Need auto-watering suggestions

[DTOM420]

I took a break from growing for about 5 months and I’m starting back up now. I’m considering trying out some sort of auto-watering system but I’m struggling to figure out which one. Hoping I can get some insight to help me decide. I have some organic peat-based soil I built from a BAS kit that’s been curing for the past 5 months. I’m going to run with nothing more than water, top dressing and teas. I’m going to be testing some new photoperiod beans from Capulator for this run.

The Bucket Company looks great but it’s so damn expensive I don’t think I can bring myself to do it. Besides, even with a tall tent, the starting height of those buckets kills a lot of head room.

Autopots really intrigue me but their SmartPot systems are only 5 gallon and i was hoping for 7-10 gallon. What do y’all think about running an organic, alive soil using bottom fed water and then adding top dress and teas from above? Would this be workable? Would 5 gallons be too little soil for a water/tea only soil run on some photos?

I have some Blumats already and I liked their system but I never could get it perfectly dialed in and I had some run-outs that freaked me out. They could have caused water damage if I hadn’t caught it when I did. That just CAN not happen right now. I think I know what the problem was and how to fix it but paranoia has me looking at other options. Lol! If everyone thinks this is the best option I’ll try it again, though.

Sure would appreciate some advice. I can continue to hand water but life can get in the way but I would prefer to keep moisture dialed in better than I can when I only have time to water once a day. Sometimes I’ll get forced to miss a day of watering. This is a rare opportunity to test some very special genetics before they’re released and I REALLY want to make this the most consistent run EVER.

Thanks!

 

[elcoloan]

I use Autopot and I'm happy with it, but grow in coco. I am interested to see what answers you get, though, i plan so switch to water only too eventually.

 

[DTOM420]

I use Autopot and I'm happy with it, but grow in coco. I am interested to see what answer you get, though, i plan so switch to water only too eventually.

Thanks! I’ve never run with just water - I’ve always added teas and a top dress at the start of flower - but I much prefer it to growing from a bottle. Far less problems and no measuring and checking and worrying. And I like the way the flower tastes better. Try it - I’ll bet you love it!

 

[elcoloan]

Thanks! I’ve never run with just water - I’ve always added teas and a top dress at the start of flower - but I much prefer it to growing from a bottle. Far less problems and no measuring and checking and worrying. And I like the way the flower tastes better. Try it - I’ll bet you love it!

Oh, I mean that with an Autopot system, if you have a good organic soil mix, you could just fill the reservoir with plain water and that's it... it auto-waters the plants from beneath with plain water... and if you need to ammend the soil, you do that from top in the pot. Since it would be plain water in the reservoir, there would be no clogging issues which can be the case if you use the system with organics in the reservoir.

 

[DTOM420]

Oh, I mean that with an Autopot system, if you have a good organic soil mix, you could just fill the reservoir with plain water and that's it... it auto-waters the plants from beneath with plain water... and if you need to ammend the soil, you do that from top in the pot. Since it would be plain water in the reservoir, there would be no clogging issues which can be the case if you use the system with organics in the reservoir.

I get that. What concerns me about the AutoPot (besides the price) is the size of the pot. I prefer fabric to plastic and the SmartPot version is only 5 gallons. I’m not sure 5 gallons of soil (even my premium soil) will hold enough nutrition for a full photoperiod grow. If I were willing to supplement with liquid nutrients I wouldn’t care; but I’m not sure it’ll work with my style of growing. I wish they offered a 7 or 10 gallon version.

 

[KCinKC]

Description
The AQUAvalve cover, when used in conjunction with the AQUAvalve allows the grower to create their own basic, but very effective, hobby system. All that is needed is a flat tray of any shape or size. The user then simply places the AQUAvalve in the tray and places the AQUAvalve cover over the top of it. The cover is made of a heavy composite material, so there is no need to place a weight on top to hold it in place.

Then simply connect the AQUAvalve to a reservoir, using a length of 1/4″ pipe and a filter. When making your own hobby systems please ensure that the tray is as level as possible by adding the optional spirit level to the cover. Ensure that the pot size is not less than 1.3 gallons. If you use small pots you will risk the chance of drowning the plants. A small plant in a small pot will not appreciate being sat in deep water as the root system will not be able to breath, this obviously does not apply to bog plants or carnivorous plants. If you intend to grow carnivorous plants using this method please ensure you only use rain water.

 

[elcoloan]

Description
The AQUAvalve cover, when used in conjunction with the AQUAvalve allows the grower to create their own basic, but very effective, hobby system. All that is needed is a flat tray of any shape or size. The user then simply places the AQUAvalve in the tray and places the AQUAvalve cover over the top of it. The cover is made of a heavy composite material, so there is no need to place a weight on top to hold it in place.

Then simply connect the AQUAvalve to a reservoir, using a length of 1/4″ pipe and a filter. When making your own hobby systems please ensure that the tray is as level as possible by adding the optional spirit level to the cover. Ensure that the pot size is not less than 1.3 gallons. If you use small pots you will risk the chance of drowning the plants. A small plant in a small pot will not appreciate being sat in deep water as the root system will not be able to breath, this obviously does not apply to bog plants or carnivorous plants. If you intend to grow carnivorous plants using this method please ensure you only use rain water.

Ahhhh forgot about that... great option if you don't mind a bit of DIY.

 

[DTOM420]

Description
The AQUAvalve cover, when used in conjunction with the AQUAvalve allows the grower to create their own basic, but very effective, hobby system. All that is needed is a flat tray of any shape or size. The user then simply places the AQUAvalve in the tray and places the AQUAvalve cover over the top of it. The cover is made of a heavy composite material, so there is no need to place a weight on top to hold it in place.

Then simply connect the AQUAvalve to a reservoir, using a length of 1/4″ pipe and a filter. When making your own hobby systems please ensure that the tray is as level as possible by adding the optional spirit level to the cover. Ensure that the pot size is not less than 1.3 gallons. If you use small pots you will risk the chance of drowning the plants. A small plant in a small pot will not appreciate being sat in deep water as the root system will not be able to breath, this obviously does not apply to bog plants or carnivorous plants. If you intend to grow carnivorous plants using this method please ensure you only use rain water.

Thanks!! I’ll look at that. I’m pretty handy. Any idea if there’s any YouTube videos showing this DIY?

 

[Mustang92]

just an idea, what about a simple drip system they sell for a garden but modify it to fit your needs and size of pots. Most hardware store should have something for you to look at and see if you can make it work.

 

[ManWithWrench]

Don't know if I am too late, I am water only right now with GroBuckets. they are pretty cheap and have been extremely easy so far.