Hand Watering Coco in Pots

I am on my second grow using coco coir and I am still not completely clear on how to properly water them.

I'm using coco with 25% Growstone in 2 gallon Smart Pots.

I've heard several varying opinions.

• One friend says he uses straight coco with no perlite or anything and waters every other day. And he only gives nutrients every other watering. Seems like too little nutrients to me.
• I talked to Advanced Nutrients grow support who told me I should water and feed every day and that I should be adding a half gallon of liquid per day to my 2 gallon pots. This seems like too much because once saturated the water would practically drain right out.
• Then I've read that you should feed/water everyday enough so you see 20-40% run off.

Can anyone provide any clarity on this? I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks

Well I can add my .02

Coco coir is great growing medium. I would mix it with perlite in maybe a 30/70 mix (perlite/cococoir). Also line the bottom of your smart pot with an inch of perlite. not nessecary but have seen itdone.

Coir will have nutrient issues, and specifically cal/mag is needed every other watering. The natural salts in coir lock up the nutrients.

So once every 4 to 5 weeks its a good idea to do double flush. 2 gallon pots will need 4 gallons of water.
Pour 2 gallons through, wait ten minutes or so (for the salts to disolve in water) and then pour the other 2 gallons through.

Watering will differ from seeds to harvest, and if your under leds or cfl or hps/mh. Leds and cfl will require less watering (generally) but every other day seems to be the normal. And also you wantabout 20 percent run off each time you water.

The weight test is the best way to tell if it needs to be watered though. if they are heavy they dont need water. If theyre super light, time for water

Also if you mix perlite in the coir, when the perlite turns red from watering, its time to flush.

Hopefully that helps?

I also plan on doing my first coco grow soon and have been running into the same question while doing research. I also don't know how I'm going to deal with 20%+ runoff under a net. I hate letting my plants sit in water.

4x8 flood table,i did this yrs ago so easy.

Use bagged loose coco it is very low E.C. Canna or H&G...you need to have 10-15% run off everytime you water.I use pure coco with 75% r/o and 25% tap...H&G coco specific nutes,feed everytime @ low E.C. I have never used cal/mag but the 25% municipal water is very hard.I regularly pull over a pound in 5gl smart pot.

I've grew a blue mystic auto in coco outside and did just fine with it. 70/30 coco/perlite and fed it GH trio nutes every other watearing and calmag every other time I fed it, than the other times I didn't feed it nutes I just gave it 5.8 pH water to help flush out the salts. Eventually went up to 950 ppm once it was in full bloom. I had no issues with it what so ever its was pretty easy. I'm gonna start growing in it again but with Canna Coco but I'm gonna use the Blumat drip system in it pretty stoked to try it out.

You should always feed something, never use plain water or alternate feedings. Even if you feel the need to make it a light feeding, always include nutrients of some sort.

I hand water straight coco (no perlite or other additives) to around 10-20% runoff. I've noticed that with airpots and fabric pots, watering until runoff seems less necessary than with hard-sided containers, but that's just my own experience.

I have seen people use coco with 25% perlite mixed in and never really understood why. Until you have an established root system you can still overwater coco cut with perlite as easily as you can plain coco and coco is not like soil, it doesn't need additional aeration or loosening via perlite and the like.

With that said, I've seen people use perlite as a sort of top dressing for plain coco in order to diffuse the water more evenly when handwatering -- that actually works and isn't a bad idea if you don't mind perlite getting on everything.

nvhak49 said:

I've grew a blue mystic auto in coco outside and did just fine with it. 70/30 coco/perlite and fed it GH trio nutes every other watearing and calmag every other time I fed it, than the other times I didn't feed it nutes I just gave it 5.8 pH water to help flush out the salts. Eventually went up to 950 ppm once it was in full bloom. I had no issues with it what so ever its was pretty easy. I'm gonna start growing in it again but with Canna Coco but I'm gonna use the Blumat drip system in it pretty stoked to try it out.

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I'm actually gonna start now this method , with blumat in coco coir , but i will use full Advanced Nutrients , but i think i will had just a maxium 10% Perlite , cause with the blumat system of working too much perlite can be an error.

Sopasss said:

I'm actually gonna start now this method , with blumat in coco coir , but i will use full Advanced Nutrients , but i think i will had just a maxium 10% Perlite , cause with the blumat system of working too much perlite can be an error.

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How can the perlite cause a error with the Blumat?

nvhak49 said:

How can the perlite cause a error with the Blumat?

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Blumat system was designed for soil and have a ceramic sensor that only start's watering when humidity drop's , too much perlite will make your top soil dry faster.
from what i read from coco you want it to be the most wet possible, and also too much perlite in contact with the sensor will negativly affect its efficiency.
Unless you want them to run with continous runoff . but that way you can get a cheaper system .. maybe 1/4 the price.
I've never grown with coco i'm just combining what i read from coco that is alot .. i like to be informed . and also my experience with blumats . i've already used them several times. including in my garden.

Anyway i love blumat's, they rock hard !

lawlrus said:

You should always feed something, never use plain water or alternate feedings. Even if you feel the need to make it a light feeding, always include nutrients of some sort.

I hand water straight coco (no perlite or other additives) to around 10-20% runoff. I've noticed that with airpots and fabric pots, watering until runoff seems less necessary than with hard-sided containers, but that's just my own experience.

I have seen people use coco with 25% perlite mixed in and never really understood why. Until you have an established root system you can still overwater coco cut with perlite as easily as you can plain coco and coco is not like soil, it doesn't need additional aeration or loosening via perlite and the like.

With that said, I've seen people use perlite as a sort of top dressing for plain coco in order to diffuse the water more evenly when handwatering -- that actually works and isn't a bad idea if you don't mind perlite getting on everything.

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Thanks for the input. I am using fabric pots and plastic ones and I'm finding I like the plastic ones better because I'm able to more accurately see the run off. Usually the fabric pots don't produce any run-off. But maybe that's just me underwatering.

That's what I've been doing wrong. Although I've been watering/feeding everyday, I haven't given them enough (about 4 cups per 2 gallon pot per day) to produce 10-20% run-off. So I belive I am getting a buildup of nutes in my medium and it might be causing lock out. The quality seems to be there, but the yields are just not where they should be.

At the end of my first coco grow, I tested the run-off while watering with plain water during the final flush. It was testing at 9000 ppm. That is accurate, 9000. The meter was calibrated too. I'm guessing I'd see similar results if I tested the run-off on this grow.

I have 1- 2 weeks left in my current grow. I'm thinking that it may be a good idea for me to just flush for the next two weeks.

Whatever works but I cycle between canna and cal mag. so technically feeding every watering (even though I have done just straight water). Not sure what the absolute best way to do it in coco yet.

Been using coco for years. Originally used coco/perlite mix, but switched to 100% coco a few years back. Like others said you should really feed every watering. It would be like you eating food one day and then just drinking some water the next day. Doesn't sound very fun. I only water to run off once a week or so as well. I've always read that you need like 20% runoff every time to flush salts, but I stopped doing that a few years back with no adverse effects. I also add a few ML of cal/mag to my non-r/o water each feeding just to stave off a potential lock out. My 2 cents.

I use 100 percent coco with a few inches of fish tank pebbles on the bottom. I use hardware store powder water soluble nutrients and do not ph adjust or adjust mix straight tap water mix. Once established my schedule is water every three days or when pot is light. First watering full strength, next watering half strength, then next plain tap water then cycle starts again. People could argue for days about how often to water etc but this works just fine for me.

That said my tap water here in aus may not need ph adjusting I have never bothered with it and have never had problems.

is pro-mix coco?

texasjack said:

is pro-mix coco?

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No it's peat based.