any advise on automated watering?

[SourDog]

i would like to do a soil grow one day but im just nervous about keeping the plants alive and kicking.

hydro seems way easy because you dont have to remember to 'water' your plants at the right time and thats all ive ever done before.

i d like to try my hand at an organic grow, so im just wondering how often and how much i should be watering and if i can automate my watering with a digital 7 day timer (with a pump) and avoid over/underwatering this way.

the pots will ultimately be 1 gallon or maybe 2 gal for flowering. i want to keep the plants small because they will be in a small space (2'x2'x4'tall) and i will only have 2-4 plants.

for lighting, planning on a 250w digital switchable ballast through a vented hood with a fantek with an approximate 115 cfm rating out a Can filter2600.

and ive got some compost that has been prepping for quit some time from garden/kitchen scraps and oak leaves. also ive got a redwiggler factory eating kitchen scraps that i could implement as well. i was thinking about mixing compost with coco media and perlite. does that sound like it will work out?

 

[Guest]

You're moving backward! Most of us go from dirt to hydro....

Watering frequency changes as the plants grow & use more water. It also depends on the pot size, how much water the medium retains, etc.

You can set up a drip system to water the plants using one of the 7 day timers; it might take a bit of experimentation to see how long to run it & how often, but I'd probably start with every other day or every third day for 15 mins or so. This will depend a lot on the throughput of the drippers you use. Make sure you have a tray underneath to catch runoff.

Having never grown dirt organics, I'll let someone more qualified answer those questions.

 

[Guest]

and ive got some compost that has been prepping for quit some time from garden/kitchen scraps and oak leaves. also ive got a redwiggler factory eating kitchen scraps that i could implement as well. i was thinking about mixing compost with coco media and perlite. does that sound like it will work out?

Hi SD... ...I personally do not bring stuff from outdoors into my indoor grow area. IMHO, you're risking the well-being of your plants by possibly introducing unwanted pests like mites, grubs, harmful nematodes etc. Many of which live or over-winter in compost or leaf litter. Compost and leaf mold (especially oak) are like "gold" in outdoor applications though, and nature has unique ways of controlling those pests outside. You could use castings from an indoor worm-farm though if you wanted, but save that other stuff for your outdoor grow next year.

I prefer use a neutral medium like ProMix (your coco/perlite would be good too), and to just use good commercial nutes like Earth Juice or Pure Blend. I find it's easier to control the nute levels in all stages that way. Some very reputable growers prefer to fortify a neutral medium w/ organics like blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, bat and seabird guanos and worm castings, and the plants really love that stuff! The reason I don't do that is because I believe (and I could be wrong) that too much nitrogen remains in the soil during mid-flower...when it's too early to flush. But like so many other growing techniques, it's really just a matter of personal preference.

However,I still strongly advise against using organics from outside in an indoor grow! Just my .

MG

 

[SmokeAndBeKind]

I would recommend flowering in at least 3 gallon buckets if not 5 gallon buckets. 5 gal's are only 12" in diameter and if you are growing 2-4 plants that would be perfect, big healthy roots = big healthy buds

 

[Guest]

I don't know SmokeAndBeKind...
If you use a 5 gal pot in a grow space that's only 2'x2'x4', you would be using about half of the vertical space w/ the pot. He could easily go w/ 3 gal pots....seeing as how he will only be able grow plants 3 ft or less (not including pot height) in that space. 1 gal per foot of plant height works great. Wanna see what you can do w/ 3 gal pots? Check this out!
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16307

Peace, MG