Gravity Drip pH questions

[Boio_]

Hello Friends!

After Episode 2 in which I got attacked, dazed and confused I am back with good news. It turned out much better than expected and I am full of motivation to move into the next adventure. Having bought 3 10L tanks and attached hoses to each of them I want to try a makeshift drip irrigation system so I can leave on the weekend.

There are several question I have before I place them however:

1. When after (if after) seedling stage can I start the drip watering?
2. How would I control the pH if I planned to leave for a weekend? Let's say I'd open the drip right before I leave.
3. Would it be harmful to switch to drip irrigation only for weekends? (a friend already told me plants need to adjust and it would therefore not be optimal, but maybe someone here can help me gage what the damage would be in terms of output)
4. Does neem oil clog up drip irrigation systems? I use black plastic tubes.

Thanks for the help in advance!

Looking forward to hear from ya'll.

 

[f-e]

You shouldn't be dripping neem? If you need it once in a blue moon for pest control, it should be poured in quickly, to cover the entire surface of the substrate and then soak down. Leaving nothing untreated.

I have known people go away for a week, using bags that might be found beside a hospital bed on a hanger. Having experience, they knew exactly what was going to be drunk every day. So set it dripping in a beaker, to fine tune the hourly delivery. They just filled that beaker for an hour, to see if the drip rate was right for a day or 5.

You really need something like coco, that can't hold too much water, and evenly distributes what it does have.




EDIT. Most people would rather have a pump. Switch it on each day, knowing the pot will reach saturation then run back to the res. Then it gets a full day or whatever, to dry back a bit. The plant will see the same thing every day, until the res runs dry. If you use a shallow 'under bed' blanket box, you could hold 50L which will water a hungry meter for about a week.
It might cost $50

 

[Boio_]

@f-e I see...that is new to me and gives me lots to think about. There are multiple factors why I'd prefer the gravity drip. I don't have much space and run 2 tents that are away from each other, so it would be hard to distribute the water. My hope was for the gravity drip to bridge these days without doing too much damage. I suppose there won't be anything to do other than trying it. Its only 3 plants in total so I doubt I'd need 50 litres. I'll rethink this for the next grow then and treat this one as another experiment. So you'd recommend coco in case I choose to go for another round of gravity drip, am I correct?

 

[Boio_]

Are there downsides to coco and any specific brands, you recommend?

 

[f-e]

In most drip systems, the area under the emitter see's a lot more fluid movement. Areas away from it served by capillary water movement, tend to be more salty. With such a slow feeding speed, you need a substrate that will distribute the water the best. Coco and Rockwool seem good candidates. I don't like Rockwool but it's easy to flush through nature might aid salt removal after a few days away.

 

[Three Berries]

Any nutes when the water is removed become either very acid or base. It may be 7.0 going in but as it dries it will probably fall due to the mineral salts. Potassium is the exception I think as Potash (KOH) is quite a strong base.

 

[f-e]

I had to finish off quickly before
Having pondered a little, I think them carrot things could be used, with a little experimentation first. They live in the soil, and basically block the drip, until they dry. There is a little adjustment. Some have flooded the place with them. I think you would have to be using them all the time, in order to be able to walk away knowing they were set right. Someone else will have to remember their name. People here use them.

Le Carrot ?

 

[Boio_]

I saw them...forgot the name too. Makes sense with the coco. Won't be this time around then. The pH thing is puzzling to me though. I thought there are people who automate it enough to be able to active it from afar, but their pH should swing too. Not that I will automate, at this point just interested in gathering more info.

 

[Three Berries]

I think if you could keep the medium moisture constant or slightly in excess that would eliminate the pH drop from lower water content.

Blumats?

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[f-e]

People using recirculating systems can usually go a few days without pH intervention. How long is influenced by the tank size particularly.

There are pH controllers, that look at the tank, and dose as needed using peristaltic pumps. Might be $500 you won't spends though.
When I go away, I simply dose some with a timer. I know what will be needed. A peristaltic condense pump uses very resistant hose. An aspen standard for instance. It's 100ml a minute, and you mat have a minute timer. So you put your acid in 100ml of water. Then with little fuss you add a pre-decided amount of acid, in your absence.

I drip to waste, so know my exact water use per day. An automated refill needs a known amount of acid. I have run on this principle a couple of weeks, before I had to intervene with a dosing timer change (my timer is per second. Only $20)

 

[TPFTFW]

@f-e I see...that is new to me and gives me lots to think about. There are multiple factors why I'd prefer the gravity drip. I don't have much space and run 2 tents that are away from each other, so it would be hard to distribute the water. My hope was for the gravity drip to bridge these days without doing too much damage. I suppose there won't be anything to do other than trying it. Its only 3 plants in total so I doubt I'd need 50 litres. I'll rethink this for the next grow then and treat this one as another experiment. So you'd recommend coco in case I choose to go for another round of gravity drip, am I correct?

Just look up tropf blu mats

They will work just fine