Stoney_Stark Week 2 Update — Sticky Broccoli Auto
Grower: Stoney Stark / Little Lilly Farms
Stage: Early Veg (Week 2)
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Growth Overview
Plants are establishing well and responding positively to automation. No visible stress from the siphoning incident. What initially appeared to be a nitrogen deficiency was later identified as a magnesium deficiency common in coco systems, with a light green fade also indicating the early onset of nitrogen demand.
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Irrigation & Automation
• Transitioned to auto-irrigation emitters this week
• Distribution appears even across all plants
• Initial siphoning issue identified and corrected by removing pump after feed cycle
• Monitoring pot weight closely to avoid overwatering
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Watering & Feeding Log
1/29 — First Auto-Irrigation Run
• Amount: ~¼ gallon per plant
• PPM: 420
• pH: 5.9
Nutrients (per gallon):
• 0.5 ml Silicium
• 4 ml Cocos A
• 4 ml Cocos B
• 2 ml Power Roots
• 3 ml Pure Zym
• 5 ml Ruby Fulvic
• 2 ml Photo+
• 1 ml Fish Sh!t
Notes: First run with emitters. Feed appeared evenly distributed.
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1/31 — Siphoning Incident
• Issue: 5-gallon bucket siphoned into all 4 plants
• Result: No negative plant response observed
Nutrients (per gallon):
• 0.5 ml Silicium
• 4 ml Cocos A
• 4 ml Cocos B
• 2 ml Power Roots
• 3 ml Pure Zym
• 5 ml Ruby Fulvic
• 2 ml Photo+
• 1 ml Fish Sh!t
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2/1 — Auto-Irrigation Dialed In
• Feed Time: 1 minute
• Runoff: Small amount
• Adjustment: Pump removed immediately after feed to prevent siphoning
Observations:
• Noticed early light green coloration initially interpreted as nitrogen deficiency
• Adjustments made to increase available nitrogen
Nutrients (per gallon):
• 0.5 ml Silicium
• 4 ml Cocos A
• 4 ml Cocos B
• 2 ml Power Roots
• 3 ml Pure Zym
• 5 ml Ruby Fulvic
• 2 ml Photo+
• 1 ml Fish Sh!t
• +2 ml additional Cocos A
• +1 ml Royal Rush
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2/2 — Moisture Hold
• Pots felt heavy
• Decision made to skip watering for 1–2 days to avoid overwatering
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2/3 — Light Auto Feed + Deficiency Diagnosis
• Feed Time: 1 minute
• Pots: Still holding moisture; irrigation paused for the next couple days
Updated Diagnosis:
• What initially appeared to be nitrogen deficiency was confirmed to be magnesium deficiency, common in coco when running low-mineral water
• The light green coloration also indicates the beginning stages of increased nitrogen demand
Correction Plan:
• Adding Scientetics MagCal at 2 ml per gallon starting next feed to supply readily available magnesium and calcium
• Nitrogen levels maintained via Cocos A and Royal Rush without over-increasing EC
Nutrients (per gallon):
• 0.5 ml Silicium
• 6 ml Cocos A
• 6 ml Cocos B
• 3 ml Power Roots
• 4 ml Pure Zym
• 4 ml Photo+
• 2 ml Fish Sh!t
• 1 ml Royal Rush
• (MagCal to be added next feed)
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Issues & Adjustments
• Magnesium deficiency: Identified and corrected with planned MagCal supplementation
• Early nitrogen demand: Being met through controlled increases to Cocos A and Royal Rush
• Overwatering risk: Managed via pot-weight monitoring and irrigation pauses
• Auto-irrigation: Functioning correctly after siphon fix
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Deficiency Learning Note
This week provided a useful reminder about how nutrient deficiencies present in coco-based systems. What initially appeared to be early nitrogen deficiency was identified as magnesium deficiency, which commonly manifests as a light green fade and interveinal chlorosis on lower leaves. In coco, magnesium can become limiting even when using coco-specific base nutrients, particularly when running low-mineral or RO water.
The light green coloration also coincided with increasing nitrogen demand as the plants transitioned deeper into vegetative growth. Rather than aggressively raising EC, the correction strategy focused on restoring magnesium availability while maintaining balanced nitrogen levels.
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Plan for Week 3
• Introduce Scientetics MagCal at 2 ml/gal
• Allow pots to dry slightly before next irrigation
• Monitor color correction in new growth
• Fine-tune auto-irrigation timing and volume
• Gradually increase feed strength as plants size up