From what I can see, the Autopot + Airdome is essentially creating a DWC in soil ... correct?
The main difference being it is gravity fed, and therefore the benefit is a lot less maintenance and fiddly bits.
Not quite......it is far from a DWC system. You are growing in a medium, the water is bottom fed and works it's way up through the medium by capillary action. I have 3 wicks in each pot, made by 3 braided strands of 10 mm polypropylene rope just to give an assist.
To my mind the Autopot system is not soil phonics like these guys here http://www.modularhydro.com/ProductReviews/Air_Injection_Technology.html
There is no bubbling on the soil surface.
The standard Autopot system [sans Airdome] also boasts "no electricity". Correct?
Correct
But in simple terms ...
- a reservoir/tank, Correct
- water lines, Correct
- roots growing into the nutrient enriched water, Yes, and throughout whatever medium selected
- and in the case of using an Airdome, that water will be highly oxygenated. Yes, and I also aerate my reservoirs, so the airdome is more there to oxygenate the medium rather than the water which is already saturated. By aerating your solution in the reservoir you also create an airlift circulation that keeps whatever nutes and such you have spilled into it nicely and evenly mixed and distributed in the solution.
@Corgy ... if the Autopot system means nutrient enriched water AND oxygenation ... does it mean the soil medium becomes less important in terms of plant development and nutrition?
Not really, it's your choice. The Autopot is simply a smart on-demand delivery system of water, that water may or may not contain nutes, the Autopot doesn't care either way.......
Have you experimented with different soil mixes in combination with Autopot/Airdome?
Yes, If you look back to the beginning of the thread post #1 it's all described there, Mapito, Corgy's very own Placebo mix and Atami lightmix. There doesn't seem to be much of any difference, what differences there may be is down to the individual genetics/phenotypes me thinks
How much of a hydroton layer do you put between the water/airdome and the soil medium?
None, I really don't know what purpose putting clay pellets in the bottom would serve........there is a root blocking disc you place at the bottom with the (copper impregnated I think) golden side down to keep the soil from escaping, it is made of material similar to weed blocking soil covers, i.e. it allows water to pass through.
