smooth for the most part. I just now decided to switch to coco and I'm learning as I go. Although that seemed pretty useful to me. Thanks!
I've seen a grow in soil go great on a guys thread that started when I did. I just read again and again, using soil...watch for bugs that come in the stuff. I had watched a video of Urban Grower, who started RemoNutrients, and he was using Sunshine Advanced #4, and my hydro store stocks it. It's airy compared to regular pro-mix. I did notice though, and this might be a coco thing, that seeds did not like breaking the surface of it. When I started, I was getting lime green seedlings, and paler plants. I had gotten scared to death of over feeding, and pretty sure I was under feeding. Things are better now, but I seem to get some wavyness to my leaves. They are getting upset about something, but haven't pin pointed it yet. Really it's when they are in the first month of their life, so I blame it on the initial properties of the soil or the way I'm feeding them. I did just switch light from MH to LED and they are liking it. We shall see.
The reason I'm trying coco now is because I hear it has a nice response rate. I initially bought a bag of FoxFarms Strawberry Fields . It sounds like ProMix, except it comes in a fancy marketed bag. Contains 35-40% coco, and well as peat and others things. My plants didn't seem to be doing so well in it, and got a little root rot, so I transferred to Coco.. I'm not having any issues just yet, but they seem to be stuck in neutral and haven't grown past 6/7" tall and are in their 6th week of veg.It sux that AN has no real info about how to use their products for soil, coco and the straight soilless. I first started doing DWC in '01 with the 3 part older stuff and was quite reluctant to start using the pH Perfect stuff but as I ran out of my first 3 gallons only about 4 years ago I bit the bullet and got me some. I got Sensi Grow and the Connie Bloom but didn't like all the N in the Connie and have gone back to using the 3 part but did buy 3 new gallons last August. Using up the Sensi on my veg plants and the Connie for the stretch as I want the N then but then switching to the 3 part using twice as much Bloom as Micro and no Grow at all. Lucas formula kind of thing and it seems to be working good. At 46 days flower I'm getting some yellow fans on the earlier strains just how I like it. I did some slight nute burn on a couple plants sharing a pot but flushed 2L of RO thru it and the burning didn't get any worse.
No toxic salts buildup with the crispy fan leaves like I was getting fairly often before so I'm getting better results than before. I'm growing in a 50/50 mix of ProMix HP and ProMix potting soil with a bit of added perlite as the soil has none but the HP has lots. The potting soil has a good dose of organic nutes and both have Myco. I also tried their Veg & Herb mix too and it has the nutes and myco too. I feed some molasses/local honey for the Myco but would like to get some good beneficial bug supplement to see if that makes any difference.
I'm not a great dirt farmer and things always went smoother with DWC for me so I need to get some of that going again. Thinking RDWC tho as I'm building more grow space pretty soon. An 8x4 space dedicated to flowering. I can veg in the upstairs bedroom and either veg or bloom in my current grow room. It's about 8x7x6.5h.
Tried coco many years ago and it didn't work for me and I can't get any locally but ProMix is everywhere and I love it.
They definitely look good. Mine aren't looking good this time around, and I blame it on the soil I was using initially, because I really haven't had a problem using Ocean Forest, and it all started when I switched to Strawberry Fields. I'm sure it was more my fault though. I didn't add any more perlite, and I think it messed with the roots. Both my plants are 6 weeks in veg and look like they're 2 weeks old and don't seem to be moving any further. I'm thinking of just flipping the lights because they seem stuck .
Not sure what's in that stuff, but Ocean Forest is loaded with nutes, and moving to something like Coco is so different cuz you need to give it all it's nutrient requirements regularly.
I have Cal/Mags from AN, Botanicare, & GH. I feel they're each appropriate at different stages of growth. In soil I only use them if I see an issue. On coco runs though I dose the gals regularly. I start with GH which has a 1% N ratio. Then move quickly to Botanicare at 2%. Then in full veg AN at 4%. When I flip, I work from AN, to Botanicare, back to GH at 1% N. I find they need extra Cal/mag minimally with every other watering in coco.
I have those 3 Calmags too, I've thought about using them in that way, makes sense in theory.