Seeking Drip Irrigation Help

[EmpireCC]

I just set up my drip irrigation system to water my plants in coco.

Currently in veg but will be switching to flower in about one week.

As of right now I plan to begin watering 2 hrs after lights come on and stopping any type of water atleast 2 hour prior to light out.

Equipment I’m currently using:

1. 800gph Vivosun pump
2. 1/2 pvc pipe to manifold
3. 3 - 8 port manifolds (1/4” line)
4. Floraflex matrix 3” drip rings (w/o pads)


This is my first time running a drip system so I’m looking for a little help the following:

1. How long I should run the water for?
2. How many times per day?
3. What kind of timer should I use?(one that potentially does second intervals?)

 

[Creeperpark]

Ok, friend you are going to have to figure it out because no one is piping up. Start by planting your seeds and hand water first. Then measure the amount used to keep the plants growing. Write everything down as your plants grow. Then mimic the hand watering with the pump discharge. If your plants do well with 4 hand waterings a day then that's a starting place. Measure the amount and use the drip to mimic giving the same amount. If you start with hand watering and learn water management you will have good knowledge of how much and how many times to water a day. Keep us posted as you figure things out.

 

[Creeperpark]

I think anyone starting out should be able to hand grow a plant in coco first. It's important to know how much water a coco coir plant uses in one day. When you know this you can set your system up to mimic the water intake per day. You got me, interested friend and looking forward to working with you on this. Can you post a photo of your set up?

 

[sgka]

I haven't made the switch to coco, I use promix or other similarly available soilless media. I run 1 gal SOG with the single angle barbed stakes off to each of the 36 in my 4x4. I use a cycle timer to fertigate them on MWF. The schedule for most of the flowering cycle is 30 seconds on, 2 min off for a series of 3 on cycles. Towards the end of flower I sometimes add a fourth cycle on MWF, or I may throw just a single cycle on Sunday.

I'm using jacks 321 to fertigate, so I calculated the timing based on some experience and required runoff. For the record, I also use this same cycle in my 5gal fabric pots in my second tent. Instead of the angled barbed stakes I have the 9" hydro halos as the emitter.

Seems to work alright. Sometimes I get gnat infestations and I'll dose the reservoirs with the liquid version of gnatrol that's made for ponds and they bugger off. I forget the name of it at the moment. Coco you would probably need to increase the cycle frequency- my guess anyways

 

[Creeperpark]

I haven't made the switch to coco, I use promix or other similarly available soilless media. I run 1 gal SOG with the single angle barbed stakes off to each of the 36 in my 4x4. I use a cycle timer to fertigate them on MWF. The schedule for most of the flowering cycle is 30 seconds on, 2 min off for a series of 3 on cycles. Towards the end of flower I sometimes add a fourth cycle on MWF, or I may throw just a single cycle on Sunday.

I'm using jacks 321 to fertigate, so I calculated the timing based on some experience and required runoff. For the record, I also use this same cycle in my 5gal fabric pots in my second tent. Instead of the angled barbed stakes I have the 9" hydro halos as the emitter.

Seems to work alright. Sometimes I get gnat infestations and I'll dose the reservoirs with the liquid version of gnatrol that's made for ponds and they bugger off. I forget the name of it at the moment. Coco you would probably need to increase the cycle frequency- my guess anyways

Your plants look kick ass. You are doing a super job friend. Thank you for sharing your work.

 

[MEGA956]

How's Jack's working for you? Been wanting to try something more simple in my garden.

 

[sgka]

How's Jack's working for you? Been wanting to try something more simple in my garden.

Very well. I use the 3-2-1, including the week of bloom and last week of finish (though hard to say if those two make any real difference compared to the 321 by itself the entire time).

My buddy just started using the 15-5-20, easier for him because it's one thing to mix. I don't have anything to report yet other than his plants look much happier than they used to.

I just pulled 1167g out of a 4x4 with jacks, my thread is over in the grow diaries section you can check it out. Effectively 32.4g per plant in one gallon SOG with a week of veg. For the $200 or whatever I spent on all of the jacks (I buy in bulk) I'll happily be using it for the 4 years it'll take me to use up. Not to mention $50/year for nutes is nothing