# Coco & runoff EC



## JFK6 (Jun 6, 2014)

Hi all!! just wondering...
what would be the EC in my runoff water if i`m feeding with around 1.3-1.4 EC
using AN Bloom A+B, third week of flower...what is the ideal runoff/feed ratio?

thanks =]


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## Squidbilly (Jun 6, 2014)

I only check run-off ec(well I use ppm) as a guideline. 

If your run-off ec/ppm is higher then what you put in by more then 200ppm, your over feeding or letting the coco get too dry and salts are accumulating in the medium. I've never had plants complain when the run-off was even 300-400ppm higher, however if it's over 200ppm more then what I put in I do a heavy irragation with 1/4 strength feed until my run-off hits 200ppm lower then where I want it to be. Never flush or irragate coco with plain water(except for maybe at the very end of flowering)!!! 

Usually if your run-off ppm is higher your ph is going to be lower. This makes sense since it's leeching dried salts-if you ph'd your nutrient solution to 5.8, but then added more food the ph would drop>and that is whats happening in the run-off. 

Long story short, check your run-off at least once a week to make sure your within range. If your withing 200ppm + or - and your ph is between 5 to 6.3ish you should be golden. If you ppm starts getting to high and your ph is dropping to low, it's time for a heavy irrigation of 1/4 strength solution to 'flush' your media of the accumulated salts.


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## Wilksey (Jun 6, 2014)

I've read articles and such that say runoff doesn't really show you anything useful.

However....

Edit: What squid said....pretty much exactly.

This held true for my AK's, as well as my pepper plants and basil.


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## Squidbilly (Jun 6, 2014)

All that being said, if your watering a minimum of once a day until you get at least 15% run-off(I like more then that) the ec of your run-off shouldn't stray too much futher then what your putting in, however plants drink water so the nutrient solution surrounding your roots is more concentrated then when you first watered them. So when you water them again the run-off should actually be slightly higher due to it flushing out a more concentrated solution then you initially put in. 

The ph of the run off doesn't tell you much for the same reason-there is going to be more disolved salts in your run-off then the solution your feeding them so naturally the ph will be lower. 

Just use it as a guide. I do think it's important to check, but not 'chase' numbers. If your ppm is coming out way higher then what your putting in it's probably a good idea to leach some of the built up salts before you actually do have a problem.


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## JFK6 (Jun 6, 2014)

thanks all for the good answers!! =]] 

so after all the reading i believe i need to flush that girl with 1/4 strength feed till she`s going back
to 1.2-15 EC, and do it fast cuz right now my ec runoff show 4!!! seems to be way high!
i think im doing too much mistakes here....i never had 15% runoff (only few drops), im watering every 
3 days (seems to be big mistake!!!)...again, thank you all! ill be glad to hear some input about coco
here cuz i just understand im still a noob =/


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## JFK6 (Jun 7, 2014)

ohh and by the way...why flushing with only ph`d water isn`t good in coco? 


thanks again =]


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 7, 2014)

If you're feeding regularly at that strength with little to no run off, you will have salt build up. How big are your pots? You might think of running a considerable 1/4 strength flush to get it back down. 4 is nuts - though how do the plants loot, nute burn?

Plain water into the coco will throw out the cation balance which will cause lockouts and such. At the end of flower it wont matter, but during growing it will stress the plants by changing the concentration gradient between medium and roots. Just lots of bad. Always have some nutes in there


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## ghb (Jun 7, 2014)

i think you may be over thinking things here, if the plants are ill i could understand testing the run off but if they look good and you are only on a 1.4 ec the plants will not suffer burn.

i feed up to 2.4 e.c and don't see adverse effects, the more you push them the better the final product will be ( bigger, denser, smellier more trichome encrusted nugs)


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 7, 2014)

1.4 can absolutely cause burn, if conditions allow for it. I've rarely needed to feed above this level. I don't think I would be going to 2.4 with my nutrient schedule, perhaps yours is different. EC isn't an absolute determining factor. First and foremost, read the plants before you act. I have found that sometimes EC of run off will spike high, but wont really matter and is part of normal fluctuation.

Also, complete crap on feeding high for such results. You don't need to go nuts to get the most out of a plant, let them grow


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## ghb (Jun 7, 2014)

haha complete crap hey? so you are trying to say that two plants grown in the same room, one with a 1.4 e.c and one with a 2.0 e.c will be of the same quality and yield? maybe you don't need to feed so strong but you would be surprised in the difference between plants that have been pushed hard to plants that could have been fed more.

now stop spreading infactual bullshit and tend to your sickly looking yellow plants that you are too embarrassed to post on here.


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 7, 2014)

Quality is a subjective one, so we'll leave that to one side. Yield can be pushed to a degree, and depending on what you're feeding, can change for sure. However plants will still only have a maximum efficiency in what is available with diminishing returns. Again, raw EC number and 'feed more' don't signify much in itself - and even then, there is only so much manipulation one can do.


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## JFK6 (Jun 7, 2014)

still learning here...  about my plant :
Og Kush, starting here 3rd week flowering, looking great! dark green
feeding with AN SENSI bloom A+B (1.4 EC / PH 6 ). idk if i did right but 
i decided to flush here good with only water till runoff EC was about 1.7. 
the last 2 watering i ph`d the water to 6. and final feed i added some nuts
back to 1.4 EC. hope i didn`t killed her... 

let my know what do you think :


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 7, 2014)

Hey mate, plant is looking great. Don't toy with her much more now you've got it back to where you want. Just remember to have 10-20% run-off when you feed to reduce salt build up. Continuing at 1.4 as you are now should do nicely. Keep it up


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## JFK6 (Jun 8, 2014)

thanks mate...good to hear im on the safe side now, so how people water coco?! 
i mean you need something under the pot..something big to store all the
runoff water! any idea what can i do if i have 7 gallon pot?


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 8, 2014)

I have my pots sitting on a couple of plastic bread crates, which drip into buckets underneath. A lot do a variation of that, or have a pot-in-pot system, which collects runoff underneath, and is tapped to drain off. Others just let 'em sit on saucers and juggle. It's probably the suckiest part of DTW coco, is managing run-off. If you're setup, having a permanent solution will save you a lot of dramas - but for one or two plants, do whatever is easiest


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## JFK6 (Jun 10, 2014)

Thanks man...i decided to feed without runoff and flush it every week or so, keeping my runoff EC
close to the feeding EC - 1.4. i`v got another issue i would like to share with you...

I`v got a lot of small flowers & branches in between the the bigger ones, im not sure if they will fully developed like 
the bigger ones. idk if i should take them off, and focus the energy on the bigger buds or just leave them to
do their thing.

let me know what do you think...


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 10, 2014)

Yeah people go different ways. I'm not so keen on flushing coco myself. But whatever works for you. Seen plenty of awesome grows done both ways.

How far into 12/12 are you? I normally clean up the lower third of the plant around week 2-3. It all depends on light availability/penetration to the lower buds. So see what is getting coverage and not. Don't thin too hard, as they will build up a bit, and even popcorn can be a nice snack. I don't think it takes significant energy away from the main colas - that is, having a few lower buds around. But you don't need to strip it clean either. Go soft to start, and then see if it needs more


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## JFK6 (Jun 10, 2014)

thanks again *cannaculturalist! *
im in week 3 into 12/12, i think ill give her a nice little clean without touching the small buds.

ill be glad to hear some general tips for coco growing if you have some,
do u use moesless? [when and how much] what do you use to make the buds bigger and denser? and
is it the right time to start feeding with any booster for me? (3rd week of flowering)


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## cannaculturalist (Jun 10, 2014)

No worries mate. I'm not sure about tips. I guess I have found certain things that work for me. Generally feed low and steady, read the plants and don't get caught up in too many additives. I've not toyed with most of the stuff people out there use, or what is available. I am a horticulturalist, so I approach my grow with that hat on. I let the plants do what they want, and just encourage and support them in their efforts. Focusing on environmental conditions is going to be a big benefit to your success. Plants are very responsive to their surroundings, it's easy to get busy worried about adding more thinks to the roots. Avoid foliar sprays unless you have a reason for it. I like to focus on the rhizosphere and encourage beneficial bacteria/fungi, make the most of the natural systems. I dunno if that's of any use to you


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## vinjuana (May 19, 2016)

Hey everyone - I just switched from soil to Gold Label coco. I wanted to test the medium, so I poured some plain water through a 1-gal pot filled with brand new coco. The runoff was 200 PPM higher than the water that was poured in. This is BRAND NEW coco. Is that normal? Thanks!


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## Shizen (May 10, 2017)

vinjuana said:


> Hey everyone - I just switched from soil to Gold Label coco. I wanted to test the medium, so I poured some plain water through a 1-gal pot filled with brand new coco. The runoff was 200 PPM higher than the water that was poured in. This is BRAND NEW coco. Is that normal? Thanks!


Yes, that would be the buffer used by the company who made it. Unless you got the brick form, you may have to leach until the ppms drop and then buffer the medium with calmag your self.


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## Thomahawk (Dec 28, 2020)

JFK6 said:


> thanks all for the good answers!! =]]
> 
> so after all the reading i believe i need to flush that girl with 1/4 strength feed till she`s going back
> to 1.2-15 EC, and do it fast cuz right now my ec runoff show 4!!! seems to be way high!
> ...


It happens brotha , coco just a bit difrent then soil main thing is don’t let it get more then 40/50% dry. You can’t over water so it’s best to do once a day with sufficient run off I like to get enough in the suacers that I can test my ph an ppm runoff right in the saucer with out lifting the plants and then vacuum it out these have been a huge time saver for me best investment I’ve made especially if ur ganna scrog and pack ur room full and can’t move plants around


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## gr865 (Dec 28, 2020)

Don't check it just feed at the right solution level and you should have not problems.


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