Blumat auto watering

[redbudduckfoot]

so many options when it comes to drainage. what i would do i make a table out of plywood, then make an 8" tall frame around the edge of the table. then, drill a couple of 1" holes in the plywood for drains. wrap with waterproof tarp, and use hydro table fittings to drain to waste, until the blumats are dialed in.

you could go the extra mile and grab some landscape fabric and make a rectangular smart pot to fit in frame.

as far as soil type, you could do coco or pro-mix with chem nutes and a dead rez, no prob. All organic LC's mix + guanos and shit would work really wel too.

im actually planning something like this for a 1K SDibl SOG in coco. vegging a momma right now, probably gonna do 36 cuts in a 4 x 4, or 49 in a 5 x 5. im not gonna worry about any drainage, I have a really good grasp on how the blumats work.

rbdf

 

[BongToke]

hmm Ill be trying a soil bed with 1 of my 4 lights next run to experiment.organic soiless would prob best no?

something where you just water maybe some tea's, I imagine chem ferts wouldnt be a good idea due to salt build up.

36 in a 4x4 seems like good spacing

 

[sunnydog]

hmm Ill be trying a soil bed with 1 of my 4 lights next run to experiment.organic soiless would prob best no?

something where you just water maybe some tea's, I imagine chem ferts wouldnt be a good idea due to salt build up.

36 in a 4x4 seems like good spacing

I do organic, 'cause it's easier.....

 

[redbudduckfoot]

chem ferts is fine, and if you wanna be extra cautious, use drip clean.

i run a 1K flip with blumats, brute trash can for lower rez and 5 gal elevated rez, pumped 24/7, with overflow.

one side is pro-mix, dolo lime, 25% extra perlite. standard chem ferts, homemade Clear Rez, SM-90, Hygrozyme, kool bloom when needed. No drip clean. I never have any salt buildup. been running same blumat feed lines, drip lines and carrots for a year now. all gravy.

the other side of the flip is organic LC's mix guano type deal. hygrozyme and water only, no problems either. I just want you to know i run both styles, and they both have their appeal.

RbDf

 

[BongToke]

cool these blumats seem perfect for a raised bed.

kinda off topic could you use coco ina organic mix or is to be used solo like substitute pro mix for coco

 

[Blaz3]

Roughly how much will the price be for a 32 g-gallon coco coir system..

One large rez,or two smaller rez's per 4x4.....in a 4x8 tent

two 1000's...


how much will i need to invest ROUGHLY..a grand..500??

 

[lowbrow]

Roughly how much will the price be for a 32 g-gallon coco coir system..

One large rez,or two smaller rez's per 4x4.....in a 4x8 tent

two 1000's...


how much will i need to invest ROUGHLY..a grand..500??

I spent about 350 on 3 patio kits, the pressure reducer, and extra drip line. This got me 36 blumats, plenty of the various connectors, about 100 ft of feed line, and 100 ft of drip line. The pressure reducer was $50 alone. The long-time blumatters here can attest that the P/R eliminates a lot (or all) of the issues that can come with the varying water pressure in an elevated reservoir. So figure your own cost for the rez.

My veg room blumats have been running almost 4 days, so I have very little experience, but I can say that I'm happy I spent the money. I've now witnessed almost every girl use up her initial "high tide" of water given during setup and ask for more. When the sensors first come to life, they drip like crazy for awhile, which caused me a small sense of alarm. But they worked exactly as advertised, and once the pot was wet again, each one turned itself off.

Tonight I'll go back, life each pot to judge the weight, and adjust the blumat accordingly to give the plant a little more or a little less water. Then hopefully I'll never need to touch them again. I understand the seasons pro's also swap blumats into new pots of the same size without having to re-adjust.

I also gave each girl a small spoonful of mycohhrizae to help boost my organic soil's ability to deal with my municipal water's 7.4 pH and chlorine. It was easily administered by digging a little hole under the drip line and pouring in the friendly fungi. You can do this with other stuff too.. guano, worm castings, mosquito dunks, or whathaveyou..

The girls all look amazing, there is vigorous new growth everywhere. Plus I just really enjoy allowing the plant to decide what it wants. My girls are now watering themselves, digging for their own food, and adjusting their own pH.

 

[Cali MedPatient]

I discovered that a bunch of my blumats were clogged up last night (one of my moms was wilted). I have a gravity setup. I drained some bubbles out of the end (I don't have a loop setup), and had to move some of the hose through the blumats to get them going again. I'm working on a pressure system for my flower room, just waiting for the pump to arrive. Am I correct in thinkning that I won't have that problem with a pressurized system? I cleaned everything when I setup, and am running Botanicare PBP in my veg. Maybe it's too chunky?

 

[BongToke]

I discovered that a bunch of my blumats were clogged up last night (one of my moms was wilted). I have a gravity setup. I drained some bubbles out of the end (I don't have a loop setup), and had to move some of the hose through the blumats to get them going again. I'm working on a pressure system for my flower room, just waiting for the pump to arrive. Am I correct in thinkning that I won't have that problem with a pressurized system? I cleaned everything when I setup, and am running Botanicare PBP in my veg. Maybe it's too chunky?

you using drip cleen?

 

[rives]

I cleaned everything when I setup, and am running Botanicare PBP in my veg. Maybe it's too chunky?

Any organic nutrients have the potential to create problems with blumats. Salt-based nutrients or straight water are going to be the most trouble-free.

 

[Cali MedPatient]

OK, I just got some drip clean and I'll switch over to 6/9. I was trying to use up my Botanicare, but it's not worth it if it's gonna clog up the blumats! Thanks guys.

I set up my blumats in my flower room. I bought the wrong type of pump, so I couldn't get the pressure system to work so I set up a quick gravity feed with the raised bucket until the new pump gets here. It's doing over 100 pots with plenty of flow even at the farthest end! Thanks for this post Sunny and everyone who contributed!!

 

[Blaz3]

Alot of people sue DripClean,its not that PBP is too chunky,is that it IS organic based,and yes that ahs the potential to ferment,etc..then it will become chunky.I would not use organics in blumats for that reason,unless its only water and your using quality soil/amendements

 

[sunnydog]

Beer kegs.........

Beer kegs.........

I was just thinking....a beer keg or a soda keg(sold @ homebrew shops or available from beer store for a 10 dollar deposit) could be used as a pressure tank ! A bit of DIY will obviously be needed, the standard B/M P/R could be used to regulate output pressure. The the soda kegs the top could be opened to refill, beer keg is trickier but I,m sure it could be done. Probably be able to use the supplied tap. Use compressed air for pressure.

I use straight water so I don't need this, but I,m SURE this would kick ass for many people!
BTW kegs are 316 SS, so no contamination or corrosion problems!
Think about it!

 

[budman678]

my blumats are on the way....

any good ideas for a 10gall passive rez?

maybe something i could scoop from a home improvement big box store. i have a 3x3 tent so i dont need a massive rez. i think ten gallon would be perfect...


guys, i am going to be posting more in here with pics as i set up my system. prolly gonna need some help!?!!! stoked

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

Rubbermaid Commercial Products Brute 10-Gal. Round Container without Lid, Gray

Home Depot for about $20

 

[rives]

For my bonsai moms, I use a Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote. The flat sides work well with the Blumat fitting for the feed line, and there are a number of sizes available.

 

[budman678]

Rubbermaid Commercial Products Brute 10-Gal. Round Container without Lid, Gray

Home Depot for about $20

perfect, this is exactly what i am looking for. i am going with the passive bc i use amended soil and wont be running any nute through it....i assume elevating it about three feet will work for a 3x3 tent. (6) 5gall geopots....this is awesome. made my day.

For my bonsai moms, I use a Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote. The flat sides work well with the Blumat fitting for the feed line, and there are a number of sizes available.

thanks im off to home depot to check check check it out...i was about to go with a 5gall bucket, hoping they made ten gallon buckets!

 

[Blaz3]

True,I was thinking about a roughneck,seem nice and sturdy.Can any of you guys post a picture of your Rex?..roughneck/rubbermaid rez's?..

 

[lowbrow]

I found an empty cone this morning. It was one of the plants I was having trouble dialing in properly. Luckily I caught it getting too wet a day or two ago and dialed it back a bit. The plant wasn't stressed, just dry. I'm not sure why that happened, but I'm assuming I caught an air bubble inside the sensor during setup.

It's easy to lose track of what adjustments I've made to each one. Some of them I never touched, they were perfect from the get-go. I wish I had written things down.

All in all, the learning curve is pretty casual, but I am glad I've kept a close eye on things. My biggest problem so far was leaving the light too low for the rapid growth. Had a bit of leaf curl this morning but nothing serious. So far so good.

 

[sunnydog]

I found an empty cone this morning. It was one of the plants I was having trouble dialing in properly. Luckily I caught it getting too wet a day or two ago and dialed it back a bit. The plant wasn't stressed, just dry. I'm not sure why that happened, but I'm assuming I caught an air bubble inside the sensor during setup.

It's easy to lose track of what adjustments I've made to each one. Some of them I never touched, they were perfect from the get-go. I wish I had written things down.

All in all, the learning curve is pretty casual, but I am glad I've kept a close eye on things. My biggest problem so far was leaving the light too low for the rapid growth. Had a bit of leaf curl this morning but nothing serious. So far so good.

Good to be alert on the dial in 7-10 days. Get your res. up as high as possible. Keep an eye on that one. Find a way to mark the ones you have adjusted, as constant tweaking is not good. Also, although I like having long dripper lines, if using a res. probably not good to go too long, as bubbles can get trapped in the 3mm.