Grow Mediums autopots vs non-autopots comparison

[lunarman]

I can't recall anyone doing a comparison like this but no doubt its been done before. It would be interesting to see what others noticed because mine is just one case. So if you have some thoughts on this from past work with autopots vs non-autopots it would be great if you shared.

I have 8 autopot tray/valve/air (2.5 gallon pots) kits. For my recent grow I germinated 10 because I was expecting a couple of fails. I kept all 10 and with a pair each of Sweet Nurse CBD and Forgotten Strawberries I put 1 in the proper autpots and 1 in an autopot that doesn't get air or the bottom feeding system (hand watering only).

The autopots had air domes turned on around day 10 and the res and aquavalves on day 20. This is now day 27 so the autopot system has been running for a full week now.

I did weigh them and the autopots come in around 12 lbs and the non-autopots at 6 lbs. Clearly the autopots hold a lot of fluid compared to my top hand watered pots.

I'll update this at least once more at the end of the grow. Maybe one before that too. And I'll have a look at the roots when its all done too. That might be more interesting.

At this point now I can't see a difference between the autopot vs non-autopot plants. Its not an exact science comparing plants from seed like say compared to testing with clones, but I think all the plants here are the same pheno because they look so similar so its close enough. Anyway, I was expecting autopots to be a lot "better" than non-autopots if not for the airdomes alone, not to mention the continuous bottom feeding in a coco medium. BTW the plants were also tied thru days 10 to 20 too when it was really a comparison of airdomes vs non-airdomes.

So nothing mind blowing to show unfortunately.

Sweet Seeds Nurse CBD Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views

.
.
Forgotten Strawberries Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views
I had to manipulate the autopot one more than the other so there is some difference because of that. The non-autpot one is a bit taller at this point.

 

[Recycled]

I can't recall anyone every doing a comparison like this but no doubt its been done. Would be interesting to see what others noticed because mine is just one case.

I have 8 autopot tray/valve/air (2.5g) kits. For my recent grow I germinated 10 because I was expecting a couple of fails. I kept all 10 and with a pair each of Sweet Nurse CBD and Forgotten Strawberries I put 1 in the proper autpots and 1 in an autopot that doesn't get air or the bottom feeding system (hand watering only).

The autopots had air domes turned on around day 10 and the res and aquavalves on day 20. This is not say 27 so the autopot system has been running for a full week now.

I did weight them and the autopots come in around 12 lbs and the non-autopots at 6 lbs. Clearly the autopots hold a lot of fluid compared to my top hand watering.

I'll update this at least once more at the end if not one in between. And I'll have a look at the roots when its all done too.

At this point now I can't see a difference between the autopot vs non-autopot plants. Its not an exact science comparing plants from seed say compared to from clones, but I think all the plants used are the same pheno because they look so similar. Anyway, I was expecting autopots to be a lot "better" than non-autopots if not for the air alone. BTW the plants were tied thru days 10 to 20 too when it was really a comparison of airdomes vs non-airdomes.

Sweet Seeds Nurse CBD Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views

View attachment 980726
View attachment 980727
.
.
Forgotten Strawberries Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views
I had to manipulate the autopot one more than the other so there is some difference because of that. The non-autpot one is a bit taller at this point.
View attachment 980728 View attachment 980729

They’re looking nice and healthy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HemiSync]

I can't recall anyone doing a comparison like this but no doubt its been done before. It would be interesting to see what others noticed because mine is just one case. So if you have some thoughts on this from past work with autopots vs non-autopots it would be great if you shared.

I have 8 autopot tray/valve/air (2.5 gallon pots) kits. For my recent grow I germinated 10 because I was expecting a couple of fails. I kept all 10 and with a pair each of Sweet Nurse CBD and Forgotten Strawberries I put 1 in the proper autpots and 1 in an autopot that doesn't get air or the bottom feeding system (hand watering only).

The autopots had air domes turned on around day 10 and the res and aquavalves on day 20. This is now day 27 so the autopot system has been running for a full week now.

I did weigh them and the autopots come in around 12 lbs and the non-autopots at 6 lbs. Clearly the autopots hold a lot of fluid compared to my top hand watered pots.

I'll update this at least once more at the end of the grow. Maybe one before that too. And I'll have a look at the roots when its all done too. That might be more interesting.

At this point now I can't see a difference between the autopot vs non-autopot plants. Its not an exact science comparing plants from seed like say compared to testing with clones, but I think all the plants here are the same pheno because they look so similar so its close enough. Anyway, I was expecting autopots to be a lot "better" than non-autopots if not for the airdomes alone, not to mention the continuous bottom feeding in a coco medium. BTW the plants were also tied thru days 10 to 20 too when it was really a comparison of airdomes vs non-airdomes.

So nothing mind blowing to show unfortunately.

Sweet Seeds Nurse CBD Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views

View attachment 980726
View attachment 980727
.
.
Forgotten Strawberries Day 27
Autopot on left and non-autopot on right
side and top views
I had to manipulate the autopot one more than the other so there is some difference because of that. The non-autpot one is a bit taller at this point.
View attachment 980728 View attachment 980729

Interesting comparison grow you have going on. I’m subbed in.

I bet once those girls start drinking heavy you will see the difference. As far as my grows before Autopots, there really isn’t any comparison as I used to grow in five gallon DWCs and those girls just blow up compared to anything I have ever grown in before. Although, they also require almost daily attention and a cool growing space which is why I went to Autopots.

 

[lunarman]

Interesting comparison grow you have going on. I’m subbed in.

I bet once those girls start drinking heavy you will see the difference. As far as my grows before Autopots, there really isn’t any comparison as I used to grow in five gallon DWCs and those girls just blow up compared to anything I have ever grown in before. Although, they also require almost daily attention and a cool growing space which is why I went to Autopots.

I am hoping to see a difference when they start uptaking more. But the old left side of the brain thinks whether they drink little or lots as long as the hand watering keeps up then the next phase will be just like the last ones. Hope I'm wrong though. I'd like to see something with this experiment.

 

[Recycled]

I am hoping to see a difference when they start uptaking more. But the old left side of the brain thinks whether they drink little or lots as long as the hand watering keeps up then the next phase will be just like the last ones. Hope I'm wrong though. I'd like to see something with this experiment.

You’ve piqued my interest after reading a few more posts about these last night. I get that it’s gravity fed, but how would one control how much water flows to the plants?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Auto-Bud-Man]

For me the advantage is consistency. The plant takes in the right amount of water and no more. Also,no water is wasted as runoff, same with nutes, they last longer because you use less with no runoff.

You dont have to check up all of the time and over or under watering is removed as a source of plantproblems diagnosis.

 

[HemiSync]

You’ve piqued my interest after reading a few more posts about these last night. I get that it’s gravity fed, but how would one control how much water flows to the plants?

The heart of the Autopots is it’s autovalve. Go to their website and you can see demo videos on how they work. Been using them for years now and love them.

For me the advantage is consistency. The plant takes in the right amount of water and no more. Also,no water is wasted as runoff, same with nutes, they last longer because you use less with no runoff.

You dont have to check up all of the time and over or under watering is removed as a source of plantproblems diagnosis.

And don’t forget being able to walk away from your girls for up to two weeks at a time. With my work travel and working on my bucket list of travel spots I’d like to see the Autopots have been a life saver.

 

[Auto-Bud-Man]

The heart of the Autopots is it’s autovalve. Go to their website and you can see demo videos on how they work. Been using them for years now and love them.



And don’t forget being able to walk away from your girls for up to two weeks at a time. With my work travel and working on my bucket list of travel spots I’d like to see the Autopots have been a life saver.

Oh yeah! Thats true too!

 

[lunarman]

For me the advantage is consistency. The plant takes in the right amount of water and no more. Also,no water is wasted as runoff, same with nutes, they last longer because you use less with no runoff.

You dont have to check up all of the time and over or under watering is removed as a source of plantproblems diagnosis.

When I started out I was over watering in soil so I tried to build my own wicking system but it did not work great so I bought the autopots. I dont think I would over water any more since I know more about what I'm doing, but I still like the consistency of autopots. They are great in that respect. When I turned on the two reservoirs for the 8 plants and loaded them up I did not have to worry about watering them for a few days. I was weird going from checking moisture a few times a day and watering when needed, to not having to do anything.

 

[Tiny Bubbles]

When I started out I was over watering in soil so I tried to build my own wicking system but it did not work great so I bought the autopots. I dont think I would over water any more since I know more about what I'm doing, but I still like the consistency of autopots. They are great in that respect. When I turned on the two reservoirs for the 8 plants and loaded them up I did not have to worry about watering them for a few days. I was weird going from checking moisture a few times a day and watering when needed, to not having to do anything.

Which is exactly what autopots are all about

Not necessarily growing the bigger or better plant, although that does seem to be a side effect for many, but more so a means to keep the plants fed when you may not have the time to tend to them and their needs as often.