Hydro Coco Quasi Hempy Grow

Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

52Firestone said:
I've had mine since about august and have calibrated it like 3 times. I paid close to $100 with the bottles of solution so I treat it nicely;) Been lookin at a couple 3 in 1s but don't think I'm ready to spend $200+ for a meter:smokin2:
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I think I paid close to $50 for my Hanna. I also had a Hanna continuous check meter with the wall mount display and probes that stayed in the rez. It was ok but the ph probe alone was $100 and very delicate. I replaced a bad probe and sold it before I could destroy it. That thing was very touchy and always needed to recalibrate.
Now i have a cap on how much I'll spend on a meter....Nothing over $40 lol because I break 'em. I try to be nice and keep them in good condition but for some reason calamity always finds them
:tokin:
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Bandit420 said:
I like this one...

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I go thru ph pens about 1 every 6 months but this EcoTester is solid and reliable. I also have a red Hanna (piece of crap meter) and it's always needing calibration but this one stays on point. I also use a bottle of ph tester from GH just in case my meter is going wacky...like a second opinion kinda thing
I dont know if this combo deal is still around but I got this meter and 80ml bottle of Bloombastic a couple months ago for only $30. I think they came from New England Hydroponics during a Christmas sale.
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Bandit420 said:
I have the el cheapo. I dont think Hanna makes them any longer either. I'm also hell on these things. They're fine & delicate instruments and I treat mine like tire irons :rasta:
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LOL, I can see you tossing it about.. thanks for the reply and the store name. I purchased these two thingys and hoping they last me a little bit.

Now, how the hell do you use them?

accurateph2ppm25solutions4k.jpg


The cost was 103 with shipping expedited.
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

siscokid said:
LOL, I can see you tossing it about.. thanks for the reply and the store name. I purchased these two thingys and hoping they last me a little bit.

Now, how the hell do you use them?

accurateph2ppm25solutions4k.jpg


The cost was 103 with shipping expedited.
Click to expand...

Nice score!!
To calibrate you'll fill a shot glass with enough of the 7 fluid to cover the probe. They should come with a tiny screwdriver and you use it to turn the calibration screw until it reads 7, the same number as what's on the solution. Next you rinse the probe with regular water and do the same thing with the 4 solution and then your pen is calibrated.
The same goes for the tds tester but it only uses one solution.
If you only use one to do the ph pen, use the 7.
You may also need to keep a small piece of tissue in the cap soaked in the ph 7 fluid to use as a storage solution. That will keep the probe in good condition and prevent it from drying out.
One of my issues with the Hanna is that it's hard to keep the cap on with storage solution so I just keep it in a shot glass filled with solution and I keep knocking it over.

btw- a little hint for buying storage solution...it's the same stuff as calibration fluid so there's no need to buy both storage and calibration fluids. Most growers I know get a bottle of ph7 calibration fluid and that's it
:tokin:
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Here's a little update on the new coco blend I'm tinkering with...

What I want to do is cut out the coco brick and precharge solution in favor of something ready made and chock full of organic goodies. The three choices I was considering is General Hydroponics Just Right Xtra, Botanicare Cocogrow, and Atami's Coco Substrate.
Since the GH product comes full of nearly every other organic product GH produces in one bag and it looks a lot richer than the other two I'm going with it.
The main reason for this move is because i'm dealing with seedlings for the first couple weeks. I want a coco blend that will allow me to water the seedlings with my prefered natural spring water rather than trying to come up with a mild hydro nute solution that usually causes issues out of the gate for many growers. I always see new growers needing to flush seedlings and play the "I hope they make it" game. I refuse to fall victim to those problems so I find ways around them.

So here's the products I'll be using for my medium...

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The Just Right Xtra is a blend of all kinds of goodies you find in soil but there's no sand or clay to make it a soil. It's super light weight and coco based goodness. I also like how it combines all of the GH products into one

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Clockwise from bottom is Just Right Xtra from General Hydroponics, Coco Chips from Hydrofarm, and CocoDan croutons from Hydrofarm


For the seedling mix it will be 90% Just Right and 10% croutons

For veg in the turbogarden the blend will be 40% Just Right, 50% croutons, and 10% chips

For bloom the blend will be 10% Just Right, 10% Croutons, and 80% chips

:MoreNutes:

I've also been reading some debate on if microbe life can live in a Hempy. I dont know about the version using perlite,crf's and the 7/16" diameter hole 2" up from the bottom but I know it lives and thrives in my quasi hempy using coco. Here's one of the reasons why I believe it works so well in this system...

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Trichoderma is nature's version of h2o2 and i'm a big believer in it. One of the reasons I use Plant Success Soluble Mycorrhizae innoculant is because it has the highest concentration of two species of trichoderma compared to all other innoculants.
With coco already having microbe life and growing plants so well I think we can assume that microbe life, coco coir, and hempy were all made for each other to give us killer results.


So with that here's a little dedication to the next round of ladies to call my grow room home!


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Seedlings are soaking in plain white toilet paper and spring water. Nutes & ph is handled by love and positive vibe, no addititves :rasta:

btw- Ill Diavolo has kinda of wicked evil vibe to it so I'm calling it Illy D
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

This is something else I've been working on....
Smart Pots made from Coco matting.
My first prototypes are seedling size. My hope is to be able to grow the small seedling for a week or two in these pots and then simply drop the whole thing in an AirPot for veg without needing to remove the young plant and stress it out.
If it works well for three trial seedlings I'll make bigger 2 and 5 gallon coco pots for full term growth to see if they'll work like smart pots or airpots.
I have a 4'x8' sheet of this matting so I should be able to make a whole bunch of pots if i like them :rasta:

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Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

YouTube - ‪Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas‬‏

And here's an update on the current crop! Everything is going great with these plants!
CO2 is at about 1300ppm each night. They are loving the Nova + Bloombastic combo and the gnats are gone.
Temps are at about 83 degrees daily. I could get it cooler but with the co2 they can run a little warm
Yesterday I picked up one of those laser pointer thermometers to check temps on the lights and duct. As y'all can see i have my 430s down low on my plants without any burn or bleaching. One cola is even damn near up in the reflector!
All I can say about it is that Melonheads are the best and coolest running reflectors I've ever seen or used and the CAP Valueline 8" fan keeps them chilled.
Incoming temps are at 71 and they exit the exaust at 82. ALL parts of the lights and reflectors are in the 75-82 degree range. Zero hot spots.
I know a lot of people say that hid heat is too hard to manage and all sorts of other negatives.
It's not hard to manage if you use the right gear. Instead of a blazing 1k light i've opted for two 430 that produce some good heat but nothing that cannot be eliminated. For a reflector I chose a top of the line ac reflector instead of something like a batwing type. For a fan I use a dominating 8" rated for 750 cfm instead of something passive or weak. For air I use outside night air instead of grow room air. The results are 860 watts (1176 if you count the t5hos) of cool to the touch hid lighting


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Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Thanks for all that info on the calibration and tip for keeping them working right, you're pushing out some fabulous music along too. The info just keeps pouring out of you... are you a computer?

Nice strain line up coming too, Illy D... I have a wooden pipe for that.
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Fantastic journal as I've said before, mounds and mounds of green vibes to you.
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Hey Bandit..Did you by chance find a few extra hoirs in the day that the rest of us cant access....Theres just so much goin on :)
Im just about to try out with coco, using plagron cocos and base nutes to start with...I ike your cocomat smartpot idea...that rocks Brother...
:Namaste:
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Bandit, I've enjoyed reading your posts for a long time, and I think they make me nod my head more than just about anyone else's ;).

better late than never I guess, but I regret being late for this ride.

I like how your brain works, which probably should concern you ;)
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Bandit420 said:
Nice score!!
To calibrate you'll fill a shot glass with enough of the 7 fluid to cover the probe. They should come with a tiny screwdriver and you use it to turn the calibration screw until it reads 7, the same number as what's on the solution. Next you rinse the probe with regular water and do the same thing with the 4 solution and then your pen is calibrated.
The same goes for the tds tester but it only uses one solution.
If you only use one to do the ph pen, use the 7.
You may also need to keep a small piece of tissue in the cap soaked in the ph 7 fluid to use as a storage solution. That will keep the probe in good condition and prevent it from drying out.
One of my issues with the Hanna is that it's hard to keep the cap on with storage solution so I just keep it in a shot glass filled with solution and I keep knocking it over.

btw- a little hint for buying storage solution...it's the same stuff as calibration fluid so there's no need to buy both storage and calibration fluids. Most growers I know get a bottle of ph7 calibration fluid and that's it
:tokin:
Click to expand...

Good info, Bandit. You just answered at least 3 questions I've had floating around in my head for a while. In the instructions for my pH meter it says to 'never store your meter in distilled water' (mine is right around 7pH). Do you think there's a legitimate reason for that or do they just say that to get you to shell out more $ for storage solution?
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

I keep my pen meters in a pencil cup, and I've also been using a cheap Hanna PH600, but so far, so good.

I hate the little cap also, but if I use the cap and place the meter in the pencil cup, along with my ppm meter, it's lasted OK

if it broke now, I'd say I got my $20 worth.

I'm not Bandit, but distilled or RO water will kill your meter pronto. You don't even want to *check* the PH of pure distilled or RO, much less store your electrode in it.
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

Dr Bandit,
i would like to say that your techniques have effected my grow room,in the past few months i have added dual euro 6 in reflectors and dual 400w lights to my grow room.It has doubled my yeild,the 6 inch can fan keeps things cool( along with the a/c unit).
One other note i have the cheap ph600 for the money it hard to beat.I store mine in a cup of tap water.
Your garden is the best.
:peacetwo:
HH
 
Re: Bandit420's Hydro Coco A GoGo

siscokid said:
Thanks for all that info on the calibration and tip for keeping them working right, you're pushing out some fabulous music along too. The info just keeps pouring out of you... are you a computer?

Nice strain line up coming too, Illy D... I have a wooden pipe for that.
05315.JPG


Fantastic journal as I've said before, mounds and mounds of green vibes to you.
Click to expand...

Man that pipe is crazy!! How old is it and where's it from? Looks like something Nostradamus or somebody like that would have toked from :rasta:
As soon as Illy D pops I'll mist her with some Holy Water and give her the "Power of Christ Compells You" chant. ;)

BassPlayer said:
Hey Bandit..Did you by chance find a few extra hoirs in the day that the rest of us cant access....Theres just so much goin on :)
Im just about to try out with coco, using plagron cocos and base nutes to start with...I ike your cocomat smartpot idea...that rocks Brother...
:Namaste:
Click to expand...
Well I am on Bandit time....42.0 hours in a day and 420 days in a year :tokin:
I'll be watching your grow close my friend! It's always a treat to see you work :goodluck:

Setting Sun said:
Bandit, I've enjoyed reading your posts for a long time, and I think they make me nod my head more than just about anyone else's ;).

better late than never I guess, but I regret being late for this ride.

I like how your brain works, which probably should concern you ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for stopping by SS!
I think you'll find that I've taken a lot of things from your grows to use in my own op. In fact i blame you for this coco thing I've got going on now!
I also really enjoy the way you've been able to disolve the line of standard thinking about hydro vs organics and how techniques from both realms can be used together for an ultimate harvest. Now i grow like there never was a line to begin with :rasta:
That kind of out of the box thinking is what fuels my garden.
I dont know if I'll ever be able to have a true hydro organic operation but I am getting very close.
I'm starting to smoke some of the last harvest that came from this semi organic method and I cant tell the difference between it and the buds from my outdoor grow that was 100% organic. Both burn nice and clean with excellent flavor. No fuel or metal flavors at all after a long cure.


airavata said:
Good info, Bandit. You just answered at least 3 questions I've had floating around in my head for a while. In the instructions for my pH meter it says to 'never store your meter in distilled water' (mine is right around 7pH). Do you think there's a legitimate reason for that or do they just say that to get you to shell out more $ for storage solution?
Click to expand...
Cool Bro! Glad I could help!
I've heard the same thing about the distilled water and SS confirmed it too. I cant remember why but it is true about the distilled water. I think it had something to do with it throwing off the liquid inside the probe.
Distilled water was cut from my garden long ago so my brain is purging the info I had relating to it lol. I use tap water for pretty much everything including rinsing my meters and I use the bottled Spring water for my seedlings.

ComoradeBudds said:
Bandit,
what type of lights are you using. Your garden is amazing
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Thanks Bro!!
In the bloom cab there are two 430 watt Son Agro HPS lights and two 108 watt t5ho lights. You dont ever see one of the t5's because I need to raise it up to take pics. If you see black at the top of my pics that's the backside of the light out of view. If I leave it down it blocks all the good porn shots ;)

Setting Sun said:
I keep my pen meters in a pencil cup, and I've also been using a cheap Hanna PH600, but so far, so good.

I hate the little cap also, but if I use the cap and place the meter in the pencil cup, along with my ppm meter, it's lasted OK

if it broke now, I'd say I got my $20 worth.

I'm not Bandit, but distilled or RO water will kill your meter pronto. You don't even want to *check* the PH of pure distilled or RO, much less store your electrode in it.
Click to expand...
Yeah the $10 bottle of storage/calibration fluid is well worth not destroying a good meter by using water for storage.
That's a good idea about the pencil cup....I'll give that a try and I might also glue the thing down to the shelf so I dont keep knocking it over
:tokin:

Hypo Hippy said:
Dr Bandit,
i would like to say that your techniques have effected my grow room,in the past few months i have added dual euro 6 in reflectors and dual 400w lights to my grow room.It has doubled my yeild,the 6 inch can fan keeps things cool( along with the a/c unit).
One other note i have the cheap ph600 for the money it hard to beat.I store mine in a cup of tap water.
Your garden is the best.
:peacetwo:
HH
Click to expand...
That's awesome HH!
Nothing better than doubling yields! I'm a big fan of 400 watt hids. They're surprisingly ez to keep cool when set up in a quality ac reflector and a good can fan. I love being able to knock that heat outta there and then drop those 400s down on the canopy like they're a floro light :rasta:
 
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