Grow Mediums Autopots and ph

[Terra Firma]

@2Stoned2Care: I just bought a Sicce Syncra Nano for app. €15.

 

[BII]

@Hansbricks , @A-Train both are using a less percentage of perlite than a 50/50 mix and Ricky @ autopots said he also uses a 70/30 mix. I am not versed in coco and am only going by what I am told, by people that are actually using the system and If you have the time, check out Hansbricks last few grows!! Pics dont lie!

I guess that the coco/perlite keeping constantly moist/wet with AirDome-oxygenated water provides more pure hydro-type benefits vs. a classic manual watering wet-dry cycle-type approach to using coco.

 

[A-Train]

Monkey see monkey do.... I followed the results of hans

 

[briman]

@2Stoned2Care: I just bought a Sicce Syncra Nano for app. €15.

View attachment 559980

I got one on the way! great minds think alike and its a bad ass little pump!

 

[Hansbricks]

My friend and I are looking at the autopots to ease the feed water routine we have. My question is does the ph of the reservoir have to be checked regularly once the initial feed/water has been added.

Thanks!

I can tell you at least with the AN nutes and RO water I use I've never once checked and/or adjusted the pH or my res... I've yet to run into any pH related issues and my results should speak for themselves.

I've only recently started using AutoPots with AirDomes. I only have a 4-pot system (adding 2 more this week). I avoid these reservoir issues by using Advanced Nutrients ph Perfect Connoisseur base nutes with RO water and nearly never bothering to check the pH (with it staying well within the pH Perfect system-friendly pH range). Plus I refill the reservoir every 1 or 2 days. Leaving it longer, at least with what I mix, I get nasty smells and settling of crud/gunk, which can't be good. [Exactly, what is the gunk and debris that forms in complex nutrient mixtures in reservoirs?] I presume the more freshly-prepared the nutrients are the better.

Otherwise, with AutoPots growing and watering are so much simpler, such as compared to drain-to-waste with all its related mess, that even if mixing nutes daily the total time spent tending the plants is much less. So even daily mixing is something I don't even notice. But I definitely want to learn how to maintain a reservoir for say at least 5 days.

Related to reservoir maintenance, I noticed that the 50:50 coco/perlite above a bottom layer of Hydroton balls that I use (as recommended) stays rather moist, never gets to the point anywhere near dry by regular coco standards. I have yet to see the much-hyped wet-dry cycling of the AutoPots actually involve any real drying-out of the media. In that context, I have started letting the plants suck the reservoir dry and have dry trays. So far, doing this for up to a day has had no real impact, with the coco top layers staying just as moist. Next grow, I'm going to let the reservoir and plants go dry more for real, for days if needed, at least during veg, to get the full real wet-dry cycle advantages. Also, not filling the reservoir as often means, such a maybe 2x vs. 4x per week, means that much less work.

Hey Bill, you should definitely be able to go more than a few days before the res starts to get gunked up. I'm surprised since you're using similar nutes as me... I only fill my res every 5-7 days. Maybe it's one of the supplements you're adding that's causing this? You should pick-up some Drip Clean as Briman suggested as well, I haven't tried it out yet but got some for my next grow... Lots of people seem to swear by it for their drip systems so should work just as well for the autopots.

 

[briman]

Hi @briman what size submersible pump do you recommend for the rez tank could you link 1 thank you

Not sure what part of the world you are in, but the smallest you can get. Something like this...
eco plus for 6bucks, any online shop, even Amazon will have them. The small one here pushes 66GPH and that is good enough. I went with the Sicce Nano myself. 3 year warranty and, well.....its a bad mamma jamma!

probably get something close at a petco or petsmart. It doesnt have to push a ton of water, just something to move the water and break the top surface tension. Here is a link to check em out...I dont work for em or endorse them, just a link to show what they are...
http://www.greners.com/i/pumps-irrigation/water-pumps/ecoplus-sumbersible-water-pump.html

 

[Hansbricks]

Hi @briman what size submersible pump do you recommend for the rez tank could you link 1 thank you

This is the pump I use, see here.

This one can run dry without damage as well which is perfect since I often let my res get empty.

 

[Dudeski]

Thank you @Hansbricks , im absolutely clueless aboutwhat im doing but trying to learn. My friend isnt much help with nutes. Thats where autopots would be a lifesaver.You could consider him a senior smoker, been doing it since the marine corps in about 1956. Lmao, im afraid hes gonna try to smoke the entire tent before the girls are ready.

Where is the give rep button for afn, dam fine place here!

 

[Dudeski]

Do you run the pumps at a low speed? Just enough to keep the water moving?

 

[Hansbricks]

Thank you @Hansbricks , im absolutely clueless aboutwhat im doing but trying to learn. My friend isnt much help with nutes. Thats where autopots would be a lifesaver.You could consider him a senior smoker, been doing it since the marine corps in about 1956. Lmao, im afraid hes gonna try to smoke the entire tent before the girls are ready.

Where is the give rep button for afn, dam fine place here!

Cheers bro, my setup is all about being able to put in the least amount of effort and still getting awesome results I travel a lot for work so I wouldn't be able to grow without these autopots, I just fill them up once a week and watch them grow. I also contribute my successful grows to the AN pH perfect nutes, I've never had any of the issues I see a lot of new growers having (which are mostly pH related)... Yeah they're a bit more expensive than some other options but it's worth it for hassle free grows and stellar results IMO.

And FYI, the rep button is at the bottom of each post... "Give Reputation"