I was recent asked this great question in a private message and thought I should include the answer here for others information.
i am planning my 3rd grow and have been thinking to put washing machine tray with easy2go in a 3x3 tent and use 1 or 2 gallon fabric pots. I would like to do this so i may have a variety of strains and so i may leave the grow for 3 days or so.
1st i cant find/recall how the fabric pot worked in the autopot test you did?
2nd how did the outside tray work with the easy2go? Any problems that you ran into?
Do you think this would work?
I think it will work just fine. Only really rule they have about the Easy2GO valve it that it is not recommended for larger than a maximum tray size 13ft.², and a minimum tray depth 1.25". So any tray 3x4’ or smaller should work. I have been told you can use a larger tray but you will need to use multiple valves. My dishwasher trays are 2x3’ and seem to be working fine even with their flat bottoms.
I have had no algae blooms in the trays or reservoir. Although, I have not added more than 2 gallons to the reservoir at a time. Only time I saw any algae it was a small green bloom that disappeared the next time the valve created a dry cycle. I had planned on just dumping the tray once a week and wipe them out, but have not had to yet after almost a month of use. This of course can be dependent on how hot and/or humid it is and how much of the tray is exposed to sunlight. I live in a cooler part of the states and have few issue, so depending on your weather conditions it could be better or worse. I also keep my trays full of various size pots which helps keep the sunlight out of the solution.
The fabric pots work great. I use a brand called Root Pouch which you can purchase for much less than SmartPots brand at some greenhouse supply stores. I use the Greenhouse Megastore and for anything smaller than five gallon I use these:
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/root-pouch-black-fabric-pot-12-15-month/root-pouches
You can purchase a 50 pack of 1 gallon pots for $19 approximately .38 each. For anything five gallon or larger I personally like their heavier pots with handles. Makes it easier when you decide you need to relocate those bigger pots.
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/root-pouch-grey-fabric-pot-3-4-year/root-pouches
I get the 10 pack of five gallon pots for around $1.50 each. The same pot with the Smart Pot logo on it will cost you almost $8 each. I can just fit two five gallon pots in one of my trays. Of course once the plant gets bigger there isn’t anyway you would be able to keep them in the same tray because of crowding. Next year I might try a ten gallon pot in a single tray and see if I can grow a monster.
I did put some perlite and hydroton in the bottom of each pot to aid with uptake of solution on a flat tray bottom. Might not be necessary if your tray has grooves on the bottom. I have used 1, 2, & 5 gallon bags in them, along with 2 liter bottles and solo cups with lots of holes in the bottom. They all seem to love it. I don’t think the solo cups dry out enough so I put them in solution for a day or two and then cycle them out to dry for a day or two. Here are some pics from the greenhouse showing my different configurations. The two liters actually start to send roots out into the solution.
Now I need to make a separate reservoir for my 2 liter autos, since they are flowering and my photo ladies need to veg some more.
