Thanks! Should have been better, but there’s always shit getting in the way. At least its been a fairly stress-free grow. They just go so fast in the octopot, but Im grateful for having the reservoir to extend feeding times.
So here’s the weekly routine…
Take my shitty, damn near 500ppm North Las Vegas water and run it through the Simpure RO machine.Takes 2-3 hours minimum at 15oz each cycle to make 5 gallons. Thats if, IF I dont space out and forget to cycle it. Its a PITA, but its what Ive got…
Water comes out pretty much 0ppm, so it does a good job and its efficient with water.
Then, siphon the Athena Blended nutes (week 6 full-strength) and mix well with drill mixing attachment between each formula component. Pretty easy, and Athena seems to be kicking ass for me. Last grow was 5 plants and 4 phenos. All were awesome, and get nothing but Rave reviews from friends and colleagues on taste and potency.
NOTE: Ive seen talk on the internet about Athena supposedly making every strain taste/smell the same. I call COMPLETE BS. All four of my strains came out wildly different. The aroma and taste of each strain is fully individual and I couldnt be happier in that regard.
Definitely need to up my RO water game in the future. Making 10 gallons per week right now. Next grow is two plants, and Im sure even more of a watering hassle. I may experiment and use my shitty vegas water… It would sure make life easier, but unsure of the effect on my plants.
10 Likes
What! That’s crazy. 
That’s Vegas, baby!
1 Like
1 Like
Just to give everyone an idea of what Im working with…
Here’s EC of NLV tap water at coldest tap temp. 1.0 EC
PPMs @ 490
After running thru RO machine, 0 PPM - Impressive.
Here’s whats left in the basin after processing roughly 1.3 gallons to RO.
And here’s the PPM of processed water left behind… 2130PPM. Nasty.
5 Likes
Here’s Day 43 “Xtreme Close-up Cam”
Trichomes looking good, but way early at this time. Lots of clear and cloudy, but minimal showing of amber. Gonna go the full 9 weeks+, I think.
5 Likes
Day 46 of Flower. Everything going great, considering…
Wife came back from Manilla and gave me surprise present in form of COVID. Woo-Hoo. 
Two weeks of Stomach Flu turned Pnuemonia then Covid finisher. Finally feeling decent and back to work again!
A few shots from inside the tent…
This is second full week of Blackstrap Molasses at 1 Tbsp per gallon (5 per 5 Gallon feeding).
You can really see the effect on the fabric pot. Used to be just a Bit O’ Crud, but now much more growth outside.
I cant say for sure if Molasses helps or not, but Electrify is taking all I can give her without showing any signs of struggle or nute burn. Through 7 weeks of full-strength feedings she’s only shown a few leaf tips with minor browning. That was several weeks ago, and not seen since.
Still doing nutes at full-strength per Athena schedule, and see no reason to change. I COULD go more than rec amount, but this grow has been so smooth-going that I didnt want to jinx it.
Many people have talked about cutting nutes in half for Octo-grow, but full strength is woking great so far. I think Id be shooting myself in the foot if I were to have gone lower.
Not sure if I’d mentioned it, mixing the Blackstrap Molasses to weekly mix has taken my PH to 6 -6.4ish. No need to add PH down as I usually do to reach numbers. Usually, Im around mid-7s for PH, then PH down from there.
Feeding week 7 nutes at 1.7EC/850PPM. Bloom nutes are down this week, but PK is at 12 ml per gallon. Thats the highest PK add this grow. Next two weeks are 10 per gallon.
7 Likes
Getting some good Trichome frost going now. Some purple appearing in the past week or so. Love the color change!
10 Likes
I call this one a “Touch Too Much” (Think AC/DC).
Really need to separate some branches. Dont want to risk these buds rubbing against each other.
I did a bit of late Flower Defoliation (week 7 no-no, I’m sure) on Monday, but need to move things around a bit more.
Purples are coming out in force now! Loving it!
7 Likes
Hey guys!
Thinking which two plants I should start next. Most likely start late January '24.
This will be my third grow ever, and second Octopot grow.
I’m kinda committed to Blue Dream. A friend asked me to grow that particular strain. I tried some in Cali, and liked it. Great taste and a good high. Kinda committed, but always open to suggestions, lol.
As long as Joe gets free weed, he’ll be happy!
All seeds are from ILGM, (love them or lump them). Supposedly his Blue Dream has a bit of CBD in it.
I also have one CBD heavy strain - CBD Kush. LSD has a bit of CBD as well.
This will be my first time germinating seeds and going “Full-term”. This current grow was a cutting straight to Octopot, and prior grow was 5 lil plants given to me and grown in 5 gallon pots.
Here’s the contenders! All seeds are Feminized. Which two might be good grow room partners, and why?
I’ll have to live with these two for several months until the next harvest, so lets hear opinions!
STRAIN-----------------------THC/CBD--------------------INDICA/SATIVA
• Blue Dream----------------21% / 2%?-------------------- 20/80
• California Dream----------24% ----------------------------70/30
• Skywalker OG--------------26% ---------------------------80/20
• Gold Leaf--------------------21% ---------------------------60/40
• CBD Kush-------------------6-9% / 16%? ----------------50/50
• Chemdawg-----------------25% ----------------------------55/45
• LSD--------------------------24% /2-5% --------------------55/45
• Green Crack---------------22% ----------------------------40/60
• Runtz------------------------29% ----------------------------50/50
5 Likes
Current In-tent conditions, courtesy of dual ACI 69 Pros…
Note the difference in Temperature and RH between the two. They have been calibrated, the difference is just between position within tent. One is positioned at the very top of canopy and the other one is several inches below within the canopy.
3 Likes
What is it below canopy in the bare stems?
Would be nice maybe to have all three readings ( top middle bottom ) pior defol then after , to gauge how much leafs equals what humidity , then like how much time it takes for leafs to grow back so same humidity again
love a good experiment , haven’t seen that info anywhere
Seams boring maybe but I love all that stuff , always more to learn another piece of the puzzle
: )
2 Likes
On my prior grow I went a bit nuts with temp and RH. Ive found 3 distinct climates in the tent.
Theres the system above the main canopy to include the light and main fan/exhaust. Very warm and moist. Its a confusing RH area due to the high heat source lamp and moisture rising.
The system below that to include just above canopy to bottom of canopy.
This area is a jumble-fuck. Seriously, pulled out hair on this one.Its difficult to maintain in a small space like my 2x4 tent. Heat wants to rise along with moisture everywhere.Temp and RH variances ±8 deg and 5-8 RH in my completely non-scientific testing.
The system immediately below that is stemmed area and pots etc. Cooler down there. I like to keep a circulating fan going higher speed to move the plants and leaves from below. Its great for moving cool air up through the canopy.
I had around 20 Hygrometers in that tent at one point, lol. It’ll drive some to drink, Im sure. I stopped worrying and put my faith in my dual ACI probes. Ive “Wet-towel” calibrated them, and I’ve entered the offset into the Controller 69 for each.
As for your experiment, Too many variables… Someone with the equipment and skills may have already done something similar, probably not with cannabis. Ever changing RH in a tent environment, difficult if not impossible to track.
2 Likes
Here’s Day 52 in flower…
Starting to look a bit crispy, lol. Shes day 3 of week 8, but havent even finished week 7 nutes. Shes good for another day or two with water/nutes.
I think the next feeding will be her last. Not even 5 gallons. Maybe just a couple more gallons to get to Sunday, then start with just PH’d RO water. Shes definitely drinking slower now.
8 Likes
Here’s current in-tent conditions.
RH average 50%, Temp around 66 Degrees
Lights on at 9am Temp will shoot up, lets see what happens with RH.
Leaves are starting to get crispy. Harvest soon.
Here’s lights off…
Here’s lights on… After lights have been on for a couple of hours at full blast.
Notice the Temp & RH difference from one to another. One probe is placed towards top of canopy while the other is deep within the canopy and off to the side.
Just minutes before a gentle wake-up…
Now, lights on level 1 and ramping to 10 over a set time.
Also, thinking Blackstrap Molasses may not be the best in Octopot, at least at my current dose of 1Tlbs per Gallon. Water is smelling pretty bad now. Almost like poopy water. Noticed it last night.
Due to the Hybid Hydro nature of the Octopot and soil being secondary, the benefits may be lost due to lack of soil interaction.
I may siphon water out tonight and use fresh RO.
I’m wondering if this is why the buds arent “all they can be”. It was a lazy grow, but Im feeling maybe BSM wasnt the best idea this grow.
It really smells bad in that reservoir. Thought maybe Stanlee left a “Present” somewhere inside the house, then realized the smell was from Octopot! lol.
Some work to do this evening, I think.
5 Likes
Very interesting haven’t seen the octo used like this yet. I will say it took me a little adjusting to the less is more idea but once did it starting going a lot better
4 Likes
Been a super positive experience so far. Next grow will be more regimented.
2 Likes
You can’t beat a octopot. Just keep it up you will find what works for ya.
4 Likes