I’m using Garden Friendly Fungicide 20:1 dilution then 1ml/gal. I’m also using a UVc lamp in the main Res. Am I killing all the beneficial from GFF by using the UVc lamp?
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Yes, almost certainly.
But killing doesn’t dissolve their organic matter, so their bodies flow downstream sort of. Into your Controller.
Yuck, right?
I only add GFF & rhizo directly into the individual pots, not sayin that’s best, but I just always dosed those organics downstream from the big rez. Wouldn’t be surprised if it were causing problems.
I keep the main rez as inorganic as possible, UV is just insurance.
IMHO, GFF (HydroGuard) doesn’t mix with UV, or Hydrogen Peroxide. Sterilize first, then add the beneficials.
I have had good results with the same GFF dilution you use. It is way more concentrated than Hydroguard, so you need to water it down. And, when you think about it, what you’re doin with the GFF is innoculating a batch of water with colonies that should multiply and thrive in your pots.
So, constantly supplying a fresh batch of the same bacteria might not be the best approach anyways.
My $0.02
-Grouchy
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Adopting your methodology. I need to check the pots for PH anyway. Two extra syringes for peace of mind makes sense to me. Rhizo and GFF need to be added how frequently?
Another question, Dryback, How long, how often?
The plants are sucking up water quickly now, The pots will be dry shortly. Do you leave them empty for x hours or ?
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Easy answer: Every time you add water give them 1ml Gff and a squirt of diluted rhizotonic. doesn’t matter if you are just opening the valve to autofiller or hand watering. Drain them down to 1/4" slosh, then refill with a fresh gallon. I add the goodies first, then the new nuted up pH 6.0, EC 1.1 fresh water.
Then all will be well in the garden…
-Grouchy 
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Really enjoy the encyclopedic weed knowledge you provide @GrouchyOldMan! 
Another question - Dryback, How long, how often?
The plants are sucking up water quickly now, The pots will be dry shortly. Do you leave them empty for x hours or ?
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Sorry, My bad.
I just realized you answered this previously. 
Didn’t realize you meant 1/4" for dryback 
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When the little leaf is flat out down, (about a pint left in the bottom) fill the pot to the top with whatever you think that it needs. It’s a beautiful system really, you get to reconstitute the formulary every day or so if you want!
@Pigeonman, @Jetdro am I right?
PS, Encyclopedic? Don’t be silly, I’m only parroting what I’ve learned from others, mostly around here!
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Gotta remember that the sleeve with your soil holds a whole bunch of water probably three or four days worth
I routinely let mine sit empty for a day or two before I fill I typically wait for all of the ladies to empty their Reservoir because they never do at the same time and when they’re all empty I’ll fill them yet to seeing any wilt
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I recalled seeing that in your threads and what I was planning. The last time I allowed them to all dry or very close and refilled at that time. Guess it also depends on the medium in the netcup. Photo tent has hydroton for 75% and Auto tent has netcups packed w promix.
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Yeah, after my last two runs with clay balls, I’m done with them forever! No benefit and a PIA to handle and sterilize. I still blame them for the springtail outbreak in my pots!
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Lmao. Same here. Just extra expense.
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Hi guys!
So I started growing in the DIY octopots as the autopots are crazy expensive for me to order.
I have had amazing results with it. As I am always on the lookout for improving the setup with tech, I came across this
This system utilises a venturi injection and a pressure pump.
This system is useful as
- No big reservoir needed
- No pre mixing nutrients and dealing with Ph drift.
Any thoughts on this setup?
Do venturi injections always dose proportionally?
I am guessing the combo of the pressure switch pump and the damper maintain constant pressure in the lines.
Does anyone have any other mode to automate the nutrient mixing?
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An Auto Filler for Mom
I recently got myself in a bind due to bad planning. My Saintly Spouse and I were departing on an extended road trip and I was leaving an important mother plant behind to fend for herself!
All my various plans for dealing with this little problem had fallen through, including handing off Mom to a friend for safe keeping. Our departure date was looming and I was out of options.
I briefly considered moving Mom outside, but that had some serious downsides including the hungry local outdoor pests and fungal plagues. The neighbors were out of the question since they don’t know I grow and, despite it being legal, I’m not anxious to have them in the loop.
As I looked around I suddenly realized the solution was staring me in the face. What if I could quickly rig up an auto filler system with a large reservoir and transfer Mom into an octopup pot? It just might get the job done.
The only problem I could see was that my two year old bonsai mother was going to need periodic root pruning to keep her healthy but small and that wasn’t compatible with a transplant into octo bags.
After a little head scratching I recalled that I often used bottom watering for mother plants and if I could just keep some moisture available to the mother plant living in her small pot, she’d likely get enough to keep her happy. It was the only idea I had left so I ran with it.
I cobbled together a 20 gallon reservoir from an old tote bin and in a few minutes I had it hooked up to a spare controller box and an octopup with a three gallon fabric pot filled with typical octo soil. I scooped out a space for the mother plant’s pot, dropped her in, and wished her well as we pulled our little camper out of the driveway.
That was almost a month ago and the ad hoc auto filler worked perfectly for this purpose.
Here’s Mom this morning, healthy and happy, ready to the next pruning and root trim.
Pulling the pot free from the octo soil does a little root pruning as it delivers the plant up for the next harvest of clones.
The 20-gallon reservoir holds enough to keep a slow growing Mom happy for months. This seems like a game changer in the way I handle canna Moms since we often travel for extended periods.
It’s worth noting that this Frankenstein Clone-only Mom lives in perpetual veg with 16 hours of pale LED set to 115 ppfd (Thx @gpaw!) and a full pruning every 3-4 weeks. She has produced hundreds of healthy fast-rooting cuts!
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Oh well done!
That is brilliant!
Cheers
G
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Root Pruning a Bonsai Mom
Long term storage of a bonsai Mom in an octopot is going to require periodic root pruning and frequent trimming to shape the canopy. Here’s how it went with my Octopuppy Bonsai Mom.
Here’s the unsuspecting Lady destined for some rough handling.
To remove Mom from the octopup fabric requires snapping the newly extended roots that escaped her plastic pot. That makes a disconcerting sound, but those roots are goners anyway.
OUCH! There’s no other way to put it, I’m hacking an inch off of the most dense roots.
After a little cleanup, Mom’s plastic pot is rejuvenated with an inch of nutrient soil, HappyFrog, Worm Castings & Octo 60/40 Perlite/Promix.
My theory is that making a nute fest available to the new roots that are going to sprout will help Mom survive the scalping I’m going to give her as soon as she recovers from this. This mix is pretty weak sauce really and Mom will soon exhaust it.
Here’s our lady resettled comfortably in her octopup on autofeed and 18/6 @ 115PPFD. Notice that the autofeed inlet is turned off because I want to dry this pot out as the new roots seek moisture.
I need to create two new bonsai moms for a breeding project and I think this setup is gonna be The Way.
Cheers,
-Grouchy 
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Thanks for the great ‘how-to’ posts @GrouchyOldMan .
My flower tent is on auto pilot ever since I got it set up with that resivor. 
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I’m slowly getting my grow room back in order - I haven’t grown anything in over a year - and I’m going with the diy octos and auto filler. I’m hoping that 12 in a 5x5 isn’t over doing it. I’ll be using 3.5 gal buckets and 2 gallon fabric bags with a net cup lid similar to what dirt wizard posted back in January except these have a detachable net cup.
I’ll post up pictures when it is all put together.
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Welcome @antheis,
Wow, that’s gonna be a lot of octos in a room after the stretch! Even the little octopups can make huge plants. Many’s the tents that have gotten out of hand, my own included. Jus sayin.
Please do post anything you’d like here for us to share. I’m very interested in simple DIY octopup solutions, so post some pics. What autofiller design are you using?
Bien Venidos,
-Grouchy
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I’m only aware of the one you laid out in this thread. I probably won’t follow it exactly but it’ll basically be the same. the one change I’d like to make is to see if I can do it without the individual pots back flowing into each other. I’m still cleaning my room up but the tent will be up Tuesday at the latest.
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I’m able to get ten buckets in the tent alternating rows of two and three.
the lids don’t really snap on, more just don’t over top of the bucket. I’m having trouble uploading a pic for the Missourians. I’ll figure it out sooner or later.
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