Furbrain

On 11/25/2022 at 8:23 AM, Prom said:

Poor home growers use frozen bottles... proper setups run automatically  Hydro has the smallest amount of work to maintain. if setup correct.

Hi Prom. Totally agree with you and IF I continue with hydro I will invest in a water chiller.

It's very possible that I may go the organic soil way next grow inside!.

Apart from the usual rigmarole of nursing young plants........when older they will only need water at possibly only every 36-48hrs. That means (as I see it) keeping water in tank at a good  temperature for this amount of time is a fairly pointless exercise as I can easily 'prepare' water for individual feeds ie; every 36-48 hrs.

I'm only growing 4 plants at any given time so would only have to prepare around 10 LTRs at each event.

Let's see how this existing grow works out and before I decide what the next grow will be I will 'wing' the Nute temp with frozen bottles before investing in something (chiller) for a hydro future.

Have a lekker day......

On 11/24/2022 at 3:12 PM, DesignatedDave said:

So this is something people tend to forget about when they try and do full hydroponics with stuff sitting in water. Yes 24° is too high, you need to bring that down to about 20°.

The proper solution to the problem is a water chiller, however...

500ml or 1L coke bottles filled with water and put in the freezer also works.
You do a bunch of them and keep them in your freezer, then just drop 1 or 2 into the reservoir and it will bring down the temps, they will last most of the day and you can just cycle them.

Just started trying the 'frozen bottle' suggestion!. 3 500ml bottles have brought the temperature down to 20.8° from 23.5°!. Will monitor and update but working well.

1 hour ago, 420SA said:

Got a small bar fridge or chest freezer sitting anywhere? Pumping cool liquid through a copper or stainless coil submersed in your reservoir water would chill it nicely. To get that liquid cool you basically hold a 15-20L bucket of water in a fridge with a pump inside the bucket circulating the water from the bucket through the coil in the reservoir and back out into the bucket. You'd obviously need to drill holes in the fridge door or whatever. You may hit a refrigerant line if you drill in the side of the fridge so be mindful of that.

You'd need a temp controller like a STC-1000 to maintain the reservoir temp by switching the pump in the fridge on and off. 

Sounds a bit overkill but it will work and a fairly straight forward project if you don't mind a bit of DIY. Another very effective option is converting a 2nd hand portable AC into a water chiller, also controlled by a temp controller. Something I have done with good success but that seems a bit overkill when you only need to chill to 20 C. 

I'm in a line of work that involves a lot of liquid chilling and temp control so more than happy to elaborate on anything further for you

 

Very interesting indeed!. The idea is soundand makes sense.

I'm running my whole system on solar so every extra watt needs to be considered!. I will keep an eye out for a small bar fridge or freezer that might be suitable.

In the meantime I'll be a 'poor grower' and try some frozen water bottles!.

Many thanks for your great idea.

Greetings.

I have a Wilma 4 pot hydro system!. There are pros and cons. One 'con' is that the reservoir water will stay at the same temp as the tent temperature or maybe a touch lower. Reservoir water stays around 24-25° which I think is too warm.....................?. The tank has to stay in tent so I wonder about ways of keeping tank temps down WITHOUT having to purchase a super dooper water chiller ?. I read somewhere that there are additives you can use in the water that stop any unwanted microbes (that thrive) in warm water messing with the plants.

Any ideas or should I move to Iceland ?.

9 minutes ago, Furbrain said:

Good afternoon all.....

I wonder, are fabric pots good to use with Coco?. I'm early into a grow. I have auto feed dripper set for 5mins every 6hrs and am getting+/_ 10% runoff at each event!. The thing that concerns me is how the fabric pots remain very wet (bottom 10%) until next fertigation!. It's almost as if the fabric is holding in the water and not draining through properly!. I've even got algea starting in places!. The plant is only 3 weeks old so I don't expect the roots are near the bottom yet so I'm wondering if I should try another type of pot for the Coco. I know coco needs to be kept moist but these fabric pots seem to retain wetness at the bottom?. Maybe some people punch holes in the bottom????.

Any ideas or thoughts appreciated.......

Or maybe line the bottom with clay balls?????????

12 minutes ago, DesignatedDave said:

I use them for seeds in soil, it's nice because it dry's from all directions inwards.

Would they work with Coco or would you germ/prop in soil (with air pots) and then plant in Coco afterwards?.

Good afternoon all.....

I wonder, are fabric pots good to use with Coco?. I'm early into a grow. I have auto feed dripper set for 5mins every 6hrs and am getting+/_ 10% runoff at each event!. The thing that concerns me is how the fabric pots remain very wet (bottom 10%) until next fertigation!. It's almost as if the fabric is holding in the water and not draining through properly!. I've even got algea starting in places!. The plant is only 3 weeks old so I don't expect the roots are near the bottom yet so I'm wondering if I should try another type of pot for the Coco. I know coco needs to be kept moist but these fabric pots seem to retain wetness at the bottom?. Maybe some people punch holes in the bottom????.

Any ideas or thoughts appreciated.......

On 11/9/2022 at 12:50 PM, DesignatedDave said:

Don't worry about your runoff PH, its going to fluctuate in the coco coir.
Runoff is not a good indication of what's going on at the root zone. To actually get an accurate ph reading you would need to do a soil slurry test from below the surface.

You can also ignore the runoff EC, its always going to be higher than your input EC. 

You should only worry about your input PH value which should be around 5.8 - 6.0 

Is there something wrong with your plants at the moment that you suspect a PH issue in your coco coir? 

 

Hi Dave. Have waited a few days before answering to see how the girls are behaving!. They don't look bad I must admit!. Just coming into veg and so I'm gradually increasing to 1500ec?. Today I'm sitting at 770ec (up from 400) with pH of 5.7. There are 4 feeds a day. 5mins every 6hrs. I'm getting around 10% runoff with that schedule!. This Coco stuff takes some getting used to I must admit!. It's just weird to imagine the girls feet sitting in a moist inviroment all the time and being happy ........unlike soil!. Ah well, if this works then I'm a happy camper. Time will tell!. My idea was to increase nutes by around 400ec every 2 days (8feeds) until I reach 1500 . Leave at that for a couple of weeks then go to 2000ec???????.

I won't measure runoff again. Saves me from heart attack . Thanks for reassurance.......

Will keep ph 5.8-6.0.

On 11/9/2022 at 12:53 PM, DesignatedDave said:

I've had endless root rot issues with those cups, no matter how many holes I make, I eventually bought the  RapidGrow rooting pots - https://hydroponic.co.za/hydroponics/rapidgrow-rooting-pots-with-tray/ and haven't looked back since.

Will try and I've ordered a set!.

Thanks for the advice and have a groovy day.

On 11/9/2022 at 12:53 PM, DesignatedDave said:

I've had endless root rot issues with those cups, no matter how many holes I make, I eventually bought the  RapidGrow rooting pots - https://hydroponic.co.za/hydroponics/rapidgrow-rooting-pots-with-tray/ and haven't looked back since.

Hi Dave, hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

These look interesting !. In soil or Coco would you just keep them moist all the time OR wait until they dry before water....... (like a solo cup)?.  

4 hours ago, DesignatedDave said:

The plant looks happy to me. From your recent posts I'm getting the impression that you might be micro-managing your plants and possibly over loving them .

These plants really don't need much, especially at this age/size, a little bit of nutrients and water with some good light is all you need.

The leaves will change between different shades of green throughout the grow and this is because the plant will be shift movable nutrients around the plant and that does impact leaf color.
movable nutrients are things like Nitrogen (N), Magnesium (Mg), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), and Nickel (Ni). 

It's only really a cause for concern when you start seeing yellow spots or yellow leaves. Outside of that they will go all shades of green at some point or another.

If you look at your plant and the leaves are straight out or praying and it looks happy, then leave the plant, it's doing great and is doing what you asking it to do at it's own biological pace. 

I appreciate the information........ thankyou!

I feel more comfortable with this Wilma 4 pot system now!.

My problem seems to be with the amount and when to feed a seedling (in soil). I've murdered so many by drowning them I ought to be in prison!......

Of course that makes me nervous using this hydro system for the first time and really not knowing what to expect. So far, this indoor setup with clay pebbles seems much more forgiving than the soil/Coco setup outside. I was told you can even run the hydro 24/7 and you won't drown your plants 'by mistake'..............!. That gives a newbie like me more breathing space and no stress at feeding times.      I won't stress too much about the pH now either after your reassuring comments. 'Apparently' I could even come down to 5.5ph with this setup ????...........

Also I'm lead to understand that under 6ph is better for growth rising to 6.3 when flowering?????.........so will try and keep it in the 5.5 -6.0 for now???......

Hi folks. Not so sure this is the proper place to post but can't see 'clay pebbles' in hydro sub forum?.

Anyhow, hoping someone could point me in the right direction regarding my 12 day old girls that are growing in clay pebbles please?. I am fertigating 15 minutes on and 60 minutes off!. Using netbow drippers but not sure if my little ones need more or less feeding?. Started with 6.2ph 400ec and have been slowly reducing until 5.8ph . I will now let the ph 'float' between 5.8 and 6.2 ????.

Maybe increase nutes soon but would like to know if these girls look ok?. Leaves are a bit wavey and they don't look in great condition but seem to be growing ok?.

Should I increase fertigation 'for clay pebbles '?. Maybe increase nutes?. Something is not quite right and would appreciate any comments. 

Good morning all.

My feed tank has ph 5.9 756ec.

Run off from Coco ph 6.5 1560ec. ??????.

We have just had some heavy rainfall!. All fabric pots got a good soaking of rainwater!. Would this cause high run off readings?. I've only just started with the grow and buffered for a week before planting so find it hard to believe that there is nutrient/salt buildup already?.

Good morning all.

My feed tank has ph 5.9 756ec.

Run off from Coco ph 6.5 1560ec. ??????.

We have just had some heavy rainfall!. All fabric pots got a good soaking of rainwater!. Would this cause high run off readings?. I've only just started with the grow and buffered for a week before planting so find it hard to believe that there is nutrient/salt buildup already?.

Can heavy rain effect run off readings and if so will it return to normal after a few days?.

16 minutes ago, Furbrain said:

I hope my mistake will help other newbies. If you use Solo cups make sure you make plenty drainage holes at the LOWEST possible point!. My oversite and poorly cut holes!.

Even if you use a small amount of water this will get trapped in the 'channel' where the roots simply drown!. Hope this will help someone. Photo shows black marks where holes should have been!. Live and learn.......

Found some pots that I will try with some serious holes.....

I hope my mistake will help other newbies. If you use Solo cups make sure you make plenty drainage holes at the LOWEST possible point!. My oversite and poorly cut holes!.

Even if you use a small amount of water this will get trapped in the 'channel' where the roots simply drown!. Hope this will help someone. Photo shows black marks where holes should have been!. Live and learn.......

12 hours ago, ORGANinc. said:

The cups still look ok the moist side, I would leave them for another 2/3 days, try remove some soil from that overflowing cup, that will make problems, they should be At the level of the first cup in the pic

Thankyou for this much needed advise.

I have been giving 20mls of 6.2ph 440 EC once a day!.

Before feeding yesterday I noticed the leaves were becoming 'pale' and a lighter green!. This morning the colour seems much better!. I'm still nervous about giving too much feed however this morning I  notice one of my girls 'praying' (photo). Last feed was 12 hrs ago........so I'm wondering if I should feed again?.

Anyhow, I do appreciate the terrific input and will update in a few days.

10 Days old.

On 10/19/2022 at 9:07 AM, ORGANinc. said:

Yes you can start feeding them, I wouldnt add any calmag just yet, but some veg nutes. and only when the cup is super dry. do a 1/4 dose, really they don't need more. 

and once youve made 1/4 strength nutes water 5% of the cups volume with it. 

I now have 3 new seedlings!. 2@3days old and 1@2days. I made sure the Coco was nice and moist when I planted them and haven't watered since!. The cups are light ish but the coir is still moist.

I am now entering my twilight zone!. This is when I seem to fk up!. Scared shirtless of when to water next?. I've used clean 7 ph water up to this point. When you say 'super dry' would that be also for my new girls,....... ?.

When do think I should water them and with what? ie; just plain 7 ph for now or + diluted nutes @ 6.3ph?. 

I'm sorry for the questions but do need some guidance regarding feeding frequency of seedlings. I've drowned so many now already...... it's sad!.

Have a lekker weekend.

8 hours ago, ORGANinc. said:

Yes you can start feeding them, I wouldnt add any calmag just yet, but some veg nutes. and only when the cup is super dry. do a 1/4 dose, really they don't need more. 

and once youve made 1/4 strength nutes water 5% of the cups volume with it. 

Many thanks for the information, just what I needed .

'Life is an experiment' . Will update as and when.

On 10/6/2022 at 1:16 PM, Prom said:

 Coco.. the world in between.. why not use rock wool with your drippers? You want tasty weed, you go soil. You want a lot of weed, you go hydro. You go coco, you couldn't make up your mind and get no advantage from one or the other  (I don't think i have to mention that i am no fan of coco )

Hi there Prom.

Yep, looks like the newbie has chosen something that I shouldn't have . I fancied trying Coco for a new experience and liked the idea of auto fertigation. I've sussed out (after much research) how to achieve run off and WAS looking forward to growing with this medium. Everything is set up and waiting for the seedlings. Seedlings I'm starting in tent before transfer outside however I'm getting 'issues' already! (see my other post today).

Ho hum......never mind. I'm already set for the pricey Co co and hate to just give up now without trying it at least!.

Trial and error............are my middle names.

Wondered how many folk on this forum use co co with success?.

Anyhow, onwards and upwards. I appreciate your feedback............. . thankyou .

Hi folks,

Seedling stage.

I am going to use Coco coir that has been pre buffered by the makers. Do I need to use any Cal Mag?. Also, my understanding is that I start giving weak nutrients after about 4-5 days after birth????.

Any thoughts and/or advice would be appreciated.

I've got 2 'trial' seedlings on the go at the moment but there is something wrong!. Looks like a classic case of overwatering however I thought Coco coir would handle pretty much any amount by way of run off?. They are a week old!. 

To summarize; Do I need Cal Mag and when do I start with nutrients with seedlings in Coco?. What you see are seeds I'm preparing for an outdoor grow.

Above text copied from 'Coco for cannabis '

it is ideal to keep the coco between 90 and 100% saturated all the time. Therefore, when we water in coco, the coco is already 90% saturated and it cannot hold much more. As discussed further below, the ideal quantity of water per event is about 5% of the volume of the growing container. This is ideal, but the rule is that you need to always provide enough water to actually produce adequate run-off from each plant.

On 1/3/2022 at 8:15 AM, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

infact I heard from the coco growers it's best to keep the coco moist at all times and never let it dry out even once.

Sorry to jump in but this information is very helpful.......

Hi folks, I'm only starting my (outside) grow next month!.

I will be using (see attached) in fabric pot with a dripper system. This is my first time with both.

How do I produce any sort of run off using a dripper system?. I have grown using hard pots, (soil medium) and watering can before and 'run off' is easily achieved but can't understand how to do this with a dripper system?. I'm only guessing that I would have to have the drippers on for a long period of time ........basically soaking the Coco at every feed!. Surely the point of a dripper system is to administer only the amount needed for the plant?????? 

Maybe my confusion is the fact soil mediums need different amounts water/nuts intake than Coco??????.

Hope this makes sense and any insight welcome please.