Octopot Adventures: A Community Exploration

[CraZysWeeD]

Hey everybody! Those squidpots looks awesome! I love the idea of self watering pots. I run the Autopot system, took me a while to figure out if to treat this like a soil or hydro grow. I would say hydro for the time being. I wish I had room for a system like that but I think these small (8,5L) treats the plant like its a 10-12L pot. I have airinjection in the bottom of the pots.

This will be very interesting to see... Thx @TurboBucket for the heads up on this!

 

[Smeegol]

I must say this looks very intriguing as a style of growing, please don't mind me while I watch....

 

[SweetSue]

Hey everybody! Those squidpots looks awesome! I love the idea of self watering pots. I run the Autopot system, took me a while to figure out if to treat this like a soil or hydro grow. I would say hydro for the time being. I wish I had room for a system like that but I think these small (8,5L) treats the plant like its a 10-12L pot. I have airinjection in the bottom of the pots.

This will be very interesting to see... Thx @TurboBucket for the heads up on this!

OK, yours is an Autopot system.... I got lost in the conversation trying to get through your journal. Thanks for clarifying that, and welcome to the thread.

You too @Smeegol.

Good to have you both along for the show.

 

[SweetSue]

Th I saw the octopot and fell in love and needed one instantly. However they are made over in Canada and getting one over here in the UK we ago at nearly 100$ so I just made one. . Saved time and money...

I went to see how you built yours, and if it can be done without too much stress I’d appreciate a write-up of your build. It’s doing the same thing, and I’d like to encourage DIY pots.

 

[Smeegol]

I went to see how you built yours, and if it can be done without too much stress I’d appreciate a write-up of your build. It’s doin the same thing, and I’d like to encourage DIY pots.

Evening ms.Sue thanks for the welcome, I was scrolling new journals and the octo title caught my eye. It's a very interesting idea/concept and after catching up here I headed over to @Th34v4t4r garden cause I saw he mentioned a DIY pot so got hooked on his journal for the afternoon, what a fascinating read of trial and tribulations he's having but he's doing amazing I think....

 

[InTheShed]

I never expected a post containing the word "libido" and "nipple" when I woke up this morning, but there it was!

A slurry test won’t be possible with this system, since you won’t ever saturate the medium enough to get a read,

You can do the slurry test with a 1 Tbsp sample of soil from a few inches down and some distilled water in a cup, but as Crazy said I would think you should treat this as hydro and pH to the top of that range (where soil and hydro overlap), as the roots will be down in the res at some point anyway.

 

[CraZysWeeD]

OK, yours is an Autopot system.... I got lost in the conversation trying to get through your journal. Thanks for clarifying that, and welcome to the thread.

I have two plants now running the Autopot system. But I'm working out an idea to use the valves to fill up two larger trays with nutrient mix, bought two Garland trays 2x2 which fit nicely in my 2x4 tent. I will then use 3,6L pots fitted with air injection to accommodate 9 or 16 plants per tray, total 18 or 32 run in perpetual SOG. I don't know if its possible but I will dam find out.

 

[Th34v4t4r]

I went to see how you built yours, and if it can be done without too much stress I’d appreciate a write-up of your build. It’s doing the same thing, and I’d like to encourage DIY pots.

I'll happily do a write up about it... once we have confirmed our first harvest.. but it was simple enough really sweet sue... a little guided cutting and the right pots....

My main anticipated set back was going to be the moisture ridden sleeve... but to date no mould, only salt build ups... thankyou for your kind words smeegle. Trials and tribulations.. kongs fault...

The system had me hooked from the moment I saw it... again I have very slight adaptations to the system.. like dark pots and making the res easier to access. I mean lifting a snapped lid ain't helping anyone round here but it done what it's needed todo and I ain't had to piss about too much with the girls since I started the octopot.. also... there was 2 versions of homemade octodream.... beta0.002 is holding in strong.. I will build a v1.0 in a week or so in turn ready for my new crop and journal...

 

[InTheShed]

@GreenThunder made a similar self-watering pot here:
https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/closet-grow-with-qb.447515/page-7#post-4355796

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Can I start layingfoot notes about using this actual. System it's all good building and everything else but there is a way to use this system effectively.. and it's not as little maintenance as one would hope.

I've just had a look at greenthumb.. boy does that sleeve look tall..

In any case.. early life of the octopot. Keep your res low to encourage roots down and out along the base steering to the sides.. fill your water levels up higher as your roots grow thicker... then when into full bloom you can really start flooding them...

This will build your roots as if you are up potting and rootbounding in soil grows...

Also you feed your p.h and everything as you do hydro. 5.5 range and hydro nutes..

And don't ever top feed unless you are having an emergency flush as this changesbthebroot growth zone into the fabric pot and the is a place of oxygen only lmao...

 

[BrixNewb]

Great advice which mostly mirrors what Octopot suggests, except their pH range recommendation is 6.3-6.7.

 

[Hash Hound]

I wish you well with the octos.
I've used eco grow pots a few times which is basically the same watering principle but a solid pot.
I have had sub par performance in most of the trys. I even drilled holes in one to give it lots of air.
once with brix, three with supersoils, two with regular soil liquid nutes and once with straight perite as a hempy.
They always led to plants yellowing mid flower and it progressed fast.
I might be able to incorporate them in to the eco pots I have by cutting away most of the plastic except a frame for the bags.

I've had a house plant in one for about 5 years that is doing just fine.

eco grow pots 2.jpg

• Hash Hound
• Mar 4, 2019

 

[BrixNewb]

I wish you well with the octos.
I've used eco grow pots a few times which is basically the same watering principle but a solid pot.
I have had sub par performance in most of the trys. I even drilled holes in one to give it lots of air.
once with brix, three with supersoils, two with regular soil liquid nutes and once with straight perite as a hempy.
They always led to plants yellowing mid flower and it progressed fast.
I might be able to incorporate them in to the eco pots I have by cutting away most of the plastic except a frame for the bags.

I've had a house plant in one for about 5 years that is doing just fine.

eco grow pots 2.jpg

• Hash Hound
• Mar 4, 2019

I think the Eco Grow and Octopots have a huge difference, because I know you knock it out of the park and I have a black thumb, yet my first attempt at bottle nutes was with my first attempt at Octopot and I got twice as much bud as my previous record in the kit and 3 times my average. That was with Texas Tomato nutes which are super cheap. I encourage you to take a look through my journal, I have a completed Octopot grow and two more in bloom and we just threw up two in veg. The fun starts here:

Octopot fun starts here!

 

[GreenThunder]

And don't ever top feed

I only top feed until the roots reach the water zone. After that, you'll wash salts into the roots.

except their pH range recommendation is 6.3-6.7.

Doesn't this still depend on the grow medium? I'm using coco with perlite and I use 6.0 for pH.

 

[BrixNewb]

Doesn't this still depend on the grow medium? I'm using coco with perlite and I use 6.0 for pH.

I am not sure, I simply follow the directions supplied with the Octopot which suggests using Sunshine Mix #4 and going with pH of 6.3-6.7. Beyond that I haven't had much experience with pH.

 

[Hash Hound]

How do you flush the Octos Brix?

 

[BrixNewb]

How do you flush the Octos Brix?

There would be a few easy ways that I have thought about so far. The first is a gradual taper where you simply add plain water to the reservoir your last week or two. The second method which I really like is taking a spare Octopot, filling it with plain water and then simply lifting the grow sleeve out of it's home and placing it onto the new Octopot with plain water. Easy peasy!

I assume you could also pump out the Octopot and put plain water, but that seems a bit complicated to me. I have found that the grow sleeve fits nicely on a bucket you can get at Lowes, I believe it's a two gallon bucket, branded by Lowes. I keep one handy to play around in the Octopot without the plant being in the way.

 

[overlord]

There would be a few easy ways that I have thought about so far. The first is a gradual taper where you simply add plain water to the reservoir your last week or two. The second method which I really like is taking a spare Octopot, filling it with plain water and then simply lifting the grow sleeve out of it's home and placing it onto the new Octopot with plain water. Easy peasy!

I assume you could also pump out the Octopot and put plain water, but that seems a bit complicated to me. I have found that the grow sleeve fits nicely on a bucket you can get at Lowes, I believe it's a two gallon bucket, branded by Lowes. I keep one handy to play around in the Octopot without the plant being in the way.

Do you think you can get your photographer to take a picture of that bucket please?

 

[BrixNewb]

 

[BrixNewb]

That's the two gallon, it looks very similar to their five gallon and is generally with the paint supplies I think.