my new plants

[pipeman]

brings up a question Pipeman, If they dont like wet feet why are there autopot systems?

Do these not work or just fiddly or a scam?

hydro is a different story as the nute solution is highly oxygenated. Yes many hydro systems such as NFT and bubblers have roots constantly wet.

 

I suppose I should've qualified my statement

 

autopot systems work great from what I've heard. bit pricey though. I got an autopot valve myself, I'm sure I'll get around to using it one day but since you brought it up, autopot is actually designed to give roots a wet dry cycle.

 

In summary medium based grows like wet/dry cycles. Water cultures with highly oxygenated solutions can do without it.

Edited January 22, 2004 by pipeman

[Luke Skywalker]

weekprik Posted on Jan 22 2004, 04:28 PM

  brings up a question Pipeman, If they dont like wet feet why are there autopot systems?

Do these not work or just fiddly or a scam?

 

Yeah, as pipeman has said, autopots release a set amount of nutrient solution to the base of the pot, (these are usually used with expanded clay, although there are different media's used in them) and then will not release any more until the tray holding the pots is almost completely dry. So the plants have time to use the nutrients and water, thus giving the wet/dry cycle they like. The plants themselves determine the amounts of water they draw up, not the grower, so it's quite hard to overwater with them unless they stop working properly.

 

Make sure if you use one that any nutrient passing through is filtered through an in-line filter at the least. You'll have to do regular maintenance on them flushing out any accumulated salts which may block the valve into an "open" position. In the end I'd say they're a good system for passive watering techniques, and I'd be most interested to see anyone here who's grown mj using them. You'd obviously need a quite large pot if growing from seed, but a smaller one could be adequate for a clone crop indeed...

 

As for the watering, you should be careful of over and underwatering, but one of the easiest ways to determine how much water is left in the pot is to stick your finger in there. Not right next to the stem obviously, as you'll damage roots. But if it's moist down there to the first or even second knuckles, (depends on the pot, smaller one, larger two knuckles ), and the plant isn't appearing limp from lack of water, then you should be fine. IF the media is well draining and has adequate air porosity, then it's pretty hard to overwater, but if you've got a standard potting mix from woolies you're likely to have some drainage problems in the future. Depending on the weather, and the aspect they're growing in, the watering could be from once or even more times per day in a little pot of blazing sun, to once a week in a large on under the shade of a large tree.. Try and give as much light as possible, but if the sun is too harsh, shade of a large tree from the afternoon sun can be very useful. Watering will depend on many factors, but yeah, a wet to almost dry cycle is good. Some growers work out how often to water by leaving the plants without water for as long as it takes for them to start wilting, then take back a while from there and make that the regular watering period. That's usually an indoor trick, and I wouldn't suggest you do so with seedlings, but it gives you an idea.

 

Oxygen is just as important as water to the roots, what you're aiming for is a constantly moist, humid atmostphere around the roots for them to be able to grow and develop. They do like wet dry, but never completely dry.

 

Anyway, hope that helps, a pic of the plants is a great help to identifying probs djvivid, if you can wangle that it'll be so much easier. But I understand not every net head pot grower has, or even wants to use their digicams. We're just a bunch of plant pervs really. I'll shut up now. Good luck with the (hopefully) girl!