That is amazing! @lefthandseeds. My last run was in 2 gal pots and I swore I would never go that small again due to the low yield of small plants. I don’t get it!
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I’m running to get my Red Book!! Be right back. Forgot where I put the damn thing!
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I think the biggest difference of all between coco and soil is this aspect. People say “coco is like hydro” and to some extent I agree – It’s more like somewhere in between… It has good water retention, so it’s not like other hydro media. But contrary to popular belief, it actually doesn’t retain water as well as peat. Instead, it drains better and therefore gives better aeration. I think this is the key behind why you can get bigger plants in smaller pots. Roots grow more densely in coco, because there is more air available, while the medium can still accommodate the water/nutrient need.
Roots continue to increase in density within the coco until there is either not enough air, or not enough moisture. And as far as I can tell, they can grow pretty densely in the pot if you feed at the right frequency to give them a good balance of both of those things. If you feed once a day, the roots will never grow very dense in small pots, because the lack of moisture prevents them. If you feed 10 times per day, you are probably keeping the medium too wet, and the roots don’t grow as much due to lack of air. Somewhere in the middle, there’s a balance.
That said, the yield you get will probably greatly depend on how tell your system is “tuned” to providing the optimal conditions – specifically how often you feed per day.
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That’s where you lose me. I’m in Happy Frog now and it performs differently than straight coco. I think if I fed 3 times a day that the medium would just stay wet all the time. What am I missing? Thanks @lefthandseeds.
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It’s because peat holds more water, and doesn’t have the same drainage as coco. Roots get more air in coco, so they respond in smaller pots by growing more densely.
Peat holds more water, so there is less air. But more water/higher CEC means that you have to feed less often. You just need bigger pots because the roots won’t grow as densely because of it.
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@lefthandseeds, You’ve got my attention. I haven’t used coco in 10 years. What brand do you use? Any Perlite? Edify an old stoned hippy please. Respect…
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Thanks for all that great info on COCO I have been using soil for 3 years, but I am going to try my first COCO run after my girls are done in my big tent, they only have a little over 2 weeks lef
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I have in mind an experiment I would like to run. coco as you are doing it. vs humboldt tupur mixed with biochar as a media. thing is there is so much research already done on coco that the inputs would be the issue for the ‘competition’ perhaps @Tinytuttle or @lotus710 could derive a suitable set? I’m thinking compost tea drenches/watering …would need to build a suitable routine and then try to go one on one.
I will postulate the latter would win with the right inputs due to the biome symbiosis
otoh could fight it out with the same inputs and use pre-charged biochar. too
edit: chose that product because it has basalt dust in it. Mychorrhizae would be nice too.
edit2: would be a small run if I did it. :frown:
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I’d say do a side by side personally iv never run coco before and only what I consider dabbling with biochar . Char does have benefits IMO but if ones soil is in tip top shape I’d think it would be hard to tell the difference with or without char maybe I just haven’t used enough here and there to know yet. Looking forward to the test run!
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with a 12 plant limit and prior commitments it would be a while. Maybe around January perhaps
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Oh my god dude…have you ever heard of black dominia x pink swiss? I was 15 trying to land those never got any…Please let me know if you breed some older afghans. Id love some afghan x dominia. Hint hint…jk…Have a good one. Everything looks tasty! Later.
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By chance are you taking about black Domina x “pinky”/perun? I have that strain. I’ve never tried it yet.
I am also currently finishing growing a cross of black domina x dakini kush. I’ve made some more seeds using a oldschool black Afghani, another vintage pure Afghani hybrid from bodhi, and pine tar kush. You could say I breed some old indica strains now and then. 
I’ll offer up testers in a couple weeks. They’re finishing up probably this weekend, so there’s eye candy of them first.
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20 yrs isn’t so good on the brain lol. Yes…the ton of bricks smacked me. Holy shit. I have a folder for eye candy. Won’t allow a dinger to slip through my glove again…awesome keep us posted. Can’t wait!
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I think I would probably be interested in some of those Lefty! Can’t wait till I can shoot up and visit. Maybe soon. I go for some work out of town soon. I have a big hole from winter I have to dig out of, but I need a road trip. I need to hook up with another forum buddy who moved to the Springs… It’s been a long and lean winter for me… but, summer is here now! two more days officially. 
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@lefthandseeds I too would be interested in adding those to the collection heard good things on the pine tar kush ! Waiting on some Afghan testers from USC supposed to be a high CBD strain he’s been playing with might be a good comparison run in the future .
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Bookmarking…im with @oleskool830. I know nothing of coco. If I go back through your thread do you have the Coco that you ordered it from. I know you don’t have the time. What I’m getting is it’s more forgiving with watering but it’s a double-edged sword at the same time you get proper watering it can dry out faster and bite you correct?
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Cris is sending me some extras to have a couple of others run it… I planned on getting some to @Lefthandseeds. He knows he’s been working with the BA and would be a good tester… if he’s got time… He’ll still get some anyway.
He also let me know about a future strain for the fall… I won’t say yet… but I want it.
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Hey got a link to your design for the auto watering system? My ladies in 1 galls are already drinking every day, time to go high tech lol.
They’ve only been in the big pots for less than a week, I can’t believe how quickly stuff grows in coco. Not complaining I swear…
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I don’t, sorry. Haven’t posted it anywhere. I’ll get on it one of these days. @8k_feet might have posted his somewhere, which is based on what I did. I’ll get some pictures and upload them… but it’s pretty simple overall. Aquarium pump, some PVC fittings, a NPT bulkhead and a bubbler (https://www.amazon.com/FloraFlex-Multi-Flow-Bubbler/dp/B07JNG6NWV/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=floraflex+bubbler&qid=1561326470&s=gateway&sr=8-5)
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