Holiday self watering

[Eldo]

Hi uk420

 

Have a million questions but main objection is to water my plants for 9 days whilst on holiday

 

Blumats seem the obvious solution but I have limited space and really don't want a reservoir sat above electrics. I also want to keep things organic which apparently blocks these.....is there a suitable fast release top dress feed I could use to run water only?

 

Hozelock aquasolo - similar ceramic cone to blumats but screws onto a bottle of water as reservoir. Anyone used these?

 

Water bag with dripper - these look least reliable in terms of water flow rate but easiest and cheapest to set up and imagine I'd get away with organic nutes no probs

 

Any feedback on any of the above would be great or even another solution. keen to stay organic so might look further into living soil bed/blumat but seems a lot of effort and money to cover 9 days watering

 

 

[Keye]

I recently bought a cheapish auto-waterer from Amazon.  A little box that housed the pump and timer, with an inlet and outlet for hoses. I got a load of hose and connectors. You set up how often and how long it should pump.

 

Never used blunts. All ceramic cones suffer with the same mechanical problem of bits, I think. I have used a dripper bag with tomatoes, that went well. But the drips slow down as the bag empties, it's not a standard amount and it's continual.

 

Another strategy that has worked for me, was to slow the plants down. 'Alive and not too far gone' was always a success if I had to go away mid-grow; slowing down their growth slows down problems. Cooler temps, less light, lower nutrients, will all slow down the plant. If you do it too far, they'll die but I've never tried to maintain full on growth when I'm away, I just think that's unrealistic.

 

 

[Eldo]

@Keye just looked on the big river a few "auto watering systems" on there like you describe....look decent if they actually work.

 

Which make/model did you go for?

[Keye]

It was a

 

'Automatic Irrigation System, Indoor Automatic Plant Watering System Automatic Plant Waterer, Battery & USB Power Operation Holiday Plant Watering Devices for Indoor Potted Plants (Upgraded)'

 

model; £42.99 or something. Takes AA batteries, I mixed up a feed and I had to weigh the filtered take up end down in to the water, that was the only thing. It took a bit to cut the lines to the right length etc., but it worked OK, my plants were fed and alive.

 

To be honest, I have handed it on to someone else for regular plants and a holiday. It was a bit naff and I wouldn't normally trust something like that. My plants ran at full light and regular temp but low nutrients.

 

 

[Thai Stick]

How many plants do you need to water?

If i need to, i have a 70 ltr black bin with a small aquarium pump with some hosing attached that then runs into the tent and into a circular lasso style loop which i then attach some of the really small flexible tubing to.
Each plant gets its own line.

Dont forget an anti-siphon air valve or bit of thin pipe at the highest point as it leaves the water tank that goes back into the tank.

Stop you from emptying the whole thing after the first watering...

been there...done that.....was a pain to clean up

[Eldo]

@Thai Stick will be 4 plants and not need more than 20l water between them

[MindSoup]

There was a really good thread a while back about building automated watering systems with these electronic soil moisture sensors, can't find it just yet but I'll keep looking. 

[MindSoup]

Here it is/they are. 

 

 

[Thai Stick]

2 hours ago, Eldo said:

@Thai Stick will be 4 plants and not need more than 20l water between them

 

Then it should be pretty simple to set up.

Don't need to over complicate it.

 

Timer, pump, tubing, anti siphon valve and you're good to go.

[Eldo]

Will have a look  @Thai Stick mate cheers, can the pumps be set to pump a certain amount of water or just for a duration of time?

[Slippy One]

On 12/1/2023 at 5:39 PM, Keye said:

All ceramic cones suffer with the same mechanical problem of bits, I think.

Huh? no moving parts or bits so no suffering

 

If you need just water, Blumats are a no brainer, especially if you have a few days to set them up before you go.  

 

If you need nutrient feeds, 100% get a pump, along with a heater and circulation pump with runoff. Timer can be a smart switch or mechanical timer. 

 

Most automated systems need to be dialed in first. 

 

Another cheap fix is capillary mats, with one end in a reservoir, the other under the pots. Not perfect but cheap as chips if you have the space to fit it all in the tent/space.  

[Keye]

bits in the water mechanically clogging the ceramic.

[Slippy One]

Right yes, salts in the feed. Blumats were never meant to carry nutrients, just water. Feed the medium first.

 

Biggest problem I see with Blumats is the need to find another hobby, as my current Blumat grow requires zero time and even less effort.

 

 

 

[Eldo]

@Slippy One are you growing on living soil and if so what size  bed / pots

[Slippy One]

No, coco. But I'm experimenting with slow release feed called Beanstalk. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by Slippy One