Help with Chocolope strain and soil mix suggestions

[bluecheese]

So i recently acquired this strain from DNA Genetics - Chocolope (http://www.dnagenetics.com/online_store/dna_genetics_chocolope_aka_dline_cannabis_seeds.cf m)

Heres a write up on how they grow it: Choco grow (http://www.dnagenetics.com/dna_information/dna_genetics_press/weedworld_magazine_growing_chocolope/)

So my ? is what is the best path to making an organic soil or a soil mix - im not sure how to create one, what to use, what amounts

I have a general understanding of the lucas method, which i plan on using for the nutrients

Does anyone have experience with this strain? Any help would be great

[Green Supreme]

Never tried Chocolope. Maybe you could try the Ideal Soil Mix stickied in this very forum. If using Lucas formula sounds like a soiless medium might be better than an organic soil mix. Maybe one of the organic peoples will chime in. Peace GS

[c-ray]

lucas formula is not organic, it's pure chemicals, quite the opposite of 'organics'
you need to decide if you want to grow 'organically' or not

a friend grows some chocolope, only thing I know about it is it makes a nice long cola and some phenos can put out hermie flowers...smells nice too

[bluecheese]

i just want to make a good soil mix and use the lucas formula to grow this lovely strain

if you read the grow choco the guy uses super bio mix and some other ingredients which dont sound organic but are made with organic material

i guess i just need some advice on the best way to go about getting this thing to live a very happy life

[vapor]

more is not always better especially with cannabis.,.,

[guest]

Hi there, i think i am that friend that C-Man is talking about....

If you are going to use GH products (or any mineral products for that matter), i would not bother with adding organic soil amendments...

I would suggest you use a good quality promix, canna coco and Worm castings in the following ratio :
20 % worm castings
40 % pro-mix
40 % Canna-coco (or well leached botanicare brick)
Chocolope likes a fair deal of Nitrogen up to the 5 th week of bloom and
an extra supply of calcium-magnesium-iron complex is well recommended.
I like to add floralicious grow and bloom (original formula)
some good mycorrizal innoculant and bacterial mix (sub culture)
Use Kool Bloom Liquid for the first 5 weeks, then switch to ripening powdered formula for 2 weeks, then flush to your liking.
I Have found that she is somewhat of a heavy feeder, so don't be shy on the nutes, especially if under 1000 or 1100 bulbs.
The hermie condition has appeared strictly on one Phenotype for me and under extremely cold night conditions.
65 to 75 days blooming period.
You will like the aroma and taste of her, and if your selsection skills are up to par, you will probably find the racy visual pheno...But all of them carry a candied, acrid red cough drop smell mixed with a hint of tropical goodness...
Have fun!

[bluecheese]

Wow, thanks. Id like to attempt your method since it seems tried and true.

So could you describe a little more in detail your feeding schedule? Do you just Ph and add, or do you ph/ec/tds like in lucas method? Or are you just going by whats on the bottle? I dont have a meter yet, but was planning on the hana HI 98129

whats a good mycorrizal innoculant and bacterial mix?

is the ripening powder formula by kool bloom as well?

are you just flushing with water or using something like Florakleen?

When you say heavy feeder, how far are you pushing it?

Im only using 400w at the moment, does this effect how far i push feeding?

I got fem. seeds so hopefully i wont encounter any hermies.

Sorry for all the ?'s, i've done some reading but im still a noob

Had this is dam early aug., so if i can get it to half of how it was there, i will be happy with my choco

[guest]

Hi

If you feel comfortable with the teachings of Lucas, i suggest that you stick with them.
I have heard that people have great results with his method.

whats a good mycorrizal innoculant and bacterial mix?
I would suggest Sub Culture M and B formulas.

is the ripening powder formula by kool bloom as well?
Kool Bloom powder is the ripening formula from General Hydroponics

are you just flushing with water or using something like Florakleen?
If you flush for a couple 2 weeks and more like most of the people here, plain water is perfect. if you would rather keep on feeding later in the bloom stage to take advantage of every growing minute, use Flora Kleen for one week before harvest.

When you say heavy feeder, how far are you pushing it?
That will depend on the size and health of your plants and wether or not you use co2 supplementation along with the wattage of your bulbs. Since you are using a 400 watt bulb and you probably will use between 12 and 20 plants per light, i would not go above 1100 ppm at peak. If you are using 1 to 4 plants per light, you can climb it up
to 1300 or 1500 at peak.

I got fem. seeds so hopefully i wont encounter any hermies.
It is always a possibility with most feminized versions to encounter hermies, especially when we know that this breed has a slight tendency even in regular seeds...However, if you maintain a perfect environment for them and everything is stable, you will lessen the likely hood of their apparition.

cheers and good luck

[bluecheese]

wow thanks for all the help

so i should just use kool bloom/ floralicious all at the same time using the lucas formula?

If using the lucas method what do you ec/tds/ph at?

when do you add the subculture? do you mix it in while your making the promix?

i only plan on having 2 girls under the light, no c02 @ the moment. so i can push the ppms to 1300-1500?

thanks for helping me clear this up - i originally planed using dwc(bubblebuckets) but cant set that up at the moment, so i needed to modify and use a promix

[Lungus]

so i should just use kool bloom/ floralicious all at the same time using the lucas formula?

Lucas has said many times before that the Lucas formula is complete, don't add anything else. As far as pushing the ppms to the max all the time it's mostly a recipe for problems, with growing weed, most of the time, less is more.

[guest]

yes, lucas did say that, this is why i said that if you are comfortable with the Lucas formula, just put some pro mix in a pot and use only the micro and bloom bottles with nothing else... Everyone here seems to think that adding any other product would be a waste of time and money plus it would cause you problems.
However, Gh, the designers of these products, would most likely argue otherwise.

Please disregard everything i have written to try and help you and read the Lucas thread.
Cheers

[bluecheese]

so just use the GH micro and bloom? forget about all the kool bloom and subculture?

i thought the new method of lucas was to omit to original formula (micro&bloom 2gether) and use only GH FloraNova bloom for both veg and bloom all the way though the life cycle

either way, from what i gathered. Ill stick to your soilmix. I plan on doing the lucas method, and possibly add the switch to the dry powder.

Im just wondering what your guys ph/tds/ec reads? im guessing safe would be ph 5.8-6.2? and 1200ppm, maybe push it a little in week 4-5 to 1300-1400ppm

or am i completely off base?

[guest]

Ph and Ec fluctuates with the needs, sizes and growth phases of the plants.
A good rule of thumb is the following: 6.0 to 6.4 in growth and 5.6 to 5.8 in bloom phase.
ppms should start lower and increase by about 100 ppm increments with the life of your plants through your watering.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, using only flora nova bloom will demonstrate several deficiencies that will appear througout the second phase of bloom. (look at the potassium and phosphorus ratios...)
However, with a small watage lamp like a 400, you might have less of these problems showing up.
If you are going to go to these ppm values, water with a quarter dose or even fresh water once in a while.
Just my two cents.

[bluecheese]

i wasn't talking about the soils ph/ec but rather the nutrient solution mix, but i see what you mean. I imagine i will probably test the runoff during each watering, but was planning on starting off with the right p.h and ppm of the nutrient solution first.

according to the last time i read the lucas thread, it called for only FN Bloom. But the micro and bloom combo sounds best. Im not opposed to using additives, so ill probably run kool bloom powder as well.

of course im open to anybody's tried and true feeding schedule if your willing to share secrets.

im just trying to put a plan together, ill try anything as long as it brings me delicious chocolope

[guest]

I was also refering to the solution's ph and ec.

When everything is well controlled and no extravagant conditions occur, these values are well reflected in the medium.

[bluecheese]

when do you add the subculture? do you mix it in while your making the promix?

does the soilmix have to sit before use?

im starting to confuse myself with what i want to do, i've read the lucas thread a few times, but i guess i came in here looking for someones feeding schedule with this strain. I want to do whatever best for it

sorry if that's obnoxious but im sick of guessing

[guest]

No my friend you are not obnoxious, it is often the others that comment on our conversations in here that can be. But i am sure it is not out of malice.

I would add the sub culture in the solution, as i normally do. But i have added it to the medium while preparing it before.

I simply mix my soil in the desired parts and use it right away. Pre-wetting the promix or using a mild surfactant does help with the first watering, however if you use canna coco in the mix as per my recommendation, i find that pre wetting the medium is not necessary.

I understand that following the Lucas formula is quite re assuring since it has been tried tested and true, but if you want my personal opinion, stick with using the Flora nova grow in veg, then mix the grow and bloom in your solution in equal parts for the first few weeks of bloom, then switch to the bloom only and add liquid kool bloom or big bud from advanced for the next few weeks, then change for Kool bloom powder for the 2 last ones. Adding the floralicious grow and bloom (or the plus formula) will increase the quality of the final product. I suggest you try it side by side for the sake of your own enjoyment.

(ps i have grown chocolope this way, this is why i am suggesting this recipe to you)
cheers

[bluecheese]

No my friend you are not obnoxious, it is often the others that comment on our conversations in here that can be. But i am sure it is not out of malice.

I would add the sub culture in the solution, as i normally do. But i have added it to the medium while preparing it before.

I simply mix my soil in the desired parts and use it right away. Pre-wetting the promix or using a mild surfactant does help with the first watering, however if you use canna coco in the mix as per my recommendation, i find that pre wetting the medium is not necessary.

I understand that following the Lucas formula is quite re assuring since it has been tried tested and true, but if you want my personal opinion, stick with using the Flora nova grow in veg, then mix the grow and bloom in your solution in equal parts for the first few weeks of bloom, then switch to the bloom only and add liquid kool bloom or big bud from advanced for the next few weeks, then change for Kool bloom powder for the 2 last ones. Adding the floralicious grow and bloom (or the plus formula) will increase the quality of the final product. I suggest you try it side by side for the sake of your own enjoyment.

(ps i have grown chocolope this way, this is why i am suggesting this recipe to you)
cheers

cheers right back to you, this is what i was pretty much looking for

i think a side by side comparison is a good idea - ill try your recipe and the lucas method side by side (actually ill probably try yours first)

just to clear things up - the flora nova grow/bloom you suggest by GH, are you positive its the Flora nova series or is it the original formula, Flora Grow/Bloom?

When you say "Adding the floralicious grow and bloom (or the plus formula) will increase the quality of the final product" are you mixing this in the final weeks with kool bloom powder? are you adding both grow and bloom at the same time or one or the other

couple more ?'s how long are you vegging clones before 12/12? aproxx height?

are you giving full strength nutes in veg? if so whats your tds/ppm?

do you water every day with nutes? if so 1/4,1/3, 1/2 strength? or do you give full strength 1 day and r.o water the next 2

so say for a ruff draft schedule.....this is for 2 choco's in a 5gal under 400w

week 1: 12/12 - i would want to aim for a ph of 5.6-5.8 and a tds/ppm of around maybe 800-1000? and this is with FN. Grow and Bloom mixed in equal parts.

week 2: increase ppm closer to 1000? keep using FN grow & bloom

week 3: switch to FN bloom only and add liquid kool bloom - ph5.6-5.8, tds/ppm of 1000-1200

week 4-5: same as week 3, possibly increase ppm if no signs of nute burn/deficiency - max out at 1300ppm

week 6-7: switch to kool bloom powder along with floralicious grow and bloom/ or just bloom? - still at 1300ppm

week 8-9: begin flush with r.o water, no nutes for final 2 weeks

chop the stanky at 65-75days

does this sound ok? sorry if its getting redundant

thanks so much for the help

[guest]

just to clear things up - the flora nova grow/bloom you suggest by GH, are you positive its the Flora nova series or is it the original formula, Flora Grow/Bloom?

Yes, positive, Flora Nova grow and Bloom i was amongst the first ones to sample it in Quebec when it first came out on the market.

When you say "Adding the floralicious grow and bloom (or the plus formula) will increase the quality of the final product" are you mixing this in the final weeks with kool bloom powder? are you adding both grow and bloom at the same time or one or the other

Floralicious grow Is used from the rooted clone stage up to The end of vegetative growth.

Floralicious bloom is used since flower induction up to flushing or harvest.

If you decide to use the Plus formula, it is the same bottle all along the trip.

couple more ?'s how long are you vegging clones before 12/12? aproxx height?

This will depend on a few things: The phenotype you are growing, the number of plants per light you are using, and your style of growth (bending, training, pruning etc...)
Since you are using only two girls under a 400 watts, and i know you are growing chocolope, i suggest that you grow them enough so that you can pinch the tops off at least twice, and grow them enough so that you can bend them and train them to a width of about 2 to 3 feet wide and 10 to 12 inches high all along that width before your switch to bloom. This should take you about 3 to 4 weeks weeks.

are you giving full strength nutes in veg? if so whats your tds/ppm?

Ok, like i said previously, you start off with a lower ppm and gentlly increase your solution's strenght along with the plant's growth. for example : clone 350 to 450 ppm
then the clone gets a few inches taller in about a week, so up your ppm to about 500-700, follow it's growth and health increasing your solution strength as the plant gets bigger and healthier. By the time they are about how i have mentionned previously, just before bloom, you should have reached about 1000 to 1200 ppm.

do you water every day with nutes? if so 1/4,1/3, 1/2 strength? or do you give full strength 1 day and r.o water the next 2

laways use the above mentionned method, increasing ppm slowly over the life of the plant and once every 3 rd watering, use half or quarter strength, as you wish, just to lower the charge momentarily.

week 1: 12/12 - i would want to aim for a ph of 5.6-5.8 and a tds/ppm of around maybe 800-1000? and this is with FN. Grow and Bloom mixed in equal parts.
Right, although at that point, i would keep the ph closer to 5.8-6.0

week 2: increase ppm closer to 1000? keep using FN grow & bloom

Right, but with the size of plants you will have, more like 1000 to 1200 ppm.

week 3: switch to FN bloom only and add liquid kool bloom - ph5.6-5.8, tds/ppm of 1000-1200

week 4-5: same as week 3, possibly increase ppm if no signs of nute burn/deficiency - max out at 1300ppm

Right, but you can keep the Flora nova grow up to the 4 th week with this genetic, in my opinion.

week 6-7: switch to kool bloom powder along with floralicious grow and bloom/ or just bloom? - still at 1300ppm

You keep on using flora nova bloom and floralicious bloom at this point, but you switch the kool bloom formula from liquid to powder. I would lower the the Flora nova bloom just a tad when you add the Kool bloom powder so that you would stick between 1000 and 1200 in total.

week 8-9: begin flush with r.o water, no nutes for final 2 weeks

For week 8 I would go with the same ratios as week 7, but diluted at about 600 to 700 ppm, then flush for week 9 or 10.

chop the stanky at 65-75days

Most definately!

enjoy and post some pics.
Peace

[bluecheese]

wow, thanks disclosure..more help than i expected, thanks for being patient and for answering back promptly

i will most deff. post stages and results

first goal this comming week: HANNA HI98129

[bluecheese]

actually now im wondering

are you mixing all additives in equal parts to achieve desired p.h and tds/ppm?

i plan on mixing nutes in a 1 gallon water jug - what ratios would i be looking at for each stage and for each additive?

ex:

You keep on using flora nova bloom and floralicious bloom at this point, but you switch the kool bloom formula from liquid to powder.

so if im mixing say these 3 additives - would it be in equal parts...

ex: 4ml FNB, 4ml FLB, 4ml KBP = by some miricle 5.8-6.0ph/ppm 1000-1200

or is there a certain method?

[guest]

Come on man, read the bottle label a little bit...

You use the desired amount of Flora nova to achieve your ppms, (from 0.7 up to 2ml per litre total )
then you add the liquid kool bloom at 1 tsp per gallon at first and gently upgrade to 2 tsp per gallon with time. Then you add your floralicious at the prescribed rate on the bottle, which is about 1 to 1.25 ml per litre or 0.25 for the plus formula.
For the Powdered kool bloom, i think it is 1/4 tsp per gallon.

[guest]

i plan on mixing nutes in a 1 gallon water jug - what ratios would i be looking at for each stage and for each additive?

Why in such a small jug?

I suggest you use something bigger and put an air pump in it and use it for the whole week, then change your solution once a week.

[bluecheese]

Why in such a small jug?

I suggest you use something bigger and put an air pump in it and use it for the whole week, then change your solution once a week.

i mainly get 1 gall jugs of distilled thats why and im hand watering

if i made 10gal of nute mix it be sitting for a while if im only feeding full strenth nutes every other day

but if i have some hungry chocos i guess i could see 2gal a day

[guest]

ok then.

[bluecheese]

Come on man, read the bottle label a little bit...

You use the desired amount of Flora nova to achieve your ppms, (from 0.7 up to 2ml per litre total )
then you add the liquid kool bloom at 1 tsp per gallon at first and gently upgrade to 2 tsp per gallon with time. Then you add your floralicious at the prescribed rate on the bottle, which is about 1 to 1.25 ml per litre or 0.25 for the plus formula.
For the Powdered kool bloom, i think it is 1/4 tsp per gallon.

dont mean to be lazy

my bad, i guess ive just done to much reading on the lucas formula and think everything has to be is those dosages 0-8-16.

Now that all makes on why i should make a larger batch, if i did it my way id have to put like 1ml of each additive to achieve the desired ph/ppm in 1gal

[guest]

Yes indeed,
I don t see how it is realistic to use the same exact strenght (8ml-16 ml) for the whole life of the plant...From clone to harvest...

it is ok to take some of your solution in a gallon jar and fill it half way then add only fresh water for the other half.

Doing one batch of solution once a week or ten days, keeping it well aerated is a better bet in my opinion.

[guest]

Here are some pics of one of the phenos...

[bluecheese]

damn, what a tease, those look beautiful

I don t see how it is realistic to use the same exact strenght (8ml-16 ml) for the whole life of the plant...From clone to harvest...
Ya i see what you mean, however, i believe you vary the ppms both in veg and bloom using the lucas method also (but as a general recipe 0-8-16 to 1 u.s gal seems to put you in the 1400ppm range @ .7 ec)
You first start of in veg with 0-5-10, and even then you bring the clones up to those ppms

again...from what i read

it is ok to take some of your solution in a gallon jar and fill it half way then add only fresh water for the other half.
i was thinking of mixing 5 gal of full strength and then doing the above. but the more i think about it, wont that affect the p.h and ppms?

Doing one batch of solution once a week or ten days, keeping it well aerated is a better bet in my opinion. seems like a good idea, i have a bubble bucket made that i was going to use, but now it might just become my 5gal mixer bucket. i got 2 bubble discs as well. but im knew to mixing nutes with a meter so hopefully after a few tries ill get it right