please help - show me the best auto water!!! Do you know a better way, Do they work well ? Capillary Mat Systems

[CocoNut 420]

Check ebay etc for autopots, the autopot website is expensive af ime.

AutoPot 4 Pot Grow System 15L Pots 47L Tank AQUAvalve5 | eBay

AQUAvalve5 – a 66% Bigger Inlet. The needs of growers are ever-evolving, served by an increasingly diverse range of nutrients. Maintenance is reduced and the risk of blockages minimised. 4x AQUAvalve5.

www.ebay.co.uk

£100 compared £150 from autopot.

AutoPot 4Pot XL System

4Pot XL System includes: 1x 47ltr tank, lid & 9mm top hat grommet 1x 9mm golf filter 4x 9mm tee connector 2x 9mm cross connector 2x 9mm inline tap 4x 1Pot XL tray, lid & 9mm top hat grommet 4x 25 litre pot 4x AQUAvalve
5 4x root control disc 1x 4 metre length of 9mm pipe 9mm pipe – Outside...

autopot.co.uk

 

[acespicoli]

 

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[acespicoli]

 

[CocoNut 420]

Imo it needs a cover, being exposed fks around with the ec and adds to the humidity in the area.

I keep everything covered, it's yeilds some bonus root growth.

Re potted 24th Dec pic 8th Jan.

 

[acespicoli]

Imo it needs a cover, being exposed fks around with the ec and adds to the humidity in the area.
View attachment 18966984
I keep everything covered, it's yeilds some bonus root growth.
View attachment 18966985
Re potted 24th Dec pic 8th Jan.

I think im gonna end up going the diy auto pot route either that or fish pond liner res
Also need to water the outdoor veggies so this auto water thread will cover a wide array
Need a indoor solution and a outdoor solution right now indoor the outdoor can wait ...
Im probably gonna over think this then go with the simplest possible
I cant get over the surface roots and how clean everything looks, imo you got a great setup

 

[acespicoli]

Imo it needs a cover, being exposed fks around with the ec and adds to the humidity in the area.
View attachment 18966984
I keep everything covered, it's yeilds some bonus root growth.
View attachment 18966985
Re potted 24th Dec pic 8th Jan.

I have 1/4 line and 1/4 weep with tees the fish pond liner and a frame with pots then your right RH% has to be kept as low as possible, thinking a drip to bottom with a pipe feeder tube,

Maybe a emitter with a pump and timer might work

Pool in the bottom to catch run off and overflow guard ?

 

[acespicoli]

 

[xtsho]

I've been thinking of going to a capillary mat, fabric pots, and coco for a few years. But like the floor heating I have been thinking about for the flower tent in my unheated garage I just never get around to it. I think when I shut down indoors for the summer I'm going to get it done. I've used blumats extensively and have nothing but good things to say about them. The capillary mat system would just make easy even easier.

 

[acespicoli]

I've been thinking of going to a capillary mat, fabric pots, and coco for a few years. But like the floor heating I have been thinking about for the flower tent in my unheated garage I just never get around to it. I think when I shut down indoors for the summer I'm going to get it done. I've used blumats extensively and have nothing but good things to say about them. The capillary mat system would just make easy even easier.

My thoughts exactly its a hard choice to make those two and autopot
Then there is root ball size organic or salts how to put enough nutes in a small root zone
in that manual its talkes about the organic hydro method '2004 a reservoir slurry that is filtered and drips
Small micron will pass without clogs and pure water back flush will clean the system at set intervals


Anyone using a slurry oxygenated organic fertilizer tank ?

 

[xtsho]

My thoughts exactly its a hard choice to make those two and autopot
Then there is root ball size organic or salts how to put enough nutes in a small root zone
in that manual its talkes about the organic hydro method '2004 a reservoir slurry that is filtered and drips
Small micron will pass without clogs and pure water back flush will clean the system at set intervals


Anyone using a slurry oxygenated organic fertilizer tank ?

I'm not even thinking about organics. Clean water soluble salts for me. I do the organics outside in the vegetable garden though. Lots of JADAM and KNF going on in the backyard. I want the indoor to be as easy as can be. So it's going to be coco in fabric pots on a capillary mat with inexpensive salts.

It would be cool to see someone else go the organic route but I'm going to take the easy path.

 

[CocoNut 420]

.

I think im gonna end up going the diy auto pot route either that or fish pond liner res
Also need to water the outdoor veggies so this auto water thread will cover a wide array
Need a indoor solution and a outdoor solution right now indoor the outdoor can wait ...
Im probably gonna over think this then go with the simplest possible
I cant get over the surface roots and how clean everything looks, imo you got a great setup

If you're stuck on capillary, autopots can do capillary with a couple of tweaks.

If you take an autopot 8.5ltr pot then place another 8.5/15ltr pot inside the 8.5ltr with a couple of strips of capillary matt poking through the bottom of the pot, the pot inside the pot holds the pot jusssst above the high point of the nutrient maximum, its perfect!

Good luck

 

[acespicoli]

The SWICK system I am using works pretty well. 10 gallon bag of soil on a wick. Described in the Sip not slurp thread.

You Gotta SIP, Not Slurp

I switched over from fabric bags to SIPs a couple years ago and have never looked back. Keeper cuts that were yielding 140 grams per plant suddenly increased to 230-250 grams, the resin content was greasier and increased as well. The plants vegged a lot faster and plant health increased. I had...

www.icmag.com

Feel free to plug and drop inks Thanks @flylowgethigh

 

[acespicoli]

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/3425/bus-tubs-and-bus-boxes.html?filter=color:black&filter=features:bpa-free

Greenhouse Tubing & Water Valves - Greenhouse Megastore

Connect a drip irrigation or sprinkler system with tubing, drip lines, pressure valves, water filters and other hardware to quench your plants' thirst.

www.greenhousemegastore.com

Active Aqua Reservoirs

The Active Aqua reservoirs have a low profile design to fit easily under flood tables and other hydroponic systems. Concave sides improve strength and protect against bowing. Multilevel drill access points allow for automated drainage, float valves, or other improvements. Made from durable ABS...

www.greenhousemegastore.com

bulkhead screen - Google Shopping

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bulkheads with " fittings - Google Shopping

 

[flylowgethigh]

You Gotta SIP, Not Slurp

I switched over from fabric bags to SIPs a couple years ago and have never looked back. Keeper cuts that were yielding 140 grams per plant suddenly increased to 230-250 grams, the resin content was greasier and increased as well. The plants vegged a lot faster and plant health increased. I had...

www.icmag.com

Feel free to plug and drop inks Thanks @flylowgethigh

My system is described in Thailers SIP not Slurp thread. It works well for me because it is easy and sustainable.

 

[SuperFarang]

a good system to use dis.. (irriplan)
Widely used by top growers in holland

cut it a the dimensions of a staal plast table (the 100x110cm for exemple)

perforate a drain hole in the table, usually 25mm hole is advised
In particular if your run several tables succesively
Use this and this for the drain hole, which will only be there as a security because you never really water to runoff in this system

cut a hole in the mat where the drain is located on the table

Then get 42x hugo blocks (6inch) and put these on the mat
stuck to each other

Then you get 3/4'' LDPE hose, stretched along the length of the table, over the cubes

Then with this netafim tool,

pinch holes in the tubing every 5cm, and push these netafim PC drippers (1gal/hour)

tables must rest on a straight plane, no slope

in this system plants are watered with precison irrigation
1 minute impulsion each watering

start with 1 per day .. then as plant grow increase the number of shots
In full bloom your one buds should measure between 70 to 100cm and drink easily 10 shots per day

From my experience crop steering is mostly a bullshit theory
crop steering gurus will tell you to water to runoff, then to wait until you get a certain moisture content in the block (let's say 50% WC) to water again to runoff
The issue is that rockwool retains a lot of moisture and watering to runoff will always create anaerobic conditions in the block

the goal is to keep the rockwool always watered, but never wet
a saturated hugo block will measure 90+% WC in the lower parts of the cube -->not good
(measures taken with a delta-T WC meter)

extremes are to avoid, never wet and never dry

in our case the key is to keep the medium (cubes and irriplan) always supplied with water, by doing small shots through the day, avoiding at all cost falling in the "too wet" section (runoff)

a well managed rockwool grow must never get algae or white mold on the cubes or the capillary mat

Oh.. and the big advantage of this method over the "jungle boys" style growing in hugo, is that you reuse the blocks for several grow cycles
only the capillary mat must be replaced every grow, and the square meter cost around 1.50 euro (very cheap)

This method provide to our favorite plants, when well used:
-infinite rootspace with the irriplan
-highly oxygenated and nutrient available rootzone


ps: also needed :
-some 3x5mm tubing

-and some stakes, you want open stakes, not like these: (they clog)

!! the tubing must only drip over the plant hole, you do not have any hand soaking/priming to do !!
just plant, give each plant it's dripper and turn on the pump 1 minute to start

 

[acespicoli]

 

[Ca++]

This isn't a stake for holding a pipe

It's an arrow emitter. Perhaps a 2gph, and would interfere with a PC emitter in many cases. It's one or the other. I like either, but use these mostly. Not for recirculating rockwool though. Rockwool dust is fine, so can get through the pumps pre-filter. Especially where good flow rates are constantly trying to wash it through. That same dust likes to interlock and form a mush that blocks these arrows though. Where the lower flow rates are not so likely to wash it along.

I have not had one block in so long, it seems ridiculously overdue. Like it never happens, but surely should be a service point. With wool it was regular though. Since wool, I will sometimes strip a system and find debris in the main lines, but it's just sunk there. It's only rockwool seems to get up the branches to the emitters.

It's interesting to hear wool that passes the PC's will block an arrow. Them netafim reds are quite good. Doing there PC thing, down to pressures most big sump pumps can manage (or tiny ec pumps). 5 or 7psi iirc. Not the more typical 15psi, that people struggle to meet.


That barrel linking kit seems cheap. Tank connectors cost about that much alone. It's not for drinking water though. Outside of cali, brass is generally allowed. It's the hose that's more likely to leach lead and such.
If you just want to link lots of trays, I have a thread showing how with no parts, except the tray and hose. Not even glue.

Can you guess what it is yet?

A step type drill bit is ideal. I have tried others. The step bit is just so much more polished and round

 

[CocoNut 420]

.

If you're stuck on capillary, autopots can do capillary with a couple of tweaks.

If you take an autopot 8.5ltr pot then place another 8.5/15ltr pot inside the 8.5ltr with a couple of strips of capillary matt poking through the bottom of the pot, the pot inside the pot holds the pot jusssst above the high point of the nutrient maximum, its perfect!

Good luck

Hey bud, i poked a couple of wicks out the bottom of the pot and put a square of capillary matt in the bottom of the pot to help with nutrient distribution over the bottom and stop coco falling out.

with a pot inside another pot the top pot is held just clear of nutrient only getting wicked up.

A few days after potting.

The other pot is set up in the recommended way.

It's just a little side project

Lost skunk, coco kush x la con and grape fog x lcg