Here's what Big Ricky , (the guy has killer hair ) has to say about coco growing . I don't use perlite . Just straight Canna coco. I follow "the formula " with a few modifications.
Big Rickys coco sandwichs
this system, or method, by far out grows every method ive tried. To keep it simple, the only methods i havent tried that come to mind, are fogponics, and aeroponics(to many variables for this old thumb)
by out grow, i mean vigor, ease, and YIELD
Medium:
Botanicare coco, ammended w/
foxfarm extra chunky perlite
plant success granular myco
This medium is charged w Fnova Grow, Botanicare cal mag, hygrozyme, greenfuse root and growth stimulator, and after the charge has dried 50%, Ricky recharges w plant success liquid myco.
I layered around 2 inches of pot bottoms with fine perlite to leep fungus gnats from coming or going.....and a layer of same on top....worked like a charm. So my medium was a coco sandwich, with a perlite bun=) my coco is ammended with chunky perlite, my perlite barriers, or buns, are fine perlite.....each serves its purpose in its application.
Cloning:
Ricky clones in starter rwool cubes.
cubes are presoaked at 5.8ph w a mixture of greenfuse root stim and hygrozyme.......
these cuttings, when rooted, are added to child size party cups(mini beer cups by solo) Krome turned me on to these little wonders.....theory being, dry out times are at a maximum, so more roots, faster
Veg:
once these cups are rooted, they are slammed into 3 gallons, and watered only around the tplant, leaving the other coco around it thats unrooted, alone. As the roots progress, so does the watering zone,,,,within a week, they desire full blown waterings, every other day.
I veg under t5s a week max, and under the 3k a week max, then flip......
Pruning & Topping
i fim them after 5 nodes, i generally like to cut clones with 5 nodes, and fim them the second i feel they have a strong root base. I prune and lollipop the best i can.
Nutrients:
floranova grow and bloom
powder koolboom at 35 days,,,,no measurements, just dump by eye.
budswell and fnova big bloom, back and forth, 1 then the other and so on.
all 3 foxfarm powders- sesame, cha ching, and that other one.
liquid karma gets used, like a booty call, when Ricky needs it.
i also use a host of other products, but not in any regimen, more like highlights when needed. This part is more of an art, and all art is open to interpretation.
these are:
hygrozyme
sucanet
molasses(i do use molasses towards mid-late flower, and half way through flush.
floranectar
sm90 (i add this maybe 4 times through out a crop. Just to keep things FRESH in there.) ive used sm90 forever. Its a must in trays, and recirc.
maxicrop
dynagrow protekt silica(this is also my PHup)
i plan on try some fulvic acids, as a ph down on next crop. Maybe not though.....nothing is broke.
Watering:
i handwater, till the water dumps out, so each feed is basically a flush as well. I put tarps on the floors and tack them up to the walls, basically making a floor tray, i let all runoff stay on tarp, the plants eat it up the next day,,,without fail.
i do test runoff, it is always exactly as it went in, so i know my feeds are flushes as well. It rolls real smooth, little bit of extra work, way worth it.
Environment & Temps:
temps- we deal w some heavy heat during the day, year round. In the summer, its 95-100 outside for a good portion of the season. This makes for a style all its own, when it comes to indoor manipulaton. I use the centrl a/c, as the heartbeat.... In each room, above the center light, is a 12" hole with a air duct dumping cool air n the light hoods, on to the plants......all this plus the rooms standard vent...so two intakes per room coming straight off of the central unit. The inlines draw through the carbon scrubs, and intensify the draw on the central,,the air force is strong out of the ducts.
i set the thermo to go to 68 1 hour previous to lights on, and set it to 72 an hour after lights off......
this is mportant, as it duplicates real outdoor weather.....starting a cold room with lights on, the lights arent air cooled, and circualtion at a premium,,,this gives you slow, realistically rising temps. Like outside. And as it slowly heats up, by 11 hours of lights on, im looking at room temps of 85(perfect) on my worst heat days(outside) i never have witnessed above 85. If it did, i wouldnt care, these plants grow in the amazon for christs sake.....not in freezers.
c02- hell yeah. I ran 20 lb tanks for 15+ years,,totoing around 6 of those things got to be a pain in the back, and a real wink link in stealth, so i got off my cheap ass and got a gen 1 burner. I also have this run by a cap Fuzzy Logic. I keep the hwole house at 1200 ppm while lights on.......the FUZZY LOGIC is the main thing that was used for first time in this grow.....soooooo, id say the fuzzy logic paid for itself
i run my co2 3 feet away from my central a/c's main intake, directly under the handler,,it draws the co2 laden air in constantly, dumping it directly on the plants, via the 12" ducting above my hoods. Hope that explained it.
air circulation inside rooms- i use large oscilating fans at opposing end of rooms. In back of room, point directly at uncooled hoods,,,this air is moved in a circular fashion around room, and passes my carbon scrub, where its dispersed as fast as it can be, for another trip through the ducts, through the central, and back into the rooms......no co2 goes unused....i aslo kkep a small fan next to my ballasts(they are near the edge of my gardens footprint) i blow the heat from my ballasts along the floor through my canopy, and its recirculated by the oscilatting fans abve the canopy once it reaches the back of the room, and jons the air thats on its way out. I know that seems jumbled, but thats how i do it.
