lazy watering system for super soil

[wutwut]

hey, i am trying to find an easy watering system for heavy fertilized super soil. something simple that just uses only tap water and maybe sometimes need to feed the soil with powdered nutrients. i was looking for blu-mats but they didn't work well in 5 to 7 gal fabric pots because the water won't spread well in these huge pots. now i am thinking to upgrade it with autopots. what do you think about combo with blu-mat top for watering and autopot for bottom watering? does it make any sense?

 

[flylowgethigh]

I use a SWICK system with 10 gallon bags. Works great. I have a 4 x 4 with automatic watering, and a feature I need to use more which is the ability to pup out the old wick water.

Start here…

You Gotta SIP, Not Slurp

I switched over from fabric bags to SIPs a couple years ago and have never looked back. Keeper cuts that were yielding 140 grams per plant suddenly increased to 230-250 grams, the resin content was greasier and increased as well. The plants vegged a lot faster and plant health increased. I had...

www.icmag.com

 

[StickyBandit]

I use a SWICK system with 10 gallon bags. Works great. I have a 4 x 4 with automatic watering, and a feature I need to use more which is the ability to pup out the old wick water.

Start here…

You Gotta SIP, Not Slurp

I switched over from fabric bags to SIPs a couple years ago and have never looked back. Keeper cuts that were yielding 140 grams per plant suddenly increased to 230-250 grams, the resin content was greasier and increased as well. The plants vegged a lot faster and plant health increased. I had...

www.icmag.com

I looked for some instructions on this but couldn't find any for dummies! Preferably with pictures/diagrams.
Lets assume I know nothing

 

[flylowgethigh]

Referring to the SIP thread he was too lazy to look through…

Valves and quick disconnects: post 178

Tubs, bulkhead fitting for the tubs: post 182, 188

Tub inside, showing the hollow support drain tube: post185

Four tubs in the tent with perlite wick: post 186

Control box and connections: post 248

Draining the wick bed: post 249.

Improved system with drain capability: post 250, 251, 253

Here is the old control box description:

The bucket in the middle is controlling the water level by a waterfall. Water in the outer ring which has the bulkhead fittings to the tubs, with shutoff valves on either side of the disconnect, comes and goes to the tub wick beds. The water that passes over the edge of the center chamber gets pumped back to the reservoir. Water from the reservoir is supposed to be pumped into that outer ring to feed the tubs, but somehow water moves by itself.

 

[flylowgethigh]

The way water can flow in and out of the tubs makes this system have potential. I am just really having it soak in that I can’t have the veg nutes being sucked up in flower. Being able to flush out the wick bedseems to be a must.

I probably over-feed from on top twice a week. A gallon of goodness dumped on top. The hydrostatic pressure pushes the moisture in the soil down into the wick bed. Thus the stagnant high EC solution.

Roots go through the bag down into the wet part of the wick bed, which is about 2-3” down from the bed surface, around the top of the support tube. I think they are looking for water, but who knows.

I’m winging it.

 

[420PyRoS]

Just add 3 blumat spikes to a 7 gal bag to cover all around. I use the long spikes so I know water is getting down deep.

I hook up to 5gal water jugs with shut off spigots. Jugs to a manifold and sent out to spikes. If just straight water, I can leave it for 2 weeks on auto.

I'll make a rough diagram with parts and post it. @Work currently.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Will they issue a gallon per day? Each of the sativas are drinking that, and more.

 

[420PyRoS]

Sorry for the grade 2 diagram but I'm at work and I can't believe how hard it is to find paper here.

Anyways, this is how I set up, sometimes more 5gal jugs, sometimes less, same with pots/plants, more or less.

I keep the 5gal jugs roughly a foot or more off floor level to maintain a decent head pressure to the manifold/main lines even when water starts running very low.

5 Gal smart/pots etc you could get away with 2 blumat long stem drippers but 7Gal to 10Gal I'd be using 3 long stem drippers or more around the pots.

I think I have 8-10 5Gal jugs for those long extended away periods.

Hook up a Google home cam type setup and you can remote view everything while away.

I also have an air quality monitor I use to keep tabs. Most things can be automated with remote control as long as your internet connected, so you can activate smart plugs, switches, even possibly at commercial level, pneumatic shut/open valves for water and feed.

I also use inkbird temperature controller to activate heater or AC unit

 

[420PyRoS]

I did the full rig setup once with 8 plants in veg and when I got back from being away almost 2 weeks it was a jungle.

I added ferts to the 5gal jugs and seemed to work well, but the water colour eventually gets a bit wonky close to 2 weeks old.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I have an air bubbler with rocks for the reservoir. I ph the tap water, and add Epsom salts. The bubbler raises the Ph back up, I add more pH down. The water stays pretty clean, the stones don’t get slime.

I am all about being able to get the old water replaced now.

 

[Bio boy]

I have an air bubbler with rocks for the reservoir. I ph the tap water, and add Epsom salts. The bubbler raises the Ph back up, I add more pH down. The water stays pretty clean, the stones don’t get slime.

I am all about being able to get the old water replaced now.

Does a sip have any benefit over swick ? Yield wise or both feeding water ?

I got trays Hrodna plant trays thinking if I sat my plants on bread trays with wick fabric down if they would be good or if sat on perlite is better

 

[flylowgethigh]

My SWICK uses 10 gallon bags to hold the soil separate from the wick bed. Huge difference. After a run I take out the old bag, recycle the soil and bag, and put another bag of soil in there, ready for the next run. Yield depends on the plant. And quantity of soil. Roots make fruits.