FEEDING COCO and BLUMATS

[SMOKE-ONE]

I'm considering switching from soil to COCO in AIRPOTS and using blumats.im wondering should i feed the COCO with every watering? and if not, and if i should alternate FEED,straightwater, FEED,etc. how could this be accomplished using blumats? could i alternate using 2 resorvoirs,one with straight water and one with nutrients/water.I hope this doesent sound like a stupid question?

 

[touringfunkband]

If your using Heads formula you would feed with every watering. You might want to consider Smart Pots if you plan to use Blumats as the Airpots tend to leak water out the sides quite a bit.

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

thanks for the info!! Im glad you gave me the heads up about the air pots.i was gonna buy a bunch of them tommorow because they looked more stable than the smart pot.but since the air pots have issues with leaking out the sides im gonna go with the smart pots and look more into HEADS formula

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

Im considering going with CANNA COCO W/CANNA nutrients.should i feed every watering if i go that route?

 

[B. Self Reliant]

I've never used blumats, but have heard good things. Before I used Drip Clean I used to flush quit a bit (every third watering) but still wanted my plants automated. What I did is put the nutrient mix on drippers (in your case the blumats), but hand-watered when I flushed. This allowed me to be gone for up to 2 or 3 waterings in a row, so I really only had to be around for the flushing. My plants were fed about 3 times/week based on my pot size, but yours may be longer if you use larger pots. If you need them to be automated so you can go without watering for an extended period of time, just put a slightly diluted nutrient mix into your automated system so it takes longer to build up to toxic levels. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than having two reservoirs set up for water AND your nutrient mix.

 

[mooseknuckle]

the water wont leak out of the side of airpots,with blumats

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

B. SELF RELIANT-that solution makes alot of sense.I will give it a try.thanks for helping a newbie out.

mooseknuckle- I think im gonna go half SMART POTS half AIR POTS,and may throw in a couple of GEO POTS and just see which one works out best for me.

 

[mg75]

technically, you should visit your garden every day. even if you don't water by hand... checking up on the drip-lines, bugs, problems, broken equipment and odor issues.

cultivation is a commitment... blumats or not.

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

mg75- yea i totally agree with u.i just wanted to switch to blumats because i hate handwatering.but spending alot of time and effort is real important

 

[Herborizer]

See sig. Winning formula.

The only other thing to sort out is your water. I forced myself todo it and it was one of the most important thing I have done. I add zero cal/mag. I achieved this by mixing my tap with RO to reach 120ppm water. Then I add my nutes and then ph to 5.7.

 

[Herborizer]

technically, you should visit your garden every day. even if you don't water by hand... checking up on the drip-lines, bugs, problems, broken equipment and odor issues.

cultivation is a commitment... blumats or not.

True. But I swear that once the blumats are dialed in, you begin to feel like you have become lazy. I really don't have anything todo except maybe adjust the dials once a week, and of course refill my res every 1-2 weeks.

 

[mg75]

anything to make farming easier is good in my book. i like the blumats myself...
i just wanted future users to realize that spending an hour a day in your garden can not only save your crop, but also increase your yields substantially!
plants love humans around them... extra CO2 and the love for them. talk to them... they do listen.

 

[F_T_P!]

anything to make farming easier is good in my book. i like the blumats myself...
i just wanted future users to realize that spending an hour a day in your garden can not only save your crop, but also increase your yields substantially!
plants love humans around them... extra CO2 and the love for them. talk to them... they do listen.

Blumats are the bomb! A little tedious to set up, but once they are up and running only minor adjustments are needed.

I have plenty of time to take care of the girls with zero rush. Even if I only have 20-30 minutes to take care of my garden, I can spend that time on the details rather than watering.

I usually step into the grow everyday to spend quality time with the ladies, but if I miss a day or two I really do not stress it because I know the blumats got me covered. The ladies are cool with it, they know daddy has the best intentions for them............. until chop day. Bwhahahaha

 

[Rasta311]

And for the record water does not leak from the sides of smartpots using blumats.

 

[bendoslendo]

Canna is crazy expensive.

I like h3ads formula (6mL GH micro/9mL GH bloom) with .25mL dripclean and 1mL Dutch Master Zone per gallon. But I'm pretty new to Blumats. They are sweet though!

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

I realize canna is a little expensive,but i thought it would be a little simpler than h3ads formula.And since I am a newbie SIMPLICITY is GOLDEN.

 

[bendoslendo]

Don't forget though, gold is golden

Oh yeah and I forgot the 1/4tsp/gallon of MgSO4 (epsom salts)

I think h3ads is just 6/9 micro bloom, thats pretty simple no?

Whatever is clever though, I've heard great things about canna.

 

[B. Self Reliant]

Canna is great. . . if you can get your hands on it. I buy Sunleaves Coco bricks as a locally available alternative, and they work just as well as Canna's coir does, as long as you flush it with an obscene amount of H2O first.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not recommending it, I'm just pointing out that Canna isn't the only coir that will work. Canna is just the simplest solution considering it's ready right out of the bag and doesn't require any prep in order to use.

 

[THINKING GREEN]

I've never used blumats, but have heard good things. Before I used Drip Clean I used to flush quit a bit (every third watering) but still wanted my plants automated. What I did is put the nutrient mix on drippers (in your case the blumats), but hand-watered when I flushed. This allowed me to be gone for up to 2 or 3 waterings in a row, so I really only had to be around for the flushing. My plants were fed about 3 times/week based on my pot size, but yours may be longer if you use larger pots. If you need them to be automated so you can go without watering for an extended period of time, just put a slightly diluted nutrient mix into your automated system so it takes longer to build up to toxic levels. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than having two reservoirs set up for water AND your nutrient mix.

A wise man once told me that if you flush during veg, or flower and it is not the right time you are starving your plants..... Not hating just trying to help....

 

[turbolaser4528]

use drip clean and you can feed every time since it stops the nutrient salts from building up in the medium, whether that be soil or coco.


Feed every time, flush at harvest, no lockouts, increase your yield. I won't grow in coco without it.