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Blumat auto watering
- Thread starter sunnydog
- Start date
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- Tags
- blumat drippers irrigation watering
What sunny does.......
What sunny does.......
Sure. But you probably won't believe me...........
My soil is old, the bulk being about 7 years or so old.
This started as promix based with 40% or more homemade (in giant Rubbermaid tubs) compost. This % has gone up as time goes on.
The compost consists of; Aspen shavings, all herb scrap;root balls, stem, leaf. diatomacious earth "pebbles"(not powdered), lots of charcoal, rock dust, All kitchen waste, shitload of coffee grinds from local cafe.
Also, in different batches, powdered milk, fish meal, pumpkins, horse manure. This cooks for a couple weeks, ultimately flushing shitloads of mushrooms!
What I have been doing now,with each cycle in three gal. pots.
Pull out old root-ball(stem), this is usually soft and rotted, as I leave the blumats on even after harvest.
Pull out about a third of the soil; put a couple of cups of the spent soil aside.
With the rest, I add one cup of "mix". This consists of very VERY approximately (depends on what I got around), 8-10 parts neem seed meal, five parts fish and crab meal, three or four parts each of "Veg" guano and "flower" guano, 3-4parts fish bone meal, 2-3parts alfalfa meal, 3-4 parts kelp meal, 2 parts blood meal 2 parts rock dust. 1-2 parts soft rock phosphate, 1 part greensand.
I do not use any lime, they do not seem to need it ( growth is fabulous) and I been fucked by lime in the past.
If it ain't broke, don't fuck with it.
I also have essentially given up on concepts like N-P-K. Any Ph nonsense is LONG GONE. Don't even THINK about that shit.
Mix 1 cup mix per three gallon pot with the extracted soil.
Dump this back in the pot.
With your hands, scoop a hole in the middle. Fill this hole with spent soil. Again, push this aside a bit to plant your plant, The idea being the plant does not have immediate contact with the hot soil. Soak in all in with a good drenching.
Take the remaining spent soil and back fill the pot.
By having a layer of spent soil on top, i have found the gnat population is almost ZERO, as they have no food to eat. When I top dressed, I used to be PLAGUED by the little bastards! They were gross, I hate them.
I run my blumats as MOIST AS POSSIBLE, with out running over. BTW, AFOM does essentially the same thing, only EVEN LAZIER! He scoops out 3-4 inches of soil, dumps the amendment mix in( he does not mix it in as I do), back fills the spent soil. This way is less work. He achieves excellent results also, so I might have to give it a try.
This is all MUCH EASIER than it sounds. As I've said, I only visit them every 2 weeks or so.
I do the mixing work in a plastic tub to contain the mess.
With a 1-2 week veg time(depends on strain,some way less veg), this sustains my plants for the whole run! In 35 yrs. of growing, I've grown all ways, it's NEVER been EASIER, or more productive.
. This is best!
This gives ~575grams per 600w vertical lamp. I think it will do better, Still got some dialing to do.
BTW, it is a crawlspace Hands and knees all the way, that's why I am so happy I don't have to fuck with 'em hardly at all.
Any questions, just ask.
What sunny does.......
Sure. But you probably won't believe me...........
My soil is old, the bulk being about 7 years or so old.
This started as promix based with 40% or more homemade (in giant Rubbermaid tubs) compost. This % has gone up as time goes on.
The compost consists of; Aspen shavings, all herb scrap;root balls, stem, leaf. diatomacious earth "pebbles"(not powdered), lots of charcoal, rock dust, All kitchen waste, shitload of coffee grinds from local cafe.
Also, in different batches, powdered milk, fish meal, pumpkins, horse manure. This cooks for a couple weeks, ultimately flushing shitloads of mushrooms!
What I have been doing now,with each cycle in three gal. pots.
Pull out old root-ball(stem), this is usually soft and rotted, as I leave the blumats on even after harvest.
Pull out about a third of the soil; put a couple of cups of the spent soil aside.
With the rest, I add one cup of "mix". This consists of very VERY approximately (depends on what I got around), 8-10 parts neem seed meal, five parts fish and crab meal, three or four parts each of "Veg" guano and "flower" guano, 3-4parts fish bone meal, 2-3parts alfalfa meal, 3-4 parts kelp meal, 2 parts blood meal 2 parts rock dust. 1-2 parts soft rock phosphate, 1 part greensand.
I do not use any lime, they do not seem to need it ( growth is fabulous) and I been fucked by lime in the past.
If it ain't broke, don't fuck with it.I also have essentially given up on concepts like N-P-K. Any Ph nonsense is LONG GONE. Don't even THINK about that shit.
Mix 1 cup mix per three gallon pot with the extracted soil.
Dump this back in the pot.
With your hands, scoop a hole in the middle. Fill this hole with spent soil. Again, push this aside a bit to plant your plant, The idea being the plant does not have immediate contact with the hot soil. Soak in all in with a good drenching.
Take the remaining spent soil and back fill the pot.
By having a layer of spent soil on top, i have found the gnat population is almost ZERO, as they have no food to eat. When I top dressed, I used to be PLAGUED by the little bastards! They were gross, I hate them.
I run my blumats as MOIST AS POSSIBLE, with out running over. BTW, AFOM does essentially the same thing, only EVEN LAZIER! He scoops out 3-4 inches of soil, dumps the amendment mix in( he does not mix it in as I do), back fills the spent soil. This way is less work. He achieves excellent results also, so I might have to give it a try.
This is all MUCH EASIER than it sounds. As I've said, I only visit them every 2 weeks or so.
I do the mixing work in a plastic tub to contain the mess.
With a 1-2 week veg time(depends on strain,some way less veg), this sustains my plants for the whole run! In 35 yrs. of growing, I've grown all ways, it's NEVER been EASIER, or more productive.
. This is best!
This gives ~575grams per 600w vertical lamp. I think it will do better, Still got some dialing to do.
BTW, it is a crawlspace Hands and knees all the way, that's why I am so happy I don't have to fuck with 'em hardly at all.
Any questions, just ask.
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I want to hear more about this.
I know you've seen DHF and me going back and forth on these blumats...
I don't trust blumats enough to set them up and walk away for even 5 days. Once they're running for 1-2 weeks, sure, leave them go until the end of the grow as long as the water in the res is clean. From the sounds of it, you're running an organic mix, and straight water... Which is something that should have been shared with me in the gospel being preached, when YOUR name gets dropped.
Also I see that your manifold is on the ceiling. Is this just to get things off the floor since you crawl around in this grow?
Thanks for sharing sunnydog.
Man-o-man. I see you mention this from time to time, and I don't get it, .. Is the porosity of coco that drastically different than soil?!
Man-o-man. I see you mention this from time to time, and I don't get it, .. Is the porosity of coco that drastically different than soil?!
coco/perlite homie. My mix holds lots of water. I have to have more blumats than a soil mix.
The other thing is that I put fertilizer in my water, and should precipitates form, and they have before, you're screwed. Not so good in an absentee grow.
I really don't see how that would be any different, .. ? I mean, the blumat is designed to work in A medium, right? That is, its function should not be determined by the medium in which it sits..?
(That is, if the sensor is measuring ambient moisture, and upon "drying out," opens the dripper until sufficient moisture is achieved, and then stopping the drip..?)
I'm just a dumb guy who's able to plug-and-play with these things. 
Yes, totally organic, (not only better herb), MUCH EASIER! Most folks are running salts,it seems, so I don't push the organic issue .Sorry if this was not clear.
Plain water through the B/M pressure reducer.
Pressure reducer does away with bubbles in the line, etc. Once they are dialed in(first couple of days) it's good to go.
I have the lines dropping down from the ceiling because it keeps them out of my way, and it is quite a bit tidier, as each drip line lines up with its pot.
A bunch of pages back I explained how to make a pressurized nute container out of home-brew/ soda keg. I don't think anyone did it
.
I really don't see how that would be any different, .. ? I mean, the blumat is designed to work in A medium, right? That is, its function should not be determined by the medium in which it sits..?
(That is, if the sensor is measuring ambient moisture, and upon "drying out," opens the dripper until sufficient moisture is achieved, and then stopping the drip..?)
Blumats are supposed to be able to cover a specified diameter. Each blumat can only deliver so much water. They're not meant to deliver more than a drip at a time. If you have a very porous medium that holds lots of water, the diameter the blumat is going to cover will be reduced. IMO, this is why growers using straight coco and dirt have fewer issues with their blumat. The reduced porosity.
With 2 trop-f's in my #2 fabric pots, both emitters drip... and the pots are still light imo... I really need to get my tensiometer going... I really need to do my homework. I really need to log off ic. lol bye.
Yes, totally organic, (not only better herb), MUCH EASIER! Most folks are running salts,it seems, so I don't push the organic issue .Sorry if this was not clear.
Plain water through the B/M pressure reducer.
Pressure reducer does away with bubbles in the line, etc. Once they are dialed in(first couple of days) it's good to go.
I have the lines dropping down from the ceiling because it keeps them out of my way, and it is quite a bit tidier, as each drip line lines up with its pot.
A bunch of pages back I explained how to make a pressurized nute container out of home-brew/ soda keg. I don't think anyone did it
Thanks for those answers! Great thread. You made it clear that you're running organics... The person who originally pitched blumats to me didn't. I should have read more of your posts before jumping on board.
Man-o-man. I see you mention this from time to time, and I don't get it, .. Is the porosity of coco that drastically different than soil?!
not so much porosity, but density. Heavier soils allow more leeway within the sensitivity of the blumat sensor. With less dense soil's like coir dominant recipes, the effective sensitivity range of the blumat is decreased requiring more fine tuning and fussing.
Got my camera to work!
Got my camera to work!
Small(12 plants) new room on light mover. Note light mover is mounted to saw horse "bridge, so no vibration is transferred to the house structure.
Bigger room 3x600 (20 plants) x 2 on flip flop (Total= 6x600 - 40 plants
Got my camera to work!
Small(12 plants) new room on light mover. Note light mover is mounted to saw horse "bridge, so no vibration is transferred to the house structure.
Bigger room 3x600 (20 plants) x 2 on flip flop (Total= 6x600 - 40 plants
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Nice work mate! 
Love the vertical light mover setup. Might have to copy that one day soonish...
Do you guys slow the drippers down near end of flower or even turn em off to aid in the curing/drying process after harvest? Or is it keep up the water and keep up extra bud growth?
Love the vertical light mover setup. Might have to copy that one day soonish...
Do you guys slow the drippers down near end of flower or even turn em off to aid in the curing/drying process after harvest? Or is it keep up the water and keep up extra bud growth?
G
greenmatter
i need a little help getting my mind around how individual blumats "behave"
some work exactly like i expected them to from the start. they seem to be dripping all the time even if it is only a drop every 5 seconds and the pot is perfectly watered.
others seem like they are a bit "sticky". the pots seem to dry out a little more and when they turn on it looks like a runaway. if you let it do it's thing you come back to a perfectly watered pot, but if you dial it back to stop the flood you thought was coming the adjustment process can have you scratching your head for a few days
i've learned to leave the blumats alone unless there is water running out of a pot, but i still wonder why 2 blumats can act so differently. i guess it doesn't matter anyway if they are doing what they are suppose to, but i still wonder why
any of you guys have a hypothesis? or a solid answer why this happens?
some work exactly like i expected them to from the start. they seem to be dripping all the time even if it is only a drop every 5 seconds and the pot is perfectly watered.
others seem like they are a bit "sticky". the pots seem to dry out a little more and when they turn on it looks like a runaway. if you let it do it's thing you come back to a perfectly watered pot, but if you dial it back to stop the flood you thought was coming the adjustment process can have you scratching your head for a few days
i've learned to leave the blumats alone unless there is water running out of a pot, but i still wonder why 2 blumats can act so differently. i guess it doesn't matter anyway if they are doing what they are suppose to, but i still wonder why
any of you guys have a hypothesis? or a solid answer why this happens?
Unless there is a problem, I just walk away and leave 'em alone. They are far more patient than I am.
Hey all. I warned you I'd pop in with questions 
Here's one:
What is best practice in preparing seedlings to go into coco with blumats? How do you guys do it? Specifically, given how adaptive cannabis is to its early growing environment, how do we best adapt the plant from the seedling stage to a constantly and evenly moist medium?
What I'm currently thinking:
One big advantage of the blumat as I see it is that it keeps a constant level of moisture in the coco, which the plants love. So it makes sense to me to try and replicate that from the seedling stage on. This should let the plants get used to that environment from the get-go and encourage them to grow more hydro style roots.
So I've been thinking of the best way to create that environment in small coco pots. The blumats aren't suited. Hand watering, unless you can be constantly on top of it, will create a wet/dry cycle which is exactly what I want to avoid. A drip system is overkill. So I'm thinking of just bottom feeding them. Letting the pots sit in an inch of water/nutes in a tray and letting the coco wick it up. This should encourage a nice deep root system too, I would think, with an active water table to shoot down to.*
What am I missing?
I wonder if, for example, having a constantly moist coco mix would mean the roots had less incentive to head down? Is there a risk of rotting/drowning the roots here? Should I add to or do anything special with the nutes (H&G full range, all additives, .5 strength with supplemental foliar feeding)?*
Ta!
Here's one:
What is best practice in preparing seedlings to go into coco with blumats? How do you guys do it? Specifically, given how adaptive cannabis is to its early growing environment, how do we best adapt the plant from the seedling stage to a constantly and evenly moist medium?
What I'm currently thinking:
One big advantage of the blumat as I see it is that it keeps a constant level of moisture in the coco, which the plants love. So it makes sense to me to try and replicate that from the seedling stage on. This should let the plants get used to that environment from the get-go and encourage them to grow more hydro style roots.
So I've been thinking of the best way to create that environment in small coco pots. The blumats aren't suited. Hand watering, unless you can be constantly on top of it, will create a wet/dry cycle which is exactly what I want to avoid. A drip system is overkill. So I'm thinking of just bottom feeding them. Letting the pots sit in an inch of water/nutes in a tray and letting the coco wick it up. This should encourage a nice deep root system too, I would think, with an active water table to shoot down to.*
What am I missing?
I wonder if, for example, having a constantly moist coco mix would mean the roots had less incentive to head down? Is there a risk of rotting/drowning the roots here? Should I add to or do anything special with the nutes (H&G full range, all additives, .5 strength with supplemental foliar feeding)?*
Ta!
G
greenmatter
you should go read a coco sticky or two ......... i really learned a lot from h3ead's thread
anyhooo........ start em in beer cups full of coco and hand water (because there is enough water in a beer cup full of coco for a seedling to last a WHILE) until they are ready for the bigger pots and blumats
IMHO when the plants are in the seedling stage in coco they should be kept somewhat "dry". IME roots do better in coco that is not saturated all the time, and babies tend to get loved a little to much with the watering can anyway. they don't really need much
anyhooo........ start em in beer cups full of coco and hand water (because there is enough water in a beer cup full of coco for a seedling to last a WHILE) until they are ready for the bigger pots and blumats
IMHO when the plants are in the seedling stage in coco they should be kept somewhat "dry". IME roots do better in coco that is not saturated all the time, and babies tend to get loved a little to much with the watering can anyway. they don't really need much
A
ak-51
Is anybody using these with the pressure reducer and dosers / fertilizer proportioners?
I feel like that is the next step to truly advancing my laziness. To do that and then have the drains all pump out automatically. That would definitely extend the amount of away time I could have.
I feel like that is the next step to truly advancing my laziness. To do that and then have the drains all pump out automatically. That would definitely extend the amount of away time I could have.
