When can I start feeding every day?

stckyprp

Member
My first two tries in coco/perlite resulted in damping off in the first few days after sprouting. I got some new coco and this time I started in Jiffy Pellets and have been watering/feeding less and not directly on the stem either. So far this is the farthest I have gotten. I transplanted them into coco/perlite solo cups two days ago that i buffered and haven't watered since then. About half way down into the cups it still fills damp but above dry. Do you think they are big enough to increase feeding&watering now? One for some reason looks a bit more stretchy than the other one but I turned up my qb yesterday a little bit and added a little coco mix to the top.

The taller one is gscookies from humboldt seed company and the shorter one is eeeee by mass medical strain
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Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
It isn't about daily watering or even a schedule for that matter. Once you pick up the cup and it's DRASTICALLY lighter than right after youve watered it, that's when you can add some water and nutrients. Use 1/8 strength to be safe.

You need to realize, when roots are in a media that's water logged, they have no motivation to branch out, grow, and search for moisture. When you allow your media (coco/soil) to get very dry, almost bone dry before watering, you're giving your plant the necessary cycles that it needs. Most plants when sprouted at first spring rain, crack open, start their tap root, and use that recently moistened soil to go strraaaaaiiight down, deep, deep in to the sub-soil where there's moisture. You're in a 6" solo cup. So you need to try and recreate this as best you can.

8)
 
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stckyprp

Member
Makes a lot of sense. I'll keep letting it dry out in between watering so the roots can search for water for now. Everything above the bottom part was dry and they felt pretty light to me so I went ahead and fed them. Probably be 2-3 days before they dry out. I was considering cutting some holes in the bottom side of the cup to help it dry out quicker but not sure. A couple times in the jiffy i let it dry until it fell over but it sprang back up when i watered.
 

420drummer

Well-Known Member
I start mine same as you mentioned and I water daily with nutes everytime. At your stage I water with a nute strength of around 250-300 That’s with tap water at 150-170 so only nute strength of about 100-150 I also use jacks 321
 

rob333

Well-Known Member
My first two tries in coco/perlite resulted in damping off in the first few days after sprouting. I got some new coco and this time I started in Jiffy Pellets and have been watering/feeding less and not directly on the stem either. So far this is the farthest I have gotten. I transplanted them into coco/perlite solo cups two days ago that i buffered and haven't watered since then. About half way down into the cups it still fills damp but above dry. Do you think they are big enough to increase feeding&watering now? One for some reason looks a bit more stretchy than the other one but I turned up my qb yesterday a little bit and added a little coco mix to the top.

The taller one is gscookies from humboldt seed company and the shorter one is eeeee by mass medical strain
View attachment 4571856View attachment 4571857View attachment 4571858
take it from a guy that grown in coco for a few years prob 5 years in fact u want it about 30 days old from seed before u start pushing a everyday feed or say 10-15 cm high i good mark u could prob go once every few days now till u get a root ball but soon as its got legs go a 3 time a day feed
 

tincdink

Member
Gotta agree with Rob. Don't rush seedlings. Never let coco dry out, but don't keep it fully saturated like you do when vegging hard. Once the roots are established, fertigate til the cows come home (with adequate flow through). I read an interesting scientific study linked by someone here. They claimed in coco, you want to fertigate when the media is only down 10% of its max water capacity for maximum growth. There's enough air in the media to do this.
 

stckyprp

Member
How are they looking?
They sprouted May 10. I've been trying to follow to cocoforcannabis website for feeding ec and using advanced nutrients sensi coco a+b, calmag, silica and recharge once a week. I burned them a little on one feeding trying to increase the dose but I flushed and fed weaker and none of the new growth has looked effected. They are in one gallon pots right now until I transplant to 3 or 5 gallon fabrics. I was going 2-3 days in between feeding but lately I've been giving 1 a day. IMG_3134.JPGIMG_3135.JPG I topped the girlscout cookie for the second time today and the one on right EEEEE I am just lsting.
 

FRICKITYFRICKTYFRESH

Well-Known Member
Makes a lot of sense. I'll keep letting it dry out in between watering so the roots can search for water for now. Everything above the bottom part was dry and they felt pretty light to me so I went ahead and fed them. Probably be 2-3 days before they dry out. I was considering cutting some holes in the bottom side of the cup to help it dry out quicker but not sure. A couple times in the jiffy i let it dry until it fell over but it sprang back up when i watered.
I literally let my plants leaves start drooping in between watering/feeding. My soil will feel dry as a bone, but guess what, next morning they are perked right back up and looking sexy as hell
 

Alphonso OG

Well-Known Member
Makes a lot of sense. I'll keep letting it dry out in between watering so the roots can search for water for now. Everything above the bottom part was dry and they felt pretty light to me so I went ahead and fed them. Probably be 2-3 days before they dry out. I was considering cutting some holes in the bottom side of the cup to help it dry out quicker but not sure. A couple times in the jiffy i let it dry until it fell over but it sprang back up when i watered.
Thats exactly what i did. once they get more established youll be watering every 2 days.3E635DE5-2B24-46AE-9A2A-389E09545E7F.jpeg1117FDE6-6F67-46D3-A0D3-E2D54E574731.jpegCAA118F2-00A1-4C8F-B634-C7901CB99814.jpeg
 

Twohearted

Well-Known Member
I feed daily to run off starting from sprout.
Never plain water and never let it dry out.
Daily feedings replenishes the nutes, pulls in fresh oxygen to the roots, and prevents salt build up.
These plants are 2 weeks from sprout and were fed every day.
View attachment 4586128
This is simple and perfect, the only thing I would add is allow for 10-20% runoff with every watering to make sure you are not getting nutrient buildup in the root zone.
 

tincdink

Member
This is simple and perfect, the only thing I would add is allow for 10-20% runoff with every watering to make sure you are not getting nutrient buildup in the root zone.
I'm a coco grower and pretty much agree with this. Soil growers should take a very different tack. Know your media.
 

kwigybo88

Well-Known Member
Watering frequency is determined by root establishment. Root establishment is key. Start seedlings in a seedling tray and you can water everyday. Whatever size pot you think you need, halve it. I water 1 month old plants 4 or 5 times per day and they thrive far more than watering once a day or once every few days.
 

kwigybo88

Well-Known Member
Fed 6 times per day. 1.5 gallon pot. Used from final transplant through to the end of flowering. Small pots for the win.20200414_181338.jpg
 

tincdink

Member
Man, that pic is a virtual lesson on how to grow in coco. Also shows how effective those flora flex distributors are. I guess they go on the shopping list for next season. Kudos Kwiggy.
 

kwigybo88

Well-Known Member
Yeah the floraflex caps are quite good. Only downside is it becomes impossible to tear the fabric away from the roots but I like to start with a new pot anyway so yeah.

Here's what was above that photo.
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tincdink

Member
I was gonna ask for a money shot, but didn't want to seem pushy. Exceptional. You basically have a cola factory in your tent.
I do like fabric pots, but clean up after a successful grow is near impossible. 1.5 gallon pots are cheap enough to consider them single use.
Do you train and/or top? Or go for a single cola per pot?
 

stckyprp

Member
So I've transplanted to 3 gallon fabrics and I managed to set up a drip system so they are both getting fed twice a day now and are looking pretty big. I just flipped a couple day's ago but now my humidity is up to 60-80 RH in the tent and I need to find a way to autodrain the runoff. I have them elevated in cat litter trays and using turkey baster when I can catch it before it evaporates.

Is the 60-80RH goiing to hurt or kill my new 4" phresh filter? Having 0 smell is probably my top concern or priority.
 
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