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Growing in coco!

Dman2331

New member
Does anybody know the truth behind watering in coco. I hear you should water everyay and I also hear that you can treat like soil and water every time pot is light. What is better?
 
Morning Dman, yeah, there are many truths, you got to find one you like.
Alot depends on how old your plants are, all i know you can't hardly go wrong with coco.
 
I Do NOT grow in coco but it is to my understanding that during the first few weeks of growth watering when the pot is light is a good way to avoid overwatering but a mature flowering plant will require daily waterings
 
I haven't read anything definitive about it. That being said, I water every day. I shoot for two times a day. I think it provides a full menu of nutrition and replaces what's been used since the previous feed.
 
It’s my understanding that coco retains water well that’s y I mix it with my ffof at a 50/50 mix hopeing not to water as much in smart pots. My2$
 
Hi Dman,
I am in the middle of my first coco grow. I learned a lot from this forum and the tutorial, but you might want to check out AskEd's coco guide on Grasscityforums.
It does a great job of explaining the how and whys of coco.

I got a wide range of answers to your same question. Many were adamant.

Assuming you are in full stage veg, you might want to try both methods for a few days each. It helps if you take some pictures every day for each method as you can look at them away from the grow lights and get a day by day comparison of how they are responding.

In my limited experience, I have found that it is true that coco is very forgiving as far as watering. For myself, I am working on a schedule of nute and Calmag water. Day off. Two days of just pHed water. Nute and Calmag water etc. My plants never seem to show signs of overwatering. I also water to about 20 percent runoff and my plants never sit in the runoff water.

If you use the lift method, you might find the conditions in your grow space limit how quickly your plant dries. Therefore, you might not be able to feed them as often if you are waiting to water. BTW, I also learned they like much less than half dose nutes, but they like it more often.

I bet you are already aware that there can be Calmag issues with coco as well as salt buildup, and pH is much more important with coco. Ed's guide discusses this in detail.

Please post here once you have a method that works for you as it will help me learn from your experience! Good luck!
 
Does anybody know the truth behind watering in coco. I hear you should water everyay and I also hear that you can treat like soil and water every time pot is light. What is better?

I know the truth! You can and should water coco every day (which is two words unless you're using it as an adjective by the way ;)) Especially if you mix it with 25% perlite, which I recommend, coco drains away any excess water in just minutes leaving a moist medium with lots of room for air to get to the roots. Coco is awesome!

I strongly suggest using an air pot for even better air to the roots and awesome root growth.

Setting up an automatic watering system with a timer and a cheap aquarium pump makes life easy. My current White Widow grow is getting 24 hours of light a day in veg and gets watered every 8 hours with a dilute mixture of General Hydroponics Flora Series. It's growing so big and so fast and so lush it makes me laugh every time I open the tent.

Drian-to-waste works great with coco, but my latest setup drains to and pumps from a reservoir that I change once a week. It works a treat as the Brits say.

Here's Nebula's write-up on growing in coco, which is excellent, as always: http://www.growweedeasy.com/coco-coir

Good luck with your coco grow.
 
If it were possible to overwater coco/perlite, my plants would be dead by now. I water a lot every single day, and now that they are in Flower with low RH, I often give two waterings per day. The coco/perlite retains sufficient O2 to prevent roots from drowning. You can choose to water less frequently, but that will result in slower growth. One of the benefits of Coco is that plants can get everything they need all the time, including water.
 
I grow in coco in 5 gallon pots and water once every 5 days learned to grow threw a few others years back and thats how we have always done it will great results. This has been my experience and with tht said I am off to read the link posted in the above comment
 
Oh please, my ass, everyone doesn't do the., things you prescribe doc.
Several ways of watering, I feed 3-4 times a day on some, I know folks that water when the pots are lite weight, and do very well.
But just by my noticing your posts, everyone is always wrong an your always right, in your head anyway, everyone grows a little
different ,
 
DoctorJohnson The attitude expressed in your comments seems to out of place for this forum. Can't we all try to be friendly.
D.A.A.S.69 is right, there are many truths when dealing with human plans and intentions. The idea that there is "one truth" is positivism and may apply to chemistry or even botany, but it does not apply to horticulture. Humans have different goals, abilities, and limitations, which affect their "truth".
 
But just by my noticing your posts, everyone is always wrong an your always right, in your head anyway, everyone grows a little different
I'm sorry if my posts have offended you, DAAS. I've been growing since the 70s and have just been trying to help out here a little bit lately along with reading up on what's new and interesting. There is an awful lot of confusion, BS, and folklore in the cannabis growing world and I do realize that I'm not bashful about pointing that out and trying to offer better advice.

I agree that everyone grows a little different, but that's not the same thing as your seeming assertion that you can just pick what you want to be true.
 
How do i water every day, or multiple times a day if i'm supposed to wait until the top inch of my coco gets dry? I'd like to try watering every day, especially during these last few weeks but I over watered in veg, stunted them and have been treading lightly. If I water every day don't I waterlog the roots?

I can absolutely depend that a pot full of roots and coco/perlite will keep itself at optimal water : oxygen and I can run water through it every day, maybe even 2 or 3 times a day?
 
> The attitude expressed in your comments seems to out of place for this forum. Can't we all try to be friendly.
I am trying to be friendly by sharing my time and experience with new growers who have questions.
>...there are many truths when dealing with human plans and intentions. The idea that there is "one truth" is positivism and may apply to chemistry or even botany, but it does not apply to horticulture. Humans have different goals, abilities, and limitations, which affect their "truth".
We seem to have different ideas about what the word "truth" means. Your definition seems to me to be closer to "opinion" than mine, which is more like "what is actually a correct understanding of the way things are."
I'll leave the last word on the subject to y'all. I have to go drain and refill my reservoir and then do housework. Happy growing!
 
Just read tht whole article ( skiped the coco rehydration process) i did not see anywhere saying u should water everyday. did I miss something?
 
My coco is never dry to the touch. If there is a little dry coco on top, I make a note and give extra water.
I would ignore the advice about the top inch being dry.
You cannot "waterlog" the roots in Coco/perlite... well I suppose if you kept them in a flood table...
I'd recommend daily watering till run-off. If you want, you can add a second watering where you give about 1/2 as much water and little to no run-off. I do my main watering at 8pm. I have 6 plants in 7 gallon fabric pots. At 8pm I give about 2 gallons total, alternating Nutes with Plain+Cal/Mag. When I add a second watering at 8am it is never more than 1 gallon and always is plain+Cal/Mag.
 
Agreed I always try to express the fact of what I'm saying is what I know works for me and how i grow because I dam sure know there is more than one to get the job done. Daas69 you water multiple times a day????
 
Plz tell me why I should water everyday? I have been pretty much doing the exact opposite as that and this thread has me very interested and seems I'm part of the few who let the coco dry out pretty good before watering again
 
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