Watering Schedule Out of Town

[Amnesialocal]

Hi all,

I would like your advise regarding watering.

Theoretically I should use also 2.3 and 2 gallon pots but I am concern about how often should I water and particularly how long could I stay away without need of water ( 3-4 day shift far from home).

 

Any advise?

A

[Absurdist]

Set up an auto system. Easy2Go and Blumat are popular options. 

 

I have been away for more than two weeks without issue, leaving the watering to my Easy2Go  and a 100 litre reservoir.

[MindSoup]

How often to water and how much is not a question with a simple answer. So many constantly fluctuating variables dictate the plants uptake so it's really just a case of getting a feel for it over time. 

 

Lowering the temperature and light's will slow your girls down a bit, so if your just popping away for the weekend that can be an option. As @Absurdist says, if you need to go away for extended amounts of time then some sort of automated system is the best/only option unless you're lucky enough to have a friend you can trust. There's all kinds of options, pumps or gravity fed, sensor is timer, powered or passive etc. I run Tropf Blumats in my no till bed and they're pretty effective, they keep my plants happy with the minimum of effort. However set up and adjustment are a bit fiddly and they take some getting used to, plus you can only run certain kinds of nutrients through them, so their not for everyone, I'd recommend getting your Google on and seeing what you think will work best for you. 

 

I recently revisited this thread, I think these little raspberry pi/Arduino boards have a lot of potential, with enough tech savvy you could build a full grow room brain for not alot of money. 

 

 

[BilgePump]

53 minutes ago, MindSoup said:

you're lucky enough to have a friend you can trust.

Most people who think this is them soon realise they don't have reliable friends... Judging by the horror stories you hear about.

Even Ot1 came home to chaos thanks to a mate iir.

 

[Amnesialocal]

Thanks all for the comments.

I will think about it....but I should probably also consider better the medium ...as per my nutrient schedule i will be able only to water but not feed ( maybe living soil mix...not sure yet) 

[MindSoup]

40 minutes ago, BilgePump said:

Most people who think this is them soon realise they don't have reliable friends... Judging by the horror stories you hear about.

Even Ot1 came home to chaos thanks to a mate iir.

 

 

Yeah for sure, no smell no no tell no smell and all that, but a spouse or close relative maybe.

[MindSoup]

1 minute ago, Amnesialocal said:

maybe living soil mix

 

Big pots of living soil with blumats or aquavalve is definitely a good option if your looking for something low maintenance, that's a big part of why I adopted the idea myself. It's pretty fool proof, as long as you have big enough pots and the soil stays warm enough you'll pretty much have healthy plants.

[latigid aikon]

1 hour ago, BilgePump said:

Even Ot1 came home to chaos thanks to a mate iir.

He meant well though, didn't he unplug a fan so he could do some hoovering or something?

[BilgePump]

@latigid aikon Something like that

 

[Amnesialocal]

And what he found when he back home?

[Amnesialocal]

51 minutes ago, MindSoup said:

 

Big pots of living soil with blumats or aquavalve is definitely a good option if your looking for something low maintenance, that's a big part of why I adopted the idea myself. It's pretty fool proof, as long as you have big enough pots and the soil stays warm enough you'll pretty much have healthy plants.

Yes! That's would be ideal.

[latigid aikon]

1 hour ago, Amnesialocal said:

And what he found when he back home?

 (if the photos don't load you'll need to click the link to them)

[Amnesialocal]

9 hours ago, latigid aikon said:

 (if the photos don't load you'll need to click the link to them)

Many thanks for the link, a great lesson learned:)

[KC]

15 hours ago, BilgePump said:

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by KC
Just read post about hoovering

[yan]

 

Hi @Absurdist, I wonder if you can help. I was looking recently at the Easy2Go as an option for a couple of days over Christmas period when I won’t be around. It says on their website that ‘Only when the plants have consumed the water in the tray will the Easy2Go refill the tray with a fresh supply’. Also they say to use a gravel bed for smaller pots.

 

Have you used it with a gravel bed? I’m struggling to see how the plants will consume all the water in the tray if using gravel. It would make sense to me how the gravel situation would work if the valve just maintained the 20mm water level, but they specifically say about all the water being consumed before refilling.