Blumat auto watering

[Medium Pimpin']

these blumats are easy as pie!
after the initial setup and a few minor tweaks on the knobs and you're done!

gonna be soooooooo nice to go away on vacation now!

 

[1quixotix]

Devil Weed try pushing a bobby pin "Y" side up into the medium and pressing the 3mm driptube into the "Y" opening just a bit.
You may need to slightly pry the opening if you feel it crimps the tube at all.
Its an easy way to keep your driptube at an angle, but not touching the medium.

 

[DevilWeed]

Great idea 1Q! I think most bobby pins are coated too so they shouldn't rust.

I lost track of this thread for a while so I have to read back through it. Is anyone having issues with occasional floods in straight coco? I'll have a valve adjusted and sitting pretty for 3 or 4 weeks, then over night the little shit dumps a couple gallons of water through the plant. I'm guessing it's channeling and when it floods the medium resets itself - it's usually not dripping anymore by the time I find it.

Another thought I've been toying with...drill a hole in the bottom side of a pot and stick the carrot in there. Then run the tube up to the top. Should be able to dial moisture levels better in deep pots and floods should never happen. I'll give it a test...

 

[WasntMe]

they make ones for deep pots ...

 

[dansbuds]

where are you guys getting the 3mm tubing from ? the lines in my patio kit are to short ... need to get longer ones . can we use the 1/8 " /3.2mm lines we get at the hydro shops or homedepot ?

 

[wisco61]

where are you guys getting the 3mm tubing from ? the lines in my patio kit are to short ... need to get longer ones . can we use the 1/8 " /3.2mm lines we get at the hydro shops or homedepot ?

http://waytogrow.net/store/product/3761/Tropf-Drip-Line-30m-Roll/

You need to use that, its a soft silicon that the blumats need to function.

 

[dansbuds]

thanx wisco61!!

 

[ThaLonelyStoner]

I just found these locally for the same price as online. This will be tonights project especially since I am going out of town next week.

 

[kjz71521]

I love the fact of how we come up with these brillant ideas to make our grows so much easier for out selfs. Good job & keep it green.

 

[WasntMe]

A heads up for you guys,

I just got the word that greners.com will have a steady supply of these now .... they should be listed up on the website very soon but for now you can call or email to add them to your purchase ... until they are listed on the website ask for Erik.

 

[farmdalefurr]

A heads up for you guys,

I just got the word that greners.com will have a steady supply of these now .... they should be listed up on the website very soon but for now you can call or email to add them to your purchase ... until they are listed on the website ask for Erik.

nice heads up wasntme im so glad my shop carries everything from black tubing, brown drip tube, individual blumats, etc. etc

 

[potlatch]

WooHoo!
Greners now has a policy of quite reasonable shipping charges. If Erik isn't there, I'm sure Tao can help you out.

 

[Bud Sweat]

Not sure if this question was asked already, but anyone know how they work with large smart pots? Like w/ 100gal+ Do you need multiple blumats per container? and i would assume you go with the deeper blumat.

 

[dubdi3mond]

bud sweat ive never used the maxi's but for 100+ gal smart pot id say 2 maxi's per pot maybe?

 

[RugerBaby]

quick question..


Im looking for an extra thru hull attachment, does anybody know if lowes or home depot have the parts needed?

 

[whodare]

maybe look for a fitting that will work on the 3/8 tubing they sell... go back a page and look for the quick connect post...

 

[dunkydunk]

quick question..


Im looking for an extra thru hull attachment, does anybody know if lowes or home depot have the parts needed?

I've had my best luck using parts from flood and drain tables and then adapting from there. A "thru hull attachment" is some weird name invented by the good people at Blumat, the technical name of that fitting is a 'bulkhead' fitting. Google it and you'll find any size and configuration you want.

 

[Lazyman]

Anybody heard how many gallons of soil 1 maxi can support?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Almost a year running the Tropf Blumat devices and it's the best 'return on investment' I've made in running a small medical garden.

The freedom to leave for several days is worth the spent money alone. I actually have better ways to spend my time than hovering over 4 or 5 plants, KWIM?

Great thread. Great product. Great results.

CC

 

[DevilWeed]

Anybody heard how many gallons of soil 1 maxi can support?

Just my thoughts - the single point drip of either the regular or maxi will cause an inverted cone of "watered" media. Media porosity effects this to a great degree in my experience. Wicking comes into play and if you get it just right you can keep the whole pot moist while eliminating any "perched water table". (The glory of Blumats! ) That said, I would look to how many square feet a single blumat can effectively cover rather than media volume.