bongman1221
New member
hi I have a small 200 watt soil grow and I want to find an automatic plant watering system that wont drown pot plants, won’t need a tap and can run for a month, anyone got any ideas I cant fond anything
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automatic plant watering system
- Thread starter bongman1221
- Start date
G
Guest
I'm about to convert my mother room which is at another location to a wick system.
Place plants on a plank above a shallow rezzy with a certain type of nylon rope as wicks. They will draw only what the plant uses mostly. I then can come around once and a while to check on them and to take clones.
I've been bouncing this idea around for months now but saw it in Skunk magazine last week and it pretty much made my mind up.
I believe you can just use 5/8" inch fine braided nylon rope. The kind you can fray really fine(color white). One out of each hole of the pot and let sit in the rezzy.
Obviously you are needing less of a wick but try it out.
Place plants on a plank above a shallow rezzy with a certain type of nylon rope as wicks. They will draw only what the plant uses mostly. I then can come around once and a while to check on them and to take clones.
I've been bouncing this idea around for months now but saw it in Skunk magazine last week and it pretty much made my mind up.
I believe you can just use 5/8" inch fine braided nylon rope. The kind you can fray really fine(color white). One out of each hole of the pot and let sit in the rezzy.
Obviously you are needing less of a wick but try it out.
pumpkin2006
Member
Drip system = Digital timer, pump, tubbing, and a res with enough water.
Thing that you haven't thought about = plants need different amounts of water at different times in their life cycle.
If you use a quick drying medium, run hydroponic nutrients like Flova Nova bloom at 8ml a gallon and cycle the water and recirculate it back into your res you could probably get away with not checking it for a week at a time. Also, you'll want to have a a float valve to top off the water.
Thing that you haven't thought about = plants need different amounts of water at different times in their life cycle.
If you use a quick drying medium, run hydroponic nutrients like Flova Nova bloom at 8ml a gallon and cycle the water and recirculate it back into your res you could probably get away with not checking it for a week at a time. Also, you'll want to have a a float valve to top off the water.
G
Guest
Not sure, but
Not sure, but
Try a smartvalve from future garden, this would be perfect, though you will have to modify your area a bit depending.
Or a simple large Rubbermaid tub, small pump, dripline and a digital timer would work just as good if not better. You just time the waterings untill you get some run-off, minus 1min, program timer to do this when you want, add an air stone to the tub/res. Leave.. Oh, somewherre in there, do the math as to how much water you'll need too. Then get a tub that has 5gallons more, you dont want the pump to run dry on accident.
HTH.
Das
Not sure, but
Try a smartvalve from future garden, this would be perfect, though you will have to modify your area a bit depending.
Or a simple large Rubbermaid tub, small pump, dripline and a digital timer would work just as good if not better. You just time the waterings untill you get some run-off, minus 1min, program timer to do this when you want, add an air stone to the tub/res. Leave.. Oh, somewherre in there, do the math as to how much water you'll need too. Then get a tub that has 5gallons more, you dont want the pump to run dry on accident.
HTH.
Das
Johnny Rotten
Member
Nylon rope doesn't wick water. Your looking for cotton or another natural fiber.
bongman1221
New member
what do u guys think of useing a smartvalve to have my pot plants sitting in an inch of water, would they like that or could i get away with that if i used a very well draining soil
Pimpslapped
Member
I'm planning on picking up a smartvalve myself to play with when I get the chance. I've seen a few grows successfully done in Autopots, which are just a self contained system prebuilt using the smartvalve.
I'd reccomend a well draining soil, I'm planning on layering the bottom with gravel or perlite, I'll figure something out and may try a few different ideas. Remember that the valve is made to allow the tray to dry out completely (or almost so) before refilling to 1 inch depth. So they won't be standing in water the entire time. A pseudo ebb and flow maybe? My personal belief is that the smartvalve system may be problematic for delivery of nutes over time, so I'm planning on using it in a robust organic medium. That should limit my need to supplement nutrients to a minimum, that should be easy to manage by top feeding individual plants (Probably turning off the auto system for a time around each top watering, to keep risk of overwatering to a minimum).
I'd reccomend a well draining soil, I'm planning on layering the bottom with gravel or perlite, I'll figure something out and may try a few different ideas. Remember that the valve is made to allow the tray to dry out completely (or almost so) before refilling to 1 inch depth. So they won't be standing in water the entire time. A pseudo ebb and flow maybe? My personal belief is that the smartvalve system may be problematic for delivery of nutes over time, so I'm planning on using it in a robust organic medium. That should limit my need to supplement nutrients to a minimum, that should be easy to manage by top feeding individual plants (Probably turning off the auto system for a time around each top watering, to keep risk of overwatering to a minimum).
livewire420
Member
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=62654
check out pico
check out pico
JamestheJiant
New member
I found this here http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/1255.htm
I built one a couple of days ago, It works really well. I used Soysauce as a mock nutrient to see if it would remain distributed about equally in the water and it has remained pretty much equal for the past 4 days.
A couple of things that could be improved on. On the half inch tube cut it at an angle to increase the amount of water surface it covers, that way it will break the surface tension easier. And if you cut the 1/4" water supply line long you can use it for 1 liters/ or 2 liter bottles. I made mine to test it in a 1 liter bottle and didn't cut the tube long enough to use in a 2lt.
JtJ
edit: if your going to run soil or coco, just set it so that the air line is only about an inch above the bottom of your tray, then sit the pots in the tray. I'm running the autopots right now and the do work really well on my tomatoes, I don't know how they will react to pot. this siphoning method is pretty much the same method of growing as the autopots tho. Good luck
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Johnny Chimpo
Member
Go for the Smartvalve IMO..The Smartvalve doesn't refill the medium until it's almost completely dry...then it refills it to an inch and the cycle repeats....NOT like a toilet that keeps it at the same level all the time. If you have a bunch of different strains with different watering needs it might not work but if they use roughly the same amount it should work for your application.
Here is one Autopot with two D-39 at day 31
JC
Here is one Autopot with two D-39 at day 31
JC
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JamestheJiant
New member
I was under the impression that the autopots kept an inch of water in the system at all times?
Johnny Chimpo
Member
JamestheJiant
New member
Badass! thanks, I didn't know what I had.
G
Guest
Johnny Rotten said:
You are absolutely wrong. You are just thinking of different kind of nylon rope or just don't know what you are talking about. The very fine nylon white braided rope is exactly what is used for wicking.
Cotton rope should not be used btw. It rots.
Problem with drippers and such is that some plants are sure to be over watered over time. With a wick they draw what they use.
Remember he is using soil.
I know someone who was using wicks for plants he had in trees. It worked flawlessly but in the end he was ripped off. Point is that it's simple, cheap and it works for the person who can't be around all the time. No timers failing, clogged lines, works when power fails...
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G
Guest
I think he just assumed that nylon won't and cotton was the answer. There are many types of nylon rope that won't and cotton will but it turns brown and rots very quickly.
There are plenty of synthetic nylon types of materials that wick water. I have a couple of brands of socks that are essentially nylon that wick perspiration away from your feet for an example.
There are plenty of synthetic nylon types of materials that wick water. I have a couple of brands of socks that are essentially nylon that wick perspiration away from your feet for an example.
TrustNoOne
Member
i've never used a wick system on mj plants before but i bought some new flower boxes for the house this year and they have a tray connected to the bottom that holds water. the problem i saw was that as soon as the bottom layer of soil lost contact with the water in the tray it would be essentially useless. there are eight small drain holes in the bottom of flower box that drain into the tray that i snaked 6" long nylon string through so that the strings wick water from the tray to the soil.
worked just ducky if i may say so myself. next year i may drill the holes bigger and use rope like NF is talking about.
cotton rope won't wick anywhere near as well is what i've found. works great when dry but the capilary action really slows to a crawl after it gets waterlogged.
worked just ducky if i may say so myself. next year i may drill the holes bigger and use rope like NF is talking about.
cotton rope won't wick anywhere near as well is what i've found. works great when dry but the capilary action really slows to a crawl after it gets waterlogged.
G
Guest
Lamp wicks are now made of a type of nylon also.
G
Guest
Sorry to keep posting on a dead topic but....
Here's the very type of nylon rope I'm talking about.
Here's the very type of nylon rope I'm talking about.
