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

[Wheels1974]

It's hard to say how often MJ plants should be watered because each plant is different and the requirements of various grow mediums is different. Growing in coco, when transplanting sprouts I like to saturate the medium and then go from there. When I say saturate I mean that. Get the medium wet. If that takes 3 quarts or 3 gallons, whatever it is, that's what I do. I want to see runoff in the pot tray/riser. With saturated grow medium at that stage of growth it usually takes about 2-4 days for the pots to dry out enough to water again. As the plants grow of course the frequency of watering will increase. Some say to water with a runoff of about 10%. I like to water until I can see the runoff dripping into the pan and then stop. Try it with your GG1. Give it a gallon and see what you get for runoff. It won't hurt your plant. As your plants grow you will need to feed them more often but you most likely won't be able to put them on a set feed schedule with a set amount of water for each time they are watered. The two factors that will affect how often you water your plants the most are temperature and humidity.

@golfnrl

Your information is extremely appreciated, mate. What you’ve written and the way you’ve explained it is all I’ll need to give it a try.

I think my gut feeling was right, I strongly believe I’ve been underwatering them. I just checked them now but didn't open the tent and they all look awesome. Even GG1, after that 2L feed, has perfect looking leaves. I couldn't get any great shots as I didn't open the tent.

On her next feed, I’m going to follow exactly what you suggested and continue feeding her until I see the first signs of runoff from the bottom of the pot. I’ll then test the EC and pH of the runoff, record the results, and get back to you with what I find. On Thursday I raised her feed from (1.1 EC) to (1.3 EC) and gave her that 2 litres.

Would you suggest keep her 2nd feed the same as her previous week with an EC of 1.3 or increase it to 1.4 or more?

I also need to start defoliation but bloody hell thats quite intimidating, I know I'll start from the lowet part of the tree which is getting quite crazy.

Thanks again, mate. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it all.

 

[growingisfun]

Looking good!

 

[golfnrl]

Would you suggest keep her 2nd feed the same as her previous week with an EC of 1.3 or increase it to 1.4 or more?

I'm happy to try and help. I'd keep the EC the same for the 2nd feed and keep watching the plant. Raise it slowly until you reach your target EC. I like 1.7 max for veg. A little higher for bloom but each cultivar is different. If you start to see burnt tips, back off the strength of your nutrient solution.

And don't stress too much about defoliating. I'm not the best at it but I haven't killed any plants doing it either. You'll be fine. Don't be shy about taking foliage from the lower parts of your plant, especially those areas that don't get enough light. GWE has lots of really good tutorials about defoliation.

 

[Wheels1974]

I'm happy to try and help. I'd keep the EC the same for the 2nd feed and keep watching the plant. Raise it slowly until you reach your target EC. I like 1.7 max for veg. A little higher for bloom but each cultivar is different. If you start to see burnt tips, back off the strength of your nutrient solution.

And don't stress too much about defoliating. I'm not the best at it but I haven't killed any plants doing it either. You'll be fine. Don't be shy about taking foliage from the lower parts of your plant, especially those areas that don't get enough light. GWE has lots of really good tutorials about defoliation.

@golfred
Plants are all looking amazing, BW2 & GG1 are looking awesome.

I did what you sugested Re: GG1 and after 2L of feed with an EC of 1.3 & pH of 5.8 I had enough runoff which freaked me out EC was as high as my EC would read at 3.8 and pH of 7.3 so I continued watering to 4.5L and got at least 400ml runnoff and nothing changed so I stopped watering. Other then that all plants are looking amazing.

What to do regarding EC & pH runoff?

 

[Allotrope1000]

I sorta follow @golfnrl 's watering program.In 50/50 coco/perlite, 7 gallon fabric pots. (No autopots.)
- water daily until saucer under riser gets a couples ounces of runoff.
- lift pots to judge weight, which indicates those needing extra water.
- keep doing until harvest, of course switching veg to flower nutrients then flush.
It is virtually impossible to overwater in coco.

 

[Wheels1974]

I sorta follow @golfnrl 's watering program.In 50/50 coco/perlite, 7 gallon fabric pots. (No autopots.)
- water daily until saucer under riser gets a couples ounces of runoff.
- lift pots to judge weight, which indicates those needing extra water.
- keep doing until harvest, of course switching veg to flower nutrients then flush.
It is virtually impossible to overwater in coco.

Even though the plants looked amazing last night prior to feeding and GG1 was looking the best I've ever seen her.
Does my EC & pH runoff concern you because they are so high at EC 3.8 and pH 7.3 after multiple attempts?

When I feed next do I continue feeding them the same EC and pH or do I drop the EC when I feed next and if so how low to drop EC and im assuming pH remains the same at 5.8 during all feeds?

 

[golfnrl]

Even though the plants looked amazing last night prior to feeding and GG1 was looking the best I've ever seen her.
Does my EC & pH runoff concern you because they are so high at EC 3.8 and pH 7.3 after multiple attempts?

When I feed next do I continue feeding them the same EC and pH or do I drop the EC when I feed next and if so how low to drop EC and im assuming pH remains the same at 5.8 during all feeds?

The most likely reason the runoff EC/PH is high is because the built up salts from your nutrient solution are not thoroughly washed out. The flush needs more volume. Increase it to at least 2x (Preferably 3x) the volume of your grow pot. I don't think at this point I would do it again though unless the plant was dying. You are a long way from that. When watering your plants with 10-20% runoff each time you are in affect flushing out the unused salts. Just for future reference when your runoff EC is within .2 to .4 of your starting solution your plants are properly taking up the nutrients.

Keep the EC the same but vary the PH. When you increase the EC, going up more than .2-.3 points runs the risk of burning the plants. When you want to increase it to your target number do it incrementally every other time you water. 1.3 EC is at the low end for the veg state. Low does not mean your plants are starving. MJ takes up nutrients at different PH levels. Check out the hydro chart. Coco is considered hydro. When you top water it's OK to use the entire PH range for coco, varying it each time, or every other time.

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[Wheels1974]

@golfnrn Thanks for that information and the nutrition charts relating to pH, that was a great read.

If I'm not mistaken, when flushing, it states:

"You need to remove the buildup. A common way to remove salt buildup is to flush the plant with about 3x as much plain, pH’ed water as normal. Then go back to your normal feeding schedule (make sure you check the runoff pH again afterward, to make sure that your flush worked)."

Every time I've flushed so far, I've actually given them the same EC and pH as their normal feed required. For example, on Friday, GG1 received 4 litres of feed at an EC of 1.3 and pH of 5.8.

Apart from the first week or so, I've never given the plants just pH adjusted water. So I'm just trying to understand the correct way to flush.

1. When flushing, should I use plain pH-adjusted water with no nutrients, rather than my normal feed?

2. My tap water has no measurable EC. Is it okay to use this water, adjusted to pH 5.8, for the flush?

3. Or should I raise the EC slightly first, to around 0.2–0.4, and then adjust the pH to 5.8?

4. Once the flush is finished, should I immediately return to my normal nutrient feed, or should I leave the plain pH water as is for that feed?

I've been using nutrients every time I've watered apart from the first week or so, so I just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, especially now that my runoff EC has been off the charts and I tested my EC in 2.77 and it is showing 2.6 solid slightly off but im purchasing the cleaning kit and will give it a clean before using it again tomorrow.

I also topped GG1 and BW3 today. I had a mate have a go at some LST, although neither of us really knows what we're doing yet . I'll also need to start looking at defoliation ASAP and on that topic, is it ok to cut those huge fan leaves that are as big as your hand?

Apart from that, the plants are looking as healthy as I've ever seen them, so thanks to you all! GG1 is no longer wilting now that I'm aware I was underwatering these girls.
Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate all the helpful information you guys pour out each time I post, it really means a lot to me.

 

[golfnrl]

1. When flushing, should I use plain pH-adjusted water with no nutrients, rather than my normal feed?

2. My tap water has no measurable EC. Is it okay to use this water, adjusted to pH 5.8, for the flush?

3. Or should I raise the EC slightly first, to around 0.2–0.4, and then adjust the pH to 5.8?

4. Once the flush is finished, should I immediately return to my normal nutrient feed, or should I leave the plain pH water as is for that feed?

1. Yes.
2. Adjust your tap water to .4 EC then adjust the PH. I use 6.0 to flush
3. See above
4. After the flush let the pot drain. Then immediately water it again with a slightly milder nutrient solution, let that drain, check that runoff and you should be good to go.

It's OK to use nutrients every time you water. There just needs to be enough runoff.

Are those Bud Trainer Bud Clips that I see in there? I really like their products. Looks like you have your BW2 tied down and your GG1 looks good as well.

Yep, read up on defoliation at GWE. Others are better at defoliation than I am and may have something to add. The fan leaves can and should be removed if they are blocking bud sites. I like to leave as many as possible otherwise because they contain stored energy for later use. Most of the time I leave them alone until I defole about three weeks after the flip. Sometimes I do that just to see how big they will get.

 

[Wheels1974]

@golfnrl
Awesome feedback as always I'll try that in the next week when shes due for a feed. When you say "Then immediately water it again with a slightly milder nutrient solution, let that drain, check that runoff and you should be good to go."

If she was due for a feed with an EC of 1.3 would you make your slightly milder mix to 1.00 or lower?

Lastly I got my "Blulab conductivity probe care kit" gave it a bit of a scrub and measured EC in 2.77 and it was flashing between 2.6 to 2.8 so the cleaning of the EC definitely worked.

 

[golfnrl]

If she was due for a feed with an EC of 1.3 would you make your slightly milder mix to 1.00 or lower?

1.0 will work just fine. Glad your BlueLab equipment arrived.

 

[Wheels1974]

1.0 will work just fine. Glad your BlueLab equipment arrived.

Thanks mate and to bring my EC up to 0.4 will just CalMag be fine without Canna A&B for the flush?