Halo or drip system for coco?

[Lil Dab]

I am making things work, but am on about Mark III with the solos. The problem with the solos is first, not overwatering them from the same pump the big pots are on, and second, distributing the nute mix early on when it does not pool on the top of the medium because the medium is plugged with roots.

I dealt with the distribution hassle by putting a synthetic cloth sleeve over the DIY halo. The cloth prevents the water from shooting out in one spot under each hole, and may help get it around the pot a bit. It looks like this will be my go to unless one of the smallest square Floraflex caps will work on a solo, which it might if my initial size estimation is good. The other thing I have now confirmed with my solo mischief is that I have to leave enough head room above the medium to contain a full dose of nutes. The problem is that with some solo plants, the roots eventually get so dense in the pot that water takes a long time to penetrate to the point of runoff - much longer than a normal fertigation cycle for less tight pots. So, if mixing pots sizes, sometimes solos will flood over the top unless headroom will contain an entire dose of nutes. This issue has so far happened with two of the half dozen or so solos I have grown, and it ain't easily fixed any way other than more headroom. An alternative is a separate pump and timer for the solos, but I am trying not to do that.

The bigger rings on the big pots are working fine as far as I can tell, all the big pots on auto watering are thriving, so it seems that the cloth sleeve that I put on the solo rings may not be helpful in the larger pots, at least not for distribution of water around the pot. The sleeves also keep medium from splashing onto the rings and being siphoned into the holes though...

All considered though, if I stick with the current pot setup for the next grow, I will see if one of the round floraflex caps will work on my large pots. They solve the medium getting into the halo holes, they distribute the water well around the pot, they keep the top of the medium moist, and I would not need emitters to supply them because I have tube clamps on the supply lines to adjust the amount of nute mix to send to each pot. All I would need is the clips that hold a 1/4" tube to the tray on each side. At this point, I don't even use clamps on the supply lines to the large pots. Feed to the large pots is adjusted exclusively with the timer on the pump. Once the feed to the big pots is sorted, I use tube clamps to reduce the feed to solos to the appropriate runoff. The basic setup is working just fine with one pump, as long as feed to the solos can be reduced with valves, or in my case, tube clamps.

Happy fertigation peeps.

Please let me know about the little square floraflex cap if you go that route I had the same exact thought but hadn't bought any yet....

FWIW my last run with solo's 2 1gph drip emitter were too much volume and cups would over flow BUT if I stayed with the .5 gph no overflowing.... I think I still need to figure out fertigation times and durations

 

[Olderfart]

Please let me know about the little square floraflex cap if you go that route I had the same exact thought but hadn't bought any yet....

FWIW my last run with solo's 2 1gph drip emitter were too much volume and cups would over flow BUT if I stayed with the .5 gph no overflowing.... I think I still need to figure out fertigation times and durations

I will let you know if the caps work on solos. The size looks about right, even if minor modifications are needed, they should work well. If they actually distributed the liquid well, they will work better than my diy rings do for solos. Once the nute penetrates slowly, distribution is not an issue but it is before the root mass slows down liquid penetration enough to cause overflow. I will still leave enough headroom to avoid overflow. Too bad about the reduction in medium volume, but I'll take that rather than screwing with two pumps, timers and sets of distribution hoses. The lost volume won't be much though, only ~~10 or so percent of the medium volume is needed if fertigations are frequent enough. I am at every four hours still now, and it seems to be a decent compromise that works for both solos and my larger pots. Fertigation time needs to be lengthened as plants mature and drink more, I am now back to 25 seconds, and may end up at 30 before long. For a while, I was as low as 15.

 

[PeaceLove&Buds]

Simply put y’all are THE BEST! I pity the fool who hasn’t found you people.

 

[PeaceLove&Buds]

 

[Lil Dab]

View attachment 1544601

Yup that paints the picture perfect just wait to you start plumbing and need one more fitting

 

[Olderfart]

Yup that paints the picture perfect just wait to you start plumbing and need one more fitting

rule 1 with auto irrigation. buy yer fittings by the dozen.

 

[PeaceLove&Buds]

My original (and current) vision is a miniature version of a soaker hose achieved by making my own drip tubes with a needle and my drill press and some 1/2”ish tube and then wrapping them in a “chair/barstool socks“ type dealio. When I envision dripping I picture hidden dry spots so a soaking effect seems efficient. Getting the feed to the pot is the easy part, distribution is where the action is. But the fun for me really comes with just creating it. When/if I tally forth I’ll share for sure.

 

[harryowen]

Hello grow friends I’m just wondering if anyone has success with this? Being in coco I fertigate daily to runoff. It’s a weekly feed schedule and I have an idea as well as the materials in the shed to DYI getting my Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox feed to the plants, but perhaps there is a specific halo brand or a sweet tube set up to ensure an even soak at the pot? I’m a DYI’ing fanatic so there’s no question I’m gonna try my plan, but it actually working would be pretty groovy too so I’m open for any suggestions. Thanks for your time and happy growing.

You will need valves for each one so you can adjust them. I've also heard making a loop in your line will help equalize your pressure. Shorter the line the more efficient your pump will be with them.

 

[JP1]

My original (and current) vision is a miniature version of a soaker hose achieved by making my own drip tubes with a needle and my drill press and some 1/2”ish tube and then wrapping them in a “chair/barstool socks“ type dealio. When I envision dripping I picture hidden dry spots so a soaking effect seems efficient. Getting the feed to the pot is the easy part, distribution is where the action is. But the fun for me really comes with just creating it. When/if I tally forth I’ll share for sure.

I don't think I've ever seen anybody use soaker hoses with indoor plants. I'd imagine a real hard time controlling them and it'll be nearly impossible to know how much water they're getting. And I'd bet salt ferts would clog it up . I just water though the top weekly with yucca and it keeps from dry pockets