Growing in Coco is above my pay grade. Plant looks like the pH is off to me.
My plants hate nutrients! Why?
- Thread starter staynew49
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staynew49
Active Member
Well as soon as I noticed the leaves turning yellow I started to give cal mag and they started pepping back up. But they were actually doing fairly well considering their lack of nutes and water. I did pre soak the Coco that I thought was soil made differently for Cannabis because I could tell it was airy and too light, I knew when I went to water it would sink fast if I didn't soak it, I didn't rinse it though, only moistened really good. I water once per day with advanced nutrients micro grow bloom, and cal mag, plus big Bud since I'm in the second week of flower now.Coco is a hydroponic media, your nutrient solution should be around 5.8 to 5.9 (some variance is okay, but not the 6.5 to 6.8 you're trying for. You're mixing up your nutrient solution, then testing its pH, determining it to be somewhere between 5.8 (which is fine) and 6.2 (too high), then you're adding some sort of pH Up product and it's not changing? Yeah, that's a pH meter issue, as others have pointed out. And a significant one, at that; even if it was out of calibration, raising the pH of your nutrient solution would still cause a functional pH meter to show an increase when you tested that solution (it just wouldn't show the correct pH). And why are you feeding all of your plants different strength nutrient solutions, lol?
All things considered, the person probably was underwatering. Not watering frequently enough, anyway. He (or she, whichever applies) appears to be a newbie grower, is running coco in fabric containers... and only recently learned that he/she is trying to grow in coco. And once that stuff dries out, it seems to still have "pockets" of dry media here and there even after the gardener thinks it has been fully hydrated again, for some reason. Which tends to cause issues.
Come to think of it... I wonder if the OP even knew to rinse, rinse, rinse the coco before using it? And to presoak it in something like a weak calcium nitrate solution with a bit of Epsom salt (or other source of magnesium) in order to exchange the sodium and potassium ions that it's naturally loaded with for calcium (and magnesium, although that part isn't strictly necessary). Which means OP is likely to have calcium-related issues throughout the grow.
If someone gave those plants to me, I'd try to figure out a way to place them into non-porous containers (with drain holes only on the bottom) and give them a soak in a weak Ca(NO3)2 solution overnight, possibly by using my bathtub due to the size of the plants/containers. If that would be deep enough? Although at least two companies that sell the stuff states that the soak should last for two days:
150 cubic meters of the stuff, LMAO. If I'm not mistaken, that's about 9,600 gallons more than the capacity of the average 20'x40' inground swimming pool. I'm guessing that they sell to more than just hobby growers.
DISCLAIMER: I am not any kind of coco expert, and rarely grow plants in it. And I'm thinking that an expert is what you need. Assuming you are certain that what you have is coco mixed with that perlite, it might be beneficial to use that "Report" (post) link at the bottom of post #1 to ask the staff to move this thread to our "Coco" section, where it'll get seen by the people who should know a lot about the stuff.
This is them after my changes
This was a couple of days ago, i honestly don't see much change. Ya some leaves were falling off the bottom which is subsiding, but they were healthy before when I was watering every 3 days. All are well and healthy, I appreciate the help
Congrats Staynew, excellent job - they look really good there! Appreciate you circling back around to say thanks and to give an update. Your next gig is to drop a journal down and invite a few of us to watch along. It’s easy to do - look at my signature below for my journal (Visualize Whirrled Peas) to get ideas for what to include in your opening paragraph. 10 minutes later and your journal is up and running! If you put the @ symbol in front of anyone’s member name it directs them to your page. An example would be @013 Lastly... if you can - take pics for posting in daylight not blurple, other than that you are all set!
Again welcome to 420 Magazine - glad you are here, jump in and join us!
Again welcome to 420 Magazine - glad you are here, jump in and join us!
Another reason for giving nutrient solution frequently when growing in coco, in addition to the whole "never let it dry out" thing is that hand-watered hydroponic setups are known as passive ones because there are no aeration devices. The gardener adds more oxygen to the root zone area each time he/she pours fresh solution in.
you can also add air to your feeding res ( if you have one ) they fecking looooooooooveeeeeeeeeee it 
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staynew49
Active Member
Great, I did start one, I just got to take more pics. Thanks for telling me how to add it to the signature. I really appreciate all the help that everyone was willing to give, I didn't expect it lol. I'll try to take my pics without the light but it's hard because if I turn those lights off the room is black with no other lights, but I'll figure out a way. Just had to chop my first male last night, which I'll put in the journal. Be updating y'all soon!
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- #27
staynew49
Active Member
Thank you I was looking for a definitive answer on why they need nutrients every time I water, it just seems like a lot of nutes but that explains it better.
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- #28
staynew49
Active Member
I'm just hand watering for now, but I appreciate it because I might use one next time. Thank youyou can also add air to your feeding res ( if you have one ) they fecking looooooooooveeeeeeeeeee it
you still water by hand this is more for storing ready made if you make a larger amounts its more easy to ph and get plenty extra oxygen , i think it works better soil and coco by far ,
you can also add air to your feeding res ( if you have one ) they fecking looooooooooveeeeeeeeeee it
Hey Nutty what type of air pump you running there? I use a res for automated watering been thinking of adding an air stone. That'd be sweet if it helps.
Thanks @TheNuttyProfessor I'll look around. I use a 70gal res RO water only. Doing RO the way I'm doing it now with ZERO ppms the pH is weird. If I stir the water agitate it some it drops down to where I want it. If I leave it settled no agitation I get higher pH. Not sure it matters much with ppm=0 but if the plants like more oxygen that works for me thanks.
also in the winter i add a fish tank heater to each one
Coco is a hydroponic media, your nutrient solution should be around 5.8 to 5.9 (some variance is okay, but not the 6.5 to 6.8 you're trying for. You're mixing up your nutrient solution, then testing its pH, determining it to be somewhere between 5.8 (which is fine) and 6.2 (too high), then you're adding some sort of pH Up product and it's not changing? Yeah, that's a pH meter issue, as others have pointed out. And a significant one, at that; even if it was out of calibration, raising the pH of your nutrient solution would still cause a functional pH meter to show an increase when you tested that solution (it just wouldn't show the correct pH). And why are you feeding all of your plants different strength nutrient solutions, lol?
All things considered, the person probably was underwatering. Not watering frequently enough, anyway. He (or she, whichever applies) appears to be a newbie grower, is running coco in fabric containers... and only recently learned that he/she is trying to grow in coco. And once that stuff dries out, it seems to still have "pockets" of dry media here and there even after the gardener thinks it has been fully hydrated again, for some reason. Which tends to cause issues.
Come to think of it... I wonder if the OP even knew to rinse, rinse, rinse the coco before using it? And to presoak it in something like a weak calcium nitrate solution with a bit of Epsom salt (or other source of magnesium) in order to exchange the sodium and potassium ions that it's naturally loaded with for calcium (and magnesium, although that part isn't strictly necessary). Which means OP is likely to have calcium-related issues throughout the grow.
If someone gave those plants to me, I'd try to figure out a way to place them into non-porous containers (with drain holes only on the bottom) and give them a soak in a weak Ca(NO3)2 solution overnight, possibly by using my bathtub due to the size of the plants/containers. If that would be deep enough? Although at least two companies that sell the stuff states that the soak should last for two days:
150 cubic meters of the stuff, LMAO. If I'm not mistaken, that's about 9,600 gallons more than the capacity of the average 20'x40' inground swimming pool. I'm guessing that they sell to more than just hobby growers
DISCLAIMER: I am not any kind of coco expert, and rarely grow plants in it. And I'm thinking that an expert is what you need. Assuming you are certain that what you have is coco mixed with that perlite, it might be beneficial to use that "Report" (post) link at the bottom of post #1 to ask the staff to move this thread to our "Coco" section, where it'll get seen by the people who should know a lot about the stuff.
I have run coco/peat @ 6.5 with no issues.... My first few grows were with it and I may go back.... Only relying on nutrients is ok it's just not much buffer for errors... From what I have seen.
I messed up once and ph'd real low, hurt 2 plants killed one (Bad pen), screwed up again in current grow because I got side tracked and frustrated with my project. In 'soil' I didnt suffer visually at all, was able to fix much easier it seems...