COCO COIR My first grow in 4x4 AC Infinity grow tent, EVO6 - Coco/Perlite - GG#4 & Black Widow

[Wheels1974]

My first grow in 4x4 AC Infinity grow tent, EVO6 - Coco/Perlite - GG#4 & Black Widow

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new to cultivating cannabis, although I've been a cannabis user for 30+ years. I'm 52 and this is my first grow, so I'm hoping experienced growers can help me avoid the usual beginner mistakes.

I'm a C4 quadriplegic following an accident in 1988 when I was 13. I have no movement below my neck, so all physical grow work has to be done by family/carers. I understand automation won't eliminate the physical work, particularly as the plants get bigger, but my goal is to make things as simple, reliable and low-maintenance as possible for the people helping me.

Setup

• AC Infinity 4×4 tent
• AC Infinity EVO6 LED
• AC Infinity S7 Humidifier
• AC Infinity T7 Heater
• AC Infinity Controller 69 Pro
• Canna Coco Professional
• Perlite
• Canna Coco A&B + CalMag

The tent is in a dedicated former indoor swimming-pool enclosure, approx. 6.5 × 5.5 m (21 × 18 ft) with a high ceiling and two-door air-lock entrance, so no odur can come into the house due to the Air Lock.

Medium: 70% Canna Coco, 25% perlite, 5% worm castings.
Grow so far
I started germinating on 1 August. Initially I tried 2× Black Widow and 2× GG#4 in damp paper towels. Three produced 5–10 mm taproots; the one GG#4 that didn't crack was planted into the medium on 3 August anyway.
The first 3 days were difficult, with temperatures dropping to 14°C overnight each night and reaching a high of 19°C during the day.
After installing the T7 and S7, conditions improved dramatically and seedlings began emerging within 16 hours.

BW2 has been an amazing journey to watch so far, with incredibly rapid growth and development. She's been the standout plant from the beginning.

The original GG#4 never emerged, so I germinated another GG#4 and Black Widow on 7th of August. Both had taproots within 36 hours and were planted on the 9th of August.

I now have 3× Black Widow and 2× GG#4. Current plants

• BW2 – Day 15, early veg: Amazing growth and development so far.
• GG1 – Day 15, early veg: Developing well and progressing nicely.
• BW1 – Day 14: Has been very slow to develop, especially compared with the others, but is finally starting to improve, so I'm giving her a chance.
• GG2 – Day 7: Still at the seedling stage.
• BW3 – Day 7: Still at the seedling stage.

The photos below were taken yesterday, so the plants are one day further along than shown.

BW2 – Day 14

[URL="https://i.imgur.com/GBdGJHx.jpeg%5B/img"]https://i.imgur.com/GBdGJHx.jpeg[/img[/URL]]

[B]GG1 – Day 14[/B]

[img][URL="https://i.imgur.com/kBymTwv.jpeg%5B/img"]https://i.imgur.com/kBymTwv.jpeg[/img[/URL]]

[B]BW1 – Day 14[/B]

[img][URL="https://i.imgur.com/tH6WN1E.jpeg%5B/img"]https://i.imgur.com/tH6WN1E.jpeg[/img[/URL]]

[B]GG2 – Day 7[/B]

[img][URL="https://i.imgur.com/mdN9JYC.jpeg%5B/img"]https://i.imgur.com/mdN9JYC.jpeg[/img[/URL]]

[B]BW3 – Day 7[/B]

[img][URL="https://i.imgur.com/8rzefEP.jpeg%5B/img"]https://i.imgur.com/8rzefEP.jpeg[/img[/URL]]

Over the next few weeks I'll hopefully select the [B]four strongest plants[/B] for the 4×4.

[B]What I'd really like advice on[/B]
My main interest is [B]automation[/B], especially for watering and I'm after a gravity fed system that works perfectly. I've heard great things about the AutoPot XL system with reservoir, if anyone has had experience with this I'd love to hear more. I do currently have the 100L

I'd love advice from experienced coco/AutoPot growers on:
[LIST]
[*]How often you check/refill the reservoir
[*]How often you check pH and EC
[*]Basic reservoir and AutoPot maintenance
[*]Your typical daily/weekly routine
[*]Common coco mistakes
[*]Whether you'd change anything about my setup
[*]Anything I'm missing
[*]How you'd make the system as simple and reliable as possible for carers
[/LIST]
I'm also spending a [I]lot[/I] of time watching the AC Infinity app and monitoring temperature, humidity, VPD, lighting, etc. I'm trying to get everything dialled in properly, but I'm starting to wonder whether I'm over monitoring and overthinking every small change.

I'd really appreciate a [B]simple point-form routine/checklist for an automated coco/AutoPot grow[/B], particularly one suited to keeping physical work and day-to-day maintenance manageable.

I know there isn't one "correct" way to grow, and I'm not expecting automation to remove the physical work. I'm simply trying to build a [B]forgiving, reliable, low-maintenance system[/B] that my carers can realistically manage while I continue learning.

Thanks very much to anyone who takes the time to offer advice.

Regards,
Wheels1974
​

 

[golfnrl]

Welcome aboard Wheels1974. You are at the right place to learn about growing weed. Google says Groeweedeasy.com is the gold standard for self help for MJ growers. I'm sorry to learn of your 1988 accident. I would not change anything about your setup. I use AC Infinity products because they are outstanding quality. Their C/S is outstanding as well.

I used to be a road warrior. I needed to be away from my plants for days at a time. I put together a temp DIY auto watering system that worked in a pinch but was not going to be a long term solution. Then I discovered the autopot system. I've been growing exclusively with them since 2019. I don't need to be away from my plants much anymore but the system is so good I don't see me giving it up any time soon. I like a 5050 blend of coco/perlite. I use 5 gallon cloth pots with a 12 gallon reservoir. I highly recommend the autopot system.

• How often you check/refill the reservoir

​That depends on the stage of growth and how much the plants are taking up. It's not unusual to change out/add to the rez twice a week. It is also easy to go a 5-7 days between reservoir changes. I mix in 10L batches because the math is easier. I usually run 20 L at a time in the rez. Autopots are highly adaptable. You can change out the water as often as you'd like but that's not necessary to have a highly successful grow. ACI has autowatering plant bases. They are not the same as the autopot system.

• How often you check pH and EC

​Every time the rez is changed out/added to the EC is set and PH adjusted. Every time. No exceptions. I use BlueLab PH and EC pens when mixing nutes and BlueLab PH controllers for the reservoir. I don't have to monitor the EC in the rez only the PH. Growing in coco/perlite you will want to maintain your rez PH at 5.5 to 5.6. Autopots PH drifts upwards as the nutrient solution works its way to the pots themselves. You'll want to check the PH in the pot trays occasionally to monitor and adjust if necessary.

• Basic reservoir and AutoPot maintenance

​I used to fill the rez and forget about it. Now I empty the rez completely and wipe it out before adding any fresh nutrient solution. Either way works but the cleaner the better. You'll want to keep light out of the reservoir as that creates a home for algae growth. Algae will clog your water lines and cause problems. I speak from experience.

• Your typical daily/weekly routine

​I check the plants daily as many times a day as I want to. The automation makes things easier. Add water and nutrients as necessary and that depends entirely upon the plants. I track EC, PH, PPFD and nutrient amounts for every grow. But you can end up chasing numbers so be careful with that.

• Common coco mistakes

​I think the most common mistake when using coco is forgetting that it has no nutritional value for your plants. Coco needs a Cal/Mag supplement, it takes up the calcium and magnesium before your plants get it. You need to know the EC of your tap water before any nutrients are added to it.

• Whether you'd change anything about my setup

​Maybe add the test equipment you'll need

• Anything I'm missing

​Nope

• How you'd make the system as simple and reliable as possible for carers

​The system itself is very simple and easy learn, even for people that don't have a green thumb. You will need to buy a small transfer pump to pump out the rez when changing out/adding to it. That pump will make your life easier. They are about $20 on ebay.

I have the ACI app but rarely look at it because I can get too focused on the numbers. With autopots there is no daily maintenance. That to me is the beauty of the system. I don't monitor VPD.

You'll need an EC pen, a PH pen, a PH controller, a transfer pump, an IR gun to measure leaf temps, a PPFD meter to monitor light, and a moisture meter when drying your harvest.

I use a spreadsheet to help me keep track of everything.