Grow Mediums Your ideas wanted!!!! Trying to find a solution for automated fertigation of a perpetual tent. Autopots v Octopots v Handfeeding v ??? in coco.

Ok, If you really want something automated and go on vacation without fear of under/overwatering?
Go for Autopot with BioTabs. The only thing you need extra is a small valve to put on the water tank so you can adjust the flowrate as a full tank can give to much pressure for the aquavalves...
I'm currently doing such a grow and I must say... I'm a convert to Bio dude!! I even started up a worm bin so I could have my own worm juice...Works perfect

Bob's Auto's said:

Ok, If you really want something automated and go on vacation without fear of under/overwatering?
Go for Autopot with BioTabs. The only thing you need extra is a small valve to put on the water tank so you can adjust the flowrate as a full tank can give to much pressure for the aquavalves...
I'm currently doing such a grow and I must say... I'm a convert to Bio dude!! I even started up a worm bin so I could have my own worm juice...Works perfect

Click to expand...

I liked using biotabs but they're a bit expensive.

I'd love a worm bin. What one do you have?

Qb

Qbgrower said:

I liked using biotabs but they're a bit expensive.

I'd love a worm bin. What one do you have?

Qb

Click to expand...

BioTabs don't have to be expensive. If you reuse the soil. ie, cut the rootball in slices and feed it to the worms.
My bin is an El Cheepo solution with three bins that fit into each other. The two top bins have 8mm holes in their respective bottoms drilled. Each hole about 5cm/2" apart.


The top bin has a layer of wood mulch (from cleaning out my hamster cage). The worms don't go there as it is to dry...


The middle layer is where all the magic happens. The worm castings are so powerful that even pieces of vegetable readily start to create shoots.
This bin is full and needs to get a fresh empty bin above it, also with holes drilled in the bottom. In this bin we will put a layer of soil (can be any potting soil or even coco.). On top of that I put a fairly thick layer of vegetable scraps. Anything that hasn't been cooked and doesn't have protein in it is fair game. You can even see coffee grounds with the pad added to the full bin. And lastly but not least you need to top that with a layer of cellulose (ie, newspaper, ripped pieces of cardboard and even the wood curls from a hamster cage.
Wet this all so the paper gets soaked and put the top bin (the one with only the wood curls) on top of that. As soon as the food in the full bin gets depleted the worms will migrate through the holes to the next bin and the whole thing will start over.


Now there is a lot of life inside this bin. Except for the mycorrhiza and bacteria we added there's plenty of life that converged in the bins, even while they were inside the house. Now that they are outside life has exploded...









Does anyone of the Organics crew (@Suki813, @Jean-O, @Waira) have an idea how to treat the worm castings so eggs and creepy crawlers like these above don't create problems in future grows? Or should I just keep using it to make tea from which I filter three times to keep the unmentionables' above out of my tent?

Bob's Auto's said:

BioTabs don't have to be expensive. If you reuse the soil. ie, cut the rootball in slices and feed it to the worms.
My bin is an El Cheepo solution with three bins that fit into each other. The two top bins have 8mm holes in their respective bottoms drilled. Each hole about 5cm/2" apart.
View attachment 1453054

The top bin has a layer of wood mulch (from cleaning out my hamster cage). The worms don't go there as it is to dry...
View attachment 1453055

The middle layer is where all the magic happens. The worm castings are so powerful that even pieces of vegetable readily start to create shoots.
This bin is full and needs to get a fresh empty bin above it, also with holes drilled in the bottom. In this bin we will put a layer of soil (can be any potting soil or even coco.). On top of that I put a fairly thick layer of vegetable scraps. Anything that hasn't been cooked and doesn't have protein in it is fair game. You can even see coffee grounds with the pad added to the full bin. And lastly but not least you need to top that with a layer of cellulose (ie, newspaper, ripped pieces of cardboard and even the wood curls from a hamster cage.
Wet this all so the paper gets soaked and put the top bin (the one with only the wood curls) on top of that. As soon as the food in the full bin gets depleted the worms will migrate through the holes to the next bin and the whole thing will start over.
View attachment 1453057

Now there is a lot of life inside this bin. Except for the mycorrhiza and bacteria we added there's plenty of life that converged in the bins, even while they were inside the house. Now that they are outside life has exploded...
View attachment 1453060

View attachment 1453061

View attachment 1453062

View attachment 1453063


Does anyone of the Organics crew (@Suki813, @Jean-O, @Waira) have an idea how to treat the worm castings so eggs and creepy crawlers like these above don't create problems in future grows? Or should I just keep using it to make tea from which I filter three times to keep the unmentionables' above out of my tent?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed description. They're just plastic tote boxes? I reckon I could do that. I'd put some sort of fine mesh at the handle holes though as I reckon that's where flies etc are getting in. Maybe even some sort of gasket or bead of silicone around the edges of the boxes to seal it too.

As for biotabs it's more the supplements rather than the biotabs themselves. I used the starter pack initially but found that it needed their other supplements to get through the full cycle without problems. That's where the costs pile up.

Qb

Qbgrower said:

Thanks for the detailed description. They're just plastic tote boxes? I reckon I could do that. I'd put some sort of fine mesh at the handle holes though as I reckon that's where flies etc are getting in. Maybe even some sort of gasket or bead of silicone around the edges of the boxes to seal it too.

As for biotabs it's more the supplements rather than the biotabs themselves. I used the starter pack initially but found that it needed their other supplements to get through the full cycle without problems. That's where the costs pile up.

Qb

Click to expand...

What I meant was, once you have a good culture of the bacteria and mycelia growing, you don't have to buy that anymore. So...Stratrex, Mycotrex and Bactrex are only needed the first time. Then you have only left the BioTabs themselves and the Silicium Flash. I find these costs are worth the comfort of not having to mess with a pH / EC probe anymore. And as I said, if you make your own worm tea you're continuously adding bennies to the mix.

Bob's Auto's said:

What I meant was, once you have a good culture of the bacteria and mycelia growing, you don't have to buy that anymore. So...Stratrex, Mycotrex and Bactrex are only needed the first time. Then you have only left the BioTabs themselves and the Silicium Flash. I find these costs are worth the comfort of not having to mess with a pH / EC probe anymore. And as I said, if you make your own worm tea you're continuously adding bennies to the mix.

Click to expand...

Ah right I understand now. Cheers

Qb

So then, interesting this should come up - I spend my time between two places, as such I have just been away for near enough 4 weeks.
Two tents running:
1: 1m2 budbox tent, a Wilma XL four pot system. To this I bodged an attach drilling a hole in the side of the Wilma res and attaching a 225ltr flex tank, inside the tank there is a water pump that agitates the water and nutrients.

That lasted the whole time I was away (just about), the issue then became not the water or fertigation but the plants, being away that long they went bezerk and lanky and bendy. But the watering and nutrients worked and the harvest of one plant so far has been good.

2. Tent two is living soil in some pots and regular in other pots. All have worms and just water via a Blumat Trompf, once it was dialed in it worked well, I would say I fell short on the nutrients so next time I will add some dry top dressing before I go or maybe add a bio tab. The blumat was attached to. 100ltr res, the plants were young when I left, but they drank the lot and were hungry when I returned. For four weeks, a 150 or 200ltr res with blumats and water only is my next try and I think it will hold the time and keep them happy (I will put a precautionary net in to hold them up as well)

sorry to waffle - ultimately both worked to a degree, for water only (with water pump to agitate the water) I am loving the blumats once dialed in

good luck which ever route you take

Z

Zaaboot said:

or maybe add a bio tab.

Click to expand...

They are so easy mate! Push in and forget about it.

Bob's Auto's said:

They are so easy mate! Push in and forget about it.

Click to expand...

I have just bought a box - will give half the soil tent the bio tabs and the other half the stuff from Ecothrive and see how it goes

Z

As a new grower - what is the advantage of coco over hydro systems like DWC? From my perspective it just seems like difficult expensive DWC that everyone complains about and needs a ton of help solving. Thanks to all the vets for all the knowledge!!