Grow Mediums Autopots-Bush Doctor Coco Loco-Top Feed schedule

[Gwrgenau]

Hi
Hope all are healthy and safe. Have a couple plants about 3 weeks from seeds going into rapid rooter in Bush Doctor Coco Loco w/ perlite added.. 3 sets of leaves. Have planned on watering to runoff from top every 3 days now until "turning on" autopots.. used RO water with amour si - Calimajic-Rapid Start- Recharge on first and only feed a day ago.. but a day later and loco is very dry on top sticking finger into it. Anyone have a feel for the feeding schedule for the Bush Doctor Coco Loco when top feeding for autoppots later?
Thanks
Be Safe!

 

[Mizzo81]

By three weeks I would think you’re ready to turn autopots on.

 

[Gwrgenau]

sorta My mistake on timing there I think.. time frame wise I think they have another week or two before turning it on. Took a week in rooter/pot before popping heads up .. another week to get first true leafs.. so most only about a week of actually growing in the pot. Need to keep better notes also.. lol.

 

[Nosias]

sorta My mistake on timing there I think.. time frame wise I think they have another week or two before turning it on. Took a week in rooter/pot before popping heads up .. another week to get first true leafs.. so most only about a week of actually growing in the pot. Need to keep better notes also.. lol.

Hello to you. Most suggest that when the leaves are touching or also most touching the sides of the pot that this is when to turn on the rez. Question is are these photos or auto? If an auto then I turn on the rez and the air dome after two weeks (if you are using the air dome). Most autos will start to show flowers in 3-4 weeks. I begin counting their age when one full day after they have poked their heads out of the medium that you are using. So to wait 4 - 5 weeks for an auto to have the rez and the air dome turned on to me is too long to wait.

 

[Simplicio]

I'm a new autopot user trying them for a small test grow, the 2 pot 2.2 gal Easy2Grow system.

Why not turn on the pots immediately with low strength feed, then slowly increase it, instead of hand watering?
That's what I do in hydro with good success.
I might try that next time unless there are good reasons not to.

I also wonder whether 2.2 gal and 3.9 gal pots should be dealt with differently when starting.

 

[Gwrgenau]

My first time using them.. and I waited until the leaves were out over the edges of the pots, per advice from growers here, and then turned them on. From what I gather.. you need to have the root system heading to or close to the bottom of the autopots before turning on the autopots as the feed/water is coming from the bottom up, is why to top feed for a certain amount of time before turning them on. I did only use 1/4 strength first week after turning them on and then went to 1/2 strength and have kept it there. Once you do turn them I have not used any top feed any more because of where the salt ends up close to the top. In hydo the roots are getting the fed from the water even in the beginning of the grow, but would not be able to from the autopots setup. Not sure about the different size pots.. I used the XL cloth ones and the plants are much bigger than the first grow with hand watering from top the whole time.