Hello!

[Lowender]

@Greenvein

Also been ph'ing to 5.9-6 so far. ph seems to rise over time in the reservoir. In another forum with lots of octopot growers, they recommended 5.9-6.3, and then let the reservoirs go nearly dry before feeding+watering again. Ph swings I guess are normal as the plants are uptaking the nutes they need when they need it.

 

[Greenvein]

oh you make me maaaad why couldn't you sign up last week eh?? I'm UK and i couldn't find a calmag without nitrogen in it, only in the us but here you are like it's nothing thanks I'll save that one!

Yes sounds like a Coco mix theirs loads of different kinds .
without details potassium bicarbonate can be used to stabilise RO water if you get big PH swings in water/media

 

[Lowender]

oh you make me maaaad why couldn't you sign up last week eh?? I'm UK and i couldn't find a calmag without nitrogen in it, only in the us but here you are like it's nothing thanks I'll save that one!

Yes sounds like a Coco mix theirs loads of different kinds .
without details potassium bicarbonate can be used to stabilise RO water if you get big PH swings in water/media

Lol my bad man! Haha

What brand or type of potassium bicarbonate do you use? I'll order some tonight!

Wanna get ahead of this kind of issue if I can!

I really appreciate the knowledge!

 

[Lowender]

oh you make me maaaad why couldn't you sign up last week eh?? I'm UK and i couldn't find a calmag without nitrogen in it, only in the us but here you are like it's nothing thanks I'll save that one!

Yes sounds like a Coco mix theirs loads of different kinds .
without details potassium bicarbonate can be used to stabilise RO water if you get big PH swings in water/media

So initial research is saying potassium bicarbonate is usually a pH buffer?

 

[Greenvein]

Lol my bad man! Haha

What brand or type of potassium bicarbonate do you use? I'll order some tonight!

Wanna get ahead of this kind of issue if I can!

I really appreciate the knowledge!

What does your RO come out at 0ppm?

It just has to be pure food grade stuff

 

[Greenvein]

So initial research is saying potassium bicarbonate is usually a pH buffer?

It can be used as a pH up yes

 

[Lowender]

What does your RO come out at 0ppm?

It just has to be pure food grade stuff

I got a 4 stage, but am not using the DI filter, so around 10ppms?

Should I be using that di filter?

 

[Greenvein]

I got a 4 stage, but am not using the DI filter, so around 10ppms?

Should I be using that di filter?

I use it but you don't have to use it.. some people buffer by mixing tap water with RO.. you just want to remineralise water to raise alkalinity..

 

[Bill284]

I'd imagine it'd be a little crispy.

Yea.. bad joke.. no really. Really bad joke.

How'd the fire start if I may ask? Understand completely why it'd be a traumatic experience!

I'd love to build a greenhouse, but I also don't have a very large property, and would need to upgrade my panel to run power out to it.

The fire started with a bran new light.
I had it on low.
The driver blew up caught the panda film which helped the wood ceiling catch.
Was quite an ordeal trying to put it out.
But we are safe and I built a completely separate grow facility.
No worries about the house anymore.
My Greenhouse had power for fan's and lights, very handy.
And a water supply I good too.
Good luck my friend.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[Lowender]

The fire started with a bran new light.
I had it on low.
The driver blew up caught the panda film which helped the wood ceiling catch.
Was quite an ordeal trying to put it out.
But we are safe and I built a completely separate grow facility.
No worries about the house anymore.
My Greenhouse had power for fan's and lights, very handy.
And a water supply I good too.
Good luck my friend.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Very glad to hear you were around and able to get it put out!

 

[Lowender]

1st signs of an issue on the chemdog. Nute burn or potassium deficiency maybe?

My diagnosis skills aren't the best.

Any ideas?

The zkittles plant is turning into a beast!

 

[Greenvein]

1st signs of an issue on the chemdog. Nute burn or potassium deficiency maybe?

My diagnosis skills aren't the best.

Any ideas?

The zkittles plant is turning into a beast!

What ppfd are you at the canopy?

Looks like nutrient burn. Its quite easy to over feed feeding from the bottom and hard to tell because you can't check run off. Could pull them out and flush quite easy and check the first load of run off to see where you was at to confirm if you had build up. If so next round you know you can dial it back a bit

 

[Bill284]

Very glad to hear you were around and able to get it put out!

I actually used 2 extinguishers trying to put it out.
All that got me was smoke inhalation and burned.
Couldn't see a thing because of smoke.
Barely made it out.
Fire men had to come in and put it out.
Saved the house and flooded it.
6 days before the sale closed.
All good now.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[CaptainLucky]

Very glad to hear you were around and able to get it put out!

He didn’t get it put out but escaped the fire. His house was a total loss. CL

 

[Lowender]

What ppfd are you at the canopy?

Looks like nutrient burn. Its quite easy to over feed feeding from the bottom and hard to tell because you can't check run off. Could pull them out and flush quite easy and check the first load of run off to see where you was at to confirm if you had build up. If so next round you know you can dial it back a bit

Ppfd is around 600ish, was using the dli calculator on growlightmeter.com

Octopot mentions only watering from the top at planting, but never again. So flushing from the top to runoff may not be possible without messing things up? Not sure on this part. May reach out to Chris (maker of octopots) to see if he has any suggestions.

I'm wondering if the ph of the ro water is going out of whack in the reservoir and is causing some lockout since im still learning about how to buffer ro water?

I'm running nearly the same solution, ph, nutes, etc.. in the zkittles octopot, and she seems really happy.

I did feed heavier 2 feedings ago. Last feed I did dial it back a little. Maybe it's still too much.

I'll take the ph of the octopots today when I get home from work to see where they are at.

If I need to drain and refill the chemdog res, I'm not against it. They are starting to show flowers, and are due up to start bloom nutes at the end of this week.

Appreciate the help!

 

[Lowender]

I actually used 2 extinguishers trying to put it out.
All that got me was smoke inhalation and burned.
Couldn't see a thing because of smoke.
Barely made it out.
Fire men had to come in and put it out.
Saved the house and flooded it.
6 days before the sale closed.
All good now.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Oh man!

 

[Greenvein]

Ppfd is around 600ish, was using the dli calculator on growlightmeter.com

Octopot mentions only watering from the top at planting, but never again. So flushing from the top to runoff may not be possible without messing things up? Not sure on this part. May reach out to Chris (maker of octopots) to see if he has any suggestions.

I'm wondering if the ph of the ro water is going out of whack in the reservoir and is causing some lockout since im still learning about how to buffer ro water?

I'm running nearly the same solution, ph, nutes, etc.. in the zkittles octopot, and she seems really happy.

I did feed heavier 2 feedings ago. Last feed I did dial it back a little. Maybe it's still too much.

I'll take the ph of the octopots today when I get home from work to see where they are at.

If I need to drain and refill the chemdog res, I'm not against it. They are starting to show flowers, and are due up to start bloom nutes at the end of this week.

Appreciate the help!

I just use the photone app it's alot easier then calculators. Not sure how a calculator would be off of dli but might check that out.

Yes could contact them.. so as you bottom feed the salt build up end up higher up in the pot. So if you top feed now you will push the salt down but I'm sure if you get a full flush and reset it would be ok. I'm pretty sure @VetSmoke85 done it before. Also I'm not sure how well amended Coco does with octo pots as I've never used them. I think it's easy to get bad bacteria/fungi using this system but speak with your guy first. I think if I ran it I would use pure Coco and h202 or something to keep it clean as I'll be doing the same on my next Coco run.

When it comes to pH again difficult to check but there are expensive pens out there. Salt build up, low alkalinity water & low calmag can be cause Coco to be out of wack. I just had to soak mine a few times to rebuffer it.

I'm not sure how wet the pots get in that system, if you could switch it of then left the pot to see if water drops out and test that? If not then yeah check the octopots. EC, pH and temp.

 

[Lowender]

I just use the photone app it's alot easier then calculators. Not sure how a calculator would be off of dli but might check that out.

Yes could contact them.. so as you bottom feed the salt build up end up higher up in the pot. So if you top feed now you will push the salt down but I'm sure if you get a full flush and reset it would be ok. I'm pretty sure @VetSmoke85 done it before. Also I'm not sure how well amended Coco does with octo pots as I've never used them. I think it's easy to get bad bacteria/fungi using this system but speak with your guy first. I think if I ran it I would use pure Coco and h202 or something to keep it clean as I'll be doing the same on my next Coco run.

When it comes to pH again difficult to check but there are expensive pens out there. Salt build up, low alkalinity water & low calmag can be cause Coco to be out of wack. I just had to soak mine a few times to rebuffer it.

I'm not sure how wet the pots get in that system, if you could switch it of then left the pot to see if water drops out and test that? If not then yeah check the octopots. EC, pH and temp.

I used the photone app for a bit, but picked up a bluetooth lux meter. There is a 'ppfd app' that uses the lux measurements and converts it to ppfd.

Using a bluelabs ph meter. Seems to work well, I calibrate about every 2 weeks. Don't have an ec pen yet. Do have a tds meter.

Res temps are around 70°-ish F

Using sunshine mix #4. That's not coco, but is also a soiless medium, right? So all feed is happening the the water/reservoir.

It sounds like even if I drained the res, and filled with just ph'ed water, that wouldn't really help since the nute build up is already in the medium, hence flushing would be ideal to get rid of the excess nutes?


Octopots are a passive wicking system, so I can't turn it off. A net cup filled with soil sits in the reservoir (water + feed), which wicks moisture and nutes up into the fabric sleeve. Dry on the very top, and gets moister moving closer to the res.

The plant develops 2 sets of roots. One set in the soil for oxygen and support, and the other drops straight into the res. Like hydro roots. It's like a hybrid of both? Lol..

Their site explains it way better than I can. But I like the concept, and need to be able to set and forget for a few days sometimes.

How Octopots Work!

Octopots sub irrigation grow system feeds, waters and oxygenates plants for a week or more without electricity. No waste. Low inputs. Plants grow two root zones in water and soil. Get bigger, healthier, faster growing plants! Octopots outperform DWC hydr

www.octopot.com

 

[Lowender]

Reading their faq, I see they do say a flush may be done if over fertilization happens. Hmm..

 

[VetSmoke85]

Yes, I tried coco in autopots. Ended up with a load of issues so put them in the shower and flushed the hell out of them with the shower head, then with pH'd water with H2O2 to flush a bit more, then started top feeding and everything went well from there. The autopt trays then just became a little runoff collector for me to drain. I want to try again sometime but I'd add H2O2 regularly and feed a lower ppm. Also add more perlite or clay pebbles to the coco.