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Blumat auto watering
- Thread starter sunnydog
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- blumat drippers irrigation watering
I think I read that they recommend 2 maxis for an 18g tub planter. Don't know if that's the max amount of soil 2 could handle though.
The only difference between the maxis and the regular is that it has an extension inbetween so that the sensor samples from deeper in the pot. The cone and the top part are the exact same as on the regular ones.
I read a really informative post over on another site, from someone who had used the blumats in a larger scale setting. I'd copy and paste it, but I don't know if it would be kosher to do something like that off another site. He went over all of the common problems with flooding and adjusting and how to fix them. He was saying that alot of the problems people have with the blumats are due to not enough pressure in the lines, from not having enough height for the reservoir. He suggested pressurizing the lines if you have a long run, to six psi.
Has anyone tried anything like this? How would you go about it, some sort of water pump? How would you get the pressure to stay steady at that rate?
I keep my Blumat rez at ~8ft. 8*.43 = 3.44psi
At that height I have had no issues and pulling a drip tube off a tee = one heck of a geyser! I think the best way to maintain a steady pressure on the simple/cheap would be an elevated rez with a constant water level. Keep in mind the rez can be the size of a tea cup if you setup a float/auto topoff for it from a lower water source.
I can think of a few ways to use a pressure tank, but none of them seem like they would be easy to maintain...
I would think that a pressure regulator on a tap water line would be the only way to do this effectively. A pump in a reservoir is just going to cavitate most of the time, heating the water needlessly and creating pump damage. It would take close to 14' of elevation for a reservoir to give you 6 psi.
On a different note, I just got set up for my second run with the Blumats, and this time I am using two of the distributors with each Blumat in 3 gallon smart pots. On my last run, I stayed carefully with their recommendations on the length of the drip hose (no distributors) and I didn't think the moisture in the media was as even as it could be. I have the distributors set up directly across from each other at the mid-point of the pots, the Blumat placed between them, all on approximately the same radius from the center of the pot. So far they seem to have a much more even moisture content than I was seeing on the last run. Anybody else tried anything similar?
I'm all coco now but I actually prefer the way Blumats worked for me in soil (promix/perlite). I have had a bit more trouble getting the coco pots at the moisture level I want. The soil pots were easier to dial. However, I would never go back. Plant growth has been nothing short of amazing in coco and the Blumats are rockin.
onthaherb
I mix my potting soil from the 'ground up' - 50% organic sphagnum peat moss, 25% of pumice (1/4" size) and 25% of a combination of thermal compost and earthworm castings.
The Tropf Blumats work as advertised in this soil mix and works better than expected, IMHO
HTH
CC
I mix my potting soil from the 'ground up' - 50% organic sphagnum peat moss, 25% of pumice (1/4" size) and 25% of a combination of thermal compost and earthworm castings.
The Tropf Blumats work as advertised in this soil mix and works better than expected, IMHO
HTH
CC
Anything with Sphagnum Peat moss will do great with the blumats. Others have also suggested Coco works well.
I can tell you what to avoid. Heavy bark based mixes. I use Fafard 3B, amended with enough SPM to bring it up to 60%. I couldn't be happier now. Now, that I am using the correct soil, my life couldn't be easier.
Its nice to see a report on the drippers. I too have had this problem. Its easily corrected if I turn up the drip rate, but that usually leaves the bottom of the bags a bit too wet.
I think ill pick up some and give em a good now.
Thanks.
MyGreenToe
Member
Ok I'm sorry if its been asked a dozen times in the thread, but I don't have the patience to read it all. What is the best deal on these for folks in the US? Almost all the suppliers seem to be UK/EU based. What reputable site sells them for a decent price? I'm interested in the normal and Maxi tropf blumats.
thanks
MGT
thanks
MGT
wisco61
Member
Read back two pages. The best suppliers seem to change, as a couple of previous sources are having long term web site issues and/or inventory seems to be an issue. But 2 pages back there are current and future sources listed. Or try googling blumat and ignore the non US sites.
i figured out what to do with the crappy little pieces of 3mm tubing they give you in the patio set.
placeholders! (perfect for perpetual systems)
placeholders! (perfect for perpetual systems)
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.
have you been passively killing those plants again?
I think the ppk system is basically a reverse blumat, but the top gets dry.
Ive also thought about how to combine the two, and i think a measured pulse to the blumat rezzie might do it, as the blumat's themselves have a measurable and predictable flow. If the regulating bucket gets too high it should pulse to the blumats. And, I think that multiple blumats ending in T's might just do it - for the spread. One would get the larger blumats or tons of the smaller ones, and yes, at some point the blumats are more expensive than the application might warrant.
And if the container happened to be some sort of hempy or other variant that has a 'minirez' at the bottom of the container I'd imagine one's roots would be great.
But what matters is:
a. low tech - less to break
b. low power - no noise
c. can walk away for extended periods of time
d. yield
They seem to be happy
To date i've only used the jr's - and those things don't flow much i'm still trying to get around to trying them on a 6x6x7 square pot, 1 or 2 a piece.
I can attest that coco/perlite (Botanicare ReadyGro aeration mix) works very well! My plants are about 30% larger in the same amount of time with coco/perlite over FFOF.
It DOES require much looser settings on the knob than soil, the blumat drips visibly and fairly often. With soil I rarely saw them drip except on very large/late flowering plants.
BorkBorkBork
Member
i figured out what to do with the crappy little pieces of 3mm tubing they give you in the patio set.
placeholders! (perfect for perpetual systems)
Great minds think alike, I discovered the same thing a little while ago!
I can attest that coco/perlite (Botanicare ReadyGro aeration mix) works very well! My plants are about 30% larger in the same amount of time with coco/perlite over FFOF.
i 2ND that. i think im going to switch back to the aeration mix as well. i did a cycle w/ it before this last one that i used straight coco/perlite on. its the right choice for me
G
Guywithoutajeep
I wanted to add my further experience with blumats. I noticed some people having trouble with the media being either too dry or flooded. This is due to improper setup. Here's how I fixed this issue. 1. I unscrewed the ceramic cone off and soaked them for a few days just to be safe. 2. When I screwed them on I made sure the cap was screwed all the way up (this is one spot where I failed the first time, I originally only had them on firm). 3. I used Canna Coco for it's water retention ability. 2 and 3 are the biggest changers it seems like. If you're flooding it's because you have dial set too high and the sensor is not functioning properly. If you have the media too dry it's most likely because the sensor is not functioning properly. You're dial may be set perfect in this situation, but because the sensor isn't working it is not increasing it's drip rate.
I wanted to add how great and necessary the distributor droppers have become for me. I use 5 gallon smart pots and found that the media was drying around the edges of the pot. Also I was getting a mound of roots built up where the drip was coming. Setting up 3 distributors around the pot has cleared this up. If you're using those distributors make sure the hose coming from the sensor to the first distributor is at least 3 inches in length.
Edit: If you're getting uneven drip rates in your distributors check that ALL your brown lines are clean.
I wanted to add how great and necessary the distributor droppers have become for me. I use 5 gallon smart pots and found that the media was drying around the edges of the pot. Also I was getting a mound of roots built up where the drip was coming. Setting up 3 distributors around the pot has cleared this up. If you're using those distributors make sure the hose coming from the sensor to the first distributor is at least 3 inches in length.
Edit: If you're getting uneven drip rates in your distributors check that ALL your brown lines are clean.
What do you guys think about 5 gallon buckets stacked as a way of getting the reservoirs up high? The reservoirs would be 2 20 gallon brute trashcans.
The stack would be 6-8 buckets high, with 2 or 3 stacks, then place a piece of plywood or mdf on top. Then on top of that would go the reservoirs. My only concern is the reservoirs are wider than the buckets, and 20 gallons of water tipping over would be a disaster. My other idea was using stacked milk crates. Then some sort of strap around the reservoir, screwed to a stud.
There's also the fact that the reservoirs would be roughly 160 lbs a piece when full.
Anyone got any good ideas? Need something lightweight and can't build a badass shelf like lazyman's due to the rooms situation. I'm thinking 2-3 feet of lift would do it. I could also go with a couple pumps up to smaller buckets and have the res's on the floor, but not having a pump is part of the appeal.
The stack would be 6-8 buckets high, with 2 or 3 stacks, then place a piece of plywood or mdf on top. Then on top of that would go the reservoirs. My only concern is the reservoirs are wider than the buckets, and 20 gallons of water tipping over would be a disaster. My other idea was using stacked milk crates. Then some sort of strap around the reservoir, screwed to a stud.
There's also the fact that the reservoirs would be roughly 160 lbs a piece when full.
Anyone got any good ideas? Need something lightweight and can't build a badass shelf like lazyman's due to the rooms situation. I'm thinking 2-3 feet of lift would do it. I could also go with a couple pumps up to smaller buckets and have the res's on the floor, but not having a pump is part of the appeal.
