First Time in Coco... Send Help

PPFDaddy Week 1 in coco is done! Started the seedlings under domes for the first couple of days in the bigger tent with the older girls, just to keep light intensity soft enough for that early, fragile stage. Once they opened up, I moved them into their dedicated tent. I've been watering once a day with about 300ml at ~0.6 EC and pH 5.8. Parameters look on point for this stage, but the first issues already popped up-early chlorosis on the seedlings that sprouted first. Not sure why, since EC and pH have been stable. I suspect the tap water here is pretty hard and watering only once a day lets pH drift back up toward its natural 7.5-7.8 over time. Starting Week 2 I'll water at least twice a day to keep pH more stable and avoid swings. Added a SwitchBot for VPD/temps/humidity logging-super useful to see how things fluctuate through the day. Beginner in coco here, so if anyone has tips, I'd appreciate them. Wish me luck!

PPFDaddy Week 2 of veg and the bad luck already kicked in. As you can see in the pics, two out of the five plants decided to give me trouble right away. I kept a fifth seedling as a "backup" since this is my first grow in coco, and thank God I did. All the plants were getting the exact same feed, same EC, same pH, same temps and VPD, so the only explanation I can think of is that a few drops of feed must have fallen on the leaves during watering and burned them. There's really no other reason, because the other girls are doing great under the same conditions. I removed the one that was completely gone and replaced it with my backup seedling (another Hyperion F1). So now the lineup switched from mostly Runtz Auto to two Runtz Auto and two Hyperion F1. The backup girl is growing a bit slower, probably just transplant shock, but she's pushing through. For now the rest of the plants look fine and are growing at a steady pace. I'll keep the environmental parameters in range as much as my gear allows and monitor EC and pH both in and out every day. Thanks for stopping by and may your tents stay green and happy! #CocoGrow #AutoflowerGrow #RuntzAuto #HyperionF1 #CocoLife #GrowDiariesCommunity #CocoForTheWin #BarneysFarm #RoyalQueenSeeds #GrowersSupportGrowers

PPFDaddy Week 3 of veg and the ride continues. The Runtz batch really tested my patience this round: two plants popped looking all twisted, and one was so hopeless I had to toss it. All parameters have been on point every day, so I'm honestly starting to think this pack was just cursed. On the bright side, the Hyperion F1 girls are absolutely carrying the team. Two of them are growing fast with huge, healthy leaves, and even the backup Hyperion (used to replace the dead Runtz) is slowly catching up after the transplant stress. Compared to my old soil run where Hyperion stayed tiny for weeks, coco is clearly another planet. I also installed the Spider Farmer drip system and swapped the stock drippers for Halo-style rings. They're not perfect, but way better than the originals-without paying 25€ for a plastic circle. That's it for now. Hopefully the Runtz stop trolling me and everything smooths out from here. Happy growing everyone!

PPFDaddy These autos are absolutely ripping, especially Hyperion F1 from RQS. Explosive growth and crazy root activity. I had to increase drip volumes day after day as they kept drinking more, reaching an 8L tank today with almost no runoff. They're feeding hard and loving it. The Runtz that struggled early made a full comeback this week and is now stacking internodes fast. pH locked at 5.8, EC around 1.5, runoff EC always lower than input, so the plants are clearly pushing. Space is becoming the next challenge. This tent is turning into a jungle. I'll likely add a SCROG net and leave the pots exactly where they are, moving them would be a nightmare. With an automatic drainage system already in place, it should stay manageable as long as the girls stay happy. Coco + high-frequency drip is delivering the strongest auto results I've ever had so far. On to week 4.

PPFDaddy Week 5 and here comes the fun part: let flower begin. These girls are hungrier than ever, like they'd grow forever if I let them. For a lot of you this might be "normal," but as a newbie I'm honestly blown away. I've never had plants this healthy and aggressive since I started growing. As expected, the tent has turned into a jungle. The only one still a bit "bullied" is the Runtz, she's been the shy one since day one, but she's catching up and finally found her rhythm. I'm slowly pushing VPD up and trying to sit around 1.1-1.2 kPa, and I added another fan under the canopy to keep airflow moving through this thick forest. Leaves keep expanding, calyxes are swelling, internodes are stacking, and they're clearly competing for light. First time in coco and I'll say it: this changed the way I look at growing. I've also been defoliating gradually to open up sites for the upcoming flowers. In one session I probably removed up to 15 leaves per plant, and they didn't even flinch. Still turgid, still pushing. I can't wait to see how this flowering run develops. Only downside is the limited space, I wasn't ready for this level of growth, especially after my past soil struggles. Good luck to everyone, and if you've got any tips for managing a fast-growing coco jungle in early flower, drop them below. Let's finish this run strong.

PPFDaddy Another smooth week. I did some light defoliation and a bit of lollipopping to tame the jungle, mainly removing leaves that were shading bud sites or blocking airflow through the canopy. I’m hoping the Hyperion stretch is finally done, because I’m right at the space limit. I had to run the light at 80% to manage height and keep the main tops around 50k lux (and under 60k) to avoid stressing them. I bumped feed strength up to 2.0 EC. I also added another fan down low to improve air circulation and I’m trying to keep VPD above 1.0 kPa. It’s not easy all day, especially when lights go off, so I’ve been compensating a bit by running temps higher. Not ideal to be above 27°C at this stage, but the dehu can’t always keep up. That’s it for this week. Hope you all had great holidays and a Merry Christmas. As always, tips are welcome. Good luck everyone!

PPFDaddy Another week down, smooth… mostly. I wasn’t ready for how savage these autos would get. Not “plant problems” just pure speed. One Hyperion got out of hand and is now over 100cm, basically taking up half the tent. Sounds like a win… until you remember there are 3 other plants in here and height is limited. Every time I think she’s done stretching, she’s somehow closer to the light again. Like she’s trying to merge with the fixture. To manage it, I hung a small plastic “shade” right above the tallest top to bring intensity back into a sane range. It was reading around 90k lux at the tip, now it’s closer to 56k in that hot spot. Overall the girls are happy. The one that started flowering first is setting big expectations — the leaves around the buds are already frosting up with trichomes, and I’ve honestly never seen that much this early. Hope she keeps that energy and the others follow. The only “plot twist”: the one still lagging behind is the Ranz. While everyone else is walking into flower, Ranz is still stretching like “nah, I’m good, I’ll clock in later.” Since they all share the same drip system + one reservoir, it slightly annoys the control freak in me I can’t dial the feed perfectly when one plant is on a different chapter than the rest. Fingers crossed she finishes the stretch soon and joins the flower party. Good luck to all growers and see you next week!