Grow Mediums Autopot saturation Levels

Good luck with the grow, I hope you manage to grow the meds you need.

Autopots with fabric pots work really well. If you go with synthetic nutes, just keep in mind that you need to keep the concentration lower than growers who top water. Have a look at the nutrient thread put together by @Mañ'O'Green. If you use salt nutes, the ppm/EC levels he recommends are a decent starting point, but with autopots you may want to start ~~20% or so lower unless your plants ask for more.

Unless you go organic, you will want a pH pen and a ppm/EC pen. Cheap ppm/ec pens work, but cheap pH pens are a waste of money and time - they die early, and perform poorly before then. I use an Apera PH60, Bluelab makes a decent pen as well.

As you likely already figured out, this is a friendly and helpful place, so don't hesitate to ask for help. :pighug:

Cheers. I don't quite understand the nutes, anything you can recommend that a newbie can just buy and use to get going?

I'm using Coco perlite mixture medium in Flexipots I've only read to
  • not use Cal-Mag,
  • avoid organic nutrients with the Autopot system, and
  • make sure pH is sorted before feeding and
  • dilute further for autos


Other than that, I'm in the dark!
 
Cheers. I don't quite understand the nutes, anything you can recommend that a newbie can just buy and use to get going?

I'm using Coco perlite mixture medium in Flexipots I've only read to
  • not use Cal-Mag,
  • avoid organic nutrients with the Autopot system, and
  • make sure pH is sorted before feeding and
  • dilute further for autos


Other than that, I'm in the dark!

Well, there is a bit of information that you need.

As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup, in my humble, but unlike with salt nutes, you do not put organic fertilizer in the reservoir. What you do is mix up a soil that is rich enough to feed the plant with only water from the reservoir. @pop22 is the grower for this style - he grows some really nice plants with nothing but water from the reservoir. If you put organic fertilizer in the reservoir, it tends to plug up the tubes and valves, a particular problem if you leave home for a bit - bad things happen when lines plug or valves fail to operate properly. One slight downside to this soil approach is that it works best when you have time (as in several weeks) to "cook" the soil mix (poor term, aging might be more accurate, but "cook" is what growers will say that they do to their soil mix). I know that @pop22 suggests that with smaller quantities of soil you can get away with shorter "cooking", but I can't advise on details, maybe he can jump in here to help. If you can go this route rather than coco, I think your grow might be a bit less risky.

The other option is salt nutes. One of the simplest options is single part MegaCrop. A bit fussier is the two part MegaCrop, but the upside is that @Mañ'O'Green is working up a nice feed schedule for two part MegaCrop that would help you. Either will work fine as long as you keep your ppm/EC and pH under control. There are quite a few other options as you will see by browsing successful auto grows here. Another line that I like is Jack's but I think since you are new, you might be better off to just go with MegaCrop. I suspect that the two part might give you a bit better control, particularly with coco, but you may be happier with the simpler approach. All considered, the latest version of the single part MegaCrop might be your best option for now. If you continue with this mischief, you can consider other options once you get a few harvests in the cupboard.

I am not sure what you mean by flexipots - the Autopot system include Flexitanks, and the fabric pot option includes SmartPots which are a decent quality fabric pot. If you are ordering the single pot XL system with smartpots, that is what I use unless I want even larger pots, in which case I use a different DIY tray setup. You can see what I did with larger pots in my current RotBlock test grow:
IMG_0706.JPG


The larger plant on the left is in the standard xl Smart Pot that comes with the single pot XL package from Autopot. The three runts on the right are in ~10US gallon fabric pots sitting in a "tray" that is just some 6mil polyethylene supported around the perimeter. The autovalve is out of sight between the closest two pots. The copper mesh is to deter slugs which otherwise chow down on the leaves.

If you go with coco, you should spend some time over at Cocoforcannabis.com. There is a lot of good information there, and some of it is quite important. For example, coco needs to be buffered, so you need to know whether the specific product you have is buffered or not. No biggie to do it if necessary, but you need to know. Unbuffered coco locks up Calcium and Magnesium and to some degree iron, and can cause all manner of mischief as a result. Whether your coco will need more calcium or magnesium than is supplied by your nute package is uncertain. Both current versions of Megacrop have quite a bit of both already, so you may get away without any extra. However, having both plain (no perfume) Epsom Salts and some CalMag on hand could prove helpful.

All considered, if I were you, I would grab a small bag of MegaCrop, some Epsom Salts from the local pharmacy, and a bottle of CalMag. Have you bought your coco yet? If so, does the information for it specifically state that it is rinsed and buffered?

Keep the questions coming, we will get you sorted out! :pighug:
 
Well, there is a bit of information that you need.

As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup, in my humble, but unlike with salt nutes, you do not put organic fertilizer in the reservoir. What you do is mix up a soil that is rich enough to feed the plant with only water from the reservoir. @pop22 is the grower for this style - he grows some really nice plants with nothing but water from the reservoir. If you put organic fertilizer in the reservoir, it tends to plug up the tubes and valves, a particular problem if you leave home for a bit - bad things happen when lines plug or valves fail to operate properly. One slight downside to this soil approach is that it works best when you have time (as in several weeks) to "cook" the soil mix (poor term, aging might be more accurate, but "cook" is what growers will say that they do to their soil mix). I know that @pop22 suggests that with smaller quantities of soil you can get away with shorter "cooking", but I can't advise on details, maybe he can jump in here to help. If you can go this route rather than coco, I think your grow might be a bit less risky.

The other option is salt nutes. One of the simplest options is single part MegaCrop. A bit fussier is the two part MegaCrop, but the upside is that @Mañ'O'Green is working up a nice feed schedule for two part MegaCrop that would help you. Either will work fine as long as you keep your ppm/EC and pH under control. There are quite a few other options as you will see by browsing successful auto grows here. Another line that I like is Jack's but I think since you are new, you might be better off to just go with MegaCrop. I suspect that the two part might give you a bit better control, particularly with coco, but you may be happier with the simpler approach. All considered, the latest version of the single part MegaCrop might be your best option for now. If you continue with this mischief, you can consider other options once you get a few harvests in the cupboard.

I am not sure what you mean by flexipots - the Autopot system include Flexitanks, and the fabric pot option includes SmartPots which are a decent quality fabric pot. If you are ordering the single pot XL system with smartpots, that is what I use unless I want even larger pots, in which case I use a different DIY tray setup. You can see what I did with larger pots in my current RotBlock test grow:
View attachment 1345376

The larger plant on the left is in the standard xl Smart Pot that comes with the single pot XL package from Autopot. The three runts on the right are in ~10US gallon fabric pots sitting in a "tray" that is just some 6mil polyethylene supported around the perimeter. The autovalve is out of sight between the closest two pots. The copper mesh is to deter slugs which otherwise chow down on the leaves.

If you go with coco, you should spend some time over at Cocoforcannabis.com. There is a lot of good information there, and some of it is quite important. For example, coco needs to be buffered, so you need to know whether the specific product you have is buffered or not. No biggie to do it if necessary, but you need to know. Unbuffered coco locks up Calcium and Magnesium and to some degree iron, and can cause all manner of mischief as a result. Whether your coco will need more calcium or magnesium than is supplied by your nute package is uncertain. Both current versions of Megacrop have quite a bit of both already, so you may get away without any extra. However, having both plain (no perfume) Epsom Salts and some CalMag on hand could prove helpful.

All considered, if I were you, I would grab a small bag of MegaCrop, some Epsom Salts from the local pharmacy, and a bottle of CalMag. Have you bought your coco yet? If so, does the information for it specifically state that it is rinsed and buffered?

Keep the questions coming, we will get you sorted out! :pighug:

Thank you so very much! I'm going to enjoy reading your post tomorrow.

Just a quick add: autopot call that Auto Pot renamed 'smart pot' to flexipot, as far as I'm aware.
 
Thank you so very much! I'm going to enjoy reading your post tomorrow.

Just a quick add: autopot call that Auto Pot renamed 'smart pot' to flexipot, as far as I'm aware.
Noticed the name change in your link. I am, as usual a bit out of date. :biggrin:
 
Thank you so very much! I'm going to enjoy reading your post tomorrow.

Just a quick add: autopot call that Auto Pot renamed 'smart pot' to flexipot, as far as I'm aware.
Well, there is a bit of information that you need.

As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup, in my humble, but unlike with salt nutes, you do not put organic fertilizer in the reservoir. What you do is mix up a soil that is rich enough to feed the plant with only water from the reservoir. @pop22 is the grower for this style - he grows some really nice plants with nothing but water from the reservoir. If you put organic fertilizer in the reservoir, it tends to plug up the tubes and valves, a particular problem if you leave home for a bit - bad things happen when lines plug or valves fail to operate properly. One slight downside to this soil approach is that it works best when you have time (as in several weeks) to "cook" the soil mix (poor term, aging might be more accurate, but "cook" is what growers will say that they do to their soil mix). I know that @pop22 suggests that with smaller quantities of soil you can get away with shorter "cooking", but I can't advise on details, maybe he can jump in here to help. If you can go this route rather than coco, I think your grow might be a bit less risky.

The other option is salt nutes. One of the simplest options is single part MegaCrop. A bit fussier is the two part MegaCrop, but the upside is that @Mañ'O'Green is working up a nice feed schedule for two part MegaCrop that would help you. Either will work fine as long as you keep your ppm/EC and pH under control. There are quite a few other options as you will see by browsing successful auto grows here. Another line that I like is Jack's but I think since you are new, you might be better off to just go with MegaCrop. I suspect that the two part might give you a bit better control, particularly with coco, but you may be happier with the simpler approach. All considered, the latest version of the single part MegaCrop might be your best option for now. If you continue with this mischief, you can consider other options once you get a few harvests in the cupboard.

I am not sure what you mean by flexipots - the Autopot system include Flexitanks, and the fabric pot option includes SmartPots which are a decent quality fabric pot. If you are ordering the single pot XL system with smartpots, that is what I use unless I want even larger pots, in which case I use a different DIY tray setup. You can see what I did with larger pots in my current RotBlock test grow:
View attachment 1345376

The larger plant on the left is in the standard xl Smart Pot that comes with the single pot XL package from Autopot. The three runts on the right are in ~10US gallon fabric pots sitting in a "tray" that is just some 6mil polyethylene supported around the perimeter. The autovalve is out of sight between the closest two pots. The copper mesh is to deter slugs which otherwise chow down on the leaves.

If you go with coco, you should spend some time over at Cocoforcannabis.com. There is a lot of good information there, and some of it is quite important. For example, coco needs to be buffered, so you need to know whether the specific product you have is buffered or not. No biggie to do it if necessary, but you need to know. Unbuffered coco locks up Calcium and Magnesium and to some degree iron, and can cause all manner of mischief as a result. Whether your coco will need more calcium or magnesium than is supplied by your nute package is uncertain. Both current versions of Megacrop have quite a bit of both already, so you may get away without any extra. However, having both plain (no perfume) Epsom Salts and some CalMag on hand could prove helpful.

All considered, if I were you, I would grab a small bag of MegaCrop, some Epsom Salts from the local pharmacy, and a bottle of CalMag. Have you bought your coco yet? If so, does the information for it specifically state that it is rinsed and buffered?

Keep the questions coming, we will get you sorted out! :pighug:

hiya!

Cheers for the good advice: (As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup,)

I'm taking this on board and going to do my first grow with living soil. I am growing for medicine and ingesting it using infusions and edibles, it makes sense to grow organic product. how exciting!

The idea of soil put me off as I haven't got the facilities nor the time large amounts of soil.

However, I found a place that does and delivers living soil and just needs to be topped up during the grow.

. I already do 'no dig gardening' so starting off my first grow with soil feels a lot more manageable, and doing PH readings and flushing just blew my mind!

Q: why do you think auto's grow better in organic medium?

Q: What are the hessian 'belts' around the plant pots? Ive bought fabric Autopots system, is this something I should know about?

Cheers!
 
Are
hiya!

Cheers for the good advice: (As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup,)

I'm taking this on board and going to do my first grow with living soil. I am growing for medicine and ingesting it using infusions and edibles, it makes sense to grow organic product. how exciting!

The idea of soil put me off as I haven't got the facilities nor the time large amounts of soil.

However, I found a place that does and delivers living soil and just needs to be topped up during the grow.

. I already do 'no dig gardening' so starting off my first grow with soil feels a lot more manageable, and doing PH readings and flushing just blew my mind!

Q: why do you think auto's grow better in organic medium?

Q: What are the hessian 'belts' around the plant pots? Ive bought fabric Autopots system, is this something I should know about?

Cheers!

Not sure what you mean by Hessian Belts. If you are referring to the mesh around the pots in my current grow, they are copper and prevent slugs from climbing past them. Slugs apparently hate copper. Go figure. :pighug:
 
Yes, the copper created an electrical charge that zaps them. Good to see natural pest control…

by the way, I’ve decided to go with organic soil as I found a company that does living soil and I don’t have to mix it myself. I believe you said that soil is your style?

just preparing my first post about setting up for my first grow, aiming for the end of August. I’ll tag you
 
Hi!!! I have used autopots for years, and have never had a major humidity issue, or seen the top of my coco moist. Take what I say with a grain of salt as I am just a hot mess growing mom, but it sounds like maybe your valve is not closing properly?? Is your valve sitting properly and flat in the base? Is your plant showing any signs of overwatering? I always test my bases/valves before a new grow. I hook up an empty base with just a valve (no pot) to the res. I put about a gallon of water in the res and open it up. I make sure the base fills, then stops when its supposed to and doesnt overflow. Then I take water out slowly with a turkey baster and make sure the valve goes down. I also take out all the little little yellow rubber stopper thingies, roll them gently in my fingers, and put them back in. :biggrin:
 
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hiya!

Cheers for the good advice: (As for organics, autopots work best with an organic setup,)

I'm taking this on board and going to do my first grow with living soil. I am growing for medicine and ingesting it using infusions and edibles, it makes sense to grow organic product. how exciting!

The idea of soil put me off as I haven't got the facilities nor the time large amounts of soil.

However, I found a place that does and delivers living soil and just needs to be topped up during the grow.

. I already do 'no dig gardening' so starting off my first grow with soil feels a lot more manageable, and doing PH readings and flushing just blew my mind!

Q: why do you think auto's grow better in organic medium?

Q: What are the hessian 'belts' around the plant pots? Ive bought fabric Autopots system, is this something I should know about?

Cheers!
Forgot to answer your first question. I didn't say that auto's grow better in organic medium. and in fact, I do not think that they necessarily do. Somewhat the contrary actually, few grows can match the size of hydroponically grown plants. Organic enthusiasts claim better flavor, I have no opinion on that because I have yet to be able to do a side by side vape with clones grown the two ways. Comparison of plants grown from seeds tells you little due to possible phenotypic variation.

The reason I said that autopots work best with organics (my opinion only, and so far just theory - check in next winter) is not that using organics would make bigger or better plants, it is because by using soil that permits water only irrigation, the common issue of nute imbalance or lockout caused by autopot sub-irrigation without runoff is avoided. Every one of my autopot grows has had issues with nutes, likely always some variation of nute lockout or imbalance which develops later in the grow as nutes build up and change ratios due to no runoff. Having said that, others here make salt nutes and autopots work, but all or nearly all of them still run into mischief once in a while in spite of getting it right most of the time. Challenges with nute balance are an unavoidable feature of any subirrigation system not just autopots. Without the small flushing that happens as top watering to ~10% or so runoff, nutes change balance due to differential use by the plants, and build up in the medium due to evaporation of water from the top of the medium in plastic pots, or over the entire surface of the pot with fabric pots. I have considered pre-emptive flushing to deal with this issue, but for now I would rather see if I can make water only irrigation work instead.

My grow this winter will be my dive into KIS water only irrigation with autovalves. If it works, I am unlikely to return to salt nutes. I really like the automatic irrigation provided by the autopot system, but I do not like the issues with nutes due to sub-irrigation.

Anyway, if your delivered soil works for you, the autopots will keep your plants very happy. If possible, you should see if you can find someone who has tried that soil with cannabis. Anyone can sell you something with a few worms in it and call it living soil, but that does not mean that it will keep your plants happy for a whole grow. If I were you, I would have a bag of Megacrop around in case you need it.
Good luck with it. :pighug:
 
New member here…long time grower on my first AutoPot grow and came across this forum so I joined

I live in the southeastern United states so humidity is a issue 8-9 months a year. Higher humidity using the AutoPots was a concern so this first grow Im only doing 2 plants instead of my usual 3-4. The more wet/moist pots of soil you have in the tent will naturally raise your humidity. So less pots would help. I also condition the air in my grow room using a dehumidifier and sometimes a portable ac. You can turn your exhaust fan up as high as you want inside the tent but if the air going into the tent has high RH you’ll never be able to get your humidity down.
 
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