My friend got an automatic watering system for his coco grow. It has a max and min setting for moisture percentage. We are trying to figure out how to set it up. We started at 80 at the maximum, and 25 at the minimum. I understand it is hard to overwater with coco, so should the minimum be higher than this?
Also he set his max nutrient level at 1400 ppm, which is what he is aiming for, and his minimum at 1200. Does this sound OK? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Hello @Badger. I’ve been growing in coco for a few years now and think it’s an awesome medium once you get a few things figured out. I do hand watering, drain to waste, so can’t really help you with the automatic watering system, but if you mean it keeps the coco 80% saturated at max, and 25% saturated at minimum, then I would say 80-100% saturation should be your aim on the high end, and 50% saturation on the low end. It is almost impossible to over water in coco as long as the plants have the root system capable of handling frequent waterings. Water for plant size at first until the root systems develop, but never allow the coco to become completely dry. Doing so will cause salt build up in the coco, and burn your plants. Once plants are established, you can water frequently for explosive growth. I aim for at least 10% run off to avoid salt build up. What nutes are you using? I use GH maxi series for veg and flower. For my particular plants, I haven’t gone below 550 ppm, or above 650. I tried to push them by giving them 680 ppm and I got tip burn. 1200-1400 seems really high to me, but each set up and situation is different. I would start around 550 ppm and adjust accordingly depending on what the plants are telling you. Hope this helps some. Peace.
Apparently the plants are doing very well as far as nutrient levels. The issue they have had is the plants being wilted in the morning. The gentleman that taught them is watering once a day, but his pots are 3x the size as well. He is attempting to reduce their workload from the 5000 sf indoor grow.
I assume (without reading the manual) that the unit will start watering at the min number and stop when the max is achieved.
I have heard that coco is awesome to grow with. I am all organic, so I really don’t have the experience with it right now. My buddy knows that I have more experience than him, and I’m a reaserching fool so he called me. Thank you so much for you input, it will help. I will find out what kind of nutes he uses.
This writeup may be helpful.
Coco techno…
My lil coco 4x4 is automated using a basic res/pump/timer. Feed 3 to 5 times a day in flower. Avg 1.6ec
At first I sighed a bit, seeing 2 more articles. Those were better than the ones I had already read, and had some really good info. I understand the whole process much better now. I believe that will help him out alot. Thanks!!
Glad they were of some help.
I tend to provide links when I’m not able to explain things easily.
Glad to answer questions, trying to help where I can.
Makes sense to me, and I sent the articles on as well. Thank you so much!!
I swear I learn something every time I go browsing on OG. I love this place!
hi @GramTorino do you know how much nutrients (fertilizers) you use in a year?
I am thinking of using coco and I would like to know how much it will cost me 
thanks
Using Jacks, plus a few other additives. Maybe $100.
A 25lb bag of Jacks is around $50 at my local hydro shop. It will last me several years.
Also keep in mind I only do 2 or 3 runs a year. I’m shutdown for 4 months during summer. Well, unless I’m out of weed…then I’ll do a summer run
Lol
Yeah, I’m somewhat computer illiterate. I have no idea how to post links! 
Dr. Coco has a lot of super useful info for us coco nuts.
Cocoholics anonymous. Lol
Yes! Lol! I have it book marked on my home screen, right next to the OG app lol!
hey thanks is what i wanted, i intend to do 3 runs 4 would be wonderful but i only have hay types for more than 10 weeks in fact i always leave a 12 most of mine.
i love coco, i hand water tho, feed with every watering and i never really water until runoff … after harvest i flush the pot out heavily in my bathtub with tap water and then a light ph’d nutrient solution … coco is much more forgiving than soil. i probably feed around 1000-1500ppm with megacrop, i just eyeball with a spoon and kinda go off how dark the solution is, don’t measure PH or PPM anymore because i know when it’s good by colour
A few things i have found growing in coco.
You can quite easily over water small plants in coco until they are established. Especially if they are in big containers. You should feed them every day but if you over saturate the coco at this stage it can take far to long to dry down. It might take less than 1/2 pint to replace what’s been used/evaporated in 24hrs.
Hand feeding in some ways makes it easier, you can see how much individual plants have used, just replace approximately what has been consumed. keep it damp, try never to let it dry out completely.
Keeping coco over saturated for to long vastly increases the chances of it becoming a colony for gnats, sand flies, spring tails etc. It’s also more lightly to cause root rot which often leads to bud rot too 
Use well draining containers, plants don’t like their roots standing in slowly stagnating, low oxygen content nutrient mix.
Feed moderately and if you get the nutrient strength right you wont need to waste nutes or over saturate with loads of flushing cos the plants will be using it up (hopefully).
If you have signs of tip burn back off a little but keep feeding them every day. If you do badly overfeed, flush with a fairly low to strength nutrient solution at least twice the volume of the container. Never flush with plain water unless they are finishing.
Always beware of runoff readings, they can be very misleading. There is a lengthy process for properly measuring coco which i cant be arsed with.
I check the EC and ph of every nutrient mix i make up, tap water swings a lot here.
Calmag is usually needed up to the middle of the flowering stage, after that it can be left out.
Coco is fantastic, when you get used to it but unless you can feed every day you wont get the most out of it and you’d probably be better using compost.
The room is about 1500 square feet, so hand watering is out. I can definitely understand the beauty of being intimate with your plants. I don’t have near that many personally, so I get that luxury.
Thanks for the other advice. I’m going to have to get over there soon and see what I can see. I may be able to come up with some ideas for him.
If he’s using a drip feed system it’s fairly easy to monitor nutrient use then adjust frequency and volume to suit the average plants consumption. Some plants might still get a bit too much and some too little but that’s one of the draw backs of using a common res. I like to be hands on too and prefer fewer big plants over numerous smaller ones but the downside can be one less crop a year 
I did quite a few clones this year outdoors. I’m trying to get 2 of them to re veg right now. I’m rethinking the seed method myself. It really makes sense in alot of ways. If I can have plenty for my personal stash, I won’t worry about an extra crop a year.
