Blumat auto watering

[sweetestsin420]

hey guys,im sorry for posting this since this isnt about bluemats lol,but i kinda need some help really fast?iv been trying to figure out how dripper setups run,i think ill go with them because the bluemats are more expensive and more difucult (atleast to me).

so you get a waterpump,attach 1/2" tubes to it,then on each pot,attach a "t-line" connector,to add a dripline and to keep the line running.

then at the end,install a cap?,is that more or less how it works,i made a diagram,its TINY,so please click on it and zoom?

and lets say i use this pump.i attach the 1/2in line,then just run that to the pots like in the diagram?

thank you soo much guys,im trying to figure this out on my own,but i need some advise

 

[ganjic]

Is this kit ok?

20m 8mm hose
20m 3mm hose
30 tropf-blumat
30 t-branch connector 8-3-8mm
2 end connector 8-3mm

 

[silver hawaiian]

hey guys,im sorry for posting this since this isnt about bluemats lol,but i kinda need some help really fast?iv been trying to figure out how dripper setups run,i think ill go with them because the bluemats are more expensive and more difucult (atleast to me).

so you get a waterpump,attach 1/2" tubes to it,then on each pot,attach a "t-line" connector,to add a dripline and to keep the line running.

then at the end,install a cap?,is that more or less how it works,i made a diagram,its TINY,so please click on it and zoom?

View Image



and lets say i use this pump.i attach the 1/2in line,then just run that to the pots like in the diagram?

View Image


thank you soo much guys,im trying to figure this out on my own,but i need some advise

...You're halfway there, sort of. You've got the concept right, but you'll need to put the pump on a timer. Otherwise, you'll be drip drip drip drip dripping all day - at some point, you'll reach a point of overwatering..

 

[icdog]

What do you guys use to clean the blumats when done?

 

[ak-51]

What do you guys use to clean the blumats when done?

I just disassemble the carrot and rinse it off. Then I put it into a bucket of water to standby until needed again.

I run hot water and hydrogen peroxide or bleach through the lines while I stretch and massage the drip lines to free up any buildup inside. I slap the feed line with a yardstick to knock buildup off of that, but I open up the end first so that anything I knock free is less likely to run into the drip lines. I flush the whole system with plain water really well after that. I've gravitated towards hydrogen peroxide lately because I think it's less likely to degrade the drip lines.

 

[lowbrow]

UPDATE: Flower room

My grow op has been in a state of flux because I've been super busy with other things, and because of the rapid growth exhibited when I used the blumats in my veg room. The plants outgrew their pots a little too quickly (if that's possible!), which caused a bit of a logjam.

I just set up my flowering room. 18 7-gallon smart pots with regular blumats, one per pot. Time to test the coverage area of the blumats and the wicking ability of my coco-based super soil.

These are all new hoses, so I plan to tug the drip lines back and forth thru the sensors a couple times this week to massage the them and help prevent any pinching. I triple-checked the blumats for air bubbles, and they've been soaking for a week with the caps screwed tightly and the adjustment knobs open. These precautions may be wholly unnecessary but I want to study and learn the blumats at their most precise, and I hope that this will allow me to run them a little more sloppy for better coverage in the big 7-gallon pots. I can't wait to have nothing to do when I go downstairs except admire my ladies in bloom.

To the other newbies out there, don't give up. Read the whole thread, it is a gem! The blumats work, and they work better than pump systems because each plant gets the amount of water it wants. You can water any size plant in the same system, regardless of differing needs. $7 to $10 per plant (or heck, even twice that much) is not a big investment considering your girls water themselves! It's a one-time expense and straightforward setup once you understand how they work, then no more waking up early, or having to go home early, or stressing your plants because you forgot, or breaking your back lugging water around and bending over.. we've all been there!

 

[sunnydog]

Good!

Good!

UPDATE: Flower room

My grow op has been in a state of flux because I've been super busy with other things, and because of the rapid growth exhibited when I used the blumats in my veg room. The plants outgrew their pots a little too quickly (if that's possible!), which caused a bit of a logjam.

I just set up my flowering room. 18 7-gallon smart pots with regular blumats, one per pot. Time to test the coverage area of the blumats and the wicking ability of my coco-based super soil.

These are all new hoses, so I plan to tug the drip lines back and forth thru the sensors a couple times this week to massage the them and help prevent any pinching. I triple-checked the blumats for air bubbles, and they've been soaking for a week with the caps screwed tightly and the adjustment knobs open. These precautions may be wholly unnecessary but I want to study and learn the blumats at their most precise, and I hope that this will allow me to run them a little more sloppy for better coverage in the big 7-gallon pots. I can't wait to have nothing to do when I go downstairs except admire my ladies in bloom.

To the other newbies out there, don't give up. Read the whole thread, it is a gem! The blumats work, and they work better than pump systems because each plant gets the amount of water it wants. You can water any size plant in the same system, regardless of differing needs. $7 to $10 per plant (or heck, even twice that much) is not a big investment considering your girls water themselves! It's a one-time expense and straightforward setup once you understand how they work, then no more waking up early, or having to go home early, or stressing your plants because you forgot, or breaking your back lugging water around and bending over.. we've all been there!

Happy to see things working out!

I also find growth rates to be exceptional.

The old saying of wet/dry cycling is bullshit, they grow MUCH FASTER with optimum, steady watering.

 

[redbudduckfoot]

i been saying this for the last year!!

love these thangs, blumats for da win!!!

rbdf

 

[lowbrow]

Feel free to order somewhere other than Planet Earth Hydro. Their shipping is not as discreet as it could be. Big old "PlanetEarthHydro.com" right on the box. "PEH Inc." would have been just fine.

I've ordered twice from Planet Earth Hydro this summer. The first order was 1 patio kit, and shipped by Priority Mail quickly and discreetly from "PEH, Inc."

The second order was only a few days later. 2 more patio kits. (They're the best deal.) They were out of stock and ended up being drop-shipped from their supplier. It arrived via UPS, took much longer, and WAS labelled with "Planet Earth Hydro" right on the box, as you said.

It might be worth a phone call. While waiting for my second order to ship, I called PEH and the guy was super cool. He explained the situation and apologized profusely for the delay. The place seems conscious to our needs, and I would guess they probably don't know their supplier is labeling boxes that way.

 

[sweetestsin420]

...You're halfway there, sort of. You've got the concept right, but you'll need to put the pump on a timer. Otherwise, you'll be drip drip drip drip dripping all day - at some point, you'll reach a point of overwatering..

thank you,na i definitely know about the timer,ill drip maybe twice or three times per day,with maybe 1 minute each cycle,im looking for very little runoff,but to still water multiple times per day to really get good growth in the coco,sound good?

 

[silver hawaiian]

sweetestsin

If you're looking of intervals of ~60 seconds, you may need more than the run of the mill appliance timer. Something like this, maybe.. ?

cheaphydroponics dot com/store/timers/grozone-cycle-timer-2/prod_848.html

Also,if coco is your medium, you may want to consider running drain-to-waste. Basically you'll water to the point of runoff (minimal runoff, but enough to ensure that you're washing any old/accumulated salts out of the medium each time).

But here, I'm getting out of my comfort zone - there are folks with way more smurts than I to help you with this..

Good luck

 

[sweetestsin420]

silver,im looking for minimal to NO runoff,kinda like with the bluemats,it WILL be a drain to waste,but with very little runoff,since i grow in a closet,and dont want to get mold or anything like that.

i might consider buying dripclean at some point,but for NOW i will only use g.h maxiseries bloom,using the so called "kiss method" lol..

about the timer,can i use a digital timer?are those reliable,and allow such short intervals?

i actually made a new diagram,if you want to see it lol

 

[ak-51]

about the timer,can i use a digital timer?are those reliable,and allow such short intervals?

There's probably some digital timers that allow for short intervals, but I doubt you'll be finding them at Wal-Mart or Lowe's if that's what you're thinking. I use CAP recycle timers, they're $80 a piece. They allow asymmetrical intervals with on time raging from seconds to minutes and off time ranging from minutes to hours. They do the job that I need them to do though. I use cheap $8 Brinks mechanical timers with 15 minute resolution for most stuff, but running certain pumps I use would flood the system of they were on for 15 minutes straight.

 

[greenmatter]

you are going to spend more money on a short cycle timer than you would on a patio kit

you will need to adjust the timer as the plants grow

you will have some plants to dry or to wet depending on a dozen or so different factors, and you will never be able to dial in all the individual plants

you will need a rez and a pump anyway

you will be treading uncovered ground because no two drip systems are the same

a power outage (and they happen everywhere) trashes the best plan when timers are involved

and you will figure all that out on your own one way or another, but we all have to do that on occasion

good luck

 

[sunnydog]

you are going to spend more money on a short cycle timer than you would on a patio kit

you will need to adjust the timer as the plants grow

you will have some plants to dry or to wet depending on a dozen or so different factors, and you will never be able to dial in all the individual plants

you will need a rez and a pump anyway

you will be treading uncovered ground because no two drip systems are the same

a power outage (and they happen everywhere) trashes the best plan when timers are involved

and you will figure all that out on your own one way or another, but we all have to do that on occasion

good luck

:

 

[silver hawaiian]

Ahhhhahahahahahahaha

I thought the same 'zackt thing after I posted that. But, hey. Sometimes it takes a bigger picture..

 

[joedogsong]

you are going to spend more money on a short cycle timer than you would on a patio kit

you will need to adjust the timer as the plants grow

you will have some plants to dry or to wet depending on a dozen or so different factors, and you will never be able to dial in all the individual plants

you will need a rez and a pump anyway

you will be treading uncovered ground because no two drip systems are the same

a power outage (and they happen everywhere) trashes the best plan when timers are involved

and you will figure all that out on your own one way or another, but we all have to do that on occasion

good luck

You sure can tell when someone's 'been there done that'!

 

[sunnydog]

thank you,na i definitely know about the timer,ill drip maybe twice or three times per day,with maybe 1 minute each cycle,im looking for very little runoff,but to still water multiple times per day to really get good growth in the coco,sound good?

silver,im looking for minimal to NO runoff,kinda like with the bluemats,it WILL be a drain to waste,but with very little runoff,since i grow in a closet,and dont want to get mold or anything like that.

i might consider buying dripclean at some point,but for NOW i will only use g.h maxiseries bloom,using the so called "kiss method" lol..

about the timer,can i use a digital timer?are those reliable,and allow such short intervals?

i actually made a new diagram,if you want to see it lol[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=39556&pictureid=940555&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

You'll be back...............

 

[silver hawaiian]

sweetistsin

No offense, but I think you're trying to sort of re-invent (or work-around) the blumat concept, with everything except the blumats.

I'm not certain, but I've got a feeling that just for the timer (with intervals you'll need) you'll be spending close to what you'd spend for a blumat patio kit.

As greenmatter said, there are myriad reasons that what you're really looking for (or will find out what what you're looking for) is really a blumat system.

..can't put a party hat on a donkey and call it a unicorn, nawimsayin?

 

[sweetestsin420]

lmao "ill be back"..lol,

i agree with what you guys are saying,i would LOVE to go with a bluemat,after all the positive reviews,but its definitely more complicated to ME than what you guys think,not everybody can just bust the drills and hammers out and build something from scratch,ya know?certainly not me lol

second is the price,for 75$ i can build my own dripper setup that can water ALOT of plants,and i feel with more versatility..or i can buy a patio kit that only waters 12 plants,AND i still have to buy drills and pumps and stuff...

with drippers i dont have to drill anything,just get a rez,fill with water,then run some plastic tubing from the rez to the plants,very easy for me,it took me around 3-4 days of researching for me to get the dripper concept lol,imagine bluemats,