Coco grower with barely so so plants

[CoffeeNblunts]

This is a 4x8 tent. The bottom of the tent is elevated with a sheet of plywood so the saucers wouldn't ever be near the concrete.
1 gal fabric pots with 90% coco and 10% worm castings. Back two plants: Solefire Gardens Gelly Biscuit. Front two and middle left: Brothers Grimm Genetics, Grimm Glue. Right middle: The Bank Genetics, Reba. These are clones cut from the previous run.

Temp: steady 76-79f.
Humidity: 50-55%
Light: HLG quantum boards x 4. Max 240w, dimmed down to about 50%. Light is about 32" above canopy
Airflow is good. Not overkill, but a nice oscillating fan.
Nutrients: GH cocoforcannabis recipe.
I spray with Lost Coast plant therapy weekly.

I began using these all about 2.5 years ago. I haven't changed any part of the formula from the lights, down to the nutes. I completely clean and disinfect the tent and the lung room after every run. I don't reuse the fabric pots or the coco. Even the amount of time I spend in the room with the plants hasn't changed in years. I top them once. No other real training, other than slight defoliations when leaves get overly dense...which hasn't really happened at all with these.

These are three different strains, and all kind of have the same issue. They are doing alright. But they don't look like the healthy, shiny plants that I've become used to. The only thing I can think is that they're not getting fed enough. It's taking 3 days for them to dry out enough to feed. Beyond that, I can't figure this out. I've tried more light intensity, and less light intensity. They seem to do better with less light which is why its down to about 50% right now. I really don't know if that's the issue though.

I'd be grateful for any insight, I'm confused and not sure what to do.

 

[013]

Coco is not the same as soil. It’s totally inert - there are zero nutrients in coco to sustain a plant. Coco is drain to waste hydro growing format so hydro rules apply..... adjust ph to 5.8 never give plain water, always feed quarter strength nutes, feed 1X per day when the plant is small, feed 2X per day when bigger and 3X per day in flower. You cannot do a wet dry cycle in coco, what happens is the media goes hydrophobic and resist watering and creates dry pockets in the substrate, suspect you need to bottom water or soak the coco pots to recover.

With coco grows cal-mag is needed, when mixing your nutes always add cal-mag first stir and wait 10 minutes, add your NPK nutes at quarter strength stir & wait, then check and adjust ph and feed your girls. This helps to keep the calcium from dropping out.

cant say this enough but concrete can really affect your garden, an indoor or covered concrete slab stays at 55 degrees all year long and is a source of water vapor seeping up from the earth. Lay a hygrometer on the tent floor and take readings, better yet remove your shirt and take a nap on the slab..... I hear you on the plywood but add a pallet or two, use a table inside your tent to elevate the crew, try some sheet foam insulation.... anything to increase the distance and temps between your root zone and the concrete slab.

 

[Bill284]

Coco is not the same as soil. It’s totally inert - there are zero nutrients in coco to sustain a plant. Coco is drain to waste hydro growing format so hydro rules apply..... adjust ph to 5.8 never give plain water, always feed quarter strength nutes, feed 1X per day when the plant is small, feed 2X per day when bigger and 3X per day in flower. You cannot do a wet dry cycle in coco, what happens is the media goes hydrophobic and resist watering and creates dry pockets in the substrate, suspect you need to bottom water or soak the coco pots to recover.

With coco grows cal-mag is needed, when mixing your nutes always add cal-mag first stir and wait 10 minutes, add your NPK nutes at quarter strength stir & wait, then check and adjust ph and feed your girls. This helps to keep the calcium from dropping out.

cant say this enough but concrete can really affect your garden, an indoor or covered concrete slab stays at 55 degrees all year long and is a source of water vapor seeping up from the earth. Lay a hygrometer on the tent floor and take readings, better yet remove your shirt and take a nap on the slab..... I hear you on the plywood but add a pallet or two, use a table inside your tent to elevate the crew, try some sheet foam insulation.... anything to increase the distance and temps between your root zone and the concrete slab.

Welcome to 420magazine my friend. Beautiful garden.
013 has great points there.
Calmag!!!
And I don't see any perlite in your coco. I use it for aeration. At least 20% perlite.
I also add frass & dazzle and Bokashi to my coco. Helps with roots and nutrition uptake.
Also I'd move the lights closer and stop the stretching. Happy growing friend.
Bill

 

[1ne eye]

Yes i would definitely lower the light, also in the last picture on your topping you cut everything off so no more growth coming from the top.

 

[BirdieNumNum]

It is my understanding that cannabis can take far far more light than most people on forums and YouTube vids claim.

I have 4 x Quantum Board type lights - 145w each in a 4 x 2 tent on full power.

See my mixed autos grow in my sig

And check this out ...Cannabis Lighting Myths

 

[Nunyabiz]

In the future I would use 3 to 4 gal fabric pots with about 20% or so pumice and a touch of biochar mixed in, then as 013 stated never allow them to dry out at all and feed daily with 1/4 strength nutrients.
I would also use a wetting agent like Yucca extract and pH to 5.8

1 gal fabric is ridiculously small you would have to have a drip system hooked to it.

 

[Slicknick909]

My biggest recommendation when growing in coco is if you think you're watering enough, water more, I water to runoff about 3-4 times a day when in flower, I'm looking in to AutoPots to eliminate the need to water so often.

 

[aussiebuddy]

the ends of the leaves look like you are too heavy with N

for your reference i feed coco 3 times per day..

 

[Stoneisland]

My biggest recommendation when growing in coco is if you think you're watering enough, water more, I water to runoff about 3-4 times a day when in flower, I'm looking in to AutoPots to eliminate the need to water so often.

Autopots are definitely worth getting.