Blumat auto watering

[greentrich]

Can I get a "HELLZ YEAH" for starting a Blumat user group???

 

[sanjuan]

They hook up just like regular size Tropf Blumats. You need their tubing.

Meaning the 3mm OD silicone tubing. With a 3/32" barb fitting you can then improvise the rest of it.

Or get a kit of 12 Maxi's: http://www.blumat-shop.de/Tropf-Blumat/Sets/Tropf-Blumat-Set-for-tub-planters--foil-packed-.html Includes faucet pressure reducer but you'll want a through-hull fitting for an indoor reservoir instead.

(10 gallon coco pots?--must be indoor redwood trees!)

 

[McSnappler]

So far not so good for the pure Coco-based mum, the poor little XL Houseplant Blumat doesn't seem to be able to deliver the volume of liquid that the plant needs in 3.5L of Canna Coco. I'm going to continue experimenting but I have little faith it can cope.

Next experiment with the houseplant blumats will be a soil based mum, see if it can deal with that instead.

Just a little extra info for this thread - I'm currently experimenting with Blumat for Houseplants on a single mother to see how it gets on. I bought it when I got my proper blumats and it's been sat in the box since, so I thought it was time to give it a whirl.

I'm using the XL Blumat for Houseplants in 3.5L of Coco.

Will report back in a week or so to let you guys know if it works out..

 

[nukkumatti]

So far not so good for the pure Coco-based mum, the poor little XL Houseplant Blumat doesn't seem to be able to deliver the volume of liquid that the plant needs in 3.5L of Canna Coco. I'm going to continue experimenting but I have little faith it can cope.

Yo bro..Are you sure you have adjusted it properly? And your reservoir's standing higher than the blumat in the pot?

My one blumat tropf can handle 20l of coco or soil with no problem.

 

[McSnappler]

Yo bro..Are you sure you have adjusted it properly? And your reservoir's standing higher than the blumat in the pot?

My one blumat tropf can handle 20l of coco or soil with no problem.

Hey nukkumatti - I'm not testing out the normal Tropf Blumat here, I know these are fine and can cope with plants in large pots.

The type I am testing is the Houseplant version of the blumats, which don't use an elevated reservoir, and instead use the osmotic pressure change at the cone to actually draw the moisture from the res. The liquid is delivered via the cone itself, rather than from a dripper.

 

[nukkumatti]

Sorry man
I haven't even looked about the "houseplants" version..

Keep on testing bro!

 

[dargo]

just got my 12 kit all I need now is my ph/ec meter to turn up and I can get growing!!

 

[Scrogerman]

Best of luck with it Darg, juging by your gardening skillz you'll be fine bro, G'Luck to all the rest of you virgin blumat growers too, im soon to be joining you!

 

[dargo]

thanks dude I cant wait to get started

 

[huntingbb]

just got my 12 kit all I need now is my ph/ec meter to turn up and I can get growing!!

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
i gotta order mine this week!

 

[greentrich]

I cant wait to get started

I couldn't either Dargo. This is my first run with these lil blu beauties, what a difference. I'll be looking for your "I love my blumats!!!" thread soon .

Seriously, we should start a social group for these.

 

[huntingbb]

if sunny starts a group i'll join... whats with the suppliers on the 3mm line? can't we use some other 3mm (1/8th inch) line for drippers?

 

[Cheeb]

Green Acres Hydro has the 3mm line in larger rolls. I think they may even sell it by the foot.

I've heard on these forums in the past that ONLY this 3mm blumat tubing will work. I believe Lazyman has looked into using an alternative with no luck.

I do know that its gotta be super soft surgical style tubing should one find something that would work.

 

[huntingbb]

There is an argument for two drippers per pot regardless of size, especially if you are leaving your setup unattended for days at a time.

If one fails, you've always got a second dripper to make sure the plant doesn't die whilst you are absent.

Just a thought - I've not had one fail on me yet - but it's a theory that regular mechanical dripper guys use and it does make sense.

yeah.... agreed 100%

Finally, some pics of what I've come up with. First is my rez set up. the trash can is the main rez, it has two 2' air diffusers, one little pump that kicks on every couple hours to make sure everything's stirred up and another little pump that has just enough lift to feed the top rez (black hose.) THen the top rez has one 2' diffuser and two overflow valves going back to the main rez and they drain faster than the pump can fill. The tubs are filled with straight coco with drain holes in the bottom going into 5 gal buckets just in case. Each tub has 4 sensors (3 drippers on each - might up it to 4.) THe ones on the right have been in 12/12 (straight from rooted clones in 9oz cups) for about 30 days now and they look great but the ones in the middle right under the main light (I've got some lgm 5 led bars around the edges) look funky compared to the ones on the outside (see last pic for outside.) could that be from being closer to the heat? Hopefully they'll fatten up too, they're the healthiest looking plants in the bunch. The ones on the left side have been in 12/12 for 10 days and they're looking great but not flowering yet. All are cuts from the same plant.

Edit: I figured out what's wrong with those flowers, the ballast was at 50%, notice how much brighter the left side is. Well, I guess it shows that those little (each bar is only 9 watts) led bars work pretty good when used in conjunction with an hid for the radiant heat.

thanks for the cool pix

Green Acres Hydro has the 3mm line in larger rolls. I think they may even sell it by the foot.

I've heard on these forums in the past that ONLY this 3mm blumat tubing will work. I believe Lazyman has looked into using an alternative with no luck.

I do know that its gotta be super soft surgical style tubing should one find something that would work.

guess ill have to get some of it the first time, and play with alternatives later heh, thanks

So to those of you who are perpetual - i take it this is a real fucking pain in the ass? I kept looking and looking, and the way i see it is one would need a rez per stage of veg/flower a given girl is at.. so minimum 3 rezzies for a monthly stagger whether by cuts or double room stagger - flower + flower2 + veg ;_; - how does one keep all the rezzies cool with one chiller? Several of the metal loops with cold water flowing through? If i want an icebox do i need yet another rez for a total of 4?
____________________
|icebox master rez |
| flower1 |
| flower2 |
| veg_____|

4 i say since icebox master rez needs to be 30deg below ambient, but if i'm not running an icebox can one of the rez's cool the other two?
Is there a large volume (audible) difference between internal and external pumps?

 

[McSnappler]

So to those of you who are perpetual - i take it this is a real fucking pain in the ass?

The magic of an organic soil mix and feeding plain water.

 

[sunnydog]

yeah.... agreed 100%



thanks for the cool pix


guess ill have to get some of it the first time, and play with alternatives later heh, thanks

So to those of you who are perpetual - i take it this is a real fucking pain in the ass? I kept looking and looking, and the way i see it is one would need a rez per stage of veg/flower a given girl is at.. so minimum 3 rezzies for a monthly stagger whether by cuts or double room stagger - flower + flower2 + veg ;_; - how does one keep all the rezzies cool with one chiller? Several of the metal loops with cold water flowing through? If i want an icebox do i need yet another rez for a total of 4?
____________________
|icebox master rez |
| flower1 |
| flower2 |
| veg_____|

4 i say since icebox master rez needs to be 30deg below ambient, but if i'm not running an icebox can one of the rez's cool the other two?
Is there a large volume (audible) difference between internal and external pumps?

I don't understand the icebox and pumps....

 

[huntingbb]

I don't understand the icebox and pumps....

here is a pic

 

[sunnydog]

here is a pic

Why do you need to chill plant res. water???

 

[huntingbb]

what's the upper temp for a rez of this sort?

What do i need to add to keep out bacteria, mold, etc?

My ambient air should not go over 77 in the room the girls are at, what would that work out to for the rez's temp?

I was under the impression that having a rez drip feed em would be the same as running hydro, in that bodies of water need to be cooled to be kept sterile..

Is this not the case?

Is it only when roots sit in the water its gotta be like 68°-72°?

I'm trying to do my next round right, trying to set things up so i dont screw them up, and autowatering is part of the key for sure, but in general i want to perpetualize, and it seems blumat's make it a bit more complicated, no worries on mixing more water, but it seemed like i would need to keep it cool as well.. thus the complicated diagram.. please tell me i'm way off base!

Basically i see myself either adding a second ballast and rotating in every so many weeks or a second flowering room and flip flop - meaning no less than 3 types of water for my 'lab' - it's giving me headaches!

 

[rives]

I was under the impression that having a rez drip feed em would be the same as running hydro, in that bodies of water need to be cooled to be kept sterile.

I ran mine all summer on a small elevated reservoir fed with an auto-top off system. It is relatively cool here, but temps were in the low 80's. I had debated about using a bubbler in it, but wound up deciding it could potentially cause more trouble than it was worth if the air bubbles started causing vapor locks. The reservoir was covered, the outside taped with aluminum tape, and in a darkened room (outside of a tent). I never had any algae or noticeable scum build-up. Root/water temperature is not the issue in soil that it is in hydro.