Blumat auto watering

[sunnydog]

Maybe some of you who know a lot more about plumbing and mechanicals than me might know why this wouldn't work but I think I thought of a solution for the air bubles causing problems, what if you installed a "vent" like we use for drains in our homes on a t where your tubing exits the resevoir? So, as the water passes through your air bubbles would try to exit at the vent maybe? It might do the opposite so that's why I'm throwing it out there.

Thought about it.
Might work, issue could be the bubbles get stuck and don't make it to the vent.
Also, if I had one , I just know somehow I would end up draining my res.

 

[overmyhead]

Thought about it.
Might work, issue could be the bubbles get stuck and don't make it to the vent.
Also, if I had one , I just know somehow I would end up draining my res.

yeah. i was thinking about having the tee for the spout on my rez, strap it to the res and as long as its higher it should be ok. kind of like those check valves on buckets.

 

[sanjuan]

. . . So I am trying to figure out what size rez to use and how much water these plants will be drinking. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Lazyman's post #271 says (30) 4-foot plants just about drains a 55 gallon reservoir in a week. By my calculations, that is a quart per plant per day.

 

[BigPhil]

Im pritty sure any self watering system would work just as good if you cant find any blumats

 

[Lapides]

Im pritty sure any self watering system would work just as good if you cant find any blumats

Enlighten us please. I'd love to know of another self watering system that works as well as this.

 

[BigPhil]

http://www.easywatering.co.uk/acatalog/Hozelock_Water_Butt_Container_Kit_2816.html

a mini system http://www.simplycontrol.com/catalogue/slowdripper/default.asp

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/indoor-watering-system.asp

http://shop.telegraph.co.uk/mm-d365...y-dripper-the-ultimate-plant-watering-system/


Some of the above may need a bigger reservoir but they all work the same, Im not saying blumats are carp, Ive just seen quite alot of people saying they carnt get hold of them.

 

[Cheeb]

Also, for those digging for the info:

Blumat sources in US

HomeHarvest - Deck and Patio Kits - Pressure Reducer
(not discreet billing - charges show as Superior Growers Supply)
http://homeharvest.com/dripirrigationtropfblumat.htm

Sustainable Village - Deck and Patio Kits, 8mm tubing, pressure reducer, thru hull
(call kyle to place order - 888-317-1600) (I think they have website troubles)
http://www.sustainablevillage.com/search/luceneapi_node/blumat*

GreenAcresHydro.com - Deck and Patio Kits, tubing, THE place for the small 3mm tubing. (call to order - (916) 419-4394 )
(not discreet billing - charges show as green acres hydroponics)
http://www.greenacreshydro.com/products_category.php?cPath=29

KentSystems.com - 3/32" tee for small 3mm tubing (if not using deck and patio kit and need the barbed tee for the 3mm tubing) (call to order - 970.593.3185 - I believe correct part code is TFN206)
http://kentsystems.com/index.php?file=c-con_product_details&iProductId=NzIx


Hope that helps!

 

[sanjuan]

I guess kentsystems still does not have web business that actually works--although the site looks very good and is informative. TFN206-N02 is the black (nylon) tee.

They do have a sales associate now that is eager to do business. (Might not be as eager after getting a hundred low-dollar orders though--heh.)

 

[sunnydog]

http://www.easywatering.co.uk/acatalog/Hozelock_Water_Butt_Container_Kit_2816.html

a mini system http://www.simplycontrol.com/catalogue/slowdripper/default.asp

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/indoor-watering-system.asp

http://shop.telegraph.co.uk/mm-d365...y-dripper-the-ultimate-plant-watering-system/


Some of the above may need a bigger reservoir but they all work the same, Im not saying blumats are carp, Ive just seen quite alot of people saying they carnt get hold of them.

Took a look at these, None seem to have the "only delivers water as needed" feature that is central to the blumat appeal.
I am guessing these would be difficult if not impossible to dial in properly.
Was worth having a look, though.



SD

 

[compost]

I do mainly organic and I was curious how you guys add your tea's and additives(like LK and hygrozyme) without damaging those beautiful roots. Last run I did a heavy watering every 10 days and fertilized with a tea every 5 days. I am getting rid of the heavy watering and moving the tea to every 10 days. Just curious what you guys do to protect those pretty root masses at the top of the soil. Last run they looked horrid after repeated flushes and tea waterings.

 

[greentrich]

I was curious how you guys add your tea's and additives(like LK and hygrozyme)

Well this is my first run, but from what I've read and observed in my own grow it depends. LK will be applied via handwatering once a week for me. I'm not using hygorzyme this time around, but if I were to I would just add it to the res as it's pretty clear unlike LK. Anything that's thick like LK I would recommend handwatering. I haven't used teas, so I wouldn't be sure about the application because I don't know their consistency.

Basically, anything that has a good amount of substance should be handwatered as far as I'm concerned. These are very small drip lines and have potential to clog if too much crap is tried to pump through them. Looking back, I'm pretty sure SunnyD handwaters all his nutes and just has clean water running through his blumats. Is that correct Sunny???

I've been vegging for four weeks, been on blumats for....2 weeks I think? Anyway, roots are and have always been bright white and fuzzier than anything I've ever grown. They look fantastic.

Hope that helps ya Compst

 

[Cheeb]

Are you guys extending the 3mm tubing farther from blumat to allow the coco to get wetter before the blumat pinches it off?

I ran blumats in 2 gal bags with great results maintaining the default length (8 cm?), but curious if I could better my results by extending the 3mm tubing farther from the blumat so that the pot would generally stay a little more moist. I've read someone doing it on here (lazy?), but seems as though the instructions stress this length to be 8 cm so that the blumat responds properly as the medium drys out.

Never had problem with overwatering - in fact I find myself setting them up and then opening them more and more over the course of the next few days as the pots dry out.

They work great, but I'm still generally un-easy about how dry the pots seem to get and how lightweight they feel aside from a small wet region right below the dripper. Fuzzy white root growth directly below the drip point must mean I'm doing something right. - just very different then hand watered saturations.

The instructions say to fully water, crank closed to point of droplet cling, and then tighten 1-2 more arrow markings? Is this what everyone is doing? I find myself backing back off of that 1-2 arrow adjustment as the pot seems to be too dry. I've never been able to back off to the point of run-off unless I just have them wide open.

Would it be beneficial to open wide open to runoff - then close them 1-2 arrows or so?

- -

ps - this is why you want the extra 3mm tubing - Have to secure the 8mm tubing to your pot rim to prevent it from twisting or otherwise putting tension on the 3mm tubing causing it to kink. Notice how my 8mm tubing has to ride along the surface of the bags rather then just lay nicely on the floor. Extra 3mm tubing definitely makes life easier but is by no means necessary if you're not needing to move your pots around. Just a tid bit for those not wanting to spend the extra on more tubing.

 

[greentrich]

Are you guys extending the 3mm tubing farther from blumat to allow the coco to get wetter before the blumat pinches it off?

Mine is about the recommended length...works out to about 3".

just very different then hand watered saturations.

Absolutely! I just left that world and pretty much had to trash ALMOST everything I learned about coco moisture levels.

The instructions say to fully water, crank closed to point of droplet cling,.....

Ya but remember they're probably not talking coco there. I think their reference is for soil. Upon the recommendation of Slow...after transplanting into 2g smart pots, I watered fully with the drippers off. Waited a couple days to dry a bit, then set the drip for ~10 sec. After I knew the transplant went well and the plants could handle it, I set the drip for ~4 sec with 1.4 EC solution.

Over the past week I've been dialing it all in as this is my first time with blumats. Some want more water than others I am finding. Also, my coco is cut with a bit of perlite so it tends to dry a bit quicker. But I have found that a 4 sec drip rate, once the moisture level is where I want it, is working wonders for me. Were it me, I open wide until runoff, then shut them down. Wait a day at most, then up the drip rate to ~7 sec. Seems like your coco wants to dry fast, so 7 sec might be too long. My coco hasn't been dry at all this whole time..with the exception of the very top. I have found that even though they're dry on top, the very bottoms are still nice and moist (I can feel it through the smart pots) and still have roots growing out of the bottom, and the plants are kickin' chicken...almost out of my control.

Hope that sheds some light for ya. I love this thread...we are all learning!

Good times

 

[joe4444]

greentrich, I thought the idea of Blumats is automated watering only when the medium starts to dry. What's with the 4sec, 7sec, 10sec dripping? Do they drip only when the soil starts to dry, or do they drip all the time?

 

[greentrich]

greentrich, I thought the idea of Blumats is automated watering only when the medium starts to dry. What's with the 4sec, 7sec, 10sec dripping? Do they drip only when the soil starts to dry, or do they drip all the time?

Something that dunkydunk said in another blumat thread: "it's all about the drip..."

The idea of blumats is the drip to maintain a CONSTANT moisture. I cannot speak for soil, but I do know this for coco. Sorry, guess I should have specified that, but I was answering Cheeb's question, so...my bad man.

Anyway ya, it's about constant moisture. Just leaving the hand watering world and watering once a day, I can already see the benefits with keeping the coco at a constant moisture level. The wet/dry aspect was good, but this much better. My plants are 100% more stable than before, and the roots are incredible. Not to mention they are growing faster. I do notice they slow down or speed up slightly on occasion, but not far at all either way. Mine are finally dialed in and things are going so nicely...can't express how happy I am with them.

It's easier, and I'm working less.

 

[Guywithoutajeep]

With coco its constantly dripping. Mine are dripping faster and faster as the plants get bigger. Kinda cool.

 

[sunnydog]

Looking back, I'm pretty sure SunnyD handwaters all his nutes and just has clean water running through his blumats. Is that correct Sunny???


Compst

I mix the nutes in the soil....
Any "extras" are hand watered in.
Also, nutes can be put under the dripper so they wash in to the soil.

SD

 

[compost]

One last question for ya SD or to anyone out there in general. Does anyone put Dunks in your blumat res? I put half a dunk into a some pantyhose and put it in between my air stones. Was curious if anyone had tried this with good results. I just put it in today.

 

[sunnydog]

WTF is a "dunk"? LOL!

 

[Cheeb]

mosquito dunk - for gnat larvae control

I'd advise against the dunk in the res. Just blend/grind one up and scratch into your medium below where your blumat drips.

Use Gnatrol in reservoir if needed.