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A little blumat confusion
- Thread starter dunkydunk
- Start date
Are you using blumats right now? If so, and you can transplant them without hurting anything...I would try it on a few. But not all of them, incase they get shocked. Personally I can transplant and not get shock. An easy way to do it is to stick your Square Pot into the Smart Pot. Pack, precharged Coco around it nice and good. Now pull your plant out of the pot, and insert in the perfect shaped square hole.
That is how I transplant any plant of mine into any other container. Makes transplanting much less stressful! If you do not mess with your plant too much, it should be fine. But if your gonna screw up the plant, dont do it. Good luck
Damn you two are quick! Question. I know this is a blumat thread and I don't want to get away from that. I read that Donk was pulling close to a lb using 10 gallon smart pots. How many blumats are needed for a 10 gallon smartpot? Also, Do you two start with smart pots from the beginning? I'm going for trees due to state laws and my plan is this. If I'm dealing with an 8 week strain I'll veg with blumats and smartpots for the full cycle of flower. Once the flower room is done wipe everything down and replace with the vegged girls. Harvest anywhere from 2-4 lbs every two months(strain dependent of course). What do you guys think? Is it cool if I can pm you for other questions?
Thanks
D2G
dunkydunk
Member
Alright Mr. Slowandeasy, what makes a smart pot truly better than any other pot? I get a dense and fine root structure in my plastic pots, why would a smart pot get me better roots?
And I ordered up some Drip Clean and did some diligent research beforehand, but all I could find was what it did, the same old "no salt build up with drip clean" line, but does anyone besides the people at H&G know how this stuff works? Where do the salts magically go? Why doesn't it rob the plants of salts?
Just curious.
And I ordered up some Drip Clean and did some diligent research beforehand, but all I could find was what it did, the same old "no salt build up with drip clean" line, but does anyone besides the people at H&G know how this stuff works? Where do the salts magically go? Why doesn't it rob the plants of salts?
Just curious.
Hey dunky,
If I may...smartpots are good for getting oxygen to the roots. Maybe they're not necessarily better than plastic pots, but they are more durable. They work well with coco and they don't have the big holes that gnats and other nasties can get into like the airpots do.
The bad side of smartpots is that they can dry out quickly when your plants are drinking more (late veg/flower), but it sounds like the blumats take care of this problem. I'm going to give these blumats a try with straight coco for my next grow. Too many people swear by them to not give them a shot.
I've used the smartpots for about two years, hand watering, and have no complaints, indoor or out.
Can't you just add some epsom salt to ph'd RO/filtered water and hand water them once a week if you're worried about salt buildups?
HB.
If I may...smartpots are good for getting oxygen to the roots. Maybe they're not necessarily better than plastic pots, but they are more durable. They work well with coco and they don't have the big holes that gnats and other nasties can get into like the airpots do.
The bad side of smartpots is that they can dry out quickly when your plants are drinking more (late veg/flower), but it sounds like the blumats take care of this problem. I'm going to give these blumats a try with straight coco for my next grow. Too many people swear by them to not give them a shot.
I've used the smartpots for about two years, hand watering, and have no complaints, indoor or out.
Can't you just add some epsom salt to ph'd RO/filtered water and hand water them once a week if you're worried about salt buildups?
HB.
Why is a Smart Pot better than a regular pot? The roots never get restricted. They never circle, and are constantly growing and when they poke out of the side, the air prunes them. If you use coco, no matter what container you use, you will get a really nice root system. But it will get root bound and reduce yield. I can say with out a doubt if you tried a 1 gal plastic pot your plant would eventually slow its growth.
In the past I always used 2 Gal Smart Pots, with excellent results. Just because I like to experiment, I downsized to 1 Gal this round... and will out yield my 2 gal last run. Only difference is I defolited in flower. The whole point of smart pots are to grow a much larger plant than in a traditional pot. Besides that you will never have any issues with root rot or root circling.
Drip Clean does not magically make the salts disappear. You will still have salts, it just kind of neutralizes it from building up. Makes it so you do not have to water to run off. It works well, my plants do excellent with my recipe. It also helps your drippers from clogging.
There is one thing I totally disagree with with Drip Clean tho. I called them and asked how long they suggest to flush. The told me 3 days. Fuck that noise! Go 10 days, the salts are still in the Coco...the drip clean just makes it so it does not hurt your plants.
Hope this helps
I do not grow trees, but Blumats will grow you trees for Sure! The growth is amazing using them. 10 gal Smart Pots would require 2 per pot or maybe 1 Maxi size.
I do not suggest starting right into Smart Pots. In Coco, I like to use small containers to start and wait until the container starts to really dry out faster than normal. Then I transplant to smart pots. Roots will explode much faster if you do it that way. Using huge pots too early slows root growth, because they need to seek moisture. Hope this helps
Do you think if I slowly pot up to 2 or 3 gallon squares during veg and put them into 10 gallons for flower. Is 2-3 gallon to 10 gallon too big of a jump? I'll probably need to veg for at least a week in the 10 gallons before flower though.
I don't see too many people talking about their reservoirs with blumats. Are you guys just making a res like a hydro set up? Kind of lost cuz I'm a noob handwatering right now. Are res temps as important as it is if you were running dwc/rdwc(65-70 degree water) when you run blumats? Chillers or no chillers?
D2G
G
Guywithoutajeep
I believe Drip Clean seperates the cation and the anion, yeah??
Deionizingggg FUCK YEAHHHHHH. Also cant you buy small smart pots??
I just switched to smarties and I love em. I don't use run off trays anymore with my blumats. Best system ever.
If you're worried about Drip Clean not being totally effective then why not bleed the blumats once a week?
Deionizingggg FUCK YEAHHHHHH. Also cant you buy small smart pots??
I just switched to smarties and I love em. I don't use run off trays anymore with my blumats. Best system ever.If you're worried about Drip Clean not being totally effective then why not bleed the blumats once a week?
You can make a res out of anything, like a rubbermaid container. The blumat kit comes with what they call a rain barrel connector but basically with the correct size hole (sorry I forget that right now) it will turn any container into a res. I don't worry about mine at all except to have an air pump going to keep the water aerated. It's really no the same as hydro at all. First the water going to the plant is an extremely small amount repeatedly. Second the soil provides buffering for temps etc. unlike the inert, loose media used for hydro.
Hope this helps.
I honestly do not see the need for 10 gal Smart Pots. I actually think transplanting from Smart Pot to Smart Pot is more stressfull. Since the roots stick to the fabric. Your plan seems good, but if you up pot that much, water once...then wait a few days to let the roots seek moisture. Then set the drippers to a slow drip...as they grow, speed up the pace.
If you are using 10 gal Smart Pots and growing Trees you will need a big Res. Airstones are required IMO. Your water can be a tad higher than in a DWC set up since the roots are not bathing in it. But dont be too high. If you are a newbie, try not to tackle too much at one time. How much space and what kind of lights are you using?
Thank you Darwinfor your response.
Slow,
I was actually planning on vegging in my 2-3 gallon square pots then transplanting into the 7-10 gallon smartpot when the time is right. I'm currently growing in a 10x5 space right now. Vertical with vscrogs. Had 14 medium sized plants, but due to current law changes I need to downsize in plant numbers and upgrade in size. My plan was to run 4 trees in vscrogs which will allow 5 ft in width for each with 7 ft ceilings. My goal is around 1/2 lb each, at least. With a 8 week veg I totally think it's doable. To slow down in size I'll most likely defoliate, which I already to my current girls.
How big of a reservoir do I need for 4 big trees? Are 10 gallon necessary for 1/2 lb- 1 lb trees or can I go with 7 gallon? I guess I need to experiment for myself. I'm just trying to get a good plan before I jump into it.
D2G
1
1quixotix
If one was doing two 2 gallon airpots under a 400, how would the jr's differ in effectiveness (not using any nutes in the jr's water)? I imagine just keeping the coco moist, but continue to hand water nutes. I'm going with the assumption that coco grows better plants if it is kept moist without a dry period. I understand that this may seem like more work than the drip blumat, but I want to keep my hand watering regimen. So the question could be is there be an advantage to what I'm proposing vs. just hand watering everyday?
Flying High
Member
I have been using Rubbermaid "Brute" trash cans. 20, 32, and 44 gallons have all worked great. (Test can before cutting hole; I had a can spring a leak on initial fill-up in my last place)
I use a bulkhead fitting from the hydro store as close to the bottom of the "brute" as I can get a good seal, by this I mean a flat surface. I cut off the barbed end of the bulkhead fitting so a nipple can be threaded into the bulkhead fitting in place of the barb(you can order pipe thread bulkheads or maybe uniseals if you have time). My finished reservoir has the top of the bulkhead w/washer inside the can, nut on outside, with 3/4"ips nipple threaded into bulkhead. I also like to slap on a ball valve and sediment filter on the other end of the nipple from the bulkhead. The one time I tried to seal the mess with silicone I could not get it to seal; I eventually removed all silicone and used only the washer provided with the bulkhead fitting.
To finish the system I attach a 1/2 pvc nipple after the ball valve and filter to extend from the reservoir to the location of the plants(across another flood tray?) , then I thread a 1/2 pvc tee onto the nipple. Then thread two 1/2" barb fittings into the other ends of the tee. Thanks to Lazyman for pioneering the following set-up with barb fittings and loop... From there I run a loop of 1/2" black vinyl tubing(be aware of potential off-gassing?!) around the tray(using elbows at each corner). Drill 3/32 holes in 1/2" tubing (use stopper on bit to avoid drilling thru) and insert 3/32 barb coupling or tee. At this point you have 3/32" nipples out of the 1/2" loop and you can proceed by cutting required lengths of 3mm tubing to length to reach from 3/32 barb fitting to the plant, thru the Blumat with the tubing end on the opposite side of the pot from the Blumat.
I have also used 12" leaders of 3mm tubing attached to the 3/32" barb fittings in the 1/2" loop; this requires an extra 3/32 barb coupling to connect to the standard length 3mm tubing which comes stock in the Tropf-Blumat unit.
I use the second method so I can disconnect individual plants without shutting down the entire loop. I tie the 12" leader in a knot to shut-off water flow.(their will be more pressure than you would expect, don't get wet ).
Wow, sorry for the lengthy post. Big thanks to Slowandeasy and Lazyman for great contributions and threads detailing the Tropf-Blumat system
H
I use a bulkhead fitting from the hydro store as close to the bottom of the "brute" as I can get a good seal, by this I mean a flat surface. I cut off the barbed end of the bulkhead fitting so a nipple can be threaded into the bulkhead fitting in place of the barb(you can order pipe thread bulkheads or maybe uniseals if you have time). My finished reservoir has the top of the bulkhead w/washer inside the can, nut on outside, with 3/4"ips nipple threaded into bulkhead. I also like to slap on a ball valve and sediment filter on the other end of the nipple from the bulkhead. The one time I tried to seal the mess with silicone I could not get it to seal; I eventually removed all silicone and used only the washer provided with the bulkhead fitting.
To finish the system I attach a 1/2 pvc nipple after the ball valve and filter to extend from the reservoir to the location of the plants(across another flood tray?) , then I thread a 1/2 pvc tee onto the nipple. Then thread two 1/2" barb fittings into the other ends of the tee. Thanks to Lazyman for pioneering the following set-up with barb fittings and loop... From there I run a loop of 1/2" black vinyl tubing(be aware of potential off-gassing?!) around the tray(using elbows at each corner). Drill 3/32 holes in 1/2" tubing (use stopper on bit to avoid drilling thru) and insert 3/32 barb coupling or tee. At this point you have 3/32" nipples out of the 1/2" loop and you can proceed by cutting required lengths of 3mm tubing to length to reach from 3/32 barb fitting to the plant, thru the Blumat with the tubing end on the opposite side of the pot from the Blumat.
I have also used 12" leaders of 3mm tubing attached to the 3/32" barb fittings in the 1/2" loop; this requires an extra 3/32 barb coupling to connect to the standard length 3mm tubing which comes stock in the Tropf-Blumat unit.
I use the second method so I can disconnect individual plants without shutting down the entire loop. I tie the 12" leader in a knot to shut-off water flow.(their will be more pressure than you would expect, don't get wet
).Wow, sorry for the lengthy post. Big thanks to Slowandeasy and Lazyman for great contributions and threads detailing the Tropf-Blumat system
H
Flying High
Member
I forgot to add, it is in your best interest to have copious amounts of the 3mm tubing on hand. I personally figure at least three feet of tubing per Blumat to allow enough play to mess up installation and still get the job done. Then again, I seem to be a magnet for chaos and catastrophic failures; hence the details and excess....
H
H
Flying High
Member
I am toying with the idea of using pressure tanks such as the type used for well water storage as a means of delivering pressure without the need for an elevated reservoir.
The set-up would be r/o unit into a water storage/nutrient holding tank with float valve, then pumped into a pressure tank via a pump in the holding tank on electronic pressure switch. Maybe via a "Well tee?" with pressure switch and "well-x-trol" tank. Are their any pro's who can chime in with the proper way to do this?
enough typing...
H
The set-up would be r/o unit into a water storage/nutrient holding tank with float valve, then pumped into a pressure tank via a pump in the holding tank on electronic pressure switch. Maybe via a "Well tee?" with pressure switch and "well-x-trol" tank. Are their any pro's who can chime in with the proper way to do this?
enough typing...
H
Just use regular Tropf Blumats and set the drip rate really slow. Hand water as you like. That way you have the option to use either method.
I still hand water a few times, when I do my Kool Bloom waterings I hand water. But that is only 3 to 4 times. I suggest flushing 10 days. Hand water to run off each time. Good luck.
