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DIY Autopot?
- Thread starter kingape
- Start date
Autopots suck for pot they keep the roots too wet Have you thought about a drain to waste?
kingape
Active member
I have and am currently operating one.
Had great success with a wicking system so thought I'd ask around
I’m not saying they don’t work you can grow plants in them just not great plants, the auto pots work best with a 1/4 inch valve at each tray pot plants don’t like soggy roots I thought they worked alright before I did my first dtw grow, the difference was amazing
OpenPollenSeeds
Member
thats why you put hydropellets at the bottom.....
easy to use
That won’t help the roots will sit in water about a 1/2 inch of it… roots need air at the bottom of the pot
OpenPollenSeeds
Member
it does help. ive grown with autopots for 2.5years and never had rootrot or whatever
But yes for autopots you add air by using the airdomes ... ?!?
Gone Camping
Well-known member
New Autopot user... watching this thread..
I'm running two setups, neither with the air dome or Hydroton on bottom. Growpito for medium..
I'm having issues, that i believe are ph related. I'm new to anything "hydro" and was unprepared for the ph swing i have experienced in the first few days after a refill.
I'm running two setups, neither with the air dome or Hydroton on bottom. Growpito for medium..
I'm having issues, that i believe are ph related. I'm new to anything "hydro" and was unprepared for the ph swing i have experienced in the first few days after a refill.
And how much you pulling per plant? A Dtw would do you better as far as quality and weight goes do a side by side and find out for yourself…. I started with autopots and have 40 pots 20 trays and float switches in storage for the last 8 years….
OpenPollenSeeds
Member
Diffrent roads for diffrent goats
Tomatoesonly
Active member
What about BLUMATS? They can work pretty well if you have the right setup.
Ca++
Well-known member
Has your journey taken you to flood/drain in pebbles yet? That is a real air exchange. People are looking at watering techniques here, but an alternate view is airing techniques. F&D pebbles is almost aeroponics, but with the root system much better arranged to get the air to it. Which is a failing of the aero systems people try to build, and give up on.
kingape
Active member
In fact it has done just that, I flower and veg in AirPots the most Aerated pots in existence, they dry down way more evenly than fabric pots they develop massive structural root systems…. And any grower worth there weight knows it’s all about the roots… Bigger roots equal a heavier harvest… I go DTW now because flood and drain systems are risky if a single plant has root Disease or pest of any kind all the plants in that feed system will have it, DTW allows me to feed full strength clean nutes every feed and it allows me to do crop Steering and spoon feeding, both Techniques far too advanced for an autopot or flood and drain system… If your not crop Steering your plants you’ll rarely reach the full potential of the plants… crop Steering for quality is the future of hydroponics….
Ca++
Well-known member
Hydroton has an irregular shape, that interlocks to form a sturdy media, that can support a big free standing plant. I don't actually like it though. I like expanded clay pebble, such as the standard Canna ones. About 15mm I guess. Though I would like to try the 30mm ones, if I could get them.
Round is nice for riddling clean. In any case, the water line has to be an inch lower then the surface, as that inch weighs enough to stop the lot from floating. You can over-flood to get a little buoyancy then stir round ones. This ease of movement makes planting out easy. If you get cuts that have no substrate, you can sort of punch them in. Just cupping the roots in your hand, your knuckles move the pebbles aside. It's nice to get running that way, with no rockwool, coco, pellets... nothing that won't be used again.
The initial treatment of round balls is also easier. Sheet out the bath with a duvet cover. Fill with correct ec/ph water. Then float in a few sacks. Stir around, and all the dust and grit, and mis-formed pebbles will sink. You scoop out the floaters you need. Washing the dust away is important, or for days it will upset your pH and give pebble rash.
Flood duration is somewhat dependent on how fast you can flood and drain it, and if you have a 100% drain or a little puddle left. I use buckets. Multiflow. It leaves maybe 15mm of water in a res below the pot. One the roots reach out the pot, and in to. I think it''s gone in about an hour, and I have it cycle every 4. Which is a half hour process, as my multiflow is modified.
I like the multiflow buckets, and have used them both pebbles and drip system. Pebbles is perhaps 10-15% better, but do have that pebble taste. I like soil or coco to smoke, but pebbles are impressive.
I have seen pebble alternatives. Some like pea gravel, might be a bit heavy. Lava rock seems like it might taste betterm but is irregular and costly. I saw a silicone based substrate some years back, that could be promising. I saw them use silicone coated perlite recently, and get a very good result beside the control. So silicone availability in that manner seems good. However, where is that stuff now? Maybe it wasn't mind blowing.
Most F&D users here use coco/pebble mix and just flood once a day (when established) But I have nothing good to say about that.
Pebbles flooded fast and regular, leads to the most fresh air and fresh feed availability. If you watch the lower leaves you can see when you just missed watering time. Useful on a new build, when you must dial it in as a newb.
Ca++
Well-known member
What crop steering are you doing, that F&D can't accomplish?
I'm always looking for crop steering advice, but as yet, it just seems a hip term for switching to 12/12 lol
I do some other steering, and preparations, but nothing F&D can't accomplish. Steering, by nature, is done in advance. So as long as you are maintaining the tank with top-ups or changes every few days, you get it about right. The advantage of that air is really difficult to loose though mistakes elsewhere.
I have found drip systems benefit from daily tanks, even if the tank can hold a few days worth. I think it's a combination of the freshly pumped county water, and the anti-bacterial treatments. It takes quite a bit of h2o2 to make an old tank as good as a new one. A new tank each day really does help you respond to signs. Steering though, is acting before the plant needs you to.
With so many accounts of what plants want, it's hard to give anything in advance to sway them. The late K boost some swear by, others dismiss as burning them. There is little to share o the topic, cept personal experiences.
Crop Steering isn't feeding in advance rather it’s the ability to properly reed the plants allowing them to tell you exactly what they need on an individual basis and providing the elements before Deficiencies turn into problems.. I would refer you to Harley Smith with NPK and Slownickle I currently buy Calcium from Slownickle Calcium is key I grow plants that are so healthy the leaves are packed with pectin instead of water making them unattractive to pest and pm… Crop Steering is a real process it took me years to learn and I’m still learning, it starts with a base feed and a reservoir that has a proper ph swing from 5.7 to 6.3 the NPK in the Rez must stay the same feed after feed, the rest is spoon feeding the elements that are needed when they are needed to push the plants in the direction you want them to go… it’s rather labor intensive to be honest and you have to have a perfect environment that is perfect all the time and in-line with proper VPD then it’s just a matter of pushing the plants without over doing it… I currently add 4 types of calcium three or four times a week and I foliar feed like I said it’s labor intensive 3 plus pounds a light is my low average and the quality is outstanding!!! I love growing and my goal is to reach the genetic potential of each plant in my flower room… in a flood and drain the NPK can’t be known even doing add backs you never know what elements are being pulled out of the solution when that pump comes on, and the NPK changes every time the plants are fed the ec may stay the same the ph may be swinging properly but plants only uptake what they need when they need it and if any Particular element is consumed by the plants it won’t be in the Rez for the next flood cycle that’s how the NPK in a flood and drain changes so you can only be sure about the NPK when you change the solution out completely… this alone Eliminate the possibility of crop steering…
Ca++
Well-known member
That's growing in general.
Steering a plant, is taking the reins, and making them do what you want them to do. Not you doing what they ask of you. 12/12 is a great example of crop steering. We decide when the plant flowers. The plant doesn't tell us.
While the hipsters are selling us crop steering as a feeding idea, I know of non. There are a number of other plant manipulations, and we can prepare the plant for them through diet. I know of nothing to give them that acts as steering though. I have watched some absolute nonsense video's on the subject to.
Edit: Some say by moving from P to K in time, I am crop steering. I just feel it's being prepared. It sounds like you run a single feed almost, so it's of no interest to you anyway. However, a single switch from grow to bloom is hard to argue with. While some feeds moving through 7 different ratios are equally as hard to chew.
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