Quote Originally Posted by normski11
got sum pics how do i upload them grr im crap with laptops
I cant help with this one.
Here is some good info on growing in coco hope it helps.
"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.

Coco 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.
Greenthing Reviewed by Greenthing on . inline fan got me wondering hey anyone able to tell me if when i turn my inline fan on in flowering why the leaves would start to droop??? im not into flowering but i switched it on in veg and left it to see if the fresh air dragged in would be benificial to my girls wich it wasnt! they drooped soon as i turned it off everything recovered this makes me worry about going into flower and using my fan at the moment. Sum expert advice would be much appreciated HELP Rating: 5