I decided to open this thread to bring all airpot users out there, far and wide, into chipping in ideas and/or brainstorm, on how to make our lives simpler/better. Any tips, bring them on! :thumbs:
My objective is to mod an airpot to a new entirely new level. I have a few cool ideas going, basically a fusion between airpots and DWC style growing.
Another quite attractive idea (and I have noticed others also thought up the same thing) is a fusion between airpots and autopot.
I have a love/hate relationship with airpots. They are both super productive, but are also an extra workload when managing several plants.
Here is what I have going...
.
Watering
You can't flood airpots old-school style. Got to go slow, double so in coco. Hand watering can be tiresome and very uneven. Watering near the edges is boring because you really need to go slow or it will squirt out the holes. Three rows of plants and it's
Solution:
Get a small manual pulverizer. I use a 5L one, prep my mix and pour it in, very similar to this one.
Pump a little pressure and use the nozzle valve to go around the plant. Good steady flow and no risk of squirting out the sides at all. It does take a little longer than pouring water in, but its a pleasure to do while you inspect the plant, and much more efficient end result.
If you have multiple rows of plants, I do not recommend using the extension rod! It makes it very hard to water around the plant. As you angle around the pot it is too easy to snap branches away. Also, the tube feeding the rod swings sideways and gets easily entangled in other plants without you taking notice, believe me!
A solution for this is to remove the rod and feed directly from the noozle, or better still attach a stretch of 4mm tubing. It is elastic and you can twist it o reach odd angles, makes it ridiculously easy to completely water the medium (in my case coco) very evenly, including the edges! You will notive your plants thrive!
View attachment 212046 View attachment 212047 View attachment 212049 View attachment 212050
Run-off
Is it a hassle to remove the bottom plate hum? Nightmare when having multiple rows of pots and trays? Removing plants, collecting run-off, put plant back on, water, only to flood the tray again. Over and over and over... Plants get big, branches snap off, big buds fall over... nightmare!
Until I remembered the existence of siphon pumps. I modded one with a little extension using a smaller gauge tube (so I can get right down there) but there is no need really... now my plants just sit there doing their thing while I do mine! Saved me a good 20 minutes every day, especially late flowering.
View attachment 212052 View attachment 212053
Girls in tights
This I picked up from Smokechoke! Max
again dude! You brought on a revolution for my project quite by accident. Check this out.
Our girls love to look pretty. Everyone knows how they perk up with a good pruning job and a fashionable topping. Buy them clothes and they'll go nuts for 'ya. Cover the airpots with tights and fill with medium. You will make no mess of your surroundings from now on.
View attachment 212057 View attachment 212058
Also when watering, it will prevent medium from squirting out too and worsening the known "channeling" phenomena. It actually stops the medium and fill the hole quite well. Brilliant gnat control system Do not use anything cotton though, to prevent pathogens, fungus etc. I put mine on about 2 weeks ago, and I got this crazy thing going yesterday! Seems the tights concentrate humidity and makes the the root search for more! I've got 6x 10L airpots with tights and 1x without tights... all 6 are doing this, but the the airpot without.
View attachment 212064
So what does one do in a situation like this? Save the roots! Or they will rot and die, cause disease... So I got a bigger pot and tray. Covered with black plastic bag to isolate from light.
View attachment 212068 View attachment 212069 View attachment 212070 View attachment 212072 View attachment 212073View attachment 212071
See the ridges inside? Flip the plate over and it will fit nice and snuggly in. Cut a hole, fill with water, add Rhizotonic, correct pH, insert airpump, put the airpot over it.... wwwaaallaaa! DIY instant Deep Airpot Culture.
View attachment 212079
View attachment 212082
I have no clue how this will play out, but it certainly opens up a whole new field of though... more on that later.
My objective is to mod an airpot to a new entirely new level. I have a few cool ideas going, basically a fusion between airpots and DWC style growing.
Another quite attractive idea (and I have noticed others also thought up the same thing) is a fusion between airpots and autopot.
I have a love/hate relationship with airpots. They are both super productive, but are also an extra workload when managing several plants.
Here is what I have going...
.
Watering
You can't flood airpots old-school style. Got to go slow, double so in coco. Hand watering can be tiresome and very uneven. Watering near the edges is boring because you really need to go slow or it will squirt out the holes. Three rows of plants and it's
Solution:
Get a small manual pulverizer. I use a 5L one, prep my mix and pour it in, very similar to this one.
Pump a little pressure and use the nozzle valve to go around the plant. Good steady flow and no risk of squirting out the sides at all. It does take a little longer than pouring water in, but its a pleasure to do while you inspect the plant, and much more efficient end result.
If you have multiple rows of plants, I do not recommend using the extension rod! It makes it very hard to water around the plant. As you angle around the pot it is too easy to snap branches away. Also, the tube feeding the rod swings sideways and gets easily entangled in other plants without you taking notice, believe me!
A solution for this is to remove the rod and feed directly from the noozle, or better still attach a stretch of 4mm tubing. It is elastic and you can twist it o reach odd angles, makes it ridiculously easy to completely water the medium (in my case coco) very evenly, including the edges! You will notive your plants thrive!
View attachment 212046 View attachment 212047 View attachment 212049 View attachment 212050
Run-off
Is it a hassle to remove the bottom plate hum? Nightmare when having multiple rows of pots and trays? Removing plants, collecting run-off, put plant back on, water, only to flood the tray again. Over and over and over... Plants get big, branches snap off, big buds fall over... nightmare!
Until I remembered the existence of siphon pumps. I modded one with a little extension using a smaller gauge tube (so I can get right down there) but there is no need really... now my plants just sit there doing their thing while I do mine! Saved me a good 20 minutes every day, especially late flowering.
View attachment 212052 View attachment 212053
Girls in tights
This I picked up from Smokechoke! Max
again dude! You brought on a revolution for my project quite by accident. Check this out.Our girls love to look pretty. Everyone knows how they perk up with a good pruning job and a fashionable topping. Buy them clothes and they'll go nuts for 'ya. Cover the airpots with tights and fill with medium. You will make no mess of your surroundings from now on.
View attachment 212057 View attachment 212058
Also when watering, it will prevent medium from squirting out too and worsening the known "channeling" phenomena. It actually stops the medium and fill the hole quite well. Brilliant gnat control system Do not use anything cotton though, to prevent pathogens, fungus etc. I put mine on about 2 weeks ago, and I got this crazy thing going yesterday! Seems the tights concentrate humidity and makes the the root search for more! I've got 6x 10L airpots with tights and 1x without tights... all 6 are doing this, but the the airpot without.
So what does one do in a situation like this? Save the roots! Or they will rot and die, cause disease... So I got a bigger pot and tray. Covered with black plastic bag to isolate from light.
View attachment 212068 View attachment 212069 View attachment 212070 View attachment 212072 View attachment 212073View attachment 212071
See the ridges inside? Flip the plate over and it will fit nice and snuggly in. Cut a hole, fill with water, add Rhizotonic, correct pH, insert airpump, put the airpot over it.... wwwaaallaaa! DIY instant Deep Airpot Culture.
View attachment 212082
I have no clue how this will play out, but it certainly opens up a whole new field of though... more on that later.
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