Th34v4t4r's D.I.Y. Octopot Shananingans

[notechvapor]

I was going to buy one of those $20 amazon meters, but i figured it was a cheap import. I use GH PH UP down and their test solution. I am getting low on the testing bottle and i read you can use 1/2 a red cabbage to test you ph. Boil the cabbage in a cup of water. Use a dropper bottle to put 3 drops in about a 5ml bottle of your water.

I was like oh tank god, because the buying stuff is getting old lol.

When my ph test is orange i know its too acidic for a soil grow. Since my ferts are premixed in the 1/2 gal jar it's easy to test. Do my ppm same time. For regular watering, i was using purified water, but that got old by week 3. Now i just fill a gal jug of tap water that has been run through our British Berkfeld Big Berky. Clean as a whistle and PH is right. Have that gal water ready to go in the tent.

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Yh at my previous place the tap water was spot on for my plants. . Turns out here it's not.. fucking council estates

I read about the cabbage but it seemed like too much fucking around to be fair. There was also a way to do it with baking soda and vinegar. If it fizzles or dont fizzle. I'll just wait a few days then go again with that meter...

 

[Dutchman1990]

I wanna toss my 2cents in this mix and I hope it makes sense and comes out ok!

I think your trying to mess with to many things at once. Finding a simple usable medium is a good starting point. Learning how to feed/water and work with that medium is the next step.

I think PH and your roots are the problem here as mentioned. If your water pH is 5.5 I would be concerned that’s to low. Here is a nutrient chart for what nuteients are taken up best by plants at certain pH ranges.

When I water I range my ph from 5.8-6.3 and I’m running PromixHP and AN Nutes. When giving the mixed range of pH your plants are able to take nutrients easier in that range. If your staying at 5.5 your starving your plants of the other nutrients uptakes at higher ph ranges. This is also a problem for certain nutrients locking out other nutrients when there is an excess or lack of.

I hope this doesn’t upset you! I just feel starting simple is the best rule of thumb!

K.I.S.S. Method is what I followed from the start and as I’m learning I’m slowly adapting my methods to improve the grow and the environment!

 

[notechvapor]

Ps that GH PH up/Down is super concentrated!! Oh holy shit after you've added say Ph up and now it's jacked up the other way, you can't add the opposite ph to correct it.
rather than use that for a gal at a time of nutes, i just dip the tip of a butter knife into a box of baking soda and add that to the acidic water. Brings is exactly where i need it to be.
I'm going to try the red cabbage test solution when i run out of the Gh one.

 

[Th34v4t4r]

@Dutchman1990 I only watered at 5.5 because when I had my ph meter and water at 6.0 the run off was still 7.0... I had to water at 5.2 to bring it the run off to 6.6-6.7ph...

I'm feeling that it has risen again as some more yellowing has happened. So I just gave a very light feed of my res water... because I don't have anything to check a correct p.h.... I kmow my res water is lower then my tap water. So felt safer to use that, instead of tsp water that could make it raise further... if that makes sense..

 

[notechvapor]

Your scrog looks good. i am not going to scrog mine until they are a foot or too so the net doesn't
drag them as they grow.

get them all ripping and then worry about training. i have topped and tried lst, but it's too soon. Like you said, nothing to grab.

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Also I shall add some tap water to the res to bring the p.h up a little bit in there. I got do too much as I don't know how far I'm bring it up..

 

[Dutchman1990]

@Dutchman1990 I only watered at 5.5 because when I had my ph meter and water at 6.0 the run off was still 7.0... I had to water at 5.2 to bring it the run off to 6.6-6.7ph...

I'm feeling that it has risen again as some more yellowing has happened. So I just gave a very light feed of my res water... because I don't have anything to check a correct p.h.... I kmow my res water is lower then my tap water. So felt safer to use that, instead of tsp water that could make it raise further... if that makes sense..

Makes sense! I’m sure we can figure this out! I’ll do some digging and see what If I can think of anything further!

 

[Th34v4t4r]

@Dutchman1990 Like I say for now I'm going to take action on things I can... less water and only round the edges.. room environment and light stress(which I don't think it is) ... p.h... ill bring up.. cause maybe i am a bit low for the nitrogen and thats why the octopot maybe hasnt shot through the roof yet!?!?

 

[Dutchman1990]

Yea I agree I don’t think it’s your environment or light stress I definitely think it’s PH related. We will get it sorted!

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Yea I agree I don’t think it’s your environment or light stress I definitely think it’s PH related. We will get it sorted!

Right well not to be a dick head but I've just taken 3ls out the res and added 6ls of fresh untouched water. So ive diluted 15l of 5.5ph with 6l of 7+ph lmao. That shoild tweak it up.. hopefully not to much. That's the easiest part to address..

 

[Dutchman1990]

I would give them a day or 2 now and see how they respond!

 

[Th34v4t4r]

I have to regardless as I have no way of measuring anything. It's literally just a case of suck it and see..

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Well @Dutchman1990 I think upping the p.h has helped.. I've just looked in on the oc5o pot and the roots have grown an Inch over night. Not just that they have laid across the top of the water, instead of poking in thier heads... it looks like they have found home and put thier feet

 

[Dutchman1990]

Well @Dutchman1990 I think upping the p.h has helped.. I've just looked in on the oc5o pot and the roots have grown an Inch over night. Not just that they have laid across the top of the water, instead of poking in thier heads... it looks like they have found home and put thier feet

Awesome news pal! I’m glad bringing the ph up has helped and them roots are on the move!

Looking good!

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Awesome news pal! I’m glad bringing the ph up has helped and them roots are on the move!

Looking good!

Th I think it has. Before they were drooping into the water.. today they are living there. But it's got very smelly and fusty in there.. the dust I was expecting but not the smell.

I'm wondering if @GanjaPreneur420 Can throw any light on how his res smells.. I'm not expecting roses but I'm not expecting poignant knockouts when I lift the lid lmao...

The sleeve is still wet as fuck as well. Half way up now... So I can only assume my sleeve size is too narrow and short... So the bigger pots will be the answer and I'll repot into coco. I don't know if turning the lights down have helped but the room.is certainly much cooler. At night when lights out it's 22° and 26max with lights on.

 

[GanjaPreneur420]

Th I think it has. Before they were drooping into the water.. today they are living there. But it's got very smelly and fusty in there.. the dust I was expecting but not the smell.

I'm wondering if @GanjaPreneur420 Can throw any light on how his res smells.. I'm not expecting roses but I'm not expecting poignant knockouts when I lift the lid lmao...

The sleeve is still wet as fuck as well. Half way up now... So I can only assume my sleeve size is too narrow and short... So the bigger pots will be the answer and I'll repot into coco. I don't know if turning the lights down have helped but the room.is certainly much cooler. At night when lights out it's 22° and 26max with lights on.

After taking a big whiff I ca honestly say it smells just a bit like the nutrients. I think because my plants are drinking so fast it doesn't allow the same water to remain in the reservoir for very long. But that is only a guess.

 

[Th34v4t4r]

Hmmm I'm wondering if I'm getting light exposure to my res, I've not looked in there yet today, I will soon. There's definatly a smell.. when I repot the others I'll change the res water completely.. see ofnthe smell comes back

 

[StoneOtter]

Hmmm I'm wondering if I'm getting light exposure to my res, I've not looked in there yet today, I will soon. There's definatly a smell.. when I repot the others I'll change the res water completely.. see ofnthe smell comes back

PW uses a product called z7 I think. It's an enzyme that eats certain organic things. Do you use anything like that? Also Rez temp. What do you know about that?

 

[Dutchman1990]

PW uses a product called z7 I think. It's an enzyme that eats certain organic things. Do you use anything like that? Also Rez temp. What do you know about that?

I don’t m ow much about hydro but z7 or hydrogaurd is a must from my understanding!

70-72’F is optimal for Oxygen rich water but also right on the boarder of bacterial growth and fungus. Using an enzyme cleaner like z7 or hydrogaurd will help stabilize and maintain a healthy root zone in the hydro pots!

If I’m wrong I hope a hydro guy will yell at me lol! But from my understanding this is accurate! Lol