Bottom feeding : EasyFeed

[sn00py]

Hi guys,

 

I'm looking for recommendations for nutrients to use in bottom feeding systems.  I am going to start a grow using the Alien EasyFeed system soon after years of using Autopots. 

 

Currently using CX nutrients Coco range with decent results but I'm wondering if there are better.  Considering Athena, but open to suggestions. 

 

Thank you! 

[4kali]

why change something that ain't broken

I know we're all looking for that something better but if your nutes are working with your particular water type then its all good ain't it, 

unless your using reverse osmosis water

mate then I don't think there's much difference in most of the well known brands, ive used a lot of the cx products in the past and think there as good as any in my opinion, I haven't tried there coco a and b however, is your water soft or hard? 

4k

[4kali]

oh, and why you swapping systems I thought they was basically  the same

can you not just put a timer on your autopot system

4k

[sn00py]

2 hours ago, 4kali said:

oh, and why you swapping systems I thought they was basically  the same

can you not just put a timer on your autopot system

4k

 

Thanks for replying! 

 

Well.  I've had good results with autopots, I've used them since I started growing and have done a fair few runs with them. My issue really is reliability,  I don't have confidence in them anymore after loosing plants due to blocked pipes or floats and I've had few floods over the time that I have had them.  Honestly, it's happened less since switching from Plant Magic to CX but because the pipework is thicker with the Alien system I think I'll run in to less issues with it moving forward. 

 

I've used CX for a couple of years and I've had some good results, but I'm wondering if there would be anything on the market which is specifically suited to bottom feeding systems.

 

Edit: I have soft water here. 

 

Thanks again. 

Edited August 27, 2021 by sn00py

[BilgePump]

As an alien easyfeed owner I will chip in and say they do block up even though they run ½ inch hose throughout.

But because they run on standard hose threads it's easy enough to blast the gunk out of the valves with hose pressure ( I just screw the tray onto an outdoor hose and give it a run through and a once over with a scourer to unclog the float valve).

What size system are you gonna run? 

I have the 22L XL 4 pot in a 1.2m² tent , resi outside of the tent.

I don't run it with the 22L fabric pots anymore , I prefer solid pots with a little bit of capillary matting as a wick but that's just my preference because I don't like moving plants in fab pots. Prior to swapping to plastic I found the 15L root nurse+ pots were better than the alien versions and fit the xl trays nicely.

The Flexi tanks are a bit shoddy from what I've experienced and heard from others, the green examples just leak (sacked mine off day 2) but the blue ones are better allegedly , I just use a solid water butt now.

I do really like the adjustability with the system though it's easy to tweak for multi strain grows for individual plant requirements.

I found the less organic feeds better for ease of use and clean pipes , the greenhouse seeds powder feeds ended up being my go to nutes for a few years, ionic wasn't bad either but I've recently gone back to hand watering with organic nutes and only use the easyfeed if I'm going away 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by BilgePump
Forgot to mention nutes completely

[sn00py]

56 minutes ago, BilgePump said:

As an alien easyfeed owner I will chip in and say they do block up even though they run ½ inch hose throughout.

But because they run on standard hose threads it's easy enough to blast the gunk out of the valves with hose pressure ( I just screw the tray onto an outdoor hose and give it a run through and a once over with a scourer to unclog the float valve).

What size system are you gonna run? 

I have the 22L XL 4 pot in a 1.2m² tent , resi outside of the tent.

I don't run it with the 22L fabric pots anymore , I prefer solid pots with a little bit of capillary matting as a wick but that's just my preference because I don't like moving plants in fab pots. Prior to swapping to plastic I found the 15L root nurse+ pots were better than the alien versions and fit the xl trays nicely.

The Flexi tanks are a bit shoddy from what I've experienced and heard from others, the green examples just leak (sacked mine off day 2) but the blue ones are better allegedly , I just use a solid water butt now.

I do really like the adjustability with the system though it's easy to tweak for multi strain grows for individual plant requirements.

I found the less organic feeds better for ease of use and clean pipes , the greenhouse seeds powder feeds ended up being my go to nutes for a few years, ionic wasn't bad either but I've recently gone back to hand watering with organic nutes and only use the easyfeed if I'm going away 

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply mate. 

 

I have a 16 pot version, 16l pot size and I think the tank is 240l? I'm not sure on that as I haven't set it up just yet, however if that tank turns out to be a bit ropey I do have the 120l blue flexi that I've used for the autopot set up still here. 

 

Slightly disappointed to hear you had some issues with clogging but I guess no system with tubing is immune to this.  Did you use a line cleaner in with your nutrients by any chance?  If so, are there any you'd recommend? Something I've wondered on this subject, are people using a line cleaner whilst flushing at the end of their grows? 

 

What sort of feed schedule did you use with them if you don't mind me asking? 

 

Thanks again for the information,  I do appreciate it. 

 

 

[BilgePump]

I was running 5 minutes every 3 days through veg and brought that down to 3mins but every other day during flower , floats adjusted to just under half way (like two clicks) so the water level never exceeded the depth of hydroleca in the bottom of the fab pots (I like a good two and a half inches or so of clay pebs as a drainage layer).

As far as feeding wise with the greenhouse feeds just following the soil schedule you can find online worked perfectly for me, I didn't run any system cleaners I must admit mostly because I'm a cheap skate 

But with the GH feeds I didn't really notice much build up , Res was always pretty clean after a run through, ionic definitely left a degree of orangey brown residue though.

 

[gonge]

Hi there @sn00py  I been using autopots for years. 4x 15ltr pots with 47ltr rez.. I use growth technology green haze nutes a+b grow/ bloom.. with no hassles an good results (I think).  Man they so easy and great for leaving for a week.
I tried  AN nutes and they blocked the shit out of everything…

I also just use the pipes twice max, replacing them keeps things clean . I bought a cheap roll of pipes and fittings off the bay…

I been toying with changing to organic nutes but no wanting the hassle for maybe not much more, though I have been thinking about how to incorporate some fish mix into the feeds without blocking /stinking the tank out? Cheers and good luck. g 

 

 

[sn00py]

2 hours ago, gonge said:

Hi there @sn00py  I been using autopots for years. 4x 15ltr pots with 47ltr rez.. I use growth technology green haze nutes a+b grow/ bloom.. with no hassles an good results (I think).  Man they so easy and great for leaving for a week.
I tried  AN nutes and they blocked the shit out of everything…

I also just use the pipes twice max, replacing them keeps things clean . I bought a cheap roll of pipes and fittings off the bay…

I been toying with changing to organic nutes but no wanting the hassle for maybe not much more, though I have been thinking about how to incorporate some fish mix into the feeds without blocking /stinking the tank out? Cheers and good luck. g 

 

 

Hey mate! I do like the AP system, it's served me well over the years andpst definitely the best thing about them is the ability to leave the plants for 5-7 days when you have to.  As for organics .. Definitely do NOT do this if you aren't using the updated version with the larger pipework,  apparently the updated version has been successfully tested with organics, but I don't know if I'd risk it.  I used some organic root stim for a grow and had no end of issues (with the older version). 

[sn00py]

2 hours ago, BilgePump said:

I was running 5 minutes every 3 days through veg and brought that down to 3mins but every other day during flower , floats adjusted to just under half way (like two clicks) so the water level never exceeded the depth of hydroleca in the bottom of the fab pots (I like a good two and a half inches or so of clay pebs as a drainage layer).

As far as feeding wise with the greenhouse feeds just following the soil schedule you can find online worked perfectly for me, I didn't run any system cleaners I must admit mostly because I'm a cheap skate 

But with the GH feeds I didn't really notice much build up , Res was always pretty clean after a run through, ionic definitely left a degree of orangey brown residue though.

 

Thank you mate, appreciate all the advice and I'll take it all on board for this first run with this new system. 

 

Thank you!

[BilgePump]

Best of luck getting to grips with it @sn00py they aren't bad systems at all , really robust as I'm sure you've noticed too. 

One final bit of advice is regularly check the timer batteries are decent as they'll last months until that moment you rely on them because yer away or something , last thing you need is that valve opening and the battery packing up (been there once , the ladies were aquatic for three days )

 

[sn00py]

Just now, BilgePump said:

Best of luck getting to grips with it @sn00py they aren't bad systems at all , really robust as I'm sure you've noticed too. 

One final bit of advice is regularly check the timer batteries are decent as they'll last months until that moment you rely on them because yer away or something , last thing you need is that valve opening and the battery packing up (been there once , the ladies were aquatic for three days )

 

That would be an absolute nightmare with such a large tank, especially as the set up is in an upstairs room. I've had to have the ceiling re-plastered once already because of a leak with the autopots! 

 

Thank you mate! 

[BilgePump]

It shouldn't physically flood yer house tbf , the ball cock floats won't let that happen but a stuck open valve will mean yer ladies would be sat in constant water, why is it grow rooms are invariably situated above leccy fuse boxes too?? Flooding is a real and genuine concern! 

 

[Big dog]

Have both and prefer the autopot,have done a dozen runs with both,there’s pros and cons to every system,autopots valves need to be kept clean and clear of roots,easy feed I had trouble with pressure filling pots furthest away on anything less than half a tank.

use canna calmag,canna coco a and b and little else and get very good results,never had blocked lines but change the thin 6mm  pipe on autopot every run

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Big dog

[BilgePump]

@Big dog how high do you keep yer Res? Mines sat 3ft off the ground and 6ft away from the nearest tray and pressure seems fine all the way through even towards the end of a res for me