Coco Growers Unite!

SpliffAndMyLady said:

But seriously, do I need to add it EVERY watering? Also, I was thinking a feed,feed,water schedule and adding Calmag on my water days. Does this sound alright?

Click to expand...

You should add it every time for the first two weeks at least and probably will need to add it again when the plants get switched to 12/12 and go through the rapid growth stretch stage... It especially needs to be added for the first time you wet the coco and when transplanting up to bigger pots.
You will get better results if you feed every time and at least keep the EC above 0.6 if you are going to do a light feeding.

The coco needs to feed calcium pretty constantly to fill its buffer, so u need a water source or or nutrients higher in calcium.
A steady consistent supply of calcium will increase yields in most crops.
Mag deficiencies are also super common in coco.

Coco specific nutrients will be high in calcium & magnesium, and lower in potassium because it holds onto calcium and magnesium and releases potassium as the coco breaks down.

Here is some old info I had saved.. "Some coirs have been chemically treated, this is most often the case with loose pre-hydrated varieties versus compressed blocks. The treatment has been done to satisfy the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the growing media. As a refresher, “cations” are positively charged ions, such as Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium. This means that the growing media will hold these ions in a matrix, releasing them as required by plants. There is one slight drawback to this. Until the cation exchange capacity of the growing media is filled, the growing media may hold positively charged nutrient ions, most notably calcium, in reserve, making them less available to plants. However, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the coir media is quickly filled, and actually assists calcium absorption in the crop cycle. To ensure optimum availability of all nutrients, supply additional calcium during the first week of growth or during the hydrating process of the coconut coir. Calcium supplement products are ideal for this.

I've found that the CEC isn't as "filled" as they claim. Fyi

Thanks for the quick replies bro, heres the coco I got. Do I need to "soak" this one? I think it's pre-hydrated. Would adding dolomite and feeding with cal mag every now and then suffice?

I would assume H&G would have a clean and at least semi buffered... No need to soak. I would definetly use your cal mag and your base nutes the first time you wet/water the coco to avoid potential problems. The coco has a natural pH close to 6, so you can't add liming products because it they will raise your pH too high.

Adding a large amount of Calcium with the first few waterings is the most important thing... After that you MIGHT be able to get by using only the calcium in your water and base nutrients... The coco will eat up a huge amount of the calcium first and the plant will only get what calcium is leftover if any, so it's crucial to be sure the CEC is filled immediately.
As long as the coco is getting all the Ca it needs, then all you need is a small but CONSTANT supply of Ca.
Ive been growing in all coco for over five yrs and I personally ALWAYS have both Calcium and Magnesium deficiencies if I don't use products high in both.

What brand of nutes are you going to use?

I'm thinking about using Dyna Gro line. 12/12 fs under T5's. Thanks for the help! +rep..i'm a total indoor noob.

Sounds good.

Anybody tried roots organics coco blend. I've been searching for awhile no real info. It's fortified for starts and runoff ph is really high. I've heard left and right on ph and don't even know if it is considered coco.

herbbilly said:

Anybody tried roots organics coco blend. I've been searching for awhile no real info. It's fortified for starts and runoff ph is really high. I've heard left and right on ph and don't even know if it is considered coco.

Click to expand...

This is answered in the very first post of this page buddy;

• *It's also VERY IMPORTANT to remember that when growing in Coco, you MUST pH at Hydroponic levels in the 5.5-6.0 range. pH ranges higher than this will result in plant deficiencies and nutrient lockout!​
  
  
  
  

what is the best way to add cal to nutes without spending alot of $$$. buddy told me to add molasses to my nutes. are molasses good with coco if I'm dont have benny in my coco?

Chopsticks33 said:

what is the best way to add cal to nutes without spending alot of $$$. buddy told me to add molasses to my nutes. are molasses good with coco if I'm dont have benny in my coco?

Click to expand...

Don't need molasses if you not using bennys, just a waste of time.

Run off ph is high my q may have been confusing. My well water sits at 5.8-6.2 but my concern is run off. And I did read before asking. So with coco only run drain to waste I was hoping to leach but high ph is bothering me.

I been having problem with my coco. im not sure if its mg def or over nute. My girls are getting mad taco leaves and whole leaves getting light yellow. I forgot to check my ppm and its about 1200ppm. the girls are on a 24hr cycle and they are about 8-10 inch tall with about 4-5 branches. I been having really bad luck with coco. Ill try to get pic. The whole problem started with taco leave so i add more epson salt and cal/mag. now its getting yellow and little rusty spot (calcium def?) Please help!

Chopsticks33 said:

I been having problem with my coco. im not sure if its mg def or over nute. My girls are getting mad taco leaves and whole leaves getting light yellow. I forgot to check my ppm and its about 1200ppm. the girls are on a 24hr cycle and they are about 8-10 inch tall with about 4-5 branches. I been having really bad luck with coco. Ill try to get pic. The whole problem started with taco leave so i add more epson salt and cal/mag. now its getting yellow and little rusty spot (calcium def?) Please help!

Click to expand...

1200ppm and geting taco leaves! Sounds like your over feeding

i have had great success adding CaliMagic with every watering up until 10 days before i chop - I use one tsp per gallon while using Canna A+B as my base at 3/4 to full strength depending on the strain and what the plant is telling me.

Coco is as easy as it gets - thanks Jela10 for showing me the light many moons ago...

herbbilly said:

Anybody tried roots organics coco blend. I've been searching for awhile no real info. It's fortified for starts and runoff ph is really high. I've heard left and right on ph and don't even know if it is considered coco.

Click to expand...

I just bought a bag to mix with my BCUZZ. I'll, let you know how it turns out

jjlongo said:

i have had great success adding CaliMagic with every watering up until 10 days before i chop - I use one tsp per gallon while using Canna A+B as my base at 3/4 to full strength depending on the strain and what the plant is telling me.

Coco is as easy as it gets - thanks Jela10 for showing me the light many moons ago...

Click to expand...

You cutting your Coco with Perlite?

Chopsticks33 said:

I been having problem with my coco. im not sure if its mg def or over nute. My girls are getting mad taco leaves and whole leaves getting light yellow. I forgot to check my ppm and its about 1200ppm. the girls are on a 24hr cycle and they are about 8-10 inch tall with about 4-5 branches. I been having really bad luck with coco. Ill try to get pic. The whole problem started with taco leave so i add more epson salt and cal/mag. now its getting yellow and little rusty spot (calcium def?) Please help!

Click to expand...

Yes you're locking out. Look up antagonistic relationships of fertilizer chemicals. Long and short, you were over feeding to begin with. This locked out and you add way too much mg. now showing calcium as result. If you under high light intensity then run that high ppm. However, without seeing plants and based on the 1200 ppm I would say cut that between 600 - 800 ppm. Even if that's not the issue it will only help.
Just my two cents bro.

Yes, i cut with 25% perlite.

I have done alot of grows in coco and I just realized that if I grow in pots that require watering 2 or 3 times a day ( 1 or 2 gallon )versus
once ( 3 gallon ) my growth is quicker and more dense. Any input?