Mephisto: Sour St.xForum St. (Octopot)

Thanks for checking out my trial run growing in an Octopot. I'm a lazy grower, but I'm also interested in higher yields for some of my favorite plants. So I'm experimenting with a Mephisto freebie bean from the 11/8 store opening: Sour Stomper x Forum Stomper. Watered over the top with .5 gallons, which included a starter dose of Voodoo Juice and Mammoth P. Added the same mix to the 3-gallon reservoir, up to level 3 on the float. (This took place 24 hours before planting, and the lights were run to warm up the soil.) Seed soaked for 24 hours starting on 11/24. Planted directly into soil on 11/25. Emerged on 11/29. (NGL, I was planning to start soaking a new seed, but the first pulled through!) 👉🏽Day 1 (11/29): Seedling emerged about 84 hours after soaked seed planted. Steady growth with no apparent stretching. 👉🏽Day 2 (11/30): Added 1 gallon to reservoir, which made the float rise to above the second line. 👉🏽Day 3 (12/1): Steady growth and receiving a slight breeze to thicken the stalk. 👉🏽Day 7 (12/5): Added 1 gallon to reservoir, with addition of Orca. Next reservoir fill: if on or after Day 10, will start normal feedings: Sensi Bloom A&B (.95 ml/gal), CalMag (1.9 ml/gal), Voodoo Juice, Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

The first week using the Octopot was a breeze. I've read that the first week or two of growth can be pretty rough as the roots keep seeking the water, but she's moving along just like my past soil grows. It'll be interesting to see if this growing method delays flowering as some have said. . . . 👉🏽Day 8 (12/6): Added a gallon to the reservoir on Day 7, and everything is steady. 👉🏽Day 13 (12/11): First feeding with nutrients. Added a gallon of water with the addition of CalMag and Sensi Bloom A&B--both at a low dose (.95 ml/gal). Level indicator was just below one line, and is now at about 2.5. If she responds well, I'll add another gallon on Day 14 or Day 15 to top off the reservoir. 👉🏽Day 14 (12/12): Responding pretty well to the first feeding, and I've dialed back the lights to 20/4. (I'll move it down to 18/6 later in few days.) Some root ends have poked through the grow bag, and the roots are strong in the lower 1/3 of the bag. Pretty exciting! Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (.95 ml/gal or higher, depending on reaction), CalMag (1.9 ml/gal), Voodoo Juice, Mammoth P, and Orca. Discontinue Voodoo Juice: Around Day 20. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Two weeks completed in this Octopot grow, and it's definitely saved some time. Coming from over-the-top watered soil grows, it's tough dealing with delayed feedback from the plant. (This system's soil wicks the water to the roots, so there's a kind of time-lag in effects.) Other than that, the stalk is thickening up, and the nodes keep coming. . . . 👉🏽Day 15 (12/13): Second day of 20/4 lighting, and I'll reduce it down to 18/6 on Day 16. Planning to top off the reservoir with a larger dose of Sensi Bloom A&B and CalMag on Day 16 or 17 as well, as long as everything is steady. 👉🏽Day 16 (12/14): Reduced the lights to 18/6 and all's well. 👉🏽Day 18 (12/16): Topped reservoir off to third line. Increased Sensi Bloom A&B, CalMag, and Voodoo Juice to 1.9 ml/gal. This will be the last application of Voodoo Juice until around Day 30. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (1.9 ml/gal), CalMag (1.9 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Discontinue Voodoo Juice: Around Day 20. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Three weeks into the grow, and everything has been pretty low-key. Pre-flower began on Day 22, and I'll be out of town for the next five days. I'm hoping for a nice, even structure, since there won't be any opportunities to LST until the start of next week! I wasn't expecting to do this grow, but it seemed like a good time to experiment with the Octopot to see if the three-gallon reservoir can keep things happy for an extended period. . . . 👉🏽Day 22 (12/20): Grew just short of 2" in 4 days, and pre-flower began today. I've been leaf-tucking since around day 17. 👉🏽Day 23 (12/21): Filled the reservoir to the max level and did some more leaf-tucking. Grew 1" overnight, and it looks like the stretch has begun. Leaving town today, returning on Day 28. I set up a webcam to check in--doting parent!--and am crossing my fingers. . . . Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (1.9 ml/gal), CalMag (1.9 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Most of Week 4 was unattended growth, since I was out of town for 5 days. Found some long, healthy roots in the reservoir, along with some springtails; hopefully, they cleared up any dying roots from the reservoir almost being empty. The springtails seem to have died after a refill. Really impressed with how even the canopy is, since there's been no LST and only some leaf tucking. (Seems similar to the official Forum Stomper and Sour Stomper strain descriptions since the primary cola is pretty even with the others and the overall plant size will probably be medium). Still stretching and will be adding Big Bud and Voodoo Juice this week. 👉🏽Day 28 (12/26): Filled the reservoir to the max level and did some more leaf-tucking. Removed some lower and inward-facing flowering sites. 👉🏽Day 32 (12/30): Accidentally overfilled the reservoir--it was bound to happen eventually!--but all is good. Next time, I'll wait until the float gets to level 1 before filling up to level 2. Added the first dose of Big Bud, as well as another treatment with Voodoo Juice (ending around Day 40). Did some minor LST on Day 31 in order to expose more bud sites; there are 11 sites exposed pretty well, and the canopy is staying level. Removed lower bud sites on all stems and some of the larger fan leaves that weren't getting much light and deteriorating. Will remove inward-facing leaves soon. 👉🏽Day 34 (1/1): Happy New Year! All's good. Showing about 1" growth per day since Day 32. Healthy and happy, with more roots than ever peeking out of the bottom of the pot. Looking to notch up the Big Bud dosage for the next refill. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2 ml/gal), CalMag (2 ml/gal), Big Bud (2 ml/gal), Voodoo Juice (1 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 5 was fantastic, with a good amount stretching and development of flowering sites. Since I was out of town during Week 4, I just performed some minor LST and defoliation over the past few days. The canopy is pretty even, and I'm hoping the minor training helps out with maximizing the light/space in the tent. As flowering progresses, I'll be experimenting with light intensity a bit more; right now, things are at a sweet spot for early flowering. I won't be pushing the limits with nutrient levels, since this is an experimental run to see if the Octopot is a long-term solution to my laziness! 👉🏽Day 36 (1/3): Only grew about .5" yesterday, so hoping the stretch is slowing down. Nothing major to report. Will be adding a gallon to the reservoir after the lights come on this evening (dark period is from 2-8 p.m.). 👉🏽Day 39 (1/6): Moving on to the schedule for Days 40-45 today, adding Carboload and removing Big Bud to today's reservoir top-off. I've just been defoliating the lowers lately, and the new growth needs a bigger dose of base nutrients. The first trichomes appeared on Day 38. It's starting to smell like ripening garbage--would love for this one to be stinky! 👉🏽Day 41 (1/8): Topped off the reservoir to the third line. (There's still a healthy springtail population in there enjoying life.) Responded well to increase base nutrient dosage, and I may start the Day 45 feeding schedule--adding Overdrive--on the next top-off since it seems to be hungry for phosphorous. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2.8 ml/gal), CalMag (2 ml/gal), Carboload (3.8 ml/gal), Overdrive (1 or 2 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 6 started strong, but some K and P (and perhaps Mg?) deficiencies appeared in a few leaves on the main cola and one stem. I also noticed a small amount of lightening on the leaf tips as well and decided to back off the base nutrients, since the Day 44 reservoir top off was scheduled to include the first dose of Overdrive. Overall, the stretch has been over since about Day 40, and the bud site development is fun to watch. The tent still smells like ripening trash, but the trichomes have a faint grape soda smell. (I'm interested to see if it'll have the GSC nastiness!) 👉🏽Day 44 (1/11): Topped off the reservoir to the third line near the end of the light cycle (around 10:30 a.m.). Removed some of the leaves affected by the K, P, and Mg deficiencies. Trying to keep the defoliation to a minimum, since the structure of the plant is pretty open and spare. Decreased base nutrients to 2 ml/gal, increased CalMag to 2.84 ml/gal, and added the first dose of Overdrive at 2 ml/gal. 👉🏽Day 46 (1/13): Another reservoir top-off to the third line. I think the deficiencies are more under control, especially with the higher levels of K, P, and Mg in the feed. There's only been one necrotic leaf that I've had to remove, and I'll let the other affected leaves keep on going until they become a problem. Thankfully, the new leaf growth from the buds is healthy! Will probably keep the nutrient levels the same for the next top-off, since there area few burned tips on the older leaves. 👉🏽Day 48 (1/15): Reservoir top-off, with some defoliation. Lowered the CalMag to 2 ml/gal. I think it's a good sign that it's drinking faster despite all of the leaf damage. Though for a minute about chopping and starting a run of four plants in fabric pots, but I think the next week will tell me. It looks like the new leaf growth is definitely stress-related, but that may be just enough to complete this grow. Here's hoping! Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2 ml/gal), CalMag (2.84 ml/gal), Carboload (3.8 ml/gal), Overdrive (2 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 7 was a roller coaster of a week, with deficiencies emerging during the transition from Big Bud to Overdrive. (Next time, I would be more aggressive with Big Bud, because this plant needs a lot of phosphorous during early to mid-flower.) Increasing the CalMag was probably not the right decision, either. If you're always growing different strains without much repeating, there's going to be more guessing and less time to adjust the nutrient levels because of the wicking system. (Flushing is always a possibility. . . . ) This plant looks like it'll need 10-12 weeks, so I think we'll find out if it'll make it during Week 8. 👉🏽Day 50 (1/17): Increased the light intensity to one notch above 50%, and there's a good response. Removed about 12 50/50 leaves over the past two days, and everything is more steady.Running the water level at three lines is probably causing the springtail population to grow faster, and I'll try lowering the water level over the next week to manage it. I also removed the cover for the filling hole to get more oxygen in the reservoir. The plant's holding on, and I think the odds are 60/40. 👉🏽Day 51 (1/18): Doing well and riding the leaves out. Haven't had to defoliate as much lately, and things seem pretty stable. Added the same nutrient levels to today's early-light-cycle reservoir top-off. 👉🏽Day 55 (1/22): Top-off time. Everything's steady, with only a few leaves needing to be removed. The buds are starting to swell, so I'll be riding this one out to see what kind of yield comes out of it. Optimistic. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2 ml/gal), CalMag (2 ml/gal), Carboload (3.8 ml/gal), Overdrive (2 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 8 was pretty steady, and the nutrient levels and leaves stabilized. I made the decision at the end of the week to let things ride, and I'm glad I did. There won't be the biggest yield, but the plant is a frost factory. I've never tried Sour Stomper, but she's such a favorite that I don't want to miss out! (If it's as good as people say, I may include it--not this cross--in the next run, alongside Canna Cheese 1:1 and two Dark Owls (Bruce Banner #3 and Marathon OG)). 👉🏽Day 59 (1/26): Top-off day. Removed a few more 50/50 leaves, and I'm enjoying this stage of the grow. There are some things that have seemed to help/stabilize the plant, like removing the watering hole cover and only refilling to the third buoy line (waiting until it drops to almost the first line before top-off). The phosphorous deficiency, I think, happened at the same time that the reservoir water was oxygen-starved. If I use an Octopot again--probably will, with a strain I know well--I'll be less aggressive with top-offs and CalMag, for sure! Trichomes at about 10-15% cloudy, so a week or two more. . . . 👉🏽Day 61 (1/28): Another top-off near the beginning of the light cycle (11 p.m.), and the plant is thirsty! The buds are still swelling, so the trichomes are, on average, still about 10-15% cloudy. Really proud of this plant; so far, there are no signs of any seeds developing despite the stress, and the remaining leaves are providing enough energy for bud growth. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2 ml/gal), CalMag (.95 ml/gal), Carboload (3.8 ml/gal), Overdrive (2 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 9 was pretty exciting, with an increased water uptake and steady (if not slow) bud growth/ripening. The trichomes are around 15-20% cloudy, so there's still some at least 10-14 days left before harvest. No signs of stress beyond the phosphorous problem from a few weeks ago, and scaling back the CalMag dosage seems to have helped with some nutrient absorbtion/utilization. I'll be checking the trichomes daily from here on out. I did try out a tester nug during Week 9 and experienced the euphoric effects that people associate with Sour Stomper, but there didn't seem to be much from the GSC side of things. I'm hoping to harvest a bit early (75-80% cloudy) to prevent any narcotic effect, and I was really impressed with the plant's potential after the small sample. 👉🏽Day 64 (1/31): Another top-off near the beginning of the light cycle (11:30 p.m.). It seems like the water uptake is slowing down a bit. Had a larger than expected defoliation session, removing about eight leaves. The plant responded well. . . . 👉🏽Day 68(2/4): The now-regular three days before reservoir top-off has grown to four days, and I'm hoping the plant is rounding the corner and poised to finish soon--already anxious to begin the next run! Seems like the bud growth has slowed a bit. Smelling more like grape soda with a little fuel in the background. Next reservoir fill: Sensi Bloom A&B (2 ml/gal), CalMag (.95 ml/gal), Carboload (3.8 ml/gal), Overdrive (2 ml/gal), Mammoth P, and Orca. Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Week 10 was steady, though I got a bit frustrated at the lack of trichome development. I put this in the Day 72 update below, but dropping the light intensity has increased the cloudiness of the trichomes. I won't use the UVB light with this grow since there was significant leaf damage during earlier weeks. I've never grown a frostier plant, and I'm looking forward to trying the tester nug I cut off on Day 75. . . . 👉🏽Day 72 (2/8): Topped off the reservoir after four days, and I'll be keeping the water at level 1 on the float for the remainder of the run. After noticing some new stigma growing--pretty common with my growing habits at the end of the flowering stage--I decided to drop the lights to one notch below 50% on the dial, with pretty exciting results. The amount of cloudy trichomes increased from 15-20% cloudy to 40% cloudy over about 60 hours. Here's hoping the harvest happens soon! 👉🏽Day 77 (2/13): Added ph'd water to about 1.25 on the float and have decided to harvest on Day 78. The tester bud was excellent--totally euphoric and motivating. 👻 👉🏽Day 78 (2/14): Harvested and wet-trimmed, with a wet weight of 131 grams. Hopefully, there will be an ounce when dried. Placed the bud in the HerbsNow dryer. Will post the harvest page and reviews once everything dries in around 96 hours (around 2/18 or so). Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿

Really happy about getting more than an oz. from this grow, and I had my typical issues with GSC crosses! The bud is top-shelf: medium density and extremely frosty. Trimming was a breeze--took about 45 minutes for the wet trim. I probably spend more time cleaning the scissor hash off than trimming! I'll only use the Octopot with familiar strains in the future. So, it fails the lazy grower test! But I can imagine some previous experience with strains would allow for quicker nutrient level corrections. If you have any Sour Stomper (or Sour Stomper crosses), grow them! You won't be disappointed. . . . Thanks for dropping by! 🖖🏽🌿