Straight coco vs 70/30 with perlite

FlowerPower88 said:
Even with 70/30 perlite? And how long generally until you see roots?
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No not even with 70/30 mix, they're too small to evaporate the moisture out of the coco to the point of needing watered before they root, generally I'll see roots in 9/12 days.
if they were taking longer than usual to root I'd see they needed watering but it's never happened as yet.

Pot size, temps and your local humidity would all play a part I'm basing that on 1ltr air pots 23/24c 60/70% rh.
 
Star Dog said:
No not even with 70/30 mix, they're too small to evaporate the moisture out of the coco to the point of needing watered before they root, generally I'll see roots in 9/12 days.
if they were taking longer than usual to root I'd see they needed watering but it's never happened as yet.

Pot size, temps and your local humidity would all play a part I'm basing that on 1ltr air pots 23/24c 60/70% rh.
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Thank you
 
one major thing about watering frequency with any medium is that if the humidity changes, it can mess with your watering timings

I go straight coco but I am in air pots, so I want extra moisture
I used to do hempy with straight perlite and It worked great too

Now with the air pots i use capillary mats made by floraflex beneath my watering system's dispersal trays during the winter, and not during the summer. It helps keep a little extra moiture in the coco when it is the dry season, I have thought about changing to a closed pot in the winter. If I did that I think i'd add perlite and use a cap on the top of the pot if I am worried about dry weather
 
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kwigybo88 said:
3 gallon pots in a 4x4 is huge overkill if youve got automated watering. 4 plants in a 4x4 means 2x2 space for each plant. Your pots are at least twice the size they need to be.
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This is my first indoor grow, I was going to do DWC then realized by the end of May my reservoir would be hard to keep below 70f economically. So I pivoted to coco and I knew that you need less medium w. Coco, but I was scared to go less than 3 gallon. What issues will that lead to?
 
FlowerPower88 said:
This is my first indoor grow, I was going to do DWC then realized by the end of May my reservoir would be hard to keep below 70f economically. So I pivoted to coco and I knew that you need less medium w. Coco, but I was scared to go less than 3 gallon. What issues will that lead to?
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3 gallon air pots work good for me but they're actually like 2.2 gal or something. I use 2 in a 2x4 or 6-8 in my 5x5
 
I regularly grow in 3ltr and 5ltr pots of coco the only difference in is the 3 ltr need feeding more frequently my system is automated so it's not a problem, if I was hand feeding I'd use 10 or 15ltr as a bigger pot is easier to maintain and has less ec swings between feeds .
 
Star Dog said:
No not even with 70/30 mix, they're too small to evaporate the moisture out of the coco to the point of needing watered before they root, generally I'll see roots in 9/12 days.
if they were taking longer than usual to root I'd see they needed watering but it's never happened as yet.

Pot size, temps and your local humidity would all play a part I'm basing that on 1ltr air pots 23/24c 60/70% rh.
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I’m clearly seeing roots going right down the sides of the cup after 3 days, would you wait on transplanting for 10 days or sooner? I’m gonna wait 2-3 days minimum anyway, but Jesus those roots shot quick!
 
FlowerPower88 said:
I’m clearly seeing roots going right down the sides of the cup after 3 days, would you wait on transplanting for 10 days or sooner? I’m gonna wait 2-3 days minimum anyway, but Jesus those roots shot quick!
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I like to transplant soon as its suitable I wouldn't wait 10 days just for it to be 10 days I'd pot them soon as they're ready.


Eta...
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I wanted to get these into flower asap so I potted them at 10 days.
 
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Sunday my pots come in, so I think they are going in then, would you say before lights out, or just after lights on for the transplant?
 
FlowerPower88 said:
Sunday my pots come in, so I think they are going in then, would you say before lights out, or just after lights on for the transplant?
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Just whenever it's convenient for you, imo it doesn't matter when you do it.

I've added a picture above, the stems might appear to be to long, the idea is that the whole stem roots once potted giving you a greater area of rooting surface, every little helps ;-)
 
inlovewthecoco said:
Sorry to reply on old thread, but can you get away with watering less often in straight coco or do you still need to water daily like in 70/30?
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I sometimes have to buy a couple bags of pure coco and it waters the same as coco perlite blend for me. I think perlite holds a lot of water once hydrated. I prefer the perlite version cause its easier to haul up and down stairs and also I don't drive a truck and need 12-14 1.8 cu/ft bags so I try to not put too much weight in my trunk/backseat of my car. :lol:
 
calvin.m16 said:
I sometimes have to buy a couple bags of pure coco and it waters the same as coco perlite blend for me. I think perlite holds a lot of water once hydrated....
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Perlite doesn't hold nearly the water per volume as does coco. It's used as an amendment to provide more aeration to a grow medium.

Fill a cup w/ coco and cup w/ perlite, drain off the excess. The difference will be obvious without a scale.
 
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