that uses d747 strain of bacillus, hydroguard uses a wheat based strain trq65…whats strange is the only other place ive seen d747 is a general hydroponic product called Defguard heres the use table…
Controls Botrytis & Powdery Mildew
General Hydroponics Defguard Biofungicide / Bactericide is an OMRI-listed biofungicide and bactericide for use in organic gardening that’s effective against a variety of pathogens, particularly botrytis (which causes botrytis blight, or gray mold) and powdery mildew. It also controls anthracnose; bacterial leaf blights, spots and specks; black mold; black spot (on roses); brown spot; fruit rot; and leaf spots.
If you need a biofungicide/bactericide that prevents bacterial and fungal diseases from even establishing themselves on leaves, look no further than General Hydroponics Defguard Biofungicide / Bactericide…
from everything i see it seems to be more of a foliar fungicide …id really like to hear back from you on how it works out …id love to not blow a small fortune on hydroguard for the rest of my life
Use your starter kit to germinate seeds. Once they’ve started a tail, transplant into a small plastic cup (Solo cup is what I use) with a dozen holes melted in to the bottom and sides. Use your media (coco) and place sprout 1/2" deep in loose media. You can dampen it a bit but you will be watering with a spray bottle for at least a week. Place a clear cup over your plant as a dome and run lights 24/0 until plant is established (about 2 weeks).
Transplant this into 3 gallon fabric pots. Yes, 25% perlite will help keep coco loose and airy. You will continue to water sparingly until the first two leaves (cotyledons) yellow. This is your sign to start your supplements.
I use Jack’s for it’s ease of use and economical pricing. It’s at least as good as anything I’ve used to date.
This is a long video but absolutely wonderful to help give you a good start. The Professor is also one of the founders of Apogee Instruments.
I’m using a cheap digital timer immersed in a 12 gallon rez outside the grow space, a small wavemaker to agitate solution (much cheaper than running air) and the timer operates a small submersible pump. This in turn pumps liquid to my plants on schedule. As coco needs to remain damp it will be several small feedings per day. Not too worried about runoff as there will be periodic flushes during the grow. I’ve also found Jack’s to be less of a worry for salt buildup than other nutrient lines. As plant increases in size, the amount of liquid goes up to match the metabolism of the plant/plants. I’ll have $30 or so invested in that setup so pretty economical.
Autopots are also a great way to grow: you could purchase their 2 pot XL system and you’re all set. I used autopots all last year but they are going to limit you to overall size of plant (maybe not a bad thing in a 2 X 4)
Some grow schedules don’t list ‘coco’ but drain to waste is similar and would work. Any runoff would indeed be ‘waste’.
If set up correctly; none.
This is kind of dependent on a lot of factors: plant genetics, lighting, transpiration rates (VPD), water quality, frequency of watering etc. In general coco tends to sequester Calcium and Magnesium but Jack’s contains a good source of both (Calcium Nitrate and Epsom Salt which is Magnesium Sulfate) Otherwise you will need to supplement with Cal Mag. Silica is an essential micronutrient found in soil but not in soilless media: it strengthens the stalk, stiffens the branches and provides needed silica to build trichomes (THC production) so is a necessary ingredient.
No; I’ve run General Hydroponics, Fox Farms, Jack’s, GroMore etc and really you are trying to provide a modest solution concentration at the right PH.
Here’s a single plant in 3 gallon soilless using GH under homemade lights. Plant is outside for photographic purposes: 14 oz of dried flower from this plant.
Brother, I could have never put it any better and as simple, as you have laid it out. Thanks!
@MagicCultivator420 that’s basically the way I was taught to grow in coco by myfriend as well as others that are on here almost 4 years ago. I grew two successful grows using that method before moving on to hydro (home made rdwc).
Jack’s 321 has made growing weed stupidly easy. Even though I’m in hydro, the seedling stage stays the same except for when I transplant into their netpots… The good thing about Jack’s is, you can run just Jack’s and silica the whole grow through, full strength from start to finish, and they will grow.
This grow was in coco using GH trio and that’s it. No silica, no nothing, just GH trio. Using a 5 gal fabric pot, I got 9 oz in a 28"x28" scrog.
And using just Jack’s 321 with silica and hydroguard in a hydro setup with a 32"x36" scrog. Right at 14 oz.
I try to keep it as simple as possible, and cheap!
Hello again everyone! Sorry I didn’t reply yesterday, I had a crippling migraine which leaves me unable to do anything.
Thanks for this recommendation, I’ll give Canna Coco a shot then. Do I just need to mix it with water (i.e. it comes pre-buffered), or do I have to buffer it with Cal Mag myself first?
Thanks also for confirming this, I was going with RQS for my first grow, so it’s nice to hear good things from other growers about them Of course, I’ll definitely be trying ILGM seeds also
I did some research on autopots, and I don’t really like them tbh, for 2 reasons:
they feed from the bottom, everthing I’ve read about coco suggests that top-feed is the better way. Not saying that the autopots won’t work, as I’ve seen grows with them that are impressive, I just want to do it all in the best way if possible.
I read multiple stories (especially on Autoflower Network) of them leaking (mostly from the Aquavalve float not functioning properly) and that is something I really would not like to experience. A 47 ltr flood would be disastrous!
I’ll have to look into Jack’s nutrients more, as lots of people are talking very highly of them, but really want to start with AN first just to not have to mess about with adjusting pH if possible (plus I’ve seen some very impressive grows with AN, saw a guy hit 425g with coco in a 4x2 from 3 autos!)
Thanks also for this input, makes me feel better hearing more positivity for AN, cause they sure are pricey, and their line is vast!
Haha, sounds like a nice place to live!
@Myfriendis410Wow!! Thank you, that really is a very smooth explanation! Just some things I would like to clarify please: (pardon my paranoia, if never even tried growing a cactus in my life, so all this is completely new to me)
Can you define loose? Do I mix in Perlite into the solo cup also, or is that just for the 3 Gal pot?
Can you define sparingly? I have no idea how much to actually be watering till I start the dripper system (500ml? 1 Litre?). I learnt how to work it out for the drippers.
Thanks for this vid, it looks very educational, I’ll try giving it all a watch tonight!
Right, doing some research, I found this method: https://www.cocoforcannabis.com/diy-automatic-watering-system/ It’s similar to what you’re doing I imagine, but with Hydro Halos over the plant pots instead of standard drippers. If I can manage to fit the reservoir, will a 33 Ltr (almost 9 gal) DWC bucket be a good rez, or would it be better to use the picnic cooler as the rez to help keep temps lower in summer? I imagine freeze packs will work much better now in summer seeing as the rez will be outside the tent and not under the grow lights?
I don’t understand what you mean by periodic flushes. Aren’t I just meant to flush in the last week of flower?
And what would be the recommended way to raise the amount of liquid? By opening the ball valve further, or by increasing the feeding time per feeding event? From that DIY Autowatering System I linked, it states to water 5 times a day for optimal results.
This is in relation to the runoff. Isn’t it beneficial to have runoff though so I can monitor the EC value of it?
Now that is what I’m aiming for!!! Looks absolutely beautiful!!
Very nice plants and hefty amounts too! A 28"x28" is slightly more than half my tent, and if that yields 9oz, then maybe I would be able to hit my 250g mark in a 4x2! xD Ideally my goal is a pound, and I’ve seen it happen, but they say it has to be a skilled grower to achieve that, but that’s good, gives me a goal in mind to try achieving
Regarding the DIY Autowatering system I linked from cocoforcannabis, there’s one thing I don’t like if anyone can help about this: it states that I need to make a hole in my tent level with the plant pots for the feedline to go through, why can’t I pass the feedline tubing from the passive intake and lead it up towards the pots instead? The solution will be being pushed through the tubing by a pump, possibly it won’t have enough lift?
Thanks soooo much again to everyone for all your input and patience, I really can’t stress this enough! I really appreciate everyone’s time and knowledge.
She’s the autoflower down in the lower left of the photo.
The two plants on the leftmost side are in coco and autopots. The bottom-feeding thing was scary for me (still is, a bit) but I feel okay about it seeing the insane growth. It’s nearly comparable to straight hydroponics (see the plant in the center of the tent and the tall lanky thing in the upper right of the tent - they’re in raw, unchilled, unregulated DWC. Seriously I have no idea what their PH or PPMs are right now).
The reason I went for autopots is that I check in on the tent 2x a day at a minimum, and I keep my reservoir somewhat low (half full) so if a leak were to happen, it wouldn’t cause a massive flood, just a minor inconvenience. But I don’t have to involve any timers or automated systems to get it working, it’s kinda “just add water” which is my style of growing.
As far as the bottom feed, the only thing about it I think some people wouldn’t like is that you can’t top feed - all the salts are pushed upward so if you want to add anything that you can’t put in the reservoir, it has to go in the water sitting down by the float - which can be a minor pain when the plants get big.
Canna Coco is pre-buffered. I hydrate mine with nutrient solution (full strength jacks and a dose of microbes) just to make sure my ladies are totally happy.
Scoop coco into Solo cup and knock the excess off. Don’t press into cup. That’s loose.
This is a moving target but I use a spray bottle and water the dome and not the medium (I do put a tablespoon of water around the sprout when it’s planted. FYI sprouts have no taproot so derive all of their moisture out of the air through the leaves.
It will work but a larger rez will resist PH fluctuations better than a small one.
Buy a cheap aquarium wavemaker and a timer; put in rez and let it run for 30 minutes every few hours. No need to cool rez as it too will be buffered going into coco. Different issues pertain with coco over hydro.
And increasing frequency of feeding.
Using Jack’s it’s not necessary. You’ll have to go by AN for any flushing schedule.
what an excellent post @Myfriendis410 you lined up a lot of nails and hit them all on the head. personally i think dr bugbee is the smartest man alive!! , i love watching his videos, that man can explain things in a way that you dont have a choice you will understand it.
well let me just say that i have ran multiple side by side tests between GH and AN , make no mistake i am a die hard GH lover…and i am brand loyal to Hawthorne …but big mikes onto something with his AN line the pH up/down for example in a side by side advanced nutrients at 500ml for up/down vs General Hydroponics 1/2 gallon up/down…over the course of a year. GH couldnt even come close, i was literally using 5-7x the amounts product to achieve the same results that i was achieving from AN. for me its a clear winner in almost every try. i have since restocked with the entire AN ph perfect sensi line, i started converting weeks ago after my experience with AN voodoo juice, the growth of roots was so intense it caught me off guard i wasnt expecting to raise a plant over night. i dont think i will never not feed it for first 2 of grow/veg…ohh and i still have a lot of GH down but i burned through the up half gallon in like 4 months running a 50 gallon res…i still have what seems like a full 500ml bottle of AN up…its so strong i only add 1/4 ml at a time and re check levels
Yeah, I thought about that, less failing parts and power outages wouldn’t be an issue either since it doesn’t rely on electricity. But the bottom feed thing bothers me way too much.
Thanks for confirming about it being pre-buffered, I think I’ll just start mine off with rinsing in CalMag though to take it easy on nutrient burn till I get my feet wet in all this. Take it slow, I’m VERY new to all this.
Awesome, thanks, much clearer now
Ah dang, I didn’t know that about the taproot! Thanks! Highlights the importance of a humidity dome even more!
Thanks, I’ll definitely look into a wavemaker then! Wow, so root rot/Pythium growing in the rez is no longer an issue?
Got it. Thanks.
Yeah definitely, @Myfriendis410 cleared up a lot of points for me, and I really appreciate that. I also saw the video with Dr. Bugbee, it truly was informative and a joy to watch, and yes, as you’re stating, quite simply explained, even for a complete newbie.
I didn’t even know AN had their own pH Up/Down! Unfortunately, I can’t find it anywhere here in Europe though, which really is a shame
So, final question everyone, and I think I’ll finally be set up to start! It’s regarding the automated watering system. I REALLY am weary of cutting a hole in my tent to pass the feedline from the reservoir to the top of the plants, but read that if it does not enter level with the pots, it could cause a siphoning effect with the reservoir continuously draining even when the pump goes off! What ways could you guys recommend to pass the feedline from the intake hole instead? I read some people making a hole at the top of their feedline in the reservoir to let in air and break the suction, some others mentioned an anti siphon valve (won’t this get clogged with salt build up from the nutrients eventually?).
Thanks again to everyone for all this help and advice on this wonderful new journey!
I shove all my tubing and electrical wiring through the vent exhaust holes.
My Vivosun tent came with approximately six openings for venting (a pair of 4, 6, and 8 inchers) and I’m only running one 6” exhaust system so the most I need at any one time is 2 holes. That left me with 4 for other purposes. You can pick your tallest vent opening and use that to pass the line into your tent.
Thanks, that seems like a good idea. The only thing that concerns me about that would be the lift of the pump. My tent is 8’11" high!
Yeah, I was going to pass my extractor’s and lights’ power cords through one of the exhaust vents as you’re stating.
Cheers for the shout out to other members that could pitch in on this. Appreciate it
Hello, thank you for pitching in. I think that’s the route I’ll be opting for, seems like a good idea with very little work involved to solve the problem.
I know right, terrifying decision actually, haven’t even unboxed it yet and already going to be cutting holes in it x_X I have the Gorilla Grow Tent 4x2. Oh yeah, it has plenty of exhaust ports, 6 if I remember correctly, as for vents, only one in the back of the tent.
That’s a tall tent! I think my water line feeds through around 2’ up and my air line pumps around 5.5’ up. I didn’t want to stuff one port too full so I used two different ones. But I suspect if you can get the pump situated on a small, tall end table and get enough line to go through the port, you’ll do just fine. I can’t say I’ve noticed my pump having to work much harder to overcome the 2’ raise and drop and it’s a cheap-o from Amazon.
I thought about that (putting the rez on something to elevate it), but isn’t that how the siphon effect is created? (i.e. by having the water level of the rez higher than the drippers?). This is an extract from cocoforcannabis.com:
Caution: The Siphon Effect!
The water level in the reservoir must be lower than the height of the drippers. Otherwise a siphon will be created, and water will flow out of the reservoir until the water level is at the same level as the drippers.
I suppose that’s true enough. I don’t use drippers but I suspect with my system I probably could for the first few weeks of my plants’ lives while they established roots. The way I’m set up (with the non-elevated res, because as you pointed out, the elevated one actually relies on the siphon effect) I could have a water pump on a timer pumping out of my reservoir and into the drip system with no issue. But that water level is all designed to be at 6” in height across the board in all reservoirs and pipe connections so the pump would need to go from ground level to above the top of a 5 gal bucket (roughly 15” with lid) - I think that’s a pretty small push for most water pumps.
So I suppose bearing all that in mind, my suggestion changes to using the bottom-most port in your tent for the water line to pump from the reservoir to the plants.
Thanks once again for your input. I’ll try passing through the bottom-most port and lead the feedline up to where the pots are, highly doubt that short height will be an issue for the water pump, and hope for the best that I don’t get any siphoning. If I do, I’ll make a small hole at the highest point in the piping while still in the rez as suggested earlier to break the siphon and see from there.
Thanks again for all your help everyone these past few days! It really is appreciated Happy growing to everyone!
I recently had a septoria (Leaf Spot) outbreak that severely damaged one plant and partially damaged another. Defguard cleaned up the problem pretty darn fast. About a week. I treated the roots and did an foliar spray with it. . The plant that was severely damaged lost 80% of its leaves but is growing again and starting to fill out some.
Of course, I’ll definitely be trying ILGM seeds also 
Looks absolutely beautiful!!
