All About Water. Octopot Education:
In our last post we talked about what transpiration is and how water moves through the plant. Next we will take a look at the environmental factors that help create the driving force for water movement out of the plant. Further we will discuss how carbon dioxide absorption and water loss are connected, as well as what factors control the rate of transpiration in our plants. Let's dive in!
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All About Water. Octopot Education:
When talking about plants and water usage, the biggest impact is through plant transpiration. In this first part we'll be describing the strong force that is transpiration and how every plant is virtually a hydrological pump. We will dive into just how much water is lost and what are the plant factors that make up transpiration such as plant stomata, boundary layer, and cuticle. We will also take a look at the science behind how water molecules move through the roots and up through the plant. There's a lot of info here but understanding plant transpiration is crucial to grasping what our plants need in order to grow their best! Your Grow Media. Octopot Education:
The foundation to a successful grow with massive healthy roots, and hence a massive healthy plant, is your grow media. This will be a four-part series on understanding your grow media, the various systems used, and what inputs are available that may work best with your Octopot. But for now let's take a look at the first part of learning about grow media. What is it and why should we care? Deep Dive Into Light. Octopot Education:
Before we dive deep into the domain of light and how it affects plant growth let's take a moment to briefly define what light is. Most people know that plants use light to photosynthesize but light can have much more influence on our plants than photosynthesis alone. Nevertheless, the term most used to describe light is the band of wavelength plants use to photosynthesize called PAR. All About Water. Octopot Education:
We know plants need water for irrigation, but that's not the whole story. Water hosts many important properties for a plant's growth and development. From cell pressure to photosynthesis, water is paramount to the success of your grow. Let's take a look at the basic foundation of water and its importance to your plants! Considering Goals. Octopot Education:
All this focus on goals is simply to encourage you to have a plan; to think ahead. The best teachers should push you to set yourself up for success. Having a set goal in mind will help determine numerous things like: how to set up your grow space, how much space you will need, what kind of lights to use and how many, what kind of climate controls you'll need, how much electricity you might use, and will you require separate grow spaces, just to name a few. So what is it you'd like to achieve with your grow? Do you simply want to grow one plant? Are you looking to grow something the dispensaries don't carry? Perhaps you want to be the only grower in the neighborhood with purple weed? Regardless of your personal goals, having a plan will go a long way in getting you the results you're striving for. Considering Goals. Octopot Education:
As we mentioned in our previous post on sustainability goals, diversity in what you're able to produce from your grow system can help secure your long term success and resiliency. Will your grow system be a net producer or consumer? Without considering sustainability your grow can quickly become an expensive hobby! Adding value and maximizing connections with various elements can ensure your grow isn't merely using up resources. We have seen how markets (including cannabis) can change at the drop of a hat. With other grow systems the question arises, "How easily can you switch over to growing other products if need be?" Diversification and the ability to pivot is a smart way to cultivate resiliency. Octopot grow systems promote connections to numerous elements that may integrate with your life. Also it is important to consider the benefits these various elements present as you imagine the bigger picture around your goals. The value-add components of whatever you choose to grow in your Octopots can help keep you in abundant production. Considering Goals. Octopot Education:
So what if you already know you want to grow your own food, herbs, or medicine, but sustainability and ecological impact on the earth is an important consideration? Care of the earth, care of people, and managing excess are excellent ethical goals to consider even for your grow. In order for a system to be sustainable it needs to have connections to at least a few different elements in the larger picture. Your grow system shouldn't be just a, "one trick pony." Octopots don't require electricity to operate and hence use less energy. They are reusable. The dual root zone hybrid system also uses less water overall. There's no irrigation runoff and thus a net reduction in the use of grow inputs (nutrients) and less pollution for the planet compared to other grow systems. In addition to greater water conservation, growing in Octopots lends to greater connectivity with other diverse elements such as food resiliency. Growing your own food with Octopots can provide better quality nutrient dense food along with the knowledge that zero food miles are attached to the food you eat. Whatever your goals, be they local healthy food, less energy inputs, or conservation of your time and the resources of the planet, rest assured Octopots align with your ecological and sustainability values. Considering Goals. Octopot Education:
One goal for growing may be commercial cultivation. Entrepreneurial pursuits are often challenging but when done right a commercial cannabis business can be lucrative. There are many moving parts and hurdles to commercial cultivation from zoning & regulations to compliance & SOP's. One component to consider to ensure your revenue goals is preparing your facility. The design and preparation of a facility should be a lean and replicable endeavor. A driving force should be to keep variables constant and reduce costs. Utilizing Octopots can help streamline SOP's and workflow. The passive, gravity fed, automated watering helps to reduce energy costs, labor costs, and is a simple system to train all team members on. Octopots are also a durable technology that adapts to various spaces, grow requirements, and nutrient regiments allowing cultivators to move with consumer trends, diversify to satisfy markets, or even pivot toward other industries. Whatever your commercial goals, utilizing a simple system, targeting growth by cost cutting, and reducing waste will work toward maximizing your business potential. |