Autopot XL Smartpot findings...

[Swerve]

I hope some of this is of use. Been using an Autopot Smartpot XL system and found a few things that may help others.

 

First off, their kit contains weed guards, copper painted fabric to deter roots interfering with the smart valve - these things are pythium traps so throw them in the bin.

I nearly lost plants to these things and had to remove and replace with oxygenating rings of leaky hose hooked to an aerator. This can be fitted in the base under a layer of clay pebbles...

 

Flood risks - daily checks required with initial root growth, it settles as the plant matures. But tap roots can block the valve open leading to a flood, which I experienced. Trim with scissors.

Another one are the silicone stoppers, these can compress over time, the bottom one to the point it creates a slow leak, probably best to change these for new each run.

 

Smart pots, they are what they are, I found 11L Airpots fit into the Smartpot XL round base perfectly with a little downward persuasion. A definite results upgrade. Also better LST fixing points.

 

Avoidance of root rot - with this system there's a risk of root rot because of the plant sitting in water until it's big enough to clear the trays by itself, a few days at mid 20's and its a potential disaster,

running air into the bases with an air pump, lines and leaky hose mitigates this issue, along with beneficial root supplements.

 

Reservoir - cool dark place, don't let the nutrients overheat or it'll need emptying - initially I ran an internal pump for circulation but found that added heat, so it sits outside and turns the solution over every hour, this keeps pH stable throughout the mix. Organics particularly, higher temps create potential blockage risks. Weekly flushing and cleaning lines will keep things flowing.

 

It has given me some issues I've had to work through, from leaking shutoff taps, replaced by Autopot to a couple a small but potentially risky floods. The root rot was the biggest problem but following the above shouldn't see it with your runs.

It's created some great plants and given me time to leave things to themselves, which hand watering didn't. I can now get repeatable results with less hassle so it's a win but comes with a learning curve and some things you may run into due to temperature. Keep things well oxygenated and on the cooler side and they are a good system, particularly if grow height is a real problem.

Good luck and thanks for taking the time.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Swerve

[bishbashbotany]

I just set up my first run with autopots, just about to switch them on. I found another old thread with Panic from Real Gorilla seeds. He had some interesting mods to tidy up the piping. He also uses a timer to switch the res on and off giving the roots time to dry out a bit. Sounds sensible to me so giving the timer a go.

[Big dog]

I moved from a iws pro to this system because of a pythium issue,took me a while to get the results I was use too but happy enough now,using 60-40 coco pebbles,smart pots were chew so went back to the 25 litre plastic but only use at 3-4 capacity,I might give them 11 litre airports a go,do like the sound of them..I keep temps regulated with the addition of silver bullet,don’t have anything but nice white roots right to end,done bits of experiments with air stones etc in the trays but personally found no difference...I’ve tried light mix,coco but found the 60-40 the best outcome,as swerve said roots in the trays are a problem even with the pot socks,get into 4-5 week flower and it gets dodgy,you have to clear the trays but apart from that I’ve had no issues at all

[Big dog]

Swerve,what medium are you using in the 11 litre air pots,thanks