Hello all. This is currently my second ever grow. This time around I’m using Octopots. I’m using 5 gallon fabric pots with Sunshine 4 since it’s available at Menards. I added some dry release fertilizer to the media as well. I’ve also started adding Rooted Leaf nutrients to the reservoir. Beyond that, I treat them like every other SIP. I don’t let/want the roots to get over grown I’m the reservoir. At this stage it’s more of an experiment.
I should have flipped sooner. I have limited vertical space. I forsee supercropping in my future.
Not sure if I’ll use the octopots indoor again after this run.
Edited for clarification…
In an ideal world I’d just run Jacks in small pots and drip irrigate.
Yeah…I should clarify. I’m lazy and like not thinking about watering. SIPS are nice, but my grow space is a low ceiling tent in my low ceiling basement. Drip irrigated salts are intriguing. I’d have more head space as the pots would be on small risers. However, responsibly handling the runoff would be a concern. Dumping it down the drain would be irresponsible. I guess I could get more house plants. Thanks for the tips regarding fertilizer and sips.
Im on my 3rd run in octos, and i think this may be something i need to try. I do usually let the res go nearly dry, but hadnt considered that ‘flushing’ could be done from the res instead of topwatering. Past 2 runs i ended up with weird issues that look like a cal deficiency but only gets worse as i try to bump up cal/mag to fix it (learned that mag excess can lock out cal, and vice versa too).
I think flushing could help me out the more i research it. Octos make it… different… since flushing the normal way (top watering), would push the salt laden runoff right into the res and exposed roots. Probably not a good thing either, regardless if i can pump most of it out or not.
Im pretty sure i have a salt build up going on right now, 4-5ish wks in flower. Im starting to see the same symptoms. Leaf tips and edges are starting to turn brown/burnt. Res will be empty at some point today, so i think ill try this tonight at fill time.
When you do a ‘flush’ cycle in flower, do you go a full 6 gals/lvl 3 with plain water, then let that go dry too?
A couple points in your original post caught my attention.
Im not sure if this will hurt you in the long run or not, but the general consesus ive seen in multiple forums is using inert media with additional perlite (Ss 4, promix, coco, etc.), and then give all nutes, feed, etc… through watering (jacks, athena, etc…) is the way to go in octos.
Yea… the point of octos is to encourage the roots to take over the res where they can feed and drink on demand, when they need to.
Growth can be explosive. Topping, lst, and keeping the light intensity high enough in veg and early flower where your plants arent stretching much, and arent burning/stressing, will help to keep the over all height lower.
My first run, plants nearly grew up through my light in a 6.4ft tall tent. Last 2 runs have been huge bushes, and have room to spare in the top of my tent.
I edited my original post to clarify. I’m running Octopots in the same manner as my outdoor earthboxes. Mainly because they’re the same thing. I want the media to wick the water/nutrients. A few roots are fine, I don’t want a ton. Seems to be working fine so far.
Hello and welcome from a different C who is also growing in a basement! I hope you’re able to keep the height manageable and get through the rest of your grow smoothly.
There’s a strong contingent of octopot users around the site, definitely lots of info to be gleaned.
went down the earthbox rabbit hole too, those are awesome!
ive only been growing for a just over a year now, and only in octos. i chose them because i like the hands off nature, and it simplifies watering and feeding into one ‘task’. and, i can go on vacation and not worry about my plants! in veg, i can get up to about 10 days before the res needs to be refilled. mid flower, closer to 6 days.
i do find it difficult to troubleshoot issues sometimes because of the res, and the general understanding of not top watering after planting.
interested to see how your modified octo earth box ruin will go!
im going to try this today. plant is chugging a full res every 6 days right now, so a 1-2 gallon fill should put me back into the weekend for refilling the res.
Let the rest empty and fill it with fresh clean water no nutrient at all let that empty and do it again you just flushed your plants you’re not trying to clean the soil you wanna clean the plant out
That exactly what we do
Octopots are at ther best when you use a substrate which no nutritional value in it and then feed the plant what it needs
Never top feed after the initial transfer
Really trying not to hijack @Cee s thread here! Lol
But… the Paps is here!
Alright, @Papalag . I did a ‘flush’ watering of 2 gals. Im still running RO, so i added 1 ml of cal/mag(.5/gal). I feel like i should have added a little more now that i think about it.
Jacks 321 @ 5%. My goal was to help stabilize the soultion and ph with a little bit of nutes on top of the cal/mag, becaue RO.
Setting PH was still a bitch! 3 drops of GH up or down, and it swung like crazy. Lol… settled on 6.1 ish.
Just to make sure i have this right; let the last 2 gal ‘flush’ go till the res is dry, then do it again?
Im estimating the current flush will be dry.on sunday.
So your putting salts in the res in your EB? Folks are saying octos are best with inert media and salts. Havent heard that about EBs. SIPs and Organic like pbnj.
If hands off is the goal dry nutes + compost + worms requires nothing but water.
All of these of SIPs. I think my responses are confusing people, my bad.
I’m running Sunshine 4 with added MicroLife fertilizer. I’ve been adding Rooted Leaf part A/B to the Octopot reservoirs because the plants started to look hungry.
Outside I just used Promix and whatever “organic” fertilizer I had around. I followed the application rates advised on the EB website and just added water to the EB. It worked well for my peppers, basil, lavender, and rosemary. I don’t think I’d ever add compost or worms to a SIP that I’m running. Though it clearly works for some people.
As I stated before, I have height restrictions and any SIP cuts into my vertical space. Just trying to find ways to maximize my available space. Drip feeding smaller pots on risers is a potential solution that I’ll need to investigate. I guess I could still ru Rooted Leaf through drip lines…though Jacks is cheaper.
