Auto Fertigation
I've been asked several times about the fertigation setup I'm using so thought I'd share it here in more detail.
It all starts with a 55 gallon drum
This 1/2" pipe/tubing from the bottom of the barrel to the pump must be kept full/primed with water and water tight
for the type of pump I'm using
Cheap ($55) transfer pumps. An aquarium air pump is essential to keep the water in the 55 gal drum from sitting stagnant.
The pumps have a standard hose fitting and using standard 1/2" black irrigation tubing I ran it to the furthest plant then tapped it with 1/4" tubing with 1 gallon an hour drip heads. Plastic clothespins hold the heads in place. To avoid putting back pressure on the pump I installed a 1/4" return line to the barrel.
The valve can be adjusted if needed to allow more/less pressure on the drip heads.
Running the 1/4" tubing can be a challenge with more than 1 outlet
but fittings like tee's and 90's are cheap.
Timer
Electronic for the water pump. I'm using 1 minute 3 times a day at 8am, 12 noon and 4pm. I have run 5x's a day but 3 works well. I've got a analog timer for supplemental LED lighting.
I'm using MasterBlend tomato fertilizer with calcium and magnesium 1/4 - full strength depending on plant type and age. There's a MasterBlend calculator on line to help you mix the nutrients.
Coconut coir in 1 gallon fiber pots.
This honestly couldn't be simpler. Once set up a daily check of the system and weekly check on water level is about it. You can safely take off for a week or two just make sure the water level is full and no bad leaks in your system.
This could also be adjusted to work on soil grows as well.
Happy Growing!