It has is pros and cons
So I only use it as a ph up in veg if needed , keeping things simple
I also don’t like the sight of shiney leafs lol but that’s me just being wierdo
I feel using as ph up in veg is just enough of a nudge in the right direction , as too much of anything usually affects an unforeseen something else
Thanks for the information and recommendation @GrouchyOldMan and @ifish. You guys are the best!
Anytime @JOHN1234
: )
Any questions just ask , we here to help
Actually, I suggest you stick with @ifish, for this kind of question, he knows way more than I even aspire to…
We’re all in it togeather : )
@GrouchyOldMan , That’s modest coming from one of the knights of the octo table : )
For silica and calmag, I use the only 2 products I liked from TPS — Calmag Complete and Silica Gold.
Calmag Complete is more than just your standard CalNit and MagNit chelated with Fe. I mean, it is that but it also contains Mn, Zn, B, Cu, and S. 4ml/gal gets you to about 150ppm from RO.
Silica Gold is mostly potassium silicate like AgSil 16H but since it’s already dissolved you don’t need to wait before adding the rest of your nutrients. Plus it doesn’t spike your pH quite as hard as AgSil 16H.
FWIW the rest of the TPS nutrients line I can’t recommend if you’re not using it with something like Ocean Forest or Happy Frog. Using it as directed in ProMix HP left all the plants hungry and cranky.
Could I add Silica gold to my feed if I’m doing jacks 321? Silica is one of the things ive been researching before committing to my 2nd run.
Ended up needing to use a ton of yo yos on my 1st grow. once the ladies started packing on weight they started flopping over. Ha…
Guessing at the least using some Silica could’ve helped with stem strength?
Also using RO
starting from seedling it appears?
I use Silica Gold with a Jacks-based program. But keep in mind it will increase K a bit, which can also affect Ca & Mg. I plugged it into hydrobuddy along with jacks stuff to figure out if anything else needed to be adjusted too. I ended up adding a touch more Epsom and soluble gypsum or calcium acetate to keep the K:Ca:Mg ratios in balance.
One of the reasons so many people use PowerSi is that it doesn’t require any additional thought/adjustment when adding to jacks 321 or whatever, at least no more than determining how much further you’ll need to adjust pH after adding all your nutes.
But as others here already said, you’re still likely to need to support branches in late flower. Si doesn’t do as much toward making stiffer more supportive branches as people on forums used to think. Just look at all the people still using trellises for support even while using PowerSi and similar products.
Hello @jetrdo.
Yes these are 9 FDM OG breeder mix seedlings. Also have 9 sour fro-yo auto fem in a shot glass probably going into a 2nd identical tent today or tomorrow.
Is there any different turbo method to germinate in 3 gal fabric pots for autos? I planned to do a tiered wetting with the cup so the moisture would end up close to top of pot for seeds.
Thanks!
John
so I was just catching up on your thread it appears that you’re starting a run with nine mini OCTO’s in a single tent. and you have a controller set up on it to auto water. appears you’re using seedlings to start . it appears you used my turbo method with a very low water level to root??? am I correct on all that?
hi I am just starting to use the mini pots too I am a few weeks ahead of you I’ve got my first set of nine exactly like your showing there I think three weeks in flower. so far the watering has not been an issue and it hasn’t been too often to cause me any trouble. The volume of water is so much less than I’m used to it’s a very simple affair to fill.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen in flour yet late flour I mean. I turned the plants smaller than I normally would and I haven’t done any LST just letting them do their thing. they have had a real good time in their short veg and are growing very nicely in early flower it appears they’re going to still return well even turned a little smaller. filling manually is only going to be a problem if I have to do it too often .
I always do a dry back, and at least once during the flower cycle I will leave the pots bone dry for three or four days, so I don’t think I’m going to need an auto fill. I understand the beauty of it hell are used to run water farms which used a Rez and a controller so I know how they work and use them for 10 years.
i’m not going to do an auto fill I have a 30 gallon can a good quality pump a long hose a 4 foot wand with a shut off on it that I use to fill it’s very quick and allows me to do the dry backs and adjust nutrients individually and faster than an entire system. I would do one if I’m forced to water every day but I can’t see that happening. I am perfectly OK with them sucking the Rez dry for a day or two at a time so even if they do drink the whole thing a day I won’t have to fill every day.
that’s cool that you’re starting around the same time I am get to see how the auto fill works. curious to see whether a constant water level which you’ll obviously have to maintain works better than a fluctuating level with dry backs.
I’m very curious to see this
Totally correct sir,
I did raise the water level to 1/4" above bottom netpot level since there was competing advice from several experts.
few other things to note:
I believe I stunted my seedlings with overwatering and or low PH of generic peat moss mix
pic for example
Before
After 14 days
Maybe just me but feel they should be much farther along with that much time.
These are not fem or been sexed yet so that may thin the herd a bit.
VERY excited to be growing along with you!
Appears they’ve been watered from the top
Never!
No I only ever watered from bottom. First water was tap water only. Second time 175ppm jacks 20-20-20 from bottom of cup holes. Flooded 1/4" of the tub shown for ~7 min and let them drip dry.
Great discussion guys,
I wouldn’t worry too much yet John, octos explode once the roots get established. Time to peek under the pots and look for fishbones… I think those plants were smaller than when I normally move to octo. Stunted a bit? Send us some root pics if you can.
Hi Jet,
You’ve got this so dialed, you don’t need an autofiller and you wouldn’t appreciate the maintenance they need, long term. So, yeah.
I noticed elsewhere that you appreciated how fast a big plant can drink these 1 gallon micro pots empty, because that allows you to customize the mix. Spot On there.
The same thing is available on an autofiller system. Each pot has its own inlet valve, so you can turn them on or off the feed at any time, for any reason. If the valve is ON that pot gets whatever the Rez is selling. Turn the valve OFF and you can choose whatever you want to feed her.
Want to try a hotter batch on those Apple Fritters? No worries, turn off the tap and wait a day. Then fill her up to the top with some spiced up sauce. Or fill her half up then turn on the tap and let the rez take over.
You probably already tumbled to that, but it really is a powerful control available with an autofiller system. It’s perfect for Frankenstein, every other fill I crank up the nutes to test how much she’ll take. (It’s a lot!)
I use it most every grow now. Great for tracking down a deficiency prob.
Anybody else firing up an autofiller grow want to chime in?
-Grouchy
I just noticed the pics in the fabric pots show dark outline. Assume thats where you got the top water thought. Thats from me top dressing the outside soil with DE then dropping in the solo rootballs. The medium was darker around the holes. I then dusted the root balls w Diatomaceous earth.
wouldn’t worry too much yet John, octos explode once the roots get established. Time to peek under the pots and look for fishbones… I think those plants were smaller than when I normally move to octo. Stunted a bit? Send us some root pics if you can.
Sorry, I didn’t capture any root pics but they were all at the bottom of the solo cup circling. I was a little thrown off because my first transplant root ball disintegrated in the drop to the fabric pot. Seedling was covered up in dirt and had to dig it out gently. Threw me off my game a bit. All the rest went smoothly but just wanted it done after the first episode. Checked for roots in netpot today, nothing yet.
5 days and roots are in res!!!
Sorry still trying to figure out how to take a pic and not dump it on the ground…noob!
Checked 5 of 9 pots and 4 had roots in the res. Lights about off so quit for the day.
So excited!
Yeah Roots! 
I stopped taking in-octo root pics ever since i almost dropped my phone in the rez 
I need one of those snakey cameras with an LED
Funny thing is I have a cool Nikon DSLR and decent phone camera but I’m still worried about the
plants 
