Hi guys,, For days I have been reading up about nutrients and trying to get my head around what I need and how I need to apply it all, but I'm getting pretty confused. I know these questions have been answered but I am still having a bit of trouble and was hoping someone may be able to steer me in the right direction. I am growing 3-4 plants in 75% Coco Coir 25% Perlite under a 300W LED light, inside a 1200(H)x900(W)x450mm(D) box. I have a 4" duct fan for ventilation as well as a small oscillating fan inside and a passive intake. I am from NSW, Australia so the products I can get my hands on are a bit limited. I have found so far that I can get a reliable source of Advance Nutrients, Canna Coco, Dutch Master, House & Garden, Ozi Magic & General Hydroponics products. I was looking at the Canna Coco line due to it being on the lower price side of things but also because it is made specifically for Coco mediums and I have seen a few posts where people were saying you only needed a few of their products for the whole grow. Is there anyone that could give me any advice on what I should be looking and and if they have used the Canna Coco line of product before? If anyone could give a list of exactly what I will need it would be even more help. Also, if there is anyone that could explain how I mix and apply the nutes to the plants I would greatly appreciate it. I apologise for such noob questions but I am really stuck and don't know where else to turn. Thank you in advance for any help anyone can provide!!!
Hello fellow aussie. What area you from? I'm nsw. I cannot recommend highly enough the canna coco line. It is a complete system . I add some cal mag and silica to my nutes and some Great White mycorrhizae when repotting and when changing to flower.My coco has cal mag buffered but i add a little anyway .If you see the WHITE RHINO pic I just posted you can see how it is working. House & garden also is a very good system. I have never had plants do with these 2.I don't know much about the led !!What strains you doing?If you need any advice I am here to help a fellow kangaroo .!!! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Hey mate, I'm in Sydney myself how about you? So what exactly do you use and do you mix them all together with water or how does this work. I'm finding it hard to find an exact explanation. I've purchased some Northern Lights Feminised from Virvana Seeds and just waiting for their arrival in the post. Any advice you have would be great. I've never grown anything before so the whole process is new and a bit foreign to me so any sort of step by step help anywhere from start to finish is highly appreciated
Sorry forgot about the mixing. It would greatly help if you buy a EC meter . I have a Blue lab truncheon which is the ducks nuts!! Also a ph meter .I have a blue lab ph pen which is also the ducks nuts.!!ha ha. Fucking expensive though.But worth every cent.My plants have done a lot better since upgrading to these 2. 1.Test the ph of your tap water first . Mine is 6.8 , so by the time I had my nutes it usually goes down to about 5.8 -5.9 depending on strength of nutes . Forgot to mention I hand water all mine. Same coco perlite mix as yours.!! I feed mine in veg 1.4-1.7 as they age . When in flower 1.8-2.2 . The WHite rhino loves the nutes . I have the ph in veg at 5.7 and in flower 5.9 - 6. You will have to learn what the strain likes and doesn't like though .I mix my silica and the cal mag in the tap water first before adding nutes and add the Rhizotonic and cannazym in last. Just works for me.!how are you watering.? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
I haven't actually started yet, just waiting to get everything together before I start, still waiting for seeds to arrive too. Just want to make sure I have everything because I have to order things and can't always get them next day. I haven't bought a PH meter yet but it is on the list and I can have a look at an EC meter too, although I'm not sure I'd know how to use it hahaha. When you say you feed in vege 1.4-1.7 what exactly do those numbers mean? Is this what the ec meter will tell me? Also, how do I know how much of each nute to add? Or does it tell you on the bottle or on the website? I have seen on the website a page where you enter details and it gives you measurements, wasn't really sure what I was looking at though. Also, you didn't say where you were in NSW? ;-) would be good if you were close by and could help. PM me if you don't want to post it
Use h3ad's formula or Ironhead's formula. GH nutes are the cheapest and the most fool proof. Don't be a victim of buying canna coco nutes. They're good nutes... But, they're VERY over priced and GH micro and bloom can do the same job for a lot less money.
I've heard good things about Canna Coco line and I think it would work great for you...But if you don't have the money to buy a pH tester or EC tester and you want to make things as simple as possible since its your first grow, I highly suggest using advanced nutrients 3-part pH perfect line....It literally takes all the guesswork out of everything no pH testing no EC testing, just mix the nutrients according to the directions and you're golden....btw I'm on my first grow also and somebody suggested this to me and so far it has worked like a charm even though my girls are only 33 days old, but so far so good!
If I were to go the GH route, what exactly would I need to have in my arsenal to go from seed to harvest?
Yeah I keep hearing it is really easy but others say it is overpriced. I have a PH meter on the way and can get an EC meter pretty cheap so that wont be a problem. I just don't really know what an EC meter does yet hahaha. Nice looking girls too, have you done any lst on them at all?
GH FloraMicro: http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-734100-FloraMicro-5-0-1/dp/B000BT4696 GH FloraBloom: http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-FloraBloom-Quart-Ounces/dp/B0012V3PO4/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1433857785&sr=1-1&keywords=florabloom&pebp=1433857787592&perid=17Y7ZDDM0ZQXJKBB5TQJ and if you show mag deficiencies a bag of epsom salts from any local pharmacy. h3ads formula is (per gallon): 6mL FloraMicro 9mL FloraBloom 1g epsom salts(i usually only use this one if they show signs of mag def) pH to 5.8-6.2 Ironhead takes a similar approach that can be found here: http://forum.grasscity.com/coco-coir/1371748-ironheads-method-success.html
1) Yes to watering daily. You should NEVER EVER EVER let your coco dry out. I run drippers that water automatically 6 times a day while my lights are on. BUT hand watering once a day will do just fine! 2) Yes thats really all you'd need buddy. Use strait tap water. If you don't mind answering... are you on a municipal water supply or do you have a private well? The only reason i wouldn't use tap water is if you were on a private well with ppm's over 250-300. Most municipal water supplies have about 150ppm which is definitely in the safe range to use tap water without any issues.
I was reading through the link you posted and the thread creator mentioned several other products too, is this just to get a better grow but are not necessarily required? I have a municipal water supply but not sure how to measure ppm. Is this what an EC meter would do?
He hand waters. The only thing I would do is the FlouraKleen once a week in veg, twice a week in flower. It prevents salt buildup. My drippers water several times a day so I have no troubles. BUT you would only technically NEED it if your gals showed signs of salt build up. yea, thats what an EC meter does (measures ppm).
After having a look at what I can get I should be able to get all those products within a couple of days so I'm thinking if it comes to needing them I can just buy them then. Thanks and sorry for such noob questions
we've all been there at some point. just get the micro and bloom. you have a pharmacy nearby i assume if youre on a municipal water supply. just incase you end up with a mg deficiency and need epsom salt
I'm thinking I will do as you suggest, it seems very easy and cheap to get me started and after seeing some pics I should be able to get quite a nice grow. Yes I have many pharmacies around me so Epsom Slat wont be a problem. Would you advise getting a EC meter or will this not be needed using this method?
I would. One thing i can recommend is going to the pharmacy counter and asking for some 10mL syringes (get like 5, they gave me these for free, like what you use to measure out liquid medicine). This is probably the most accurate way of measuring out the liquid nutes. They make shot glasses and cups but these ways tend to be ALOT less accurate. I'd get a EC meter but its up to you. I always check my Ec/ppm and ph. Just to make sure all is well. Even as an experienced grower I make mistakes every now and then. The meter catches them though.
That is some good advice, I will be sure to do that thank you. Ok I will get one, its a good idea to keep an eye on things I guess