COCO COIR Need help with Coco grow

[Trichomefarmer88]

Hello! Could use some good advice on growing with Coco coir. Have pretty good success with growing soil so figured I'd give Coco a try. Especially after seeing some of the beautiful plants on here. Now strand is Bubba Kush I got from a fellow grower. So far what he has given me has been what he told me. So I have two of them going from seed one in soil ( a fox farm ocean Forest mix I've been throwing together) and a Coco coir with about 10%perlite. Just a quick run through of the basics I got a 3 by 3 by 7 tent, 1 6 in in intake, and one 6 in it take hooked up to carbon filter. Running a 150w high pressure sodium JumpStart. And600watt Meizhi reflector series on veg mode. The seeds or sprouted in a rapid Rooter at the same time the cocoa seed actually sprouted almost a day before the soil. They are both in a smart pot rip off 5 gals.I use General Hydroponics Trio as my base. Now my last run are two I used the gwe feeding chart on here. But I came across this guy in you tube an sorry I can't remember the name are find t the link, but anyways it's a little more and has Kool Bloom in its feeding chart so I'm using it.
Going on week 7 to try my first screen training or scorg. Anyway in feeding about half gallon are little more twice a day..( at first was feeding it like soil almost and giving it almost 2gallon every day an half almost to..)..
GH micro- 5ml. Per gallon
GH grow- 7ml. Per gallon
GH bloom-2ml. Per gallon
GH Cal magic- 2.5ml per gallon
And every other gallon I add ..
GH fallacious Plus- 1ml. Per gallon
GH armor si- 1.5ml per gallon
Advance Nutrients vitamin B- 1ml.per gal
Now I don't know why but it don't seem to be growing right, so slow.. I topped it maybe week and half two weeks and just starting to fill back in the top.. Please see anything let me know I'm open! Thanks!

Pictures probably confusing.. in order they go Coco, soil, Coco, pic of tent, and last is soil..

[deGrasse]

Hi Trichome,

I do not have any advice about growing in Coco, never done it. However your plants look great! Have you topped the plants and started LST on these already? Its hard to tell in the photos. If you have not done so I highly recommend you read through LBH's ScrOG tutorial found here: http://www.growweedeasy.com/scrog-tutorial There is a lot of great information about the process and instruction on what makes for a great ScrOG. Chicken wire and fishing string are listed as the two worst materials to use for setting up a ScrOG. You might want to consider changing that out for string.

I grow in soil and have my first a crop in ScrOG right now and its doing "ok" for my first go at it. Read through LBH's tutorial. You will not regret it!

[Trichomefarmer88]

Thanks for the reply! I have read this, about five times before trying the scrog. Lol but I've done allot of reading on the subject an allot of other sites have different opinions.. I do know the chicken wire isn't the best choice... But isn't the worst.. guess it'll work great just have to do a little more cutting come harvest, which should be cool! All I had at the time also. Plan on trying to make a string screen next time.. I also topped the coco plant, I tried fimming the soil one a few weeks ago but must of missed because it grew straight back up! Lol but I've been LTS training it since it's just true leafs.. now, I was going to just top it but on another big blog this guys swears Not to top for a better scorg.. so I figured I'd do a test run my first time! Thanks for the reply!! Would love to see your scorg!

These pictures are all the soil, just showing the soil isn't topped..

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning 88, Are you watering everyday in the coco.? Most folks let it dry out like soil, I know I do anyway, coco dries slower than soil, I only water when dry, normally every 3-4 days. I hope that's what you were asking.

[Trichomefarmer88]

My friend uses native soil also but throws some worm an chicken poop in it and some bat an bird guano whenever it looks like it needs a little boost...

[Trichomefarmer88]

Morning 69, first I'd like to say I've seen some of your grow and they're great!! But, yes I water twice a day.. when I started it the first few weeks I was watering it just like my soil , about gallon every other day, but it did horrible!! Slowest growth ever!! So I started researching again an doing so I found that treating Coco like soil it will grow like soil, or even worse.. guess even when completely saturated Coco still holds 30% oxygen.. so I started watering twice a day.. now honestly my plants growing so much faster.. but, still only half the size of my soil? Maybe I should let it try to dry a little more? I'm stuck on it ... Thank for the reply!

[Trichomefarmer88]

Also I am just looking for tips, secrets to growing Coco.. I started a side by side to try Coco my first time.. an always hear Coco would grow twice as fast as soil.. but my soil plant is over twice the size?

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey 88, I can see them growing faster in hydro, but not watering everyday, they need to dry out , you also need to use cal-mag, but I'm sure you know that.
The ones I'm growing now are in soil I dug up, where i live, I was just trying to see if autoflowers would grow very well in it without adding nutes, they are doing ok but not great, just an experiment anyway.
I've got 4 autos in coco germinating right now, but I want be watering everyday,
Good Luck with yours, Read Nebulas articles about growing in coco, hope that helps some.

[Trichomefarmer88]

Yes I use Cal mag every time and Epsom salt about ever three weeks are so... An maybe you're right about my Coco drying a little.. but no signs of drooping are over watering.. I water my soil almost every day... My intake fan is for a bigger tent so it's very windy an drys my fabric pots a bit fast.. an my rh has been pretty low lately.. trying to keep it above 40%is a little challenging

[UrbZ]

Morning 69, first I'd like to say I've seen some of your grow and they're great!! But, yes I water twice a day.. when I started it the first few weeks I was watering it just like my soil , about gallon every other day, but it did horrible!! Slowest growth ever!! So I started researching again an doing so I found that treating Coco like soil it will grow like soil, or even worse.. guess even when completely saturated Coco still holds 30% oxygen.. so I started watering twice a day.. now honestly my plants growing so much faster.. but, still only half the size of my soil? Maybe I should let it try to dry a little more? I'm stuck on it ... Thank for the reply!

That sounds like an awfully large amount of watering in both your coco and soil. im at 1.5-2 gallons like every 4 or 5 days.. Im in soil with 7 gallon pots.

[Trichomefarmer88]

I agree! My last grow same set up only just soil I used almost 1 and half gallons every two three days.. they're drying so quick? I believe maybe it's because my humidity has been solow for veg.. 35 to 45...50rh if I'm lucky

[D.A.A.S.69]

They like wet to dry, I've heard people say it's worst to under water than overwater but I've always had much better luck letting my pot completely dry out, leaves even wilting a little before watering. They grow extremely slow sitting in water everyday.
Everyone grows different though, its just defeating the purpose of growing autos, they grow an finish so fast.

[Trichomefarmer88]

I do see your point about sitting in water.. That's what I thought but the more I smoked an thought about it, if it's too be like hydro you would think sitting in water good right?! Lol so confusing honestly.. These bubba's are photos fem seeds.. I haven't gotten autos yet.. really hope to soon.. I my self am still learning with soil I only started over a year ago now..

[Trichomefarmer88]

I've been watching this guy allot lately.. he's you tube the grow cheaply guy grows monsters.. but that's where I got to water my Coco twice daily.. https://youtu.be/lhoONpvwvT0
Hopefully that works.. but like I said I've went threw this site and others to learn about Coco.. but gwe.com is my number one to go to!!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hello 88, I've grown in soil an coco a long time, you overwater in soil they grow slow, it's hard to overwater in coco, but adding small amounts everyday I just don't see how that can get down to the roots good, but if you water to runoff every 3-5 days I know damn well it's getting down there.
But if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I'm sticking with the tried an proven way, water to run-off. Good Luck 88.

[Trichomefarmer88]

See I can dump half gallon threw it and half it goes out the bottom so I always do get run off.. but I am going to try it! I'm using botanicare Coco coir bricks 10%perlite. 5 gal fabric smart pot.. how much would you recommend me water and wait? And wait until.... Maybe first knuckle deep dry? Thanks for the help 69 I do want to try something different it's just not growing nice... To slow and stems seam weak..

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hello 88, sorry it took so long to get back to you.
Do you remember how heavy your pot was the last time you watered them? Do not water again till the pot is light in weight, it might take several days for the coco to get dry I don't know long long that's been.
But if you want them to grow faster, let it dry out before you water again
If you can't remember how heavy your pot was, the next time you water till runoff pick up your pot, it will be heavy, don't water again till the pot is lite in weight.