Proper moisture levels in living organics ???

[al-k-mist]

Jello Biafra say it best..

"Seems like the more i think i know,
the more I find I don't
every answer opens up so many questions"

I was under the impression that letting the medium dry out was important, but am finding that is not the case with REAL organics'

Should it be a small daily watering, or every other day? Drippers sound like it would bee too much, but the goal is 50 gal smart pots for the spring and summer, and trying to get it right before then.

Got so much more to learn, and this forum is pretty damn jazzy
Peace
(~);}
Alchemist

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Sunnydog's thread on Tropf Blumat devices is where you'll find solid information on this mythology.

HTH

CC

 

[al-k-mist]

I have heard of those, and even clicked a link. Are those the shit? nevermnd, I will check it out in a few minutes.
Dank you, man
(~);}

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Everyone who uses 'em sears by 'em. I've been playing around with sub-irrigated planters and have been pleased with the outcome.

Rep slap for quoting Biafra.

 

[Microbeman]

At risk of being wrong, I soon learned that letting the soil dry out was only killing my soil so started keeping it moist. I had much healthier plants and soil thereafter. Sometimes it may be strategic to let the surface dry a bit if you need to control gnats.

 

[jerry111165]

Consistent moisture (I don't mean wet, but moist) is where it's at, as far as I'm concerned. Like MM, I don't believe in letting soil dry out anymore.

Yet another Internet myth - like flushing, and checking the pH of your runoff...

J

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Jer-Dawg!

 

[al-k-mist]

So I looked at the tropf blumat maxi, which i found for 8 bucks apiece. Would I need 2 of these on 50 gal (approx) smartpots?
Thanks so much, as these appear to really "the shit". And the moisture levels were definitely not like this during the summer grow..ended yellow but amazing. And Im finding that the yellow/purple/orange is common with organics at the end

 

[jerry111165]

Some of the fellas on one of the other forums are making what they're calling SIPs - Self Irrigating Planters. Might be worth Googling as another option, anyhow. They're swearing by them.

Constant hydration.

Cootz - 'Sup.

J

 

[Dkgrower]

I think that MM has some good points

i try to topdress with some hay or fresh grass so that the top 10cm newer dry out, that way u can have roots sticking out off the soil and if u got the plants in pots then use all the medium.

Pepol put plastic covers ect to prevent that the top soil dryes out

 

[oceangrownkush]

Does anyone here know if you can use teas with the Blumat lines? Considering getting a grip of them for my vert grow comin up here in December cuz it will be a total bitch trying to water each and every one of my bitches considering how densely I plan on packing them in there..

On a related note, how do you water Cootz? Just curious, you seem to be the organic guru around here.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

oceangrownkush

I'm talking about the Tropf Blumat devices only and not the Blumat Jr. - you do not want to try and run any tea of any kind through the emitter hose. I can't remember the actual diameter but they're pretty small and would be easy to become clogged.

I run 4 Trop Blumat cones in my containers and use a concrete sprayer for applying botanical teas.

HTH

CC

 

[oceangrownkush]

If you don't mind I'm going to send you a PM to pick your brain rather than further derailing this thread, thank you Cootz, sir.

 

[al-k-mist]

WOW. Jerry, I checked those sips out, and saw videos and stuff. Those may work killer indoors.
I was thinking...we want to use 50gal smarties in the greenhouse this year. I wonder if I can do the same thing, just have a resevoir the same diameter as the smart pot...Hmmm, got me thinking

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

SIPs do work killer indoors, but the part that dips down into the reservoir of a sub-irrigated planter is smaller than the base of the pot. if you leave a smartpot in a tray with lots of standing water it will wick up too much. Blumats are the way to go with those.

I've been finding SIPs on the cheap at almost anywhere that carries pots around here. Even the local dollar-store has "self watering pots".

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Upon further consideration, maybe using some kind of humidity tray would be a good solution for irrigating fabric pots from the bottom.

 

[RanchoDeluxe]

Not too long ago I was guilty of perpetuating the wet/dry cycle myth...or at least I tried. Then I listened and learned.

I wonder how many growing 'gurus' that are now millionaires helped to keep this myth going...or which one of them came up with it first?