DIY The AirPot Bastardization Project

[Groff]

I dont know!! Lool...

For one thing I cannot stop top feeding her or the coco will dry off and kill the top roots. I could recirculate I guess, but I dont want spend more cash on pumps, as I would need one for each plant. I picked a tip up in the hydro section about Blumats. Excellent rep, and they have one model (Blumat Junior and Blumat Junior XL) that can passive pump water at a height of 30cm, which is still a bit low, but I ordered a pair to try to figure something out. Really cheap, they cost around 2.5€ each. Recirculation really seems like the most obvious option though.

My first guess is to keep the rez well well bubbled, pH 5.7 - 5.8, same as feed... just adding Rhizotonic and a bit of Root Juice as they're great protectors of roots... and see from there, check the EC and pH regularly and see what the plants is doing. Right now the EC is at 0.35.

I will email Canna about it, maybe its not entirely silly to, for instance, top feed with Canna A and low feed with Canna B, since these two don't like each other much. Or add silicon and additives only to the low rez... I sure hope someone comes in with some solid know-how and lend a hand!

In any case, it will be a fun adventure



[video=youtube;UWPLr0Selh8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWPLr0Selh8[/video]

 

[dex]

Dont know the actual ins and outs but i would not be seperateing the a+b as they should be together imo if there seperated you might not get a 50/50 mix

just thinking out loud Groff but your system looks great, nice building mate

 

[Groff]

Thanks dex... I'm sure there is room for improvement though. My tent is only 1,8m high so I had to work with that instead of bigger black bucket.

Still, 15l of water down there.

Canna A&B do not mix at all! That is why you should mix them in water and let sit for 15 mins before adding B. together they react and saturate. So it's not entirely coo-coo in theory.

But, let me hear from Canna, see what they think

 

[lazylathe]

Thanks for the link Groff!!!!

Looks like you are having a great time experimenting!!
I am thinking of sticking to a simple Dutch Bucket system with a large res to feed all the plants.
Recirculate the water and see what happens!

I have enough pumps etc from my fishtank, mushroom and hydro experiments!!
Just need the flood table, pots and a large res.

 

[Groff]

I am pissed as f*ck I didnt take the photos when I knew I should... the roots were angel-white! Sparkling white!
Then I started using Root Juice to pH(-) along with Rhizotonic, and it stained the roots brownish. Then I had to completely re-do my tent, so they were left in the bathroom without bubbles for 36h.

I'm kinda pissed 'cos I wanted to show y'all spankingly white roots... anyway, plants are healthy are can be!

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The other automazar at the back has a bigger root system I think, haven't checked in quite a while. Will try to get some more pics later on today. I may do a rez change and go back to Rhizotonic and acid and try to get these roots white again

On another note, I finally got some bluemat jr's which I am testing in my edibles garden. Haven't been able to review them 'cos the medium hasn't dried out still, been raining on and off... Coincidentally, I found locally some chinese copies that absolutely flood the medium and trays no matter what!

So all in all it seems I will be able to passively recirculate from the rez!! Very excited to try this next time round!

pH has been around 6.0 (full bloom they are!) and EC around 0.3 - 0.5

 

[dex]

Superb Groff thats one mass of roots mate , nice one :five::smokebuds:

 

[Groff]

Superb Groff thats one mass of roots mate , nice one :five::smokebuds:

The other automazar at the back is even bigger! :drool: Will get a snap next Sunday I hope.

Anyway, here is a response I got from Canna. I used their online contact form, and I cannot remember exactly what the questions were. I did ask about not mixing A&B and top feeding and low feeding, top feeding A&B and low feeding additives etc etc... But when they answer they don't quote your questions... dumbasses! Took them we over 2 weeks to answer and I was...

I have no clue why they mention "gnuts"... I've heard of gnats, not gnuts. But I didn't mention them 'cos I ain't gots them, yo!
I am EXTREMELY curious about question nº3 !! Stop watering coco !?! let it dry out? Seriously??

Thank you very much for your message!

Your problem was gnuts and now you have another one.

First how could it happen?
Roots are always looking for water. So they are following the waterstream (downwards). Roots stay alive as long as they don't dry up.
In your case they came out of the pot and stayed alive. Hanging in the air (with high moist content).
Actually that was the moment to take your cover away from the side holes.

If still possible remove the cover and let the plant make new roots in the air pot. It is called 'airprunning'. If the amount of roots in the pot is still enough they will survive and if not (you see the leaves hang) add less light and cover the plant with plastic for a few days (make a tent/glassbox), so the plant has time to make the new roots again.

Make a water reservoir under the air pots?
You could but all roots will leave the airpot and start taking water and nutrients from your reservoir. You start to grow in water (hydro or aqua). Much more difficult and you need a different nutrient.

Question 1)
Yes you can. The coco will get a very high EC, but it is not important anymore because the roots are out.
Question 2)
If Coco A and B doesn't mix very well in your type of water you have another problem.
(ask us again if you will go on in growing on Coco.)

Don't do it as you proposed as it will go wrong and the plant need another feeding as Coco A/B now
Question 3)
Stop watering the coco when enough roots are in the reservoir.
Use CANNA Aqua and all additives for the reservoir and start growing as it is a recirculating system.
Question 4)
is not there?
Question 5)
No stop watering the airpot. If you do, the plant start investing in the roots where it can get the water in the most easy way. But this will also give other problem like stretching, soft flowers or temperary burning leaves if the plant has to change from roots (coco vs aqua reservoir).
Question 6)
No

The problem was gnuts. They lay their eggs in a wet surface of the peat. Only covering the top part of the airpot should have been enough. Or another option was make a toplayer of dry claypebbles in which the gnut will not lay their eggs.

Wet Coco in pot or at the bottom will be the area where the gnuts will lay their eggs in. Stop this option and they will dissappear.

Or buy enough entonems (Steinernema feltiae) the natural enemy of these gnuts, to kill them.

Hope this helps.

 

[beenjammin]

The other automazar at the back is even bigger! :drool: Will get a snap next Sunday I hope.

Anyway, here is a response I got from Canna. I used their online contact form, and I cannot remember exactly what the questions were. I did ask about not mixing A&B and top feeding and low feeding, top feeding A&B and low feeding additives etc etc... But when they answer they don't quote your questions... dumbasses! Took them we over 2 weeks to answer and I was...

I have no clue why they mention "gnuts"... I've heard of gnats, not gnuts. But I didn't mention them 'cos I ain't gots them, yo!
I am EXTREMELY curious about question nº3 !! Stop watering coco !?! let it dry out? Seriously??

wow thats not really very detailed. id seek advice elsewhere. gnats? did you even include pictures? idk how they would come up with that

 

[Groff]

Me neither! And no, no pics. The online form doesn't upload pics.

I do have springtails going in some other coco pots, so I am sure I didn't mention them. I love my springtails!

In their defence I started by acknowledging they would have no responsibility if my crazy experiments went wrong and would even appreciate "oriented guesses"... That's what they did I guess. It's a shame though they didn't quote me on each answer

 

[Groff]

Ok, so I've finished my AutoMazars!

Basically, I just put water in the rez, made sure its was around 5.8 - 6.2... EC was around 0.6 to 1.0, very good bubbling.
Only 1 complete rez change during all this time, just topping off with fresh water and checking pH

During the flush I stopped top feeding the coco, and dried out completely, like... 0% humidity. No wilting at all, tha girls started drinking from the rez, so it only comes to confirm that Canna really know their plant biology well. Opens a massive door for experimentation that I cannot wait to test. Wont be doing it this next run, but certainly will in the future when I try DWC and get the right nutes for the job.

Curiously, before the flush, the rez pH started going crazy overnight, going waaay down to pH 4.3, almost every 2 days... so like, pH massive drop, rez top-off and pH correct, good for 36h, then next morning, wham, down the the pH 4 range ! So def something there to investigate further.


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