Auto watering into the pot

[FastForward]

Can someone tell me if attaching a grommet to the side of a 6.5 or 11l pot (1.5g/2.5g) and feeding the rootmass directly would work?

I've been racking my brains trying to get things more optimal. I like E&F more than dripping from my short experience and would rather flood "in pot" so to speak - but without going to the expense and hassle of IWS type systems.

The idea behind this one is a mix between the convenience and moveability of dripping, with the flood benefits (washing out salts etc) of E&F.

Think of a pot, with a grommet in the side and a 16mm hose attached to it. The grommet would be about 3/4rs of the way up the pot, so as to be below the surface but high up the coco.

Benefits:

- greater volume of nutes flow directly into the coco, drain out underneath
- no splashing or dripping from high volumes fed in the top (or overflow?)
- more fluid = less salt build up from dripping
- quicker feeding cycles (no need to drip for 30-60 mins)
- convenient (no dripper stakes, moveable)

There must me something I'm overlooking....and maybe even a reason why someone hasn't done this before. Why?! Or will this work?

 

[ukcheesehead]

do u meen like a dutch pot ?

Dutch Bato Buckets have a small siphon pipe at the bottom of the bucket to regulate the nutrient solution in the base of the pot at a about 1 inch depth. This small reservoir of solution in the bottom of the pot prevents the growing

medium from drying out and causing water stress between irrigation cycles.

Made by BATO in Holland, these popular hydroponic growing containers may be filled with any type or combination of growing media including; coconut coir, perlite, rockwool cubes or vermiculite.

Dutch Bato Buckets are designed to be fed by an emitter and plumbed back to the reservoir through a common PVC (1.5 inch diameter) manifold

 

[FastForward]

Kind of, but simpler:

 

[ukcheesehead]

is that to feed ? or to drain ?

 

[FastForward]

To feed - stick hose in the side on timer, done :)

Might need 7mm instead, but you get the idea....16mm might be a bit too heavy, but 7mm without any dripper heads for pure flood would work great I'd imagine...

It's just a dripper setup without the drippers...

 

[Ganjalover]

Have you had a look at auto pots?

 

[FastForward]

Have you had a look at auto pots?

Seen them - they're nice but expensive, and it's just a valve really. Just wondered why people top drip rather than side flood....might give it a go if no-one tells me it's a dumb idea....

 

[hererisssh]

Just wondered why people top drip rather than side flood...

More even distribution of water and no physical barrier like your grow medium to restrict flow at the intake point.

I think the medium will quickly saturate at your intake and will start to fight against the flow from your pump making it much less effective.

 

[ProGroWannabe]

Your not too far from having a recirculating DWC setup there FF. There's TONS of info recirc. DWC on IC. I don't care to go there much anymore, I just use it like a cannabis library wth no late fees.

 

[coldnorth]

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=26343

Recirculating Dwc

 

[FastForward]

Thanks Cold - but that's waaaaay too complicated for stoner like me - that's almost a DIY IWS with brain pot....this was meant to be a lazy person's easy result....

 

[coldnorth]

hehe know what you mean, lookt a few times but with my eng and stoner thinking im not getting to far hehe

btw did you take a look at flogro?

pot based ebb @ http://www.persygrowbox.co.uk/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=73


ive seen real good grows in both hydro correls and coco! most people i know uses airstones to for extra boost!

 

[FastForward]

Yeah, cheers...it's an overgrown waterfarm from what I've seen. It's nice but not really for me - too much space, not enough flexibility. I think I'm in love with pot culture, and I'm also in love with coco....I'm just not in love with handwatering. There has to be a way to combine pot culture, coco and automated watering without using wilmas or spending big money on IWS type systems. The best I've come up with is just my own dripper system for the coco but I'm still not happy with the dripping - maybe it needs flood heads instead....