Indoor First Coco/Autopots Run

[olegren]

More updates on pH. My coco was around 6.6-6.8 yesterday and is still in that range today. Double checked res, and it's 5.9-6.0. Both pot bases are reading consistent around pH6.1 and 330 ppm, so it doesn't seem to be anything localized (was thinking maybe algae) to my reservoir-> pots.

Also of note: It was the first time I really took the pots out of the bases. There are roots everywhere, and they look great. Also unfortunately discovered one really dead leaf on the bottom of Grape, so it seems this problem is mutual between them. It seems the high medium pH is my issue; although I am not sure if it's the root problem or a symptom of something else.

Anyway, I'm thinking a flush is in their near future. Probably today. I'll set up some pH 6.0 flush that's a mix of RO water, 150ppm calmag, and 150ppm flower nutes. Hoping to bring the pH down; then monitor to see if it holds.

My buffer process was to rinse, sift, buffer (8 hour soak in 2x calmag solution), rinse, re-buffer (another 8 hour soak) and then leave sitting to air dry for a couple days. Wondering if there wasn't excess calmag in the medium since I didn't really rinse after that second soak. The coco would've been saturated with it, and in conjunction with relatively low feeding (ppm) might've deterred the medium pH from lowering with feeds. That's my theory for now, but we'll see what the flush does.

 

[WildBill]

I'm glad I don't have to worry about that.

 

[olegren]

I'm glad I don't have to worry about that.

I'm gonna be right there with you come springtime, amigo!

 

[olegren]

Just ran 2 gallons through and got more queued but letting her settle. Figured I'd do at least 10 since these are 5 gallon pots. I'm starting with Strawberry since she's showing more of the signs. If it helps, I'll give Grape the same treatment.

In: 5.9pH, 300ppm
Out: 5.9pH, 260ppm

I feel like someone's messing with me. Pleasantly surprised to see that this isn't a drastic lockout scenario; but unsure of how to proceed.

Medium is already back up to 6.2 pH. I'm going to keep flushing, but it seems like something in the coco must be slow-releasing to increase the pH. That -- or some other phenomenon I've never heard of.

Update: 10 gallons later, and there wasn't much variation from that first round. My output pH was identical to input the whole time, and output ppm were lower (but close) to what was going in each time. I'm letting her dry out for a little while before I stick her back in the autopot, but at that point I'm just going to check root zone pH a few times with the accurate 8 over the next couple days to see what's going on down there.

Another update: She's back in the tent now. Checked back about 2 hours later, and pH in the flushed plant is sitting around 6.0-6.3 depending on where I check. Cautiously optimistic. If it holds through tomorrow, I'm going to chalk it up to something that must not have gotten good and rinsed out early on.

For now, here's some roots. I've had a few roots sprout out the bottom of a pot before but nothing like this.

 

[WildBill]

Sounds like you found a solution.

 

[olegren]

I'm sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth. Spring is a busy time of year for me, and it was all I could do to get these ladies harvested. I wanted to come back and update with some details though - and confirm that all ended well.

I was ultimately pleased with the results and consider this my most successful grow to date. It was far from perfect, but the bud was the best I've grown yet. Smooth, chill highs with some heavy couch lock - which is exactly what I envisioned when I started down the road with these two indica dominant strains.

Some details on the last few weeks:

• Let the res drift down around day 72 and started topping it off with RO + well water PH'ed to 6.8. This was my first attempt at a flush, so not really sure. The flavors are distinct; but it's also the first time I've grown these strains. So it could be that simple.
• Kept watching trichomes, but never saw the ambers I wanted. Plenty of milky white. I've had this happen in previous grows. Not sure if it's my temps or what. Once I started getting a hint of amber, I decided to chop.
• Both chopped on day 89.
• Took about 4 hours to trim both plants (!!)
• Dried via paper bags. I want to stop doing this, but until I have a dedicated dry tent it's just a lot easier.
• Dry weight, Strawberry Nuggets: 73g
• Dry weight, Double Grape: 67g

Both smoke nice. Double grape smells the best by far. Strawberry was smelling straight up magical during early flower, but a lot of it vanished as she continued to struggle with deficiency into later stages. Both were dried and cured under identical conditions, and while DG has the funk you'd expect Strawberry just never lost that hay smell.

Both have cured for a couple months now with boveda 62% packs. Broken apart, Strawberry has hints of her old aroma -- and she's definitely the stickier of the pair once you get down this far. Meaty, dense, and sticky. Probably my favorite strain so far.

Gearing up for the next grow -- which will be organic. Excited to try organics, but I'll probably come back and try coco again sometime soon. This run was a treat, and it taught me a lot. Again, thanks to all of you who took the time to coach me through this rocky but rewarding road. <3