High Frequency Fertigation/timing questions

[HarleyBlue13]

Hello all,
My question is.. (timing) what is the best feeding times for 4 feedings per day?

Day(5:30pm- 11:30am)
Night( 11:30am to 5:30pm)
My feedings are 5:30am, 1130am, 5:30pn, 11:30pm

I have read to keep my coco 90% - 100% saturated at all times. To avoid ec spikes, but i have also read to allow a "dry back" and to condense my feedings in a 12 hour window while lights are on?

My setup:
Floraflex 6"
400gph pump
20gph fitting for 1 min each feeding x 4 times a day( about a gallon runnoff for the 6 plants each feeding)
Ec meter is in the mail so i do not have accurate measurements for this.
Advanced nutrients coco sensi nutes + b52
Ph around 5.6
Hlg 550 eco
25gallon trash can with lid and cardboard to prevent light

 

[PJ Diaz]

IMO, you don't need to feed that often until you get into 12/12 lighting or large vegative plants. They don't drink enough at the stage your at to justify the multiple feedings.

 

[HarleyBlue13]

IMO, you don't need to feed that often until you get into 12/12 lighting or large vegative plants. They don't drink enough at the stage your at to justify the multiple feedings.

Ok. So what would the timing be? And how often would you suggest?

 

[PJ Diaz]

Ok. So what would the timing be? And how often would you suggest?

For veg or flowering? Personally I hand water once per day during veg, and then go into automated watering for flowering. My watering schedule for coco currently is as follows:

- 1 minute on @ 30 minutes after lights come on
- 5 minutes on @ 1 hour after lights come on
- 5 minutes on @ 5 1/2 hours after lights come on
- 7 minutes on @ 10 hours after lights come on (2 hours before dark)

Your timing may vary depending on the GPH of your pump and drip system, but basically a bit of runoff each time, except the first 1-minute cycle, which is simply designed to prime the coco. You don't want to irrigate as soon as the lights come on, because you want the plants to begin to transpire first. Remember, transpiration before irrigation.

 

[HarleyBlue13]

For veg or flowering? Personally I hand water once per day during veg, and then go into automated watering for flowering. My watering schedule for coco currently is as follows:

- 1 minute on @ 30 minutes after lights come on
- 5 minutes on @ 1 hour after lights come on
- 5 minutes on @ 5 1/2 hours after lights come on
- 7 minutes on @ 10 hours after lights come on (2 hours before dark)

Your timing may vary depending on the GPH of your pump and drip system, but basically a bit of runoff each time, except the first 1-minute cycle, which is simply designed to prime the coco. You don't want to irrigate as soon as the lights come on, because you want the plants to begin to transpire first. Remember, transpiration before irrigation.

Ty ! So you do allow it to stay dry over its night?

 

[PJ Diaz]

Ty ! So you do allow it to stay dry over its night?

I don't irrigate over night, but it's not exactly dry either.

 

[Nrk.cdn]

Not a bad schedule to follow.

 

[PJ Diaz]

This is what a master told me once on a different site:

"you want transpiration before irrigation. Otherwise you are just building salts in the coco.

plants breath in co2 during lights on. That lets the plant make carbohydrate during the day. Then at night they take in O2 which lets the plant burn those carbs for the energy to build mass.

you wanna work with that cycle not against it"

 

[A e o n]

I feed 144 - 2880 times per day in flower using pulse feed system. Fertigating at night can be beneficial in fast growing systems but I do not and haven't noticed any problems. for the first few weeks after step up and sometimes through veg every 2 hours I feed for 30 seconds (24/7) for improved rooting. growing 2lb trees in 3 gallons of coco using pulse feed. to avoid EC spikes your fertigate more not less, drying increasing salts content in media

 

[Blue brother]

I feed constantly, I find this keeps the osmotic pressure correct, keeps the root zone permenantly oxygenated and fertigated. I also know the ph, ec, do, and to some degree the temperature of the root zone to be the same as the reservoir which takes the guess work out of monitoring root parameters as these will swing further when you’re allowing the cube to dry back. It’s worth mentioning this is in 6” rockwool cubes not coco though.

 

[A e o n]

I feed constantly, I find this keeps the osmotic pressure correct, keeps the root zone permenantly oxygenated and fertigated. I also know the ph, ec, do, and to some degree the temperature of the root zone to be the same as the reservoir which takes the guess work out of monitoring root parameters as these will swing further when you’re allowing the cube to dry back. It’s worth mentioning this is in 6” rockwool cubes not coco though.

In rockwool that would work, try feeding a couple 1000 times a day with 10-15 second off intervals, you could see improved growth and it'll give your pump a rest to minimize heat in res. In coco constant can work, but I noticed better growth and less issue with root rot when feeding every 15 second compared to pump always on. Im doing DTW and trying to conserve nutrients also so no 24/7; after alot of adjustments my DTW now uses less water than my old recirculating ebb and flow systems and has less than 1/10 of the labor associated with res changes and cleanings in recirc. When I install injectors the labor will be almost nothing