Indoor kfigerm tries his best

[The Iconoclast]

@kfigerm OK that is helpful, right now I am using my experimental reuse of the pyramid, she is 8 days old today so the roots won't be coming out the bottom for another week. As it is at the moment the plug is sitting on the wire rack with is about an inch below the rim of the bowl which is about 4in deep. The clay balls are just keeping the light out. The thinking here was that the roots will grow down but I don't think this is good, I was getting preoccupied with being able to lift the rack out but I am now leaning towards your already tested method.

So then how does this sound... I fill the bowl with clay balls about 3 inches deep, then there is a half inch gap to the bottom of the rack. I don't fully understand the bit where you say... A rule of thumb is the runoff should be soaked within 1-2h after watering.

Or I could get rid of the rack and just have the plug sitting on the balls, (racks balls plugs, sounds like a sex shop). If I went this way how deep do you think the plug should be buried.

 

[VitaMan]

So it's Monday and we start into the third grow this year.
I am a little late with this but I hoped to be able to show off some nice ladies from an autoflower.org buddy, but that was decided otherwise from authoroties.
So I go with what I have at hand and grow some "standard" stuff.
Hopefully it will play out nice this time - It kinda has to, stash is nearly empty.

So here are the three ladies that compete
- Barneys Farm Lemon Haze
- Barneys Farm Pineapple Express
- Fastbuds Apple Strudel

I call out day 4 for all. The Pineallpe Express still tries to brake it's cap, so actually isn't even at day 1 - but seed to Water for all was okt.6 so i count her in for day 4.

View attachment 1763409

Cheers!

Its a bit confusing.

I had B.F.'s Pineapple Express that was the auto version of the sedating pain killer Pineapple Chunk. (No complaints about the weed but a hard battle with fungus gnats cost me yield) I'd like to grow the photo one day.

Then there's the more famous "sativa leaning" strain of the same name and there's auto versions of that around too.

 

[kfigerm]

Hi @The Iconoclast I try to explain what i do, I guess your already got it. Your rack is just a tray on my side. But that tray has one single drainhole with a hose that is slightly elevated to keep runoff back on a defined level.
Here some pics of a broken and dirty tray i just found

i put it in and by deciding which side is up i control how much runoff stays in the tray at start.
this side is higher

than this side


If you kinda handwater or control the flow to adapt in the grow phase you may also go with the upper one which simply let sit around 2cm of runoff left in the tray maximum. But to prevent rootrot the time after which this runoff should be sucked up is about 1. With a 2-time-a-day feeding period you can go up to 2 hours until the runoff is sucked up by the roots if the plants are still small and not so much roots down there. If you go with a 3-times-or-more period you should keep this time less.
Best is when the runoff is soaked in half an hour when the plant is at its max growth stadium - and then it can easily be the full 2 cm runoff are sucked. That is where i try to have my eyes on while not automating/semi hand controlling.
So i chose the upper one to allow more runoff below but i raise the pyramid (just placing it ontop of the pebbles) over the runoff waterlevel by adding enough layers of pebbles. So when they get big i can keep more runoff which they will then take in fast.

if you go for automation i think it's best to go with lower runoff levels and just keep the roots moist in the pebbles. The more layers of pebbles in this automation is also to keep moisture longer in the roots and prevent drying.
so i always put my pyramids ABOVE the pebbles.

But there was a time i was thinking about drowning the pyramid in/under pebbles to prevent mold and expand moisture even farther in a container. But I think thats kinda nonsense with too much "overhead". KISS is the plan to follow.

 

[kfigerm]

They still grow along. And I was ill for some days, so I am late.
The small PE in the middle has to newly establish her roots, cos the cube fell off .

@VitaMan the BF PE is from a release 2 years ago. Don't know exactly whats in there.

the AS throws roots nicely already into the tray below while the LH is a little slower. PE has its handycap but lets see.
Cheers!

 

[The Iconoclast]

They still grow along. And I was ill for some days, so I am late.
The small PE in the middle has to newly establish her roots, cos the cube fell off .

@VitaMan the BF PE is from a release 2 years ago. Don't know exactly whats in there.

View attachment 1764516
the AS throws roots nicely already into the tray below while the LH is a little slower. PE has its handycap but lets see.
Cheers!

OK thanks for that explanation, after realising that the the rack was now kind of pointless after filling the interior with clay balls so I went wth the plug sitting an inch below the surface in order to keep the top pebbles dry. I'm not planning on automation although I might in the future, right now just want to get a feel for this autopot concept. I have just drilled a hole in the side to keep the level below the bottom of the pyramid at its highest.
However after faffing around with the items I have just discovered that even with the tray full of pebbles, it nevertheless can tilt enough to get the drain hole as the lowest point. So by adjusting the tilt I can adjust the level. Now I have to work out how to check the level, probably I can do that with a pipette.

This was only meant to be a test on reusing the plug, which is going pretty well in spite of it being loaded with flowering ratios, only 12 days old today and I have topped at the third node and removed the first node.

 

[kfigerm]

@The Iconoclast to check the level I simply move the pebbles around the runoff hole a bit to the side. You can also put some kind of hydro indicator in it or cut a part of a bottle and place it somewhere where you can look through it to see the waterline. But it looks as if theres not too much space for a big item.
Your idea to use a pipette is not bad. I would take a 10 ml or bigger pipette, and turn it upside down into the pebbles. To see the waterlevel introduce a particle of styropor/styrofoam into it which floats on the water and would give a good indicator just by watching it.
Pulling the (glas)pipette out and putting it back in through the bebbles to the bottom of the tray will harm her over time i guess.

While i am typing i just got an idea for a diy indicator put together from the above with cheap stuff:
a syringe, a toothpic or plastic picker and some thin styrofoam.
drill a hole into the syringe beneath the slim fitting for the needle to put the picker trough it into the syringe so it can freely move up and down. Put a fitting round styrofoam into the syringe which will move the pick up and down at waterlevel. Mark the lowest level on the pick and you always know how much there is in while it raises up.
I think that would be the cheapest way.

Moving or tilting the pyramid is OK while the plant is still small and you have enough room. Both of which I do not have in the later half of the grow period. So better to plan a way to do things without the need to move things around much.

Good Luck!