You might have been right all along.
Thriving to Struggling Overnight — Need Eyes on My Setup
- Thread starter GrindMind
- Start date
Gemtree
Well-Known Member
Yeah it's one of the reasons I've been on the fence to do auto pots. You have to have a good root system before turning it on and I dont always have the biggest roots when I throw it in flower. When I over water and have too much light going they get like yours
Realistically the only way you can overwater in coco is if you have no perlite and lots of coco peat (coco dust fibers that are the size of coffee grounds). Many of us feed to runoff several times a day in coco. I think medidedicated feeds 12 times a day to runoff.
You spent half a day flushing the plants when they looked like shit. If the problem was overwatering, then they would have gotten worse after the flush instead of better. However, if the autopot was not functioning correctly and was pooling up water in the pots so that the roots were sitting in a pool of water, then that would cause it to be "overwatered."
Was it doing that? If so, then taking them out and doing a flush was getting them out of a pool of water and allowing the roots to get oxygen. Fully saturated coco will allow oxygen to get to the roots but coco sitting in a pool of water will not.
I’m starting to think the issue may have been the light intensity all along. At first, the plants looked like they were recovering, but when I checked again a few hours later, they seemed to go right back to how they were, even though the EC was where it should be. That’s when I started considering the light as a possible factor. I realized my PPFD readings were calibrated for a 3500K light, but I’m actually using a 3000K, and I’m not sure how much of a difference that makes. After lowering the intensity and rechecking, PPFD measured around 650, so it’s possible it was pushing 800 before. I’ve since dialed the light back significantly and it’s now in the 300–400 range. I’ll keep an eye on things to see if that helps.
Here's pics from a few hours ago.
Can you see a little taco'ing happening?
Gemtree
Well-Known Member
They get better when you flush because of the fresh oxygen and then worse again. Also sitting in a pool of water is how auto pots work
Gemtree
Well-Known Member
Did you drain the auto pots and just wait to hand water now? Unless you're top watering several times a day you want to left them dry out before hand watering next. Doesn't take long to bounce back once the light is down and they aren't waterlogged then you can turn the light back up some and get transpiration kickin again. Watching your vpd will help too
Farmer's Hat
Well-Known Member
When I see those colors and patterns on my plants, its always 3 things.
Over watering, ph to acidic, needs more Nitrogen.
I fix it by allowing the pots to dry out to the point where the plants are getting a little wilted, then I feed and water. I am growing in soil, but I think the same principle applies.
I dont know if anyone has recommended raising ph and increasing N dose, but thats what I would do. I would also water less frequently.
Is there a way to set the auto pot on a timer? Track how long the plants can go without watering, then set the auto pot on a timer.
Over watering, ph to acidic, needs more Nitrogen.
I fix it by allowing the pots to dry out to the point where the plants are getting a little wilted, then I feed and water. I am growing in soil, but I think the same principle applies.
I dont know if anyone has recommended raising ph and increasing N dose, but thats what I would do. I would also water less frequently.
Is there a way to set the auto pot on a timer? Track how long the plants can go without watering, then set the auto pot on a timer.
Right now, I’ve removed the capillary mat and have it soaking in a peroxide solution, so I’m just top-feeding for the time being. I’ll stick with that approach until things get sorted out. Once everything is back on track, I’ll reintroduce them to the AutoPot system and, hopefully, with everything dialed in more accurately, this issue won’t come up again.
Coco doesn’t behave like traditional soil, it’s more of a hydroponic medium and really needs to stay consistently moist. At the moment, the pH is right where it should be, and the EC is on the lower side due to the recent flush. My first feed afterward was at 0.7 EC, but I’m thinking of increasing it a bit this time, maybe to around 1.0. I’m starting to think the issue may not have been just a slight salt buildup.. it could also have been that the light intensity was too high, or the VPD was off, causing the plants to over-transpire.
I mean continuously sitting in a pool of stagnant water. Don't autopots fill up like an inch of water in a tray and the plant wicks it up and then it will not release any more water until it falls below a setpoint in the tray that is just below the roots?
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