GREENATIK'S HOUSE OF FOAM

well ive been doing a lot of reading and came across an AMAZING post/article from a really good grower over at garden's cure. seem's as if I was off in a few areas this grow and still have lots of improvement in my feeding schedule

Anyone interested in coco should read this seriously

"Being an experimented grower, you can use almost any hydro formula for growing in coco. You need to be aware of coco special caracteristic and adapt ph/EC of the nutes you use acording to it.

Caco main caracteristic wich does it different to most other hydro media is its very high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), from 7 to 20x higher than perlite, rockwool, hydroton, etc. This mean coco may store very large amounts of nutes that are uptaked as cations: micros, Ca, K, Mg.

Practical consecuances of that are:

-You need to use higher ECs at the start in order to load the medium with enough nutes, or plants seems undernuted. Most especific coco formulas have higher percentage of N and Ca. So if you use a non especific for coco nutes, try to add a plus of the most veg formula (high on N) during first 3 weeks.

-You need to keep cations balanced in the media. Its accomplished by knowing your nute profile and using a ph management according to it: ph below 5.8 achieves higher Ca uptake and lower Mg uptake, thus you reduce the Ca stored in the coco and increses Mg. By using ph over 5.8, you achieve the inverse. Keeping balanced the amounts of Ca and Mg in coco is the key to heve the best yields and avoid problems. And more important, it allows you to not flush until preharvest. Coco dont react well to flushing, as growing in it is based in its high CEC. Anyway, after any flush in coco you should water feed inmediatelly after, or you have an N deff pretty fast. Aditionally, flushing have little impact on cations, as they are electrically bonded to coco colloids.

-There are two basic school of growing in coco. One based on using a similar nute profile and ph management than with other hydro media, and wich requires often flushing, and other based on different nute profile and especific coco ph management without flushing. First one is easier, especially for those growers with previous hydro experience, but get lower yield, its pricey (often res changes, especially problematic when water quality is a concern) and often is playing on the edge of salts lock out (mostly, excess Ca stored, wich difficulties Mg and K uptake), and usually requires supplementing with Epsom salts to avoid Mg deff.

One way of avoiding problems if you are going to use a non coco especific nutes is by prebuffering the coco with a CalMg solution before use (its the procedure with Canna Crog slabs) and then use nutes soft on Ca and Mg, adjusting ph depending of plants behavior (Mg starting deff showing, raise ph; starting Ca deff, low ph).

So you can use any hydro nute formula, but it will require a longer learning curve to get the best of it. While coco especific nutes are very easy to use. The canna coco line is really forgiven, although it tends to produce plants at harvest too green in my like if you follow strickly their schedule. Ive found some tips to avoid it, as using the A and B in different proportions. The Hesi line is easier to use (just one bottle), is a bit more balanced (less N) but bottles last less.

There was an excelent phrase: "feed the medium, not the plant" for organic growers wich is pretty accurate for growing in coco. Keep balanced the coco and all goes smooth. And the key is ph management, rather than flushing. Flushing is only adecuate when the balance is severely broken.

Other issue to be aware of when growing in coco is the water quality. Relatively low Na (sodium) content may be a serious problem as it tends to accumulate and reduce colloids avalaible for Ca, Mg and K. And high Ca content must be compensated on the nute profile. Its more difficult using hard water in coco than with any other hydro media.

With a automatized watering systems, adding about 25-30% perlite enhance perfomance, IMHO. But when handwatering sparsely, its not needed and you can use coco alone with excelent results. The way of watering affects too to the ph management. With sparse waterings, the media shift its ph as water evaporates and get uptaked, so you can use starting higher ph than with dayly waterings.

Due the high CEC, ph and EC of run off may be very misleading, and it shouldnt be used as reference. Adjust the watering solution and forget the run off, as its figures may be way higher than those measured on other medias and still its working perfect.

Ph range is coco when growing hydro style is similar to other hydro mediums, although is needed to use a low ph (below 5,8) during longer time than with the others. The center of the range is around 5,8: 5.5-6.1 or a wider 5.3-6.3. Although its possible to use a another ph range, more similar to soil, with decent results, centered around 6.3. This range have just a problem with some micros uptake, but as far as you use nutes with chelated micros, its less of a problem.

I like especially growing in coco on a e&f table, as you flush possible salts build up with each flood, but without leaching nutes. Its very adecuate for coco growing due the way lower pot size requeriments when using coco.

Whatever the style of growing, ph range and nutes you choose, ill try to follow you and offer some tips for a faster learning curve."

That is very good and informative info Greenatic, your a star man:thumbsup:

wow they look kick ass. nice!

got a qustion for ya. when ur clones and seedlings were 2 weeks old or 2 weeks in the coco how many times did U have to water them. and when did U give them ferts.


my 4 seedlings R 2 around weeks old. want to know now much and how often I needed to be watering them.
I'll post new pix of them in my gro log laer to day.

thanks for some help on this.


very very very very nice gro. and I love to have a good variety of weed.
have a good one.:thumbsup:

Watering depends on the type of coco and its drainage properties. When its dry water it, but try to not let it get too dry. Also depends on the pot size smaller pots like my gatorade bottles need to be watered more frequently. with that said, my seedlings got watered once a day at the least, and in full flower less then twice a day would be suicide for yield and the plants don't look too good

for the nutes you should already be feeding them or have already fed them. veg nutes every day every watering (strength appropriate for their size). when you flush, once a week or two, flush then nute immediately after or you will see deficiencies.

coco is an unusual medium, and I feel that everyday I learn a little trick or a better way to do something. its something you will just get a feel for, its not soil, and its not fully hydro, its somewhere in between. after reading that article, my next run will be HESI or CANNA nutes exclusively - so I can follow their coco feeding chart and try to avoid N, CA/MG deficiencies easily

Well time to follow up on some weights

I will post some bud shots real soon :jointsmile: The last plant got chopped yesterday, The Chronic, day 49. Half of it is hang drying half of it is water curing, so we'll see how that turns out

Yield was just O.K. But I couldn't of asked for better with the variety of strains and flowering straight from clone. They could of gotten 5-6 inches taller

God's Gift Blue Goo
23.3 G

Purple Erkle
5.9 G

Good God (runt)
4.0 G

WW
9.2 G

"Frosty" The Bagseed
7.3

AK48
6.1

Puts me at currently 1.99 OZ

Peace :hippy:

hey whats up peeps hope you all enjoy the budshots!

the quality of the buds is superb and the high is unreal!

*remember* - the pics are high quality and big :rasta:

chronic (the best) - haven't tried much but the one bowl gave me a very unusual energetic high. lots of sativa influences
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purple erkle - definitely one of my favorites. got quite a few seeds. the high is strong and a quick hitter
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"frosty" the bagseed - real potent smell, has a nice average high and the buds have good bag appeal
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ak-48 - super fruity smells like thc frosted green apples
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gods gift x blue goo - favorite strain of all time. the high is unique and the buds are amazing to look at. pink and purple hairs common and frosty is an understatement. they grow vigorously and single-cola-like every time
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white widow - not bad but needs more curing then the rest, still smells like hay and vegetables. strong high but it needs a full cure to give this a real review
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good god - imagine the smell of a bag of kief mixed with welchs grape juice. insane smell and bag appeal but boring high, like many purps
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da chronic again :food10:
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On a side note; the water curing was a success they are drying at the moment. they were under water a total of 5 1/2 days. can't wait to try the chronic side by side water vs. air cure

Hey Greenatik.
Those buds are mouth watering and delicious.:thumbsup:
I bet you have been well and truely stoned lately.:jointsmile:
Keep up the good work, when do you expect to start your next grow log.:D

Awesome show greenatik.....what a wonderful assortment of dank!.....2 thumb up :thumbsup:

hey green, not sure when the next grow is going down, most likely not for a while until after I move. but whenever I do it should be a good one, Gods gift blue goo and coco again
and yes I have been truely stoned lol. got 15 g's of kief from the outdoor trim so every bowl has been topped off with the goodness

hey killa! i really underestimated how awesome the variety would be, even on this mini level :rasta: never smokin the same dank hehe