Green Nation Army first Coco run!.

[Green Nation Army]

Right so finally i've decided to come around to the idea of coco as a medium and putting compost to rest for awhile anyway .

Equipment and a few details of things done/to be done b4 12/12 :

Got 3 possible strains to choose from so far :1 durban poison fem from seed (available for cuts soon un-run b4 but defo bitch !!)2 brainstorm fem from seed (un-sexed as of yet !!) 3 critical sensi star fem (cuts x2 un-sexed as yet !!)

The room is celotex and in the loft ,400w son t hps to begin with then onto 2 x 400w closed reflectors eventually.

Vegging is being done with normal cfl's 2 x 11w shitters at the moment !!.

I have a few bits and pieces and this is where i need help as this is an un-tested medium for me but i'm relying on this for my xmas smoke !!.

So here goes i've got 1 x wide range ph buffer liquid testing kit & 1 x close range ph liquid tester kit,ph down,1 x fish tank water pump,1 x airpump (no stone !),plenty of pipe for the airpump, 8 x small netted pots and foam lids (taken from aeroponics prop !!).

What i wanna know is this what am i gonna be better of doing : hempy crates (budelaire style) x 3 (2 plants per crate) and use a lucas formula (need a simple explanation of what a lucas formula is !!),or do i do a 6 x 6.5 ltr square pots with a pump and tank added with a dripper system at 3 times a day to waste and a airstone in the tank ?,or simple go for a d.i.y made water tray with 6 x 6.5 ltr pots and 1 or 2 autopot valves set up to a slimline butt and airstone in tank ?.

What is the easiest way with regards to lazy butt changes ect and outlay ect ?,bear in mind i have the pump's !!.

I will be doing 3 x scrog nets fitted to the crates if i go for that crate option or 1 full scrog net with the others !! .

Whats the best way for me to begin cuts ?,shall i make a aeroponics cloner for the shear lenth of root's at transplant into first coco as they can get 6-9" long in them so it'll hit the bottom quicker for the wick effect with auto's really doing my head in now as i'm in the middle of finishing the room ffs !!.

Any help would be appreciated .

GNA #1

[Green Nation Army]

Any comments peeps ??.

I've got the room built now ,just gotta fit it now ,i've made and fitted a tip top 90 degree boxed/insulation epa foam silenced vent axia 6" kitchen extractor fan ,and let me tell you all this has really really suprised me with the quietness of it for a 6" fan , i'll upload some pics for all to see eventually as i think it may catch on due to its almost run totally quiet ability and cant be heard from 6 ft away without pipework on !!(glad i added a red l.e.d power light now ),and the fact it costs less than £25 with all supplies and is more powerfull than a rvk 100mm 4" jobbie its a real 'budget busting power fan for pennies !! ,i'm also gonna add a fan speed controller maybe with thermo controller eventually .

Also the Fitsgerald lowbay light (the besttype with phillips ballasts used internally) i've got is gonna be a custom aircooled jobbie eventually !!, but for now i'm just gonna break her down to make an open reflector as the lowbays are pants and weigh like a fat kid on galaxy chocs to much !! ,the grinder is coming out to cut her in half to seperate the ballast from bulb but keep it boxed and vented !!.

Can a double glazed glass unit be used to close a reflector safely ?.

Plus i want the ballast outta the room to keep temps down during lights on as its an incy wincy space !!,i got this light new and un-used and for nothing !!,u cant go wrong with that can ya ?,how much is a brand spanking new phillips 400w son t grow ballast ? 60-70 i reckon maybe more !!,i'd rather have a phillips ballasted self made jobbie than a £65 budget euro hobby job in hydro shops as most are eastern imports re-stickered now !!.

Anyway back to the grow itself !! ,what way shall i go lad's / ladettes ? , autopot valve/s and 1 big tray 6-8 pots or drippers 3 times per day to waste 6-8 pots or just 3-4 crates gumby style 2 per crate due to ltd funds ?,limited funds but have the gift of the gab so can source some parts !!.

Also what is the lucas formula ? ,does it follow 1 makers nutes ?,is it a 1 bottle in ml dose with no ec'ing in the schedule ? ,kinda confused really so help would be appreciated as this is my xmas smoke lol .

GNA #1

Edited October 8, 2012 by Green Nation Army

[Green Nation Army]

Foam box fan :

GNA #1

[Guest RandyBoBandy]

Thats all aload of technical gobbledygook to me Green wouldnt know where to start.. but really looking forward to this mate, gonna be a good show! is this your diary, gonna do one? ill be watching mate, gonna watch how the indoors do it this winter, good luck

[Green Nation Army]

Thats all aload of technical gobbledygook to me Green wouldnt know where to start.. but really looking forward to this mate, gonna be a good show! is this your diary, gonna do one? ill be watching mate, gonna watch how the indoors do it this winter, good luck

And me mate !! , i'm soooooooooooooooooooo used to mud as a medium !! (carefull they throw shit at u here u mention it 2 much !!).

Na not here i suppose i may do a diary not sure yet .....

If i start 1 i'll pm u k mate ?.

Kinda wrecking me deciding what way to go this time gotta lower numbers so hydro or coco was the obvious answer ....

Decided to do coco now !!, and know1 thats run it loads has stepped in with advice yet not like old 420 !!.

Lucas formula is mentioned loads aswell as gumbys but no comments yet mate !!.

Do i simply go for gumby crates and hand water with no meters just ph the feed and use a nute range like hesi to keep it simple and in ml like mud ?.

Thinking i may give the scrog a miss this time and just tie em down to bush out fimmed stylie ?,how much more yield are people getting compared to topped/tied down plants ?,its gonna save me a lot of training time as tieing will be quicker to react to stessing (6 hrs later plants are looking for light again even when tied down),and i wont have to wait as long in veg and will pull a crop by xmas !!.

GNA #1

[panik]

Yo GNA was happening mate I've done a few coco grows mate drippers run to waste works great mate just set the timer to drip ex amount a day and your off I use the hesi range aswell very simple easy to use, I make up my own drip system works a treat too let me know how you get on pal I'll be looking in ATB mate....

..... Panik....

[Guest veg4s]

One tip, get a proper ph meter. Seriously using a ph liquid testing kit will drive you mad. If you only buy one thing then buy this

If i was you i would hand water in coco for your first grow.

[Superbudding]

Coco coco coco. Used to be a clown now it's for green!

I liked coco on my first run hand watering at ph of 6 and an EC of whatever the recommended ml reading was on Canna coco a+b. I had a nice little system going. I then tried doing recirc and it just didn't work. Keep it simple and I think coco is the easiest medium to grow in. PH, keep it moist and let it run off for a bit when you feed maybe once or twice a day for a few minutes is what the consequences seems to be

Overall a bit more forgiving than mud but not as finely balanced as hydro. Everyone I know that tried it is still using it so there must be something to it

[Darwin]

Dude, I'd check out the automated feedin thread in coco coir. Reckon that's the way I'm goin, just can't decide six 11l or 12 6.5l under one 600w? Or less?

[troy]

16 x 6.5 is good. Less veg time ...