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Any Give An Octopot A Try?


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The majority of my grow experience is w/ hydro/aeroponics, but recently changed to dirt since I was tired of dealing with constant ph and reservoir temp issues.  My experience raises two questions....

 

One, ph.   I noticed that you said you had not noticed any ph fluctuations. Not sure if this was in the octopot or your water supply.  Seems it should drift as water is consumed.  

 

Two, changing of solution, adding water.   Do you change the solution or just add and if you just add, do you add plain water or solution.  

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octopot can be used in hydro or dirt. so you're kind of asking if it can be hydro or dirt.

 

when dirt growing in octopot, i think the guy said you just water it, and it has a water indicator when to water it again. just fertilize it when you water it again i suppose.

 

to your ph question, well.. use organics and not worry about ph anymore . hah!

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octopot can be used in hydro or dirt. so you're kind of asking if it can be hydro or dirt.

 

when dirt growing in octopot, i think the guy said you just water it, and it has a water indicator when to water it again. just fertilize it when you water it again i suppose.

 

to your ph question, well.. use organics and not worry about ph anymore . hah!

 

Ok, I think I am getting it.  The system is kind of a bottom watering thing where instead of a pan/tray you have the reservoir and the soil is watered via a wick from the reservoir.  

 

Do the roots grow out of the pot and into the reservoir?

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no vids here, sorry.

 

I pondered the oxygen points earlier in the thread, and is the reason I wanted to try this wick system.

I'll chuck an air stone in the res the very moment I sense an issue for sure, but the manufacturer says not necessary, so ....

 

anyone ever put a cutting in a cup of water and watch the roots flourish? 

 

I think the addition of fresh water every few days is sufficient for now, as the oxygenated water is consumed/evaporated before it goes anaerobic. I sense zero anaerobic activity so far. I'm guessing when she's four feet tall the water will need replenishing more often. Felt grow bags use more water in my experience than a plastic container so maybe the frequent changes will suffice?  or, I'll add a stone, report manufacturer failure, and prolly still get more. Maybe I'll change up the wicking part with a mod or two, so a cup of soil doesn't hang in the water,  but a wick rope instead. 50 days to see!

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fluffy from manu website;

 

 

What About Stagnant Water?

Using Octopots as directed will not cause root rot or stagnant water. Octopot’s create an environment for aerobic respiration and evaporative cooling that eliminate conditions that cause root rot and stagnant water. Grower error such as accidental over fertilization or dehydration can damage roots. Damaged roots can decay and cause stagnant water. To recover from root damage, simply empty the Hydro Reservoir, remove dead roots and flush the soil before refilling. Roots inside Octopot’s Gro SleeveTM remain alive for an extended period of time even if roots fail inside the Hydro Reservoir. In many cases, the living roots inside the Gro SleeveTM will send down new roots to the Hydro Reservoir and continue growing.

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no measuring, but I can see the physical differences in sag/bend and in the trim I've removed. The stalks of the cuttings are "snappy" rather than "bendy". No idea if this is good, or bad, or neither. like I said, I took one for the team here, to see if the claims are real. I've no connection to them or their business. If the thing sucks I'll be the first one here to say so! It's awfully convenient and ergonomic, more so than the other wick systems I've used. so far, soooo good.

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I originally thought the bottom portion of the unit was molded together.

 

I honestly don't see where these are anything other than someone else trying

to turn a profit, taking an old idea and 'improving' it then patenting it :hair:

 

What do I know though, I am no master grower.

Youtube + common sense = ^^^^ That's where I'm at with these. 

 

I think you need a promotion to Master (of common sense) Grower. 

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You know Resto, I get that you're upset that you're more often than not ignored and that's got your tots in a twist, but you really could do with not being a total nutsack to folk just because they don't agree with the holy word of Restorium right off of the rip. But hey, that's none of my business. =)

 

Back to the important thing here though, I'm happy that grass decided to give us his own review of them instead of relying on what the internet had to say about things all of the time, you know, because experience comes from playing with google and youtube.  :yahoo-wave:

Edited by AbominableDro-Man
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You know Resto, I get that you're upset that you're more often than not ignored and that's got your tots in a twist, but you really could do with not being a total nutsack to folk just because they don't agree with the holy word of Restorium right off of the rip. But hey, that's none of my business. =)

 

Back to the important thing here though, I'm happy that grass decided to give us his own review of them instead of relying on what the internet had to say about things all of the time, you know, because experience comes from playing with google and youtube.  :yahoo-wave:

Did you look on Youtube? They cover it pretty good. Worth a look. 

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Like a mood ring entering the garden daily taps me into the mood of my occupants. Not just color, smell, stamina, but more like a finger on the pulse. My Octopot is situated on the floor next to some others of the same strain and age. I'll reluctantly report today that I believe the octo plant to be the happiest of all in the vicinity, and as happy or the happiest of the whole garden. Enough for me to rethink bottom watering. I removed the grow bag today from the res and pretty white fishbone roots are definitely hanging in the water thriving. The top of the soil right down to as far as I could poke is pleasantly fluffy moist, loose even. The water in the res and the bag, soil in the bottom smell like water and dirt. Its using about five gallons of water per week. The soil was fertilized organically and will get some more in a few days, for the last feeding. The leaves are prickly, and the flowers are bright white and erect.

I hate to think I want more of these, but (say it isn't so?) I think I do. I'll wait the remaining 40 days or so most likely, but these may be the answer, plug n play rtu right out of the box. If this plant finishes correctly I'll immediately get another one going, but add a bubbler in the res for comparison. I think it only gets better.

I counted over 20 tomato flowers and 6 strawberry flowers today !  woohooo!  legal strawberries and tomatoes grown indoors!!!! :geek:

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I saw two courting fungus gnats in the garden today, in one pot, the Octopot !.. weird too, its the "driest" surface of them all. whatever. its not the fault of the octo, I water daily sometimes and rarely see these buggers. Two squirts of neem/hemp/peppermint soap on the surface of the soil, a quick stir with a stick, another spritz, the end.

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no more gnats. I'm picking up more Octo's soon. I've built wick systems and suffered the obvious issues, which have been avoided using this simple device. I'll bite the bullet and spring for the 75 bucks, avoid trial and error, plastic drilling, root rot, learning curve.

 

I'm wondering if some of the success is BECAUSE of the felt bag, its oxygen exchange ability, opposed to a hard shell plant pot/bucket ? I didn't like the felt bags personally when I used them, but will admit the growing advantages within the pot.

The soil is dry about an inch from the top full time. I jammed a pvc pipe down the side and sampled a tube of dirt to the bottom. the dirt all the way up the column was equally wet. The dirt in the little basket cup in the res is wet of course, but the dirt up the pot keeps a steady moisture countent from day to day. Its not wet at all, and would even inspire me to water normally, but it's earthy dampish/cool. the soil will barely clump together.

 

I believe more success comes from this type of watering because of the foraging the plant does, as opposed to getting a splash of nutrient rich water often from the top down. The fertilizer lasts much longer in the soil breaking down slower, yet still available full time in the soil. The plant is stinking and thriving, a darker green than the controls. Water use may be less than controls. Height is unchanged, but growth pattern is noticeably different, like a topped four cola trainee. She is in full flower production as are the control plants.

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