Nope, I'm currently out of lighting jokes....oh, wait...Ohm my Carcass, there's more?
GDB: Old Dog -- New Tricks
- Thread starter Grand Daddy Black
- Start date
I use DynaGro Mag Pro about every 4th feed.It probably wouldn't hurt anything and could provide some benefits!
Did you use calmag as part of your regular feeding schedule?
It seems clear that calmag is needed with coco.
Go ahead and really mess my head up by saying you never used it! Do that, and I'll turn off my computer for the night.
- Thread starter
- #123
More feedback!The Coco warrior's will bust you up if they see you re doing what they just did
I've used my Coco 3X back to back so I rinse andbufferreset it after I use but never out the bag.
Nice score on the light too! She's a beast!
Thanks for your input GV.
Do you use pre-buffered coco?
Is "reset" your preferred term for soaking the coco in calmag, or does reset mean something else?
- Thread starter
- #124
Hopefully, you're really out now!
Thank goodness I am.
I'd be shocked if I could come up with another.
I know- It hertz when you run out of jokes..I'd be shocked if I could come up with another.
Yeah I buy the bags of canna Coco coir which is ready to go.More feedback!
Thanks for your input GV.
Do you use pre-buffered coco?
Is "reset" your preferred term for soaking the coco in calmag, or does reset mean something else?
Yeah pretty much my word for it when reusing. Buffer made me think too much like it was special
i rinse old salts out and then soak to bring my pH back up. Calmag is added to the soak 2-0-0 as the www recommends.Congratulations on the light they are huge I have 2 of those great coverage in a 4x4 all the way to the edges .Hello yet again grow gang! I'm on a posting binge today!
I just had to pop back on to say that this grow has just gotten a bit more interesting (at least for me anyway).
It came out of the blue about 1/2 hour ago:
Christmas morning on a March afternoon!
She's big. She's impressive. She's the Phlizon 1000w, FD-8000 full spectrum grow light!
The chances of me NOT sticking this in my 5x5 tent for this grow are .000000000000000001, or thereabouts.
This is one of my prizes for GJOTY. I'll provide more info about it later.
For now, immense thanks to 420 Magazine, Phlizon and the 420 members who have supported me so givingly!
Woo Hoo!
- Thread starter
- #128
Thanks Abs.
Yeah, it's big and probably bright enough to grow an oak tree!
Thanks you so much GV! I'm no longer confused.Yeah I buy the bags of canna Coco coir which is ready to go.
Yeah pretty much my word for it when reusing. Buffer made me think too much like it was special
- Thread starter
- #129
Not as much as it hertz when you don't!I know- It hertz when you run out of jokes..
Congrats on the win and the new light.
Curious about growing with coco. Can you get away with smaller pots?
Curious about growing with coco. Can you get away with smaller pots?
Hey GDB.Hello all.
Yeah, I'm back again. But I remain confused about whether to buffer my pre-buffered coco and it's hard for me to stop plugging away for the correct answer.
I thought I might spur some more feedback on my question by showing you a little bit of what I've been reading today.
From the online mag, Coco for Cannabis:
Why You Need to Buffer Coco Coir
There are cation exchange sites in coco that will interfere with nutrition until they are buffered. The cation exchange sites in coco naturally come loaded with sodium (Na) and potassium (K) cations. However, the Na and the K are only weakly held to the exchange sites. In the presence of calcium (Ca) or magnesium (Mg), the sites will release their Na or K cations and lock onto the Ca or Mg. These processes are known as ācation exchangesā.
Buffering coco is accomplished by soaking it in Ca and Mg. This allows the cation exchanges to take place prior to adding plants. Simply soak your coco in a solution of Cal/Mag water and the exchange sites will release their K and Na cations and lock onto the Ca and Mg. When the cation exchange sites bond with Ca and Mg rather than Na and K, it is ābufferedā. The bonds that hold the Ca and Mg to the sites are very strong and cation exchange will largely stop. This means that all of the nutrients that you add to the water will be available to the plant at the ratios that you provide.
Dehydrated Brick Coco Products
Plantonix Organic Coco Bliss
There are numerous products available online for dehydrated coco bricks. All compressed bricks of coco should be rinsed and buffered before use regardless of the brand or claims on the packaging. If you follow the instructions below you can transform any brick of coco into a superior growing medium for cannabis. However, some bricks provide a better product to begin with and you end up with more quality coco fibers in the end. I recommend the Plantonix Organic Coco Bliss. It is an excellent deal and after rinsing and buffering it becomes a very high quality coco product. Each brick is ten pounds, which produces more than enough coco for six 5-gallon containers.
From an Amazon ad for Coco Bliss:
Suggestions
When using growing medium we recommend buffering. This involves pre-soaking the coir for 12-24 hours with a cal-mag buffering solution. This will help displace the excess sodium and balances the naturally occurring potassium. After soaking, rinse the media with water to remove the displaced sodium while leaving the calcium.
-------------------------------
Yet, there are folks here telling me that they've never bothered with buffering!
I even searched on @Bill284's thread for references to buffering, but found only a few. In one instance, he was telling another user that they needed "pre-buffered" coco. Maybe @Bill284 84 buys his pre-buffered.
@StoneOtter might be able to provide some insight, but I read today that his computer is busted and he'll be offline for a minute.
@Preston9mm weighed in and said he doesn't buffer his coco either. And the type of coco he uses does not appear to be pre-buffered. Yet his plants look like they could give a buff. They're fantastic!
--------------------------------
Oh, the hell with it. The coco I have is pre-buffered. I'm not going to buffer it again. But I will make sure to include calmag in my feeds from the outset.
This is fun!
I use pre-buffered coco, Cana when I can get it.
Calmag in the feed water first.
Full strength nutrients daily to run off at 5.8 ph.
Never have an issue with pre-buffered coco.
Take care.
Stay safe
Bill284
- Thread starter
- #132
Thanks Bill!Hey GDB.
I use pre-buffered coco, Cana when I can get it.
Calmag in the feed water first.
Full strength nutrients daily to run off at 5.8 ph.
Never have an issue with pre-buffered coco.
Take care.
Stay safe
Bill284
I took the scenic route but have ended up at the same place you describe. The approach that you outline is the one I will take!
smokesbetter
Well-Known Member
Well your having sooooo much fun and leaning new stuff why i was 3 pages behind ><><> If it makes you Happy Go for it and really its starting to sound easier as we read up on it ! If were legit here i would maybe go it to just to see if its worth the extra effort . Nice freckling light man your meter will spin now 
- Thread starter
- #134
Hello grow gang.
It's Day 13 for the New Trick babies.
Yesterday when I turned up the @ViparSpectra XS1500 Pro from 50 to 75%, I said that the sagging Cosmic Lights would probably look "much better" by today.
Well she looks "better" today but it would be a stretch to say "much better." Still, she did need more light. Now I'm guessing that another day or two under the brightness will convince to fully raise her umbrella!
Lemon Bubble then Hash Lover then Cosmic Lights then Blue Cindy.
----------------------------
ROOT STATUS
The Blue Cindy leads the way in developing roots. Hers are all over the place and exiting the bottom of the cup.
The Hash Lover is rated #2. She also has bottom escapees.
The Cosmic Lights is the only one that has started developing a web of roots. Oddly, she's the only one with no roots escaping the bottom of her cup.
And last, the youngster of the bunch, the Lemon Bubble, is sparse in the root department within the cup but has a few really long roots escaping the bottom.
I'm a little less concerned about how the roots develop now that I've decided to go with 3 gallon pots and no 5s. I still want lots of nice, healthy roots but it doesn't seem as critical due to the smaller pots I'll be using. The roots will have less distance to travel to reach the moist coco that's feeding from the swick base.
--------------------------------
COP#2
Yep, another Change of Plans!
I'll be honest. As much as I'd like to ape what BudMan is doing in his Jetson's box, I do not really want to open my new bag of MC just yet. Mostly because I've "been there done that," but also because I get such a kick from trying new (to me) stuff!
I knew when I went to the grow store yesterday that I was taking a big chance. When I'm there I typically will browse the shelves looking for something (anything, actually) new or different. Yesterday, of course, was no different.
While browsing I came upon Kool Bloom nutrients by General Hydroponics. The sight of it took me back several years, to when I was using GH nutrients in my DWC grows. I recalled how pleased I was with the plants I produced with GH.
I quickly convinced myself that I needed to try Kool Bloom instead of MC in this grow. It was a done deal, or so I thought. But when I looked at the prices my store wanted for the products I was like, "Eh, MC will do." They wanted $28 each for a 2.2 lb. bag of MaxiGrow and a 2.2 lb. of MaxiBloom. And they wanted friggin' $38 for the 2.2 lb bag of the GH Ripening Formula. Damn near $100 for the three parts!
(An aside: I believe my grow store has been experiencing some theft issues. A few months ago they started keeping their door locked. They now have to let you in the store. I've also noticed an uptick in their pricing lately, as if they might be in some sort of financial difficulty. Lately, my city has been plagued by mobs of thieves, who bust into stores in large numbers, grab as much stuff as they can [often using large duffel bags] and then run out.)
I suspect something like that has happened at my store. I haven't asked the guys about it. It's prolly not something they'd care to talk about.
Anyway, I managed to leave the store without the KoolBloom due to the price. But that's not the end of the story...
----------------------------
MY MOMMA TOLD ME, "YOU'D BETTER SHOP AROUND."
When I got home from the grow store, the KoolBloom was still on my mind. So you might be able to guess what happened next. I pulled up Amazon!
And the 3-part set of KoolBloom is on the way. The 3-part, 2.2 lb. bag set cost me a whopping $49.65!
I strive to support our local, small businesses. And had I returned to the grow store, they would have matched the Amazon price as they have in the past. But, as I said earlier, I believe they've suffered some sort of misfortune recently from which they're trying to recover. I did not want to burden them with matching the Zon price this time, especially since it's about 1/2 of what they're asking.
So, MC, you off. KoolBloom, you on!
-----------------------------
I'm going to use 3 gallon pots. Are you asking if I could use pots smaller than that?
Now I'm just stuck with ensuring the correct Ph of my feeds and, perhaps, occasionally cleaning out a res.
Depending on how often I have to fill the swick bases, there's still a chance that this grow could require less effort than my soil grows! My Lazy-Meter will let me know. That's for certain!
--------------------------
As always, thanks for looking in.
PEACE
It's Day 13 for the New Trick babies.
Yesterday when I turned up the @ViparSpectra XS1500 Pro from 50 to 75%, I said that the sagging Cosmic Lights would probably look "much better" by today.
Well she looks "better" today but it would be a stretch to say "much better." Still, she did need more light. Now I'm guessing that another day or two under the brightness will convince to fully raise her umbrella!
Lemon Bubble then Hash Lover then Cosmic Lights then Blue Cindy.
----------------------------
ROOT STATUS
The Blue Cindy leads the way in developing roots. Hers are all over the place and exiting the bottom of the cup.
The Hash Lover is rated #2. She also has bottom escapees.
The Cosmic Lights is the only one that has started developing a web of roots. Oddly, she's the only one with no roots escaping the bottom of her cup.
And last, the youngster of the bunch, the Lemon Bubble, is sparse in the root department within the cup but has a few really long roots escaping the bottom.
I'm a little less concerned about how the roots develop now that I've decided to go with 3 gallon pots and no 5s. I still want lots of nice, healthy roots but it doesn't seem as critical due to the smaller pots I'll be using. The roots will have less distance to travel to reach the moist coco that's feeding from the swick base.
--------------------------------
COP#2
Yep, another Change of Plans!
I'll be honest. As much as I'd like to ape what BudMan is doing in his Jetson's box, I do not really want to open my new bag of MC just yet. Mostly because I've "been there done that," but also because I get such a kick from trying new (to me) stuff!
I knew when I went to the grow store yesterday that I was taking a big chance. When I'm there I typically will browse the shelves looking for something (anything, actually) new or different. Yesterday, of course, was no different.
While browsing I came upon Kool Bloom nutrients by General Hydroponics. The sight of it took me back several years, to when I was using GH nutrients in my DWC grows. I recalled how pleased I was with the plants I produced with GH.
I quickly convinced myself that I needed to try Kool Bloom instead of MC in this grow. It was a done deal, or so I thought. But when I looked at the prices my store wanted for the products I was like, "Eh, MC will do." They wanted $28 each for a 2.2 lb. bag of MaxiGrow and a 2.2 lb. of MaxiBloom. And they wanted friggin' $38 for the 2.2 lb bag of the GH Ripening Formula. Damn near $100 for the three parts!
(An aside: I believe my grow store has been experiencing some theft issues. A few months ago they started keeping their door locked. They now have to let you in the store. I've also noticed an uptick in their pricing lately, as if they might be in some sort of financial difficulty. Lately, my city has been plagued by mobs of thieves, who bust into stores in large numbers, grab as much stuff as they can [often using large duffel bags] and then run out.)
I suspect something like that has happened at my store. I haven't asked the guys about it. It's prolly not something they'd care to talk about.
Anyway, I managed to leave the store without the KoolBloom due to the price. But that's not the end of the story...
----------------------------
MY MOMMA TOLD ME, "YOU'D BETTER SHOP AROUND."
When I got home from the grow store, the KoolBloom was still on my mind. So you might be able to guess what happened next. I pulled up Amazon!
And the 3-part set of KoolBloom is on the way. The 3-part, 2.2 lb. bag set cost me a whopping $49.65!
I strive to support our local, small businesses. And had I returned to the grow store, they would have matched the Amazon price as they have in the past. But, as I said earlier, I believe they've suffered some sort of misfortune recently from which they're trying to recover. I did not want to burden them with matching the Zon price this time, especially since it's about 1/2 of what they're asking.
So, MC, you off. KoolBloom, you on!
-----------------------------
I'm not sure I understand your question, Stinker.
I'm going to use 3 gallon pots. Are you asking if I could use pots smaller than that?
Yes, this is my version of "fun" Smoke! And not having to buffer my coco does remove a significant chunk of work.Well your having sooooo much fun and leaning new stuff why i was 3 pages behind ><><> If it makes you Happy Go for it and really its starting to sound easier as we read up on it ! If were legit here i would maybe go it to just to see if its worth the extra effort . Nice freckling light man your meter will spin now
Now I'm just stuck with ensuring the correct Ph of my feeds and, perhaps, occasionally cleaning out a res.
Depending on how often I have to fill the swick bases, there's still a chance that this grow could require less effort than my soil grows! My Lazy-Meter will let me know. That's for certain!
--------------------------
As always, thanks for looking in.
PEACE
I glad to hear you say GH has worked good for you because that is what I have for this year. I have never used powder form nutes before so it will be a little different for me and I was worried they would not dissolve all the way, but I did read somewhere that it will. I have Maxi Grow and Maxi Bloom it is two parts 1 grow and 1 bloom of course but I think there is more available for bloom. 
- Thread starter
- #136
That's great Keith!I glad to hear you say GH has worked good for you because that is what I have for this year. I have never used powder form nutes before so it will be a little different for me and I was worried they would not dissolve all the way, but I did read somewhere that it will. I have Maxi Grow and Maxi Bloom it is two parts 1 grow and 1 bloom of course but I think there is more available for bloom.
Since I'm going first I'll clue you in on any hints that I can about using KoolBloom. I suspect it's use is fairly straightforward. But I'll be your huckleberry!
I will be watching.
A good grower knows that sometimes a COP is necessary for the health of the plants and the grower.
That's what I need Plans.
jmrl
Well-Known Member
Looking good. Watching to see how the new regiment goes. Good Luck