Grow Mediums Questions for experienced Autopotters

[Yozhik]

@Corgy @Hansbricks @pop22 @2Stoned2Care et al

OK - decision made.
No more hand watering. Fuck that. No more.
Autopots it is.

Looking for some solid DO's and DON'Ts, tips, shortcuts, etc.



Tent is 200 x 300 [6' 6" x 9' 9"], so I'm thinking of going with a 12 pot XL system.
More for the space? Less for the space? Just the right amount?

Air pumps: and strong recommendations?
@2Stoned2Care you seem to be an exponent and prophet of "more is better", and I think I read you were blasting 340+ l/hr through your roots, yes? Still advocating this?

What kind of hurricane machine(s) will I need to run 12 XL Autopots?

Water pump in the res: yes/no?
Which one is recommended for a 225 litre res tank?
On 24 hours?

Nutrients: any standout lineups?
@Corgy I have a vague memory of you mentioning lines being clogged by a certain nute.
Or am I imagining things again?

I was planning to run coco, but am now leaning back towards soil.
Reasons I'm going "off" coco are;

1. the reported slow starts.
2. keeping pH at 5.8 with my tap water starting at 7.5 - it's too much for even the Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect to maintain.
3. I can't source enough RO for a 225 litre res and 12 XL Autopots.

NB: I would run coco if I could.
@Hansbricks - the King of Coco - what say ye?

As crazy as it sounds, I want to ideally grow Autopot Organically - or as close to as possible.
Any experience of organic Autopot here?
Soils? Nutes?

Any basic [See. Stupid] question I've missed?
Apologies if I missed any Autopot gurus off the shortlist at the top.
This was a spur of the moment call-for-help, so I may have overlooked some absolute legends, to whom I apologise profusely and on bended knee, with head bowed.

 

[L0wbob2017]

Hey man, i'm not very experienced in using autopots, but i got myself 1XL autopot system and planning to start growing with it soon.

Tent is 200 x 300 [6' 6" x 9' 9"], so I'm thinking of going with a 12 pot XL system.
More for the space? Less for the space? Just the right amount?

Seems ok for me. would be 60x70 for 1 plant. You dont got any space to move then btw, you still need to visit the plants from time to time.

Air pumps: and strong recommendations?
@2Stoned2Care you seem to be an exponent and prophet of "more is better", and I think I read you were blasting 340+ l/hr through your roots, yes? Still advocating this?

What kind of hurricane machine(s) will I need to run 12 XL Autopots?

Since i never read about a theoretically limit of oxygen saturated water that can be used by a plant, you could pump a lot of air into it. The problem is, the more "warm" air you pump into it the pot/soil/roots the faster it gets to the temperature of the air you are pumping in. This maybe needs to be watched.

Water pump in the res: yes/no?
Which one is recommended for a 225 litre res tank?
On 24 hours?

I think the only reason for having a waterpump in the res would be to move the water in it so no nutes can rest on the bottom. Depending on the typ of nutes you use this maybe can be left out. Think about how to change the water in the res, since 225L is a lot to carry. Maybe you got some gardenhoes to fill it up again but what about pumping the rest out of it? a small pump would be very good for this. You cant move the res for sure and i'm not sure if you can disconnect the hoes from the res once it is set up. Also cleaning the res is a thing to think about.

Nutrients: any standout lineups?
@Corgy I have a vague memory of you mentioning lines being clogged by a certain nute.
Or am I imagining things again?

I was planning to run coco, but am now leaning back towards soil.
Reasons I'm going "off" coco are;

1. the reported slow starts.
2. keeping pH at 5.8 with my tap water starting at 7.5 - it's too much for even the Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect to maintain.
3. I can't source enough RO for a 225 litre res and 12 XL Autopots.

NB: I would run coco if I could.
@Hansbricks - the King of Coco - what say ye?

As crazy as it sounds, I want to ideally grow Autopot Organically - or as close to as possible.
Any experience of organic Autopot here?
Soils? Nutes?

Well maybe you should read here in the forum about "biotabs". They are pretty often used in combination with autopots. From what i know they are organically and fertilize over slow releasing tabs and added nutes via the soil so the res is only full of non-ph'ed tabwater. The thing with soil is that depending on where you got it from and how this reseller stores the soil you could end up with insects that once laid some eggs into the soil.
Otherwise i think it is a personal choice

Any basic [See. Stupid] question I've missed?
Apologies if I missed any Autopot gurus off the shortlist at the top.
This was a spur of the moment call-for-help, so I may have overlooked some absolute legends, to whom I apologise profusely and on bended knee, with head bowed.

Not sure we will see what others say. What about your lights? How do you keep the temp of the water in the res at a certain temp? Did you ever used the autoput system before?

greets
l0wbob

 

[Yozhik]

Seems ok for me. would be 60x70 for 1 plant. You dont got any space to move then btw, you still need to visit the plants from time to time.

I can handle "from time to time".
It's the "all the fucking time" with handwatering 12-16 plants in this space I'm running away from!!

Since i never read about a theoretically limit of oxygen saturated water that can be used by a plant, you could pump a lot of air into it. The problem is, the more "warm" air you pump into it the pot/soil/roots the faster it gets to the temperature of the air you are pumping in. This maybe needs to be watched.

Never even thought of air temp as a consideration.
Good point!

I think the only reason for having a waterpump in the res would be to move the water in it so no nutes can rest on the bottom. Depending on the typ of nutes you use this maybe can be left out. Think about how to change the water in the res, since 225L is a lot to carry. Maybe you got some gardenhoes to fill it up again but what about pumping the rest out of it? a small pump would be very good for this. You cant move the res for sure and i'm not sure if you can disconnect the hoes from the res once it is set up. Also cleaning the res is a thing to think about.

My bad.
By "waterpump", I was meaning air pump in the res water.
Not a waterpump for pumping water.
Sorry - totally my mistake.

Well maybe you should read here in the forum about "biotabs". They are pretty often used in combination with autopots. From what i know they are organically and fertilize over slow releasing tabs and added nutes via the soil so the res is only full of non-ph'ed tabwater.

Sorry - stupid question ahead.
Tabwater, or tapwater?

I.e. Is tabwater, water with biotabs?
or is it tapwater, as in, straight out of the taps?

What about your lights?

In tent, I'll probably be running my usual 4 x 600W HPS, unless the lotter Fairy pays me a visit to upgrade to the COBs I've been coveting.

How do you keep the temp of the water in the res at a certain temp?

Another great question ...

Did you ever used the autopot system before?

Nope.

 

[L0wbob2017]

I can handle "from time to time".
It's the "all the fucking time" with handwatering 12-16 plants in this space I'm running away from!!



Never even thought of air temp as a consideration.
Good point!



My bad.
By "waterpump", I was meaning air pump in the res water.
Not a waterpump for pumping water.
Sorry - totally my mistake.


Sorry - stupid question ahead.
Tabwater, or tapwater?

I.e. Is tabwater, water with biotabs?
or is it tapwater, as in, straight out of the taps?



In tent, I'll probably be running my usual 4 x 600W HPS, unless the lotter Fairy pays me a visit to upgrade to the COBs I've been coveting.


Another great question ...


Nope.

wooops my mistake. english is my 2nd language so i make some missspellings from time to time. i meant tapwater. biotabs dont get into the water, it comes mostly into the soil. just get on their homepage and read about.

Also the temp of the res only needs to controlled if it stands in a warm/hot area where the water can heat up to more than ~ 23°C ( ~73°F ).

Same for the pumped in air, this should not be much higher or lower then the water. Maybe another good thing to know is that the cooler the air you pump in is, the more oxygen it can actually contain per volume transfered. So maybe find a good balance between a bit warmer water and cooler air to find a nice oxygenlevel and a good soiltemp.

 

[Journey Man]

Autopots sounds like a good idea. Handwatering so many plants every single day is painfully for the back, and also with autopots you don't have to water them in a specific time. There is no stress.
I'm doing 4x600 hps aswell, with autopots. I don't have a full run with the full set-up yet but in a few weeks they will all be in stretching mode and we got a full house.

I will definitely sub up when you start your girls up.
Will you do a new thread or will you share it Here?

 

[Yozhik]

Autopots sounds like a good idea. Handwatering so many plants every single day is painfully for the back, and also with autopots you don't have to water them in a specific time. There is no stress.

I've been an Autopot stalker for ages.
Should have pulled the trigger a long time ago.
My excuse is I wanted to do a few runs with the same setup, and tweak specific variables to measure the outcome, to hone my craft.

But when you cut through all the hype, that's just a bunch of bullshit, and probably comes down to me being too fucking apathetic.

I've called time on apathy.
That prick is out of here, with a lifetime ban.

I'm doing 4x600 hps aswell, with autopots. I don't have a full run with the full set-up yet but in a few weeks they will all be in stretching mode and we got a full house.

It's a setup we know works.
Thousands have done it before us, successfully.

BUT ... I'm in Spain.
The electricity cost here is ridiculous, given the amount of sunlight and untapped solar energy available.
Actually - it's because of a fucked political system, where they guaranteed Iberdrola a specific minimum consumption and income - corporate socialism - and those who have switched to solar, have even been taxed some bullshit sun tax to make up for the shortfall in Iberdrola's income. Can you believe that?

So first upgrade is Autopots, 'cos I just can't be assed hand watering anymore.
Next upgrade will be COBs, which I tried to upgrade to 2 years ago, but the COB supplier [Mike Harlington from GroGlo, and now Cannabis Trades Association UK, never supplied the COB lights I have prepaid for, and now also won't refund the money. Yes - you read that correctly ... Won't supply the COB products I have paid for, and won't return the money. Yes - that was 2 years ago, and I am still fighting excuse after excuse to get that refund.

I will definitely sub up when you start your girls up.
Will you do a new thread or will you share it Here?

I will defo do a journal.
I'm going to focus on a tent of CBD girls.
My heart is, and always has been, the medicinal side of cannabis.
So I'm going to start "living the dream".

 

[Ryker604_BT]

I have some experience with Autopots, but as @L0wbob2017 said, I run them with BioTabs. If it's organic autopot grows that you are looking for, I really recommend their nutrient line or some kind of amended super soil. I'm finishing up a grow with Autopots + Biotabs in coco under HID lights, check out my signature if you want more information about everything or you can read the shorter versions in the Autopots/BioTabs sections.

Only "problem" with BioTabs is that you will have to top feed once every 5-7 days in flowering, but it is not that much of a hassle as hand watering and mixing nutes the whole grow. And due to the BioTabs line up focusing on microorganism, you can run tapwater without worrying about pH.

And for last, it seems that 12 XL Autopots with airdomes would fill that space you have without a problem, especially in coco .

 

[Journey Man]

It's a good switch to try the autopots first, when you get a feel for it, change to led/cobs.
Ryker doing real good under 1 hps with the autopots. Also there you have it organic as u was leaning at.
Definitely check how he has done. As we run basically the same setup you can see what works and what don't.
I send u some pics when all systems are running.

 

[Ryker604_BT]

It's a good switch to try the autopots first, when you get a feel for it, change to led/cobs.
Ryker doing real good under 1 hps with the autopots. Also there you have it organic as u was leaning at.
Definitely check how he has done. As we run basically the same setup you can see what works and what don't.
I send u some pics when all systems are running.

Now that you say it like that, we run a pretty similar setup . Only difference is the nutes, right? What are you running?

 

[pop22]

I LOVE organic soil in auto pots! Make a good mix then just add water to the res, can't get easier than that! Top dress mid flower with some worm castings a teas if your into that and your good!

6-8 pots in that tent max, depending on strain IMO. 4 can be too many in a 4'x4'

I personally use neither air or water pumps, never seen a need and why complicate such a simple system.


here's a nice soil grown plant, using only my simple soil mix as posted on AFN:

@Corgy @Hansbricks @pop22 @2Stoned2Care et al

OK - decision made.
No more hand watering. Fuck that. No more.
Autopots it is.

Looking for some solid DO's and DON'Ts, tips, shortcuts, etc.



Tent is 200 x 300 [6' 6" x 9' 9"], so I'm thinking of going with a 12 pot XL system.
More for the space? Less for the space? Just the right amount?

Air pumps: and strong recommendations?
@2Stoned2Care you seem to be an exponent and prophet of "more is better", and I think I read you were blasting 340+ l/hr through your roots, yes? Still advocating this?

What kind of hurricane machine(s) will I need to run 12 XL Autopots?

Water pump in the res: yes/no?
Which one is recommended for a 225 litre res tank?
On 24 hours?

Nutrients: any standout lineups?
@Corgy I have a vague memory of you mentioning lines being clogged by a certain nute.
Or am I imagining things again?

I was planning to run coco, but am now leaning back towards soil.
Reasons I'm going "off" coco are;

1. the reported slow starts.
2. keeping pH at 5.8 with my tap water starting at 7.5 - it's too much for even the Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect to maintain.
3. I can't source enough RO for a 225 litre res and 12 XL Autopots.

NB: I would run coco if I could.
@Hansbricks - the King of Coco - what say ye?

As crazy as it sounds, I want to ideally grow Autopot Organically - or as close to as possible.
Any experience of organic Autopot here?
Soils? Nutes?

Any basic [See. Stupid] question I've missed?
Apologies if I missed any Autopot gurus off the shortlist at the top.
This was a spur of the moment call-for-help, so I may have overlooked some absolute legends, to whom I apologise profusely and on bended knee, with head bowed.