*update Aug/5, Ive successfully done this transplant, went surprisingly smooth and the girls are loving it. Thank you to everyone contributing every day to the plethora of info i had access to, and to Ed who's guides and grows are both wise and extreamly accurate. Sold me on coco, saved my babies and confirmed just how great this stuff is! Updated journal is in my signature* Im about to be replacing my bubble buckets with a D&W system but am about 5 weeks into vegging. So far ive had nothing but algae and root rot problems due to unacceptable res temps and ive been told coco is much more forgiving with this issue. I set up a grow journal recently here: http://forum.grasscity.com/hydropon...400w-hps-bubble-buckets-pics.html#post8066723 So my question to all you coco growers, any grower for that matter: Should I start fresh with some new girls to make my first coco all that it can be? Should I try to make the girls I currently have work? They are definitely stunted, and not happy Sucks to toss considering electric bill and cost already invested into this harvest, but I think its the right thing to do.. start fresh that is. And any first time pointers or absolute bennies or nutes to pick up for coco are more then welcome, as a matter of fact if you even read this far just post something saying hi! I could use the support Ill be using fox farm 3 set and root excelurator, doing 75 coco 25 perlite, considering adding lime and thats it as far as medium, 3 gal baskets. Picking up CalMag.
Getting pretty anxious here! I have some stuff to do this morning but today is the day. I will be setting up the D&W system later, will be taking pictures of the process, and begin priming the system. Now I just need some of your guys opinions on whether to start new or clean these girls roots up and transplant. Cant wait! Picture below is of root slime probably about 4 days ago. Slime has darkened to brown/green, little bit more root growth then this on all of them, but not by much. 5 week old :O
If you are 5 weeks into vegging and that's all the roots you have you should probably start over. What's D&W by the way? I've had great success using coco mixed with perlite, earth worm castings, dolomite lime, kelp meal, bone meal, blood meal and some green sand.
Drain and Waste system. The local hydro guys also sold me on glass stone instead of perlite, familiar with this? Same characteristics of perlite, little better performance, and apparently no asbestos which is found in perlite. They also suggested that I should do a transplant. Pot them then flush them with 5 ml of CalMag/Grow Big/Root Exculurator then let it dry out, and that root rot / pythium should die off since it wont have the right environment it needs to survive. Im going to at least pull them out of the hydroton to assess the damage, if the roots are falling off and slimy all the way through ill have no choice really.
Perilte does not contain asbestos-- that's vermiculite. I never use that stuff, it holds too much water and is dangerous to breathe. Perlite works fin IMO, but I'm sure there are many other substitutes that will work as well. If the roots are okay it'll be fine. Personally, and I'm in no rush to yield, I would start over. Show some pics of the plant. I wanna see.
Yo come on over to my grow journal man ive been updating it all day with the tranplant, let me know what you think Link is in my signature.