Easy2Grow AutoPot 2 Pot Aurora Indica Grow

[gongageek]

Being fairly new to this forum this may be a topic that has been well covered, but I thought I'd test the waters to see if there is any interest. If this is a repeat of what others have done in the past please let me know as I don't care to bore anyone!

Here's the plan:
I've just started a grow of Aurora Indica from Nirvana Fem Seeds in a 2 pot AutoPot system. I'm growing using the following components:
- HomeBox S Grow Tent
- 400 Watt NextGen Digital Ballast
- 400 Watt Hortilux - Blue MH for veg
- 400 Watt Hortilux Super HPS for flower
- Sun Tube Air Cooled Reflector
- Can Fan & Filter
- Easy2Grow Brand 2 Pot AutoPot System
- Botanicare Organic Hydro Nutes

Germination of the seeds was very straight forward using the paper towel method. I transplanted the germed seeds into rockwool cubes at day three and again into larger cubes and ultimately the AutoPots at 10 days.

Setting up the AutoPots was extremely simple and is well documented on the net, so it should be a breeze for anyone. The only issue I had was that the main 1/4" tubing that runs from the reservoir to the AutoPot was way too short. This was an easy fix as this tubing is the same as is used on lawn sprinkler systems and only cost about $8.00 for 50 feet.

Once your system is completely setup you need to add the growing media. I used a combination of 1 part coco coir to 2 parts of the small granule perlite. I found that ratio listed on the web site for another AutoPot system and it seems to be pretty good at holding enough water to keep things healthy while still allowing good root aeration. After you place the media in the pots make sure to thoroughly soak the media with plenty of PH adjusted distilled water to flush out any junk and to wet the media as a means of starting the wicking action necessary to make the AutoPot work. Think of it as priming the pump!

Once everything was setup I simply transferred the rockwool cubes into the media and I was off!

The pictures attached to this post are taken at the 2 week point from the start of germination (i.e. today).

That's where I' m at this point so if there is any interest please let me know and I will post regularly through the entire grow. Thanks for looking!

 

[osirica420]

looks like your off to a good start!
I wll be checking your updates, good luck bro!

 

[gongageek]

I'm really curious if anyone else on this forum has used the AutoPot system, and if so what were the results? Thanks!

 

[gongageek]

OK then I will assume this is new ground. I had hoped someone else had used this system so I could avoid any issues.

 

[biteme]

ok, i confess, i did, and in fact had the 4 pot system! the pump died before the end of the grow. same thing happened with the free standing water farm unit i bought and ran at the same time, dead pump prior to end of flower? but you can grow huge plants with the right nutes and lighting in either of these units. they are relatively cheap in the big pic and were an excellent learning tool for me cause where i live, there are no hydro stores let alone peeps to teach so most of what i learned is online or reading some place. so these units were basically my intro to hydro and same with you i suspect? and like me, you will ditch them soon enough whether you continue with hydro or not. prior to this, i was strictly soil indoors but due to rookie ventillation issues my flower room turned into a mud hole one summer because of high humidity. once in awhile there may be a gal in a pot of soil awaiting her turn in hydro, but no more dirt indoors for me. peace-biteme

 

[bendoslendo]

I used the Autopots in my first grow ever, about 10 years ago now. Search for Craven_au I believe he uses them successfully.

Keep an eye out for salt buildup on the hinges of your smartvalves. I've heard they've fixed the problem since but I had a smartvalve jam in ON position and flood my closet.

 

[gongageek]

Thanks for the info bendoslendo, that's one I wasn't aware of. I'll be taking some more pics this Friday at the 2 week veg point, but already I've found a couple of things I find annoying about the AutoPot.

 

[gongageek]

2 Weeks Into Veg - Aurora Indica AutoPot Grow

2 Weeks Into Veg - Aurora Indica AutoPot Grow

So far using the AutoPot system has been pretty straight forward. This system is supposed to be pretty much set it and forget it and largely that's true. On the upside I really appreciate the fact that I don't have to monitor PH & PPM nearly as close as a conventional hydro system. However on the down side I find that the capillary action doesn't work quite as well as I'd like which at times has left the plants a bit low on moisture. At these times I have had to add a bit of additional solution to the pots. This requires great care or you will overflow the base of the system. I suspect an adjustment to the media mixture could give better results so I will review options on the next grow. Otherwise everything is progressing well. I have attached a few pics of the girls at the 2 week veg point. I'm amazed how compact this strain seems to be.

 

[darwinsbulldog]

looks nice buddy, i'll be watching

 

[jawnroot]

Subscribed. Just saw this system online and thought it might be cool for my tent. Curious to see how it comes out.

Something I noticed:

The AQUAValve™ allows the AutoPot™ Easy2Grow™ systems to mimic nature by providing growing plants with a complete wet then dry cycle which prevents root rot and allows more oxygen to reach the root systems.

It sounds like it's designed to go wet/dry, wet/dry. Instead of watering the pots by hand, you may just want to let them go and see what happens. If they begin drooping, have at it, but otherwise I'd wait and see if it takes care of it.

 

[gongageek]

Jawnroot actually they were drooping pretty bad which is why I went ahead and applied additional water. I initially suspected the media mix I used was the problem but as I get further along I am more inclined to think that it's actually due to having rooted the seeds in large rockwool cubes rather than the small 1 inch square ones. I think the rockwool just doesn't absorb properly for use in this system. Next time I will use jiffy pellets to more closely match the grow media absorbency. At this point in the grow (3 weeks veg tomorrow) the roots are past the rockwool and things seem to be smoothing out. I'll post as time goes on to let you know if my hypothesis is correct.

 

[jawnroot]

Might want to try Rapid Rooters. Have had good luck with them in the past.

 

[pinkskunk]

im keen to see what yeilds people are getting from these pots,id get em if the came in 5gallon.. i like the simplicity!

 

[gongageek]

Yeah I wish there was a 5 gallon version too, but you might give the single pot version a try as it's 3.41 gallons. The combo setup I am using has 2 pots that are 1.93 gallons each. I will likely replace them with the larger pots at some point.

 

[hazy]

Hey, check Johnny Chimpo's old threads. He was an Auto Pot master.

 

[$kunk]

Nice grow! Rapid rooters rock for hydro. To save on cost you could set up your own rez, pots, and tray, and buy the aquavalves separate. If it was me, I'd mix more perlite, 3 to 1, and feed straight RO from the rez, hand water nutes from above or drip system. I'd also place a shallow net pot or a plastic strainer upside down with an airstone under it (air dome) at the bottom of each pot, adjusting the height of the aquavalve as necessary (if the strainer is too tall).

http://www.autopot.co.uk/

Just some things to think about.. peace.

 

[gongageek]

Awesome suggestions $kunk..many thanks!

 

[gongageek]

Aurora Indica AutoPot Grow at 3 Weeks Veg.

Aurora Indica AutoPot Grow at 3 Weeks Veg.

I must say that this has become a real easy grow. Once the roots got deep enough to get into sufficient moisture to meet their needs this has been a true set it and forget it process. I did make a slight downward adjustment to the ph in the reservoir this week as it had crept up just a hair but was still well within specs. Other than that it's been a sit back and watch grow.

As for the Aurora Indica strain I am blown away with just how compact this plant is. The space between internodes is as tight as I have ever seen on any strain and the leaves grow huge. All in all a very robust strain that’s extremely easy to grow. The girls are already showing gender but I want to leave them in veg at least another week and possibly two.

Here are a few update pics:







Thanks for looking!

 

[$kunk]

You going to LST those girls? Looks like those little bottom branches want to catch up. BTW, love the nice lush green color, good job.

 

[gongageek]

I contemplated LST for about 30 seconds and then decided to keep true to the intent of this grow which is to see just how little effort I can get away with when using the AutoPot method. I would likely get a higher yield with LST or SCROG but I'm going to pass on the advanced techniques this time. I do expect to see some stretch when I switch to flowering. We shall see what comes of it. Thanks for the post $kunk, I appreciate the interaction.