Coco Hempy Solo Question

I wasted three seeds in my last attempt, so I'm trying to get this one right. My plan is to germinate using paper towel method, then put in either rapid rooters or jiffy pellets in a germination kit with a heat mat. After a week or so I want to put these girls in coco solo hempys.

My question is about the solo hempy. In my previous attempt I used 1 liter seltzer bottles that I cut the top off of and put a drain hole in. I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong, but the coco was too wet. It seemed like the coco wicked up all the water in the res and saturated the medium which didn't dry out because my seedlings root system wasn't yet established. Eventually the seedlings suffered from dampening off and I had to abort the grow. (Yes I pre-washed the hell out of the coco)

This time I want to go from the germination kit to the solo hempy. I want to put pure perlite at the bottom (to about 1/2 inches above the drain hole), then straight coco (previously I used coco/perlite 70/30 mix).

1. When I transplant from the germination kit to the solo cup, should the res be filled or should I leave the res empty and slightly water around the base of the seedling every few days?

2. I want to use a transparent solo cup inside of a red solo so I can check on the progress of the root system. I would put the drain in both of the cups. Is there any downside to doing this?

3. If I am successful with the solo hempy, I want to go from there to a 3.5g hempy bucket, is that too drastic of an increase?

I never saw the reason to do hempy using coco. Hempy was originally designed to use 100% perlite which doesn't absorb water - therefore the need for a 2" reservoir in the bottom - coco doesn't need the 2". Here's what I do - I germinate my seeds directly in an 18oz. solo cup with 100% coco. After 2 weeks from sprout I transplant into an 80oz. container with a 75/25 coco/perlite mix. After 2 more weeks I transplant into a 2 gallon container with the same coco/perlite mix. Once the roots are established I water/feed everyday until harvest. Using a transparent cup inside the red one is a good idea, but I wouldn't go from a solo cup to a 3.5 gallon bucket - I would use an in between size first. I hope that's helpful. Also - you really don't need a 3.5 gallon bucket when using coco - a 2 gallon is sufficient because you're feeding daily - I grow 4' plants in 2 gallon buckets with no problem. Peace.

MickFoster said:

I never saw the reason to do hempy using coco. Hempy was originally designed to use 100% perlite which doesn't absorb water - therefore the need for a 2" reservoir in the bottom - coco doesn't need the 2". Here's what I do - I germinate my seeds directly in an 18oz. solo cup with 100% coco. After 2 weeks from sprout I transplant into an 80oz. container with a 75/25 coco/perlite mix. After 2 more weeks I transplant into a 2 gallon container with the same coco/perlite mix. Once the roots are established I water/feed everyday until harvest. Using a transparent cup inside the red one is a good idea, but I wouldn't go from a solo cup to a 3.5 gallon bucket - I would use an in between size first. I hope that's helpful. Also - you really don't need a 3.5 gallon bucket when using coco - a 2 gallon is sufficient because you're feeding daily - I grow 4' plants in 2 gallon buckets with no problem. Peace.

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So ur solo cup just has straight coco? Do u put a drain hole in it or do it without a res? How often do u water using this method?

Coco always requires drain holes (more than one) - good drainage is key. I water/feed everyday except when it is newly sprouted - then every other - but within a week or so from sprout I water daily. Even when saturated coco holds 30% oxygen. Oxygen to the roots is crucial - when you water daily to run-off not only are you refreshing the nutes but you are pushing the stale oxygen out of the coco and pulling in fresh. The reason you had damping off on your previous grow was because that little reservoir that you create in a hempy keeps the coco too wet - it needs to run-off.

MickFoster said:

Coco always requires drain holes (more than one) - good drainage is key. I water/feed everyday except when it is newly sprouted - then every other - but within a week or so from sprout I water daily. Even when saturated coco holds 30% oxygen. Oxygen to the roots is crucial - when you water daily to run-off not only are you refreshing the nutes but you are pushing the stale oxygen out of the coco and pulling in fresh. The reason you had damping off on your previous grow was because that little reservoir that you create in a hempy keeps the coco too wet - it needs to run-off.

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So when you do the solo cup you don't have a res? I did see a few pictures online of solo cups that had coco in them but a bunch of slits cut i the bottom instead of a res with a drain hole.

tokm said:

So when you do the solo cup you don't have a res? I did see a few pictures online of solo cups that had coco in them but a bunch of slits cut i the bottom instead of a res with a drain hole.

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No res with coco. A lot of people cut slits around the entire bottom of the cup - I just cut 3 squares at the very bottom of the cup with a utility knife. Doesn't matter as long as it drains well - the holes are always at the bottom - no space for an internal res where water pools.

MickFoster said:

No res with coco. A lot of people cut slits around the entire bottom of the cup - I just cut 3 squares at the very bottom of the cup with a utility knife. Doesn't matter as long as it drains well - the holes are always at the bottom - no space for an internal res where water pools.

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Ok thank you very much, this is the method I will use once my seeds pop.

tokm said:

I wasted three seeds in my last attempt, so I'm trying to get this one right. My plan is to germinate using paper towel method, then put in either rapid rooters or jiffy pellets in a germination kit with a heat mat.

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I'm also growing in coco/perlite mix. I always use about 40% perlite and about 60% coco and had great results so far. But before answering your questions, I think you should know that managing a grow in coco can be a lot more difficult than growing in soil, especially if you're new to growing. So first of all, choosing a more simple substrate for your plants can save you a lot of trouble. Just don't complicate things! Now let's go to see what did you do wrong.

1. If you're planning to use Rapid Rooter, then there is no need for paper towels! Just germinate your seed straight in Rapid Rooter. No jiffy peat pellets! Also depending on quality/viability of your seeds, you may ruin your seeds with paper towels, because of too much moisture. So be careful.

2. While using heating mat, you should monitor the temperature of your soil constantly to make sure you're in a safe range. I often keep it around 78~80 without any mat.

3. Always start your grow in 16oz party cups and make about 10 to 12 drainage holes in the bottom so the extra water can drain out with ease and always discard the run off completely.

4. Always wait until the top 0.5" of your medium (at least) feels dry to the touch. It's called dry/wet cycle and every grower should learn about it. Coco holds a lot of moisture and watering your medium when it's already moist, causes your seedlings to drown and eventually die.

Hessam said:

I'm also growing in coco/perlite mix. I always use about 40% perlite and about 60% coco and had great results so far. But before answering your questions, I think you should know that managing a grow in coco can be a lot more difficult than growing in soil, especially if you're new to growing. So first of all, choosing a more simple substrate for your plants can save you a lot of trouble. Just don't complicate things! Now let's go to see what did you do wrong.

1. If you're planning to use Rapid Rooter, then there is no need for paper towels! Just germinate your seed straight in Rapid Rooter. No jiffy peat pellets! Also depending on quality/viability of your seeds, you may ruin your seeds with paper towels, because of too much moisture. So be careful.

2. While using heating mat, you should monitor the temperature of your soil constantly to make sure you're in a safe range. I often keep it around 78~80 without any mat.

3. Always start your grow in 16oz party cups and make about 10 to 12 drainage holes in the bottom so the extra water can drain out with ease and always discard the run off completely.

4. Always wait until the top 0.5" of your medium (at least) feels dry to the touch. It's called dry/wet cycle and every grower should learn about it. Coco holds a lot of moisture and watering your medium when it's already moist, causes your seedlings to drown and eventually die.

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Thanks for the input. I'm going to use jiffy pellets instead of rapid rooters because I have some on hand. I'm aware of the wet/dry cycle, but was unsure how to apply it to a hempy (the res). Since I'm going to use solo in non-hempy mode, I should be able to get there much easier.

MickFoster said:

Hempy was originally designed to use 100% perlite which doesn't absorb water - therefore the need for a 2" reservoir in the bottom - coco doesn't need the 2".

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I do believe hempys first findings was done in a perilite/ verm mix
Perilite wicks water
In order to wick water, a substrate must be able to absorb (i.e. Hold) water
Perlite does hold water but due to its porous nature it does not hold a lot of it

My cups were brittle. Melting 4 holes worked well.