Coco versus soil

[LilDad]

Hey folks!

I’ve been thinking about my grow next year when I’m not tending to my wards, and I’ve been thinking about coco instead of soil. Here’s the general notion of my grow:

- Auto-flowers (4 plants - indica heavy hybrids)
- 7 gallon fabric pots
- Outdoors in VA climate
- I would like the growing window to run from April 15th to August 15th

I’m also a noob. I did my first grow this past summer and won’t subject my wife/children/wallet to any indoor growing in between grow seasons.

I think that coco would be fun to experiment with for two plants and see how it goes. What are y’all’s thoughts?

 

[WeedHopper]

With Autos 3 to 5 gallon fabric pots will be plenty big enough.

 

[LilDad]

Would I be alright using my big ol pots? I’d rather not spend more money on new pots if I can. Granted, I’m sure I’d save money on soil changing pots up.

 

[WeedHopper]

Sure you would brother. You will just need a lot more soil.

 

[Bugus_Monkey]

Based on outdoor lighting cycle outside and taking temperature into consideration, I would try to get started a month earlier and also know that CoCo should be more than a once a day check in, especially once it does warm up for good. You should be hitting the end of bud cycle at the peak of sunshine. If I said that right.. More Pinch hitters and coffee !!!

 

[LilDad]

The worry there is that the final frost is around April 10th, so I think that would be pretty seriously stunting. The temps during March are pretty chilly for cannabis out here.

 

[Bugus_Monkey]

I've started them in March, but your right, they never got huge, I attributed a little of that to them being Autos anyway. I am in the center of IL at least North and South wise. If I remember right, I may have been pulling them back inside at night early on.

 

[LilDad]

I've started them in March, but your right, they never got huge, I attributed a little of that to them being Autos anyway. I am in the center of IL at least North and South wise. If I remember right, I may have been pulling them back inside at night early on.

I certainly will move them in at night due to humidity.

 

[zem]

Based on outdoor lighting cycle outside and taking temperature into consideration, I would try to get started a month earlier and also know that CoCo should be more than a once a day check in, especially once it does warm up for good. You should be hitting the end of bud cycle at the peak of sunshine. If I said that right.. More Pinch hitters and coffee !!!

I did not quite get what you mean by once a day check in.

 

[Bugus_Monkey]

I did not quite get what you mean by once a day check in.

I generally check my soil plants once a day, unless it was a patch somewhere out in the woods back in the day, when I am able and I am just thinking that with coco, especially once temps start to really warm up and also depending on direct sun exposure times, wind that generally your going to have to check on an outdoor coco grow more than once a day and maybe several. I never grown in coco before but I have looked into it.

 

[LilDad]

I generally check my soil plants once a day, unless it was a patch somewhere out in the woods back in the day, when I am able and I am just thinking that with coco, especially once temps start to really warm up and also depending on direct sun exposure times, wind that generally your going to have to check on an outdoor coco grow more than once a day and maybe several. I never grown in coco before but I have looked into it.

That’s what I’ve heard. It sounds really fiddly.

 

[zem]

interesting topic. I just finished my first serious coco trial. I thought coco retains water very well. I would imagine having to water more than once a day if you have smaller containers but with big size containers it was forgiving in hot temps. i used 50/50 ratio mix with perlite. It was not the best yield though, the buds are not as dense as i expected them to be given the plants' overall health. Could it be that they were thirsty but not showing obvious signs like drooping leaves? How do you tell if they need to be watered in coco? I am trying to figure out if it had to do with the results that i got. I had the ph close to 5.8. would you say i should have aimed at 6.2 or so? And i kept the NPK at 2-1-2 almost all the way through. Must have cut on the N earlier i guess. Which of these would you say is the most detrimental factor that caused the flowers to be less dense?

 

[WeedHopper]

Used Coco one time and never did it again. Ill stick to soil.

 

[CrashMagnet]

I never figured out a consistent watering schedule for coco-perlite, and that was inside with relatively stable temperature and humidity. Cheapest and so far best performing soil for me has been MG Twice as Big + 20% perlite.

 

[WeedHopper]

Yep. That's what I used on my last grow was MG Twice As big with 30% Perlite. Also used FFs nutrients with EM-1.

 

[LilDad]

Yep. That's what I used on my last grow was MG Twice As big with 30% Perlite. Also used FFs nutrients with EM-1.

We’re you growing autoflowers? I know you’re an outdoorsy boi, so we’re good there.

 

[WeedHopper]

Yeah i grew some Auto Flowers and two Photos in that soil. I just harvested a few weeks back my ITRE95s.

https://www.marijuanapassion.com/threads/itre95-from-clones.81284/post-1217689
https://www.marijuanapassion.com/threads/itre95-from-clones.81284/post-1224337

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Hopper how did that ITRE95 turn out? Was that the photo?

 

[WeedHopper]

Hopper how did that ITRE95 turn out? Was that the photo?

The ITRE95s were the Photos. And it is awesome smoke. All my friends love it. Great taste and smell.

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Where did you get those seeds? Seems like I was looking them up and they were out of stock or maybe I was stoned and lost interest