Blumat auto watering
- Thread starter sunnydog
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- blumat drippers irrigation watering
M
maestroman22
Koz, you'll love them with the airpots my friend. That is the same combo I run. Blumats, airpots, organic soil=lovely governor!
I finally got my lower/upper reservoir set up last weekend. I ran into a few problems along the way, but nothing 3-4 trips to home depot couldn't solve. Now, I'm working on getting the all the drippers dialed in. The increased pressure makes the runaways "run" alot faster. This is a PITA during the adjustment period, but once they're dialed, the increased pressure should make the system work better...I hope.
So I've got a few questions for everyone:
1) Fungus gnats: They're starting to show up. What do you guys/girls use to get rid of them? Anybody run Gnatrol in their res? I've used it in my hand waters with good results, but don't want to push my luck with too much "stuff" in the res. If anyone has ran it in the res; how strong?
2) Feed strength: I see most people running .5-1ec in veg and 1-1.6 in flower. When I mix my PBP line @"recommended" strength, the EC levels are way above this. For veg, I'm mixing 2 gal of "full strength" solution, then adding 3gal of water with 3ml/gal calmag+ added(all base water is ro 0ppm). This diluted grow mix comes in between .8-.9ec. Does diluting the full strength solution like this seem a reasonable way to reach the desired ec? I don't have much experience with coco/low ec feeds, but the plants seem to like it.
3) The return line on my upper res is "gurgling" when it drains. Would increasing the size of the drain/hose solve this?
So I've got a few questions for everyone:
1) Fungus gnats: They're starting to show up. What do you guys/girls use to get rid of them? Anybody run Gnatrol in their res? I've used it in my hand waters with good results, but don't want to push my luck with too much "stuff" in the res. If anyone has ran it in the res; how strong?
2) Feed strength: I see most people running .5-1ec in veg and 1-1.6 in flower. When I mix my PBP line @"recommended" strength, the EC levels are way above this. For veg, I'm mixing 2 gal of "full strength" solution, then adding 3gal of water with 3ml/gal calmag+ added(all base water is ro 0ppm). This diluted grow mix comes in between .8-.9ec. Does diluting the full strength solution like this seem a reasonable way to reach the desired ec? I don't have much experience with coco/low ec feeds, but the plants seem to like it.
3) The return line on my upper res is "gurgling" when it drains. Would increasing the size of the drain/hose solve this?
i've run a product called Microbe Lift BMC through the blumats to kill the gnats. same active ingredient as gnatrol but you don't use as much (so of corse it costs more) and it isn't as thick as gnatrol. the stuff is made for fountains and ponds but it works great on plants too
That EC sounds pretty good. Bump to 1.2 EC if you see any issues. Nothing wrong with the way you achieved it. Diluting down to your desired EC is a good way to go. Just be careful with the CalMag. The botanicare, technaflora, etc have a lot of nitrogen in them which can easily cause some toxicity if used too much. It might not be needed. Check out the General Organics CaMg+. I don't believe it has the nitrogen and iron.
You can also check out the Demeters Destiny from Nectar for the Gods. I believe this is a true calcium delivered magnesium.
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I've never been able to silence the slurping/gurgling sound from my overflow spilling back the lower res. I've adjusted the volume/speed at which the lower rez feeds the upper, but still experience some noise... it only helped a little.
Thanks for the tip...I'll have to check it out. I've got some gnatrol on hand. I'm going to try 1/4tsp/gal and see how it goes. I'm curious to see what it does to my ec. Does your product affect the ec?
I figured that diluting the full strength down was the most reasonable thing. It keeps everything is the proportions the manufacturer recommends, while giving me a more workable ec. Just wanted to hear someone say I'm not screwing up
.I actually think the calmag+ is my best option. The PBP bloom is 1-4-5, and I feel the extra N is needed, at least through mid-flower, which is when Botanicare recommends cutting it back anyway. Last run, I used tap/ro diluted down to ~150ppm, no added calmag. I had minor ca/mg and N deficiencies throughout the grow. Nothing serious, but it was noticeable. This run seems to be starting out quite a bit better with the calmag+. Actually, I'm running the full PBP "pro" veg formula this time(base,calmag+,liquid karma,vitamino,hydroguard,silica blast), so I can't say it's just the calmag+ that's causing the improvement.
On the drain... it does seem that some amount of gurgle is unavoidable. The drippers should be completely dialed by the weekend. At that point, I'll set the timer to avoid the few when I go to sleep, and a few hours before I get up. At these times, the gurgle is HIGHLY annoying. I've got it set for every 2 hours at the moment, just in case on runaways. Once I can back off to every 4-6 hours, I should be ok.
to be honest i've never checked. i'll take a look tonight and get back to you though
I increased my overflow to a 40/45mm pipe and the noises from the top rez stopped, the down side is splashing in the lower rez which I keep in check by putting filter material in the overflow to slow water speed and keep the water level in the lower rez topped up.
M
maestroman22
I love this thread. I never cease to learn a thing or two. Cheers!
if it does it's minimal enough that the ppm meter i'm using doesn't read it.
FWIW i only put additives and nutes in the upper res. i add fresh nutes every night. i use 6 -10 drops of the microbe lift every night in the 3 gallon bucket when i see gnats and nothing when i don't.
i have no idea how this stuff is gonna act if it sits for a while in the main res
I posted in the BOG forum(https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=6658073#post6658073), but wanted input from the blumat crew too
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Currently in veg. I've had the plants under 1k hps's for 2 weeks, and the ladies are starting to look unhappy. I was feeding 400-500ppm under the t-5's and all was well. I've been at ~500ppm since I moved them under the 1k's. At first all was well, but as the plants have grown, their color has worsened. The hps always seem to degrade leaf color, but this seems like something more. I'm thinking about bumping my ppm's up to ~700...I'm currently mixing 3gal RO(3ml/gal calmag+ added) with 2 full strength gal of feed to get ~500ppm. Next top off maybe I'll try 50/50 RO and full strength...opinions?
FYI: all the pics are in the BOG thread, no sense posting them again.
. Currently in veg. I've had the plants under 1k hps's for 2 weeks, and the ladies are starting to look unhappy. I was feeding 400-500ppm under the t-5's and all was well. I've been at ~500ppm since I moved them under the 1k's. At first all was well, but as the plants have grown, their color has worsened. The hps always seem to degrade leaf color, but this seems like something more. I'm thinking about bumping my ppm's up to ~700...I'm currently mixing 3gal RO(3ml/gal calmag+ added) with 2 full strength gal of feed to get ~500ppm. Next top off maybe I'll try 50/50 RO and full strength...opinions?
FYI: all the pics are in the BOG thread, no sense posting them again.
They look hungry to me.
While it may fly in the face of reason, I've never fed low with the Blumats even though there is a fairly steady drip. On the .5 scale, I normally veg around 650 ppm and flower around 8-900 ppm. (1.3 EC and 1.6-1.8 EC). I use V+B though, and if the feed drops too low all manner of weird deficiencies start to show up.
While it may fly in the face of reason, I've never fed low with the Blumats even though there is a fairly steady drip. On the .5 scale, I normally veg around 650 ppm and flower around 8-900 ppm. (1.3 EC and 1.6-1.8 EC). I use V+B though, and if the feed drops too low all manner of weird deficiencies start to show up.
I bumped the ppm's up to ~730(3/4 strength)...we'll see what happens. My meter is .5 scale.
Since were on the subject of EC levels, does anyone else in here use suction lysimeters to extract soil solutions for EC testing? It will take alot of the guessing game out of your operation if you use one. You'll be able to better fine tune your res feed levels if you are doing daily monitoring of media EC. Its also fairly non invasive, and doesn't require drenching the media at all.
Id love to see some other growers using them so we can exchange results and get a better understanding what EC levels are appropiate.
Id love to see some other growers using them so we can exchange results and get a better understanding what EC levels are appropiate.
BOG says the plants look overwatered and underfed. I believe the underfed part, but I thought it wasn't really possible to overwater in a medium like Readygro Aeration. Last run, they were looking a little hungry at ~600ppm. I've had them at ~730 for the last day, but no real change in color yet, but the plants aren't as "droopy". I'll continue with ~700ppm for the rest of the week..see how it goes. BOG says the sb is a heavier feeder than the bb, so I'll have to find a happy medium.
Anyone out there going much stronger than 700ppm in veg?
What do you think of BOG's "overwatered" comment? I'm still getting runoff in a few saucers here and there, but just a very small amount.
Anyone out there going much stronger than 700ppm in veg?
What do you think of BOG's "overwatered" comment? I'm still getting runoff in a few saucers here and there, but just a very small amount.
I think Bog is spot on. There should be no run-off in the saucers when using Blumats. If there is, then your medium is at or beyond container capacity and air filled porosity is at its lowest.
Tighten the screws a little on your blumats and go a bit drier. If you're still unsure what moisture level is appropiate you could always invest in a Tensiometer.
Tighten the screws a little on your blumats and go a bit drier. If you're still unsure what moisture level is appropiate you could always invest in a Tensiometer.
The majority of the plants aren't having any runoff. The wettest plants actually look the best. This is why I question his diagnosis. I am adjusting for 0 runoff. BOG says that the sb is a heavy feeder, so maybe just the low feed strength is the culprit. The RH has been running pretty low too, and that may be a factor. I've upped the ppm's, so now it's watch and wait
I looked back at my records for Sour Bubble, and by about the 3rd week of vegging, I was feeding at 1.6EC- they are definitely heavy feeders. I seem to have the best growth by keeping just shy of any water hitting the saucers, but I've never seen any over-watering symptoms with the Aeration Formula.
The majority of the plants aren't having any runoff. The wettest plants actually look the best. This is why I question his diagnosis. I am adjusting for 0 runoff. BOG says that the sb is a heavy feeder, so maybe just the low feed strength is the culprit. The RH has been running pretty low too, and that may be a factor. I've upped the ppm's, so now it's watch and wait
Thats interesting to know. So even the one with no run-off are droopy as well? Whether its the run-off or not, adjusting to no run-off is the best choice.
Just how low is your RH? Environmental issues can cause nutrient deficiency symptoms even when you're feed levels are appropiate.
Thanks...that's good to know. What's the strongest you ran in flower?
My RH is running between 25-40%, depending on the time of day. Winters are pretty dry in my area. I'm still leaning towards believing the low ec is the problem. I've been running 1.4ec for the last few days, hoping for some noticeable improvement soon. On the bright side, I'm not seeing any tip burn. I may bump up the ec to 1.6 based on rives statements.
There is no major difference between the wettest and driest plants. Last run I had 2 pots that were constantly "running away" on me, and those plants never showed any indication of overwater.
