Grow Mediums Autopot review after semi final grow result, no hydroton, no air dome.

[Olderfart]

Great review Olderfart! I've been looking and reading a lot into these and they seem to work great. Maybe next grow Ill splurge and pick 4 of these up

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the combo of autopots, fabric pots, and the coco/perlite medium I used. Cost wise, this system is as good as anything else, and IMHO better than most. If you put a serious filter on the reservoir, you will have no problem with plugging. I used one of the pleated filter elements used for household water systems, and wedged it with plastic foam into the bottom of the reservoir over the spigot intake. It worked perfectly throughout the grow in spite of lots of debris in the water as I was using lake water to mix nutes.

Airpots would presumably work as well as fabric ones, but I can't comment on the solid pots other than noting that others have great success with them. If you were going full organic with autopots, the standard pot sizes, even the xl, may not get you through a complete grow without adding soluble nutes. Top dressing might work, but might not given the subirrigated design. Pot size aside, if I was using autopots with organic soil that may hold water tighter than coco, I would put a couple inches of 60/40 coco/perlite in the bottom of the pot to allow the flood zone to drain easily and completely, which may not happen with a denser medium. The coco/soil transition should wick nutes/water without problem, unlike the boundary between more dramatically different media.

The autovalve could also be used to supply a tray that you could put anything from a couple huge planters or a bunch of small pots in. I think the flexibility of the system is another really strong point.
Good luck with the system if you take it on - if you do, I think you will be pleased.

 

[Olderfart]

It sounds like it would be excellent for mothers in my vertical system. Different strokes for different folks as irrigation strategies often are misunderstood and this seems to fool proof that aspect. Moisture content at the root zone is going to vary from medium to medium but at least this is versatile enough to tackle various mediums.

I'm lazy and don't like doing more for my mothers than necessary. I saw their 8 pot system but is pretty expensive for my needs but definitely under consideration.

I appreciate the honest review. Everything is so clear and informative. The grow and your review really show your talent

Hey Damien, thanks for the kind comments. I think the autopot system would work well for mothers, maybe even better than trying to cover more than one strain in an actual grow. The nute requirements to keep mums tolerably healthy should be less critical than trying to dial a grow into the max. Anyway, the automatic watering would let you leave home and your mothers for as long as your reservoir is big, even with 8 plants. Setting this system up for 8 plants would not be cheap, but I suspect it may be the cheapest automatic system that will work reliably when the power goes out.

By the way, you do not need to buy the full system with their reservoir, you can use almost anything as a reservoir, and can adapt to their standard hose with a bit of jimmy rigging. I went with 3 of the xl singles for my grow, and used a 40l insulated beverage container I got from a junk store for a few bucks as a reservoir. For your 8 plants, any plastic garbage can would work fine.

Good luck with your grow Damien.

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Hey Damien, thanks for the kind comments. I think the autopot system would work well for mothers, maybe even better than trying to cover more than one strain in an actual grow. The nute requirements to keep mums tolerably healthy should be less critical than trying to dial a grow into the max. Anyway, the automatic watering would let you leave home and your mothers for as long as your reservoir is big, even with 8 plants. Setting this system up for 8 plants would not be cheap, but I suspect it may be the cheapest automatic system that will work reliably when the power goes out.

By the way, you do not need to buy the full system with their reservoir, you can use almost anything as a reservoir, and can adapt to their standard hose with a bit of jimmy rigging. I went with 3 of the xl singles for my grow, and used a 40l insulated beverage container I got from a junk store for a few bucks as a reservoir. For your 8 plants, any plastic garbage can would work fine.

Good luck with your grow Damien.

You're reading my mind man!

I'm glad I read this because I had kind of ignored auto pots in favor of Dutch buckets but your rationale rings true. It would be nothing but beneficial so at some point I'll pull the trigger and grab two. The square pots are perfect for final up potting and will make root trimming a breeze.

Been a great help.

 

[St. Tom]

great review my friend ive grown with these for maybe 3yrs and ive had lots of success my only difference is i use 60/40 coco clay pebbles and i will never change my setup and there great for growers of any skill i feel

 

[Olderfart]

Final results are in. The CQ came in at 161 grams, the two 24C's combined at 145 grams, for a total of 306g or 10.9 oz total for the grow. I didn't weigh the trim, but it likely went another 100g or so.

I might have averaged something like 300 watts or so for the grow, so roughly 1g/watt in spite of my screwups with nutes and light.

Pics of the buds are in the main grow thread.

Happy growing all.

 

[JohnEMad]

Final results are in. The CQ came in at 161 grams, the two 24C's combined at 145 grams, for a total of 306g or 10.9 oz total for the grow. I didn't weigh the trim, but it likely went another 100g or so.

I might have averaged something like 300 watts or so for the grow, so roughly 1g/watt in spite of my screwups with nutes and light.

Pics of the buds are in the main grow thread.

Happy growing all.

Excellent grow OF. Enjoy the harvest. Well deserved.

 

[Olderfart]

Excellent grow OF. Enjoy the harvest. Well deserved.

Thanks John, I couldn't have done as well without this generous community.

 

[Waira]

Very good review OF, this system is solid as they come! I'm glad to see somebody skip all the airdome rigging and run it like it was originally designed to,... ... I recall when a lot of testing was going on a couple years ago folks were all over the airdome deal, and in theory it should be "better" for the extra O2 boost. I think it works right up to the point the dome becomes engulfed by the roots and compressed medium, and resists what meager pressure the air pump can muster. After that I suspect the airpump is experiencing some gas reflux!
I've given serious thought to this system, but right now with just the one tent, and the juggling of strains, finishing times, and the fact that I like to get the girls out into the Sun mid-bloom on makes for too many impracticalities... for now!
Ok I gotta have a look at the girls you grew! Cosmic Queen is fantastic, I loved her smoke and funky overripe fruit yogurt aroma....

 

[Olderfart]

Very good review OF, this system is solid as they come! I'm glad to see somebody skip all the airdome rigging and run it like it was originally designed to,... ... I recall when a lot of testing was going on a couple years ago folks were all over the airdome deal, and in theory it should be "better" for the extra O2 boost. I think it works right up to the point the dome becomes engulfed by the roots and compressed medium, and resists what meager pressure the air pump can muster. After that I suspect the airpump is experiencing some gas reflux!
I've given serious thought to this system, but right now with just the one tent, and the juggling of strains, finishing times, and the fact that I like to get the girls out into the Sun mid-bloom on makes for too many impracticalities... for now!
Ok I gotta have a look at the girls you grew! Cosmic Queen is fantastic, I loved her smoke and funky overripe fruit yogurt aroma....

Hey @Waira, good to have you check in. I love your description of the odour of the CQ. I absolutely love the smell, but have a tough time describing it. At times I think I get hints of old orange peel beneath some fresh conifer. There is a species of balsam fir out here in the west that has a similar smell if you bruise the needles or bark, including the orange hints - maybe it is related... Anyway, it is the nicest smelling weed I have run into so far, and it just keeps getting better as it cures. The morning sniff when burping the jars is a wonderful start to the day. Tried in the vape a couple times, and love that too. Very happy with the autopots, and the grow, and the bud now in the jars. Next time will be better, but this time was not bad at all thanks to help from you and others on here.

 

[Nosias]

From the reading I have done, it seems to me that the air domes usually don't do any harm unless air pumping is excessive, but if they improve things, it is not by much. Most growers I have noticed who report having compared with and without air domes see little difference in results. Bottom line for me is that the system works very well without an air pump dependent on electricity, so I am not interested in the extra complexity.

To each hers, or his own, but I will keep my autopot system simple. Had I seen any indication of root problems within the flooded part of my pots, I would have done something about the problem, but my grow confirms to me that there is no need.

I use 100% coco with air pumps. My roots on all 5 AutoPot grows, using this setup, have been extremely concentrated at the bottom. The air dome is completely surrounded/encased in healthy roots. BUT the rest of the coco has very little roots, anywhere. I am more than happy with my set up. 12 -15 oz a grow keeps me well supplied and ready for the rest of this stay at home situation.

Stay safe.