DRIPPERS AND SOIL QUESTIONS??

[doesntmatter]

I AM USING A MOONSHINE MIX SOIL AND WANT TO USE DRIPPER TO WATER ... MY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH/OFTEN SHOULD THE DRIPPERS RUN? I HAVE NEVER USED DRIPPER AND DONT KNOW A LOT ABOUT THEM! I DEFFINATLY DONT WANT TO OVER-WATER WITH THIS MIX! SO PRETTY MUCH I NEED TO KNOW IF I SHOULD DRIP 24HRS A DAY? JUST WHILE THE LIGHTS ARE ON (12HRS) OR ON A TIMER? ... ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT AS THIS IS A TOTALLY NEW CONSEPT FOR ME ... THANKS IN ADVANCE

[DiscoDuck]

drip until the soil is saturated, a small amount of runoff is ok.

stop drip.

allow the soil to dry so roots can get oxygen.

repeat process

[BudLove]

Disco is right in the advice...however, it can usually be tough to figure out just when to do the next drip cycle.

What I do is use what is growin in front of the ya! The lady. Basically turn on the dripper until the soil is saturated and you get a little bit of run off, then shut it off.... now comes the fun part... just wait....and wait...and wait. Depending on the size of your pot and soil consistency it could be 4 days, might be 10... but as soon as you see the plant begin to show signs of needing water (such as minor drooping) you know she should have been watered a little before that... in other words if she droops after 5 days then you should water her on the 4th.

Hope that helps....

Oh and BTW - watering times will change the larger she gets so you'll need to keep an eye on er throughout her life.

BL

[wafflehouselove]

doesn't matter let me know how it goes.

[Guest]

How do you guys get total saturation?
In my twisted head, I imagine that the other side of the pot would get less water. Especially near the top...

Do you have to use multiple drippers per pot?

Anyone use soaker hoses?

Sorry dm,
Don't mean to hijack your thread...

[doesntmatter]

How do you guys get total saturation?
In my twisted head, I imagine that the other side of the pot would get less water. Especially near the top...

Do you have to use multiple drippers per pot?

Anyone use soaker hoses?

Sorry dm,
Don't mean to hijack your thread...

no your fine thats a good question ... i would like to know myself ... btw my setup will be vertical 6liter pots with moonshine mix and tap water (shelf design i stole from heath at 420forums (but he used hydroton and yielded 1.53 grams per watt off of 2 600's in a 4x6 room!) ill post when i get it together this first run for me is just 18 plants (60 plants when in full swing so im sure ill ask a hundred questions on cloning soon)

[ElectroSticky]

drippers are great ,,

i have only used them as emergency backup 2-3 times , and let them on with a timer to slowly drip for 10 minutes every 12 hours hours (only twice a day during ight time),,dripping about 150-200cc on every time ,, this is usually good for like a week...

just my 2 cents...

Peace

[DiscoDuck]

it can usually be tough to figure out just when to do the next drip cycle.
BL

BudLove is right, the key is when to re-drip. I don't recommend repeated use of one, but you could pick up a moisture meter with a probe long enough to reach the bottom of your grow pots. They'll disturb the roots a little but it helped me realize just how much water can remain when it looks dry as hell on the surface. I also lift the pot and can estimate how much water is in the bottom of the pot.

Kroter, good question. Some folks use more than one dripper if the pot is big enough. Drippers usually water the soil slow enough so the dry soil absorbs the water slowly dripping in. By the time the water is dripping out of the planter the soil is pretty saturated.

I love soaker hoses in the outdoor garden, makes life easy. Never thought about a soaker setup in a planter but I'm sure it will work. The same opportunity presents itself as with drippers, know how long it takes for the soil to dry before soaking again.

ElectroSticky seems to be one of the few here with practical experience in drip set ups. I beleive he used this as an auto water while he wasn't attending his plants. If you want to grow your plant wire to wire with a drip/soil setup, you'll have to figure out how long it takes the soil to dry before you set up an auto on/off pump.

Another reference was made to dripping in hydroton which dries in a matter of hours. Some folks are successful with virtual perpetual drip in hydroton when they get their water volume dialed in.