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Blumat auto watering
- Thread starter sunnydog
- Start date
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- Tags
- blumat drippers irrigation watering
JustBlazin
New member
Hi guys,
Just thought I'd show you a couple pics of my Deep Blumats that I have been talking about before.
Regular Tropf Blumats are extended with a plastic straw/pipe that's vertically inserted and goes down directly to the center of the pot.
The flexible drip line is inserted into the upper opening and this way you always get even saturation all the way to the bottom and the edges of the pot. Works great in bigger pots where you always end up with dry soil at the bottom and behind the carrot.
Cheers
CC
That straw idea is great. How would you go about top dressing using the straw method?
I usually just plop down 1 or 2 tbls of power bloom right under my dripper and let it drip in ans it waters
I guess you could pull out the straw, sprinkle in whatever you topdress with and push the straw back in?
Hi guys,
Just thought I'd show you a couple pics of my Deep Blumats that I have been talking about before.
Regular Tropf Blumats are extended with a plastic straw/pipe that's vertically inserted and goes down directly to the center of the pot.
The flexible drip line is inserted into the upper opening and this way you always get even saturation all the way to the bottom and the edges of the pot. Works great in bigger pots where you always end up with dry soil at the bottom and behind the carrot.
Cheers
CC
Damn this is a great idea. So you just run the tubing tit the center of the pot? Does this work for 5 gals+? Do you angle it towards the center since it is offset to the side?
Thanks Aye,
No the tubing now only has one purpose and that's to get the water into the straw so it can trickle down to the center of the pot and only then start to wick away in all directions.
It does not have to be 100% accurately the center of the pot, but moving the point from where the water wicks from the top of the medium to roughly the center of the pot it will reach further down reaching the areas that would normally stay dry and hence not let roots develop as much. So you'Re really just making better use of the volume of medium you have with regulr Blumats
Best
CC
I tried that now and no bueno!
Better results by normal topdressing and watering in by hand (won't affect the blumats)
Best
CC
How do you set the blumat dial when you calibrate it since you can't see the droplet in the tube?
Oh that's easy I calibrate it before I insert it into the tube. You're setting the valve in the top of the carrot, so doesn't matter where the drip hits in the end.
Take care
CC
Sante
In DoPa
Hello! Could somebody of you suggest me the In and Out diameter of the 8mm silicon tube like which selled from substainvillage to replace the black one that is too much stiff and sometime broke down easily?
I m from europe and it is not convenient to buy from shop overseas such small items instead of china.
I' m looking too for some quick 3mm tube connectors letting moving plants possible (i found them on aliexpress but not sure about the right size of the thread)
any tip to avoid roots clogging the 3mm tube? I could keep it rise from the soil but i would like to find another way.. Could copper to inhibit root proliferation(as happens in some professional drippers)?
could put clay pebbles or perlite distribuite on the superiore pot surface be usefull?
Very last question is if somebody could explain me the reason of a loop connection between two line of carrots feed each one by the gravity reservoire from a dedicate output VS only one line of carrots and single output with a purge tap at the end of 8mm tube to purge air, periodically.
I think it is to equalize the pressure but not sure why..
Sorry for my bad english, hoping understable anyway!
Regards
I m from europe and it is not convenient to buy from shop overseas such small items instead of china.
I' m looking too for some quick 3mm tube connectors letting moving plants possible (i found them on aliexpress but not sure about the right size of the thread)
any tip to avoid roots clogging the 3mm tube? I could keep it rise from the soil but i would like to find another way.. Could copper to inhibit root proliferation(as happens in some professional drippers)?
could put clay pebbles or perlite distribuite on the superiore pot surface be usefull?
Very last question is if somebody could explain me the reason of a loop connection between two line of carrots feed each one by the gravity reservoire from a dedicate output VS only one line of carrots and single output with a purge tap at the end of 8mm tube to purge air, periodically.
I think it is to equalize the pressure but not sure why..
Sorry for my bad english, hoping understable anyway!
Regards
Not really sure if you'll find anything that will fit. I kept trying to find different tubing that I could use but non of them fit at all and had to go with theirs. I really hate them though they really are not worth it in my opinion. I Thought I just had to have them but a simply pump in a rez with store bought drip emitters and a manifold from the lawn/garden sprinkler isle at the hardware store is much more reliable.
The stupid blumats always runoff when you leave them. I did everything they said from soaking for 48hrs to using a pipette to clear air bubbles when you put the tops on underwater and raising the rez way up above a bunch of electrical that is just plain ignorant not to mention completely unsafe.
2 full sets now sitting in a box probably trash them sooner or later as I am back to coco/hydroton. Not impressed is a complete understatement.
Save yourself the money and spend $30 on a hassle free setup at your local hardware store.
Really love this thread.
Helped me immensely when I was getting my blumats going.
Been using them for 2-3 years now and both me and my plants love then.
Big thanks to @sunnydog for starting the trend, and to the other members who have given valuable information over the last 10-15 years this thread has been active.
Helped me immensely when I was getting my blumats going.
Been using them for 2-3 years now and both me and my plants love then.
Big thanks to @sunnydog for starting the trend, and to the other members who have given valuable information over the last 10-15 years this thread has been active.
Chevy
Agree with you on this. I dont top dress i use a water only soil like purple cow but I hand water also to keep the whole container damp so i can use all the of nutes in the soil in the container.
The reason for the reply is I use my reservoir to hand water too. I add a long piece of the trunk line and connect a on/off valve. I attach the long trunk line to a piece of bamboo for ease of use. That way I can just use it like a wand and water the whole container every few days to keep all the soil moist. No more watering cans!! I also put mosquito dunks in my res to keep the fungus gnats down. Sorry about the HID lighting but you can see the wand attached to the trunk line with a shut off valve. A smart guy would have put the shut off right next to where you hold the wand..
I really like blumats during flower. My plants can ask for as much water as they need rather than me guessing. Again in my opinion its not a set and forget method but it really makes it easier to take care of your plants especially during flower.
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You guys know if it's ok to use drip clean with organic dry amendments?
Or will it harm my soil?
I use just tap water/dehumidifier water and get lots of sludge build up in my res and lines every grow.
Just wondering if any had any solutions for this.
Saw the drip clean mentioned but not sure if it's only for salt nutes
Or will it harm my soil?
I use just tap water/dehumidifier water and get lots of sludge build up in my res and lines every grow.
Just wondering if any had any solutions for this.
Saw the drip clean mentioned but not sure if it's only for salt nutes
Artful Codger
Active member
Thanks a million to everyone who made this thread a great read. Here's some root porn from my first ever Blumats run.
Nannymouse
Well-known member
We used the simple blumats, the small ones, on a couple of potted veggies that were outdoors. We were hauling water from over ten miles away, for everything...house and five gardens, plus the potted stuff. We used them on a tomato and on a pot of kohlrabi. Sure helped the containers, in between the hand watering. They worked fine to keep them alive and happy. The tomato would probably not done well with 'just' the blumats, unless we would have used the larger size. I would even try them in some worm farm situations.
420PyRoS
Well-known member
Really nice man. I just stumbled here by accident and also use blumats. My roots do the same thing all over with multiple drippers.
I made a system of 6 or so 5Gal water jugs and a feeding and could leave 4-6 plants for quite while on auto pilot. I'd open tent on lights on just to check em, but eventually I could leave for a week at a time with all timers etc. Usually came back to a massive jungle... stuff grows fast with blumats.
Brother Nature
Well-known member
Came across this very interesting study a bit ago. It should be well appreciated here 
www.kisorganics.com
"Abstract:
Background
The cultivation of Cannabis sativa is expanding all over the globe. However, the existence of differing laws and regulations have made it challenging to study the plant. Given the lack of scientific inquiry into C. sativa, cultivation facilities are likely not expressing neither the chemical nor phenotypic maxima of its genetics, thus creating a yield gap. One variable that would likely assist in closing this yield gap is irrigation. Soil moisture is known to play a critical role in shaping physiological and biological responses in both plants and the microbial communities within the soil. The present study developed two hypotheses to investigate the relationship between soil moisture content stability (a variable untested in C. sativa) and yield (aboveground biomass [AGB]). A total of 112 C. sativa plants from five distinct cultivars were grown for 73 days until harvested. The difference between the AGB of plants grown in experimental beds (n=5) which were irrigated with Blumat systems that automatically sense soil water potential were compared to control beds which were irrigated by hand (n=8) and analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). To determine the variation in soil moisture content throughout a two week period, a digital tensiometer was used to measure the water potential for all beds. These data were then analyzed using a Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, followed by a Levene’s test for equal variance. The results show that when grown in living soil with stable water pressures, four of five cultivars tested increased their AGB by 20-29%, with only a single cultivar decreasing (-10%) in AGB. Cumulatlively, cultivars grown in living soil beds fitted with Blumat irrigation systems were significicantly larger, averaging 24.7% more AGB (x̄ = 5.08 lbs. per 8 plant trellis) than did plants grown in identical medium irrigated by hand (x̄ = 3.8 lbs. per 8 plant trellis). Additionally, living soil beds that were fitted with an automated irrigation system that relied upon water potential held a significantly more narrow water pressure range relative to beds which were irrigated by hand. Irrigation is a key variable to consider when attempting to further close the yield gap for C. sativa. To maximize the yield of numerous cultivars grown simultaneously, commercial facilities should consider utilizing automated irrigation systems that have some degree of interaction with the soil rather than relying on timers to determine when to start/stop irrigation cycles."
Measuring the yield of Cannabis sativa as a response to either automated irrigation systems or traditional hand watering methods in a controlled agriculture environment.
NOTE: If you are interested in supporting KIS Organics and seeing more of this research or want help utilizing a data-driven Blumat design in your garden, you can click here for help with a custom Blumat design. Ben Higgins†§ and Tad Hussey† § - Gold Leaf Gardens, Lacey WA † - KIS Organics...
www.kisorganics.com
"Abstract:
Background
The cultivation of Cannabis sativa is expanding all over the globe. However, the existence of differing laws and regulations have made it challenging to study the plant. Given the lack of scientific inquiry into C. sativa, cultivation facilities are likely not expressing neither the chemical nor phenotypic maxima of its genetics, thus creating a yield gap. One variable that would likely assist in closing this yield gap is irrigation. Soil moisture is known to play a critical role in shaping physiological and biological responses in both plants and the microbial communities within the soil. The present study developed two hypotheses to investigate the relationship between soil moisture content stability (a variable untested in C. sativa) and yield (aboveground biomass [AGB]). A total of 112 C. sativa plants from five distinct cultivars were grown for 73 days until harvested. The difference between the AGB of plants grown in experimental beds (n=5) which were irrigated with Blumat systems that automatically sense soil water potential were compared to control beds which were irrigated by hand (n=8) and analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). To determine the variation in soil moisture content throughout a two week period, a digital tensiometer was used to measure the water potential for all beds. These data were then analyzed using a Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, followed by a Levene’s test for equal variance. The results show that when grown in living soil with stable water pressures, four of five cultivars tested increased their AGB by 20-29%, with only a single cultivar decreasing (-10%) in AGB. Cumulatlively, cultivars grown in living soil beds fitted with Blumat irrigation systems were significicantly larger, averaging 24.7% more AGB (x̄ = 5.08 lbs. per 8 plant trellis) than did plants grown in identical medium irrigated by hand (x̄ = 3.8 lbs. per 8 plant trellis). Additionally, living soil beds that were fitted with an automated irrigation system that relied upon water potential held a significantly more narrow water pressure range relative to beds which were irrigated by hand. Irrigation is a key variable to consider when attempting to further close the yield gap for C. sativa. To maximize the yield of numerous cultivars grown simultaneously, commercial facilities should consider utilizing automated irrigation systems that have some degree of interaction with the soil rather than relying on timers to determine when to start/stop irrigation cycles."
