Decided I need to sort something out so that I can give up hand watering! im 4 weeks in bloom and its already getting silly..giving them 4-5 liters each every 2days..

Spent the last few hours reading up and I think for simplicity and budget im going to try and make a dripper system, pretty sure I get the jist of it. Just got a few questions to see if it'll work before I give it a go.

I plan to use 16mm supply pipe and 5mm dripper pipe. I want to make a system for 6 7.5lt pots of coco first question: shoul d I use a 4mm tee piece and make a ring with holes in or those spike dripper things? and what are these tropf blumat drippers? I need the coco to be soaked through after feeding so which would be better for even watering?

Also ive been looking at pumps but with the 16mm supply pipe I dont know which one I should be getting? I've been looking on Greens and they have a few, would a micro-jet pump be ok? On my future grows id like to do 6 but it would be handy if I could get it sorted now so I can relax a bit for these last few weeks, at present ive got 4 in 10lt and as mentioned they take a good 4-5 liters every couple of days so what size pump do you reckon ill need.

TBH I knew nothing about hydro systems a few hours ago but this one looks a piece of piss and too cheap to be true? have I missed something or is it that easy.

any pointers much appreciated, now I reckon I can build it I wanna do it asap because ive had enough of hand watering!!

nice one

just use drippers with the biggest holes so they dont clog as much and keep ur pipe thick as possible and pump will do just put more than one dripper per pot to keep it evenly wet and make sure you have some were for your run off best put this system on a timer

Nice one for starting this thread. I'm in exactly the same situation as you are - pissed off with feeding 4 x 11l monsters every day by hand.

My issue with the 4 pot Wilma is that it's all too close together. I don't want to grow SOG or SCROG...and those pots are really close.

I've got a few ideas, but the current one is this:

- Meter Square Tray (30cm deep, 100l)
- Dutch Dripper Tray (1020mm x 1060mm) - has drainage and a hole in pre-drilled

Put dutch dripper tray on meter square tray. Still very low level. Put plants on tray, run MJ1000 with tubing up from the tray into a topspin 12 manifold. Runoff runs down tray, down hole into res below. Just like Wilma, only lots of room and options to change configuration of plants.

The other idea, which is a bit zanier and half baked:

Using IWS pots and stands, each pot has a 5l container next to it. Small water pump and single dripper comes up from the 5l container into the coco. The drainage comes out of the bottom into the 5l container. What's great about this system is that you have an external tank for each plant, so you have flexibility for individual feeding. HOWEVER - there's one massive design problem I can't get over: the 5l container needs to be underneath the IWS pot and stand to get the drainage, and this means a lot of headroom loss. The proper IWS system uses a float valve to remove the liquid from the drain (brain) pot...but that's expensive and complicated. If anyone can solve it, let me know...

cheers agito

I was thinking of having the pots in trays and Im gonna try see how long it takes to fill the pots and give some drain then use a timer so ideally id like it to give 5lt every 2 days or so..

Im not sure on the drippers.. i could use em but would not making the ring with the T piece not spread the water over the pots better??

From what i see about the supply tube is 16mm and the dripper tubing is 5mm. U reckon this is big enough? what pump will fit the 16mm pipe and which size do i need for it to be enough to feed the 3-4-5-6 pots but not take 5 hours to fill em??

Im looking to go and get the stuff tommorow and have it finished by the end of the day. dont wanna get the wrong shit!

hicksy ya looon...oreet bro.
sorry i know fuck all about this shit but i know a man who does?!...so do you..

Tell me about it! I was happy hand watering for a while but i know sooner or later something will pop up and ill miss a feed!!
I agree with what your saying about the wilma, the pots looka bit too close together and its put me off..i thought about auto pots but they are no better. I wanna be able to keep using my pots of coco but just have something to feed em for me, i also wanna be able to add or remove plants if nescessary. for example, Im after doing this tommorow so for to see of this grow it will only need to be for 3 plants but next time id like to try something else and do 6. I saw those manifolds and they look good, some have taps on you can regulate the flow but i was just going to punch holes in the supply pipe and have each individual dripper go from them. you think that will work?

I hadnt though a lot about drainage, i plan to only have a litre or so of drain into a tray per plant and this is only going to be every couple of days so id just empty them by hand. I just need something to help me out a bit!

hicksy that seams a lot of water to be feeding every two days bro...im in wilma 12litre i think they are and only water every maybe three days with 3 litres?...maybeitsjust different plants needing differing amounts...hope ya get sorted.

Yeh I know he was in here but hes fucked off now!!

Told ya Im gonna get things sorted!! gonna start off by sorting this thing out for my 'flower' room..then gonna get a small tent or make a veg box and then soon i wanna get up in that loft and see how it looks! id be happy sticking the tents in the loft so no need for a full on loft conversion! just a floor and some leccy would be bliss!!

If i think i know what im doing with this by morning ill go and get it done! NEED to know what pump to get, as greenninja said an mj1000 maybe?..is it enough or too much or what??

You a lucky fooker! is your loft already in a decent state?? i live in old victorian terrace house so i reckon it will be massive!! and ive got a chimney stack.. going places mate, i cant stand sat ere waiting for a smoke!!..its killin me

Well Bizz mate! two of them are ok for 3 days but the tall skunk is every 2days they will take 4 liters with a few drops coming out the bottoms but i throw another liter ontop to get some drain. its a pain but i reckon this dripper thing could be the answer!

I also need to know, can the resevoir be kept outside my tent and does it have to be below my pots??

on mine i used a maxijet pump which fitted directly into hose pipe then then into plumbers plastic pipe then sliconed on micro irrigation bleed nipples. just i bought some inline drippers from B&Q they clogged straight away waterfarms/aquafarms use dripper rings so prob the best way to go. keep the res where ever you want

Nice one agito I definately want to do the rings instead of the the spikes that go in the medium. Maxijet are the pumps im looking at, you think the 750 would be enough or should i get a 1000 just to be safe?

This sounds like piss! ill have this made in 10 mins as long as i get the right shit..

nice one

the 750 has more pressure than the 1000 if i remember id go for that one

sorry duder i had to hit the sack last night!

tell ya what the loft idea is the way forward i guess..,if you use your stack then make sure its not being used by the gas fire or boiler!

and yeh my new loft is already boarded out and got power up there!...just needs the tent stickin up there or a room building,just prob stick tent in for now..plus i cant use the shimney stack either as we have a gas fire fitted there!

afraid i cant help ya any on the dripper/reservoir thing...not ever really proper thought about it.sure ul find what ya need here!

im on my second hydro grow . i do 12 plants in 6, 1m aqua trays with rockwool slabs in i use 19mm pipe with a 2500 ltr an hour submesible pump an a 100 ltr res i use the 70 ltr an hour drippers frtom my local grow shop on on 2 or 3mm pipe they come on a 4 piece manifold wi 4 drippers on cost around 2 quid just pierce the 19m pipe an push in the manifold they are designed to water evenly they recomended it for coco buckets but the aqau trays suit me better. the pump comes on for 1 minute every 6 hours at first in veg an increasing to 1 minute every 2-3 hours in late bloom absolutely idiot proof its a run to waste system so ya only sort ya nutes out once a week ph ec etc ive had unreal results i would recommend it to any1