Blumats. Who's using them?

Jjgrow420 said:
Nice! Glad to hear they worked for ya!!!
Now that you know have an idea of how much water they take when your away you could maybe leave a 5gal or something for your wife to toss into the res so it doesn't dry out
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I've been using binder clips to clamp off the lines when I don't have shut-offs. Seems to be working fine for that.
 
Jjgrow420 said:
Lol you have a prob with birds making nests on top of your lights too huh. Haha. That's one mean heatsink
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LOL. Yeah, they're keeping the gulls off the lights. ;)

The tent has 3x HLG 225's which use their QB96 boards but they're over-clocked at 225w so they've got massive heatsinks to keep 'em cool. In my pics you can't see the third one because it was set higher than the other two since the tomatoes/Peppers didn't need the same DLI as the cannabis.

The bonus of this setup is that I can adjust the lights across all three to be even or to handle plants of different heights. I also start a grow with one light then turn the others on as the plants get bigger and spread.
 
Jjgrow420 said:
... Yea. That can be an issue. They do have shutoffs for the small line. But they're exp
Try to avoid taking them out and putting back in. I'm sure it'll work, but you'll have to reset the carrot everytime which can take ~week or so to dial in. The other option is to turn off the lines at the res shutoffs. Then the water won't flow if/when removing the carrot line from the mainline. Still a biatch... the small shutoffs would be better but again cost. If you don't care to spend around 6bucks per shutoff then that's the way I'd go. For me, I'd need 12 or 16 shutoffs and that would cost far too much.
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Thanks man. I ordered a few metres extra of the 3mm line so hopefully that gives me a level of flexibility. I'm just all about accessibility for this next run after the scrog before it where I couldn't access anything at the back. Any idea what's the longest run of 3mm you can dependably use? (Edit: apparently 19")
 
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Before I take on the project of digging through all the Blumat & some hydro threads, what is everyone using to keep their lines clean/cleaned and clear?

...And what are people using as a tank additive to keep the bio-film to a dull roar. The Blumat people say not to use an airstone, etc. and I'd like to avoid adding more 'gear' to the mix. Are people using peroxide or something else?
 
Another week...and the Blumats make things almost boring. The amount of time I used to spend watering a couple times a week is now hardly anything. Sort of dialed in and the plants are taking .5 to .75 gallons of water per day. I'm running my Maxibloom at 3.5g per gallon and using 5ml of Ca/Mg per gallon as well. No other additives.

I empty the reservoir once a week and wipe it down/clean it out and re-fill. I have the tank marked at 6g, but I have a measuring stick that I've marked in 6g increments that I can check at any time to see where things are, and if needed add more water/feed. I check pH every day or two and adjust downward due to some drift. I'm in ProMix HP (which people have convinced me to treat as a hydro medium), I've been pH'ing to 5.8 or 5.9 and then knocking it back down once it hits 6.2 or 6.3. The little bit of tip-burn is from before the Blumats when I was hand-watering/feeding and was up around 6g of Maxigro per feed.

Plants seem to be happier than with hand watering, and growing faster than past grows without the Blumats. I don't know any other time I've had Trichomes start showing up in less than two weeks of moving to 12/12, but they have.

Both plants have a little 'root bump' where the drip is happening:
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LeastExpectedGrower said:
Before I take on the project of digging through all the Blumat & some hydro threads, what is everyone using to keep their lines clean/cleaned and clear?

...And what are people using as a tank additive to keep the bio-film to a dull roar. The Blumat people say not to use an airstone, etc. and I'd like to avoid adding more 'gear' to the mix. Are people using peroxide or something else?
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I'm not using blumat but in the reservoir of the autopot I have been adding 1 Tbsp of SLF100 per 4½ gallon of megacrop 1 part.

There is a basic sediment filter on the reservoir.
Have not had an issue with build up yet, have not cleaned anything yet.

Can still see the bottom of the reservoir and there is some sediment but not enough to conceal the bottom.

Has been in use for one month so far.
 
Sofa King Smoooth said:
I'm not using blumat but in the reservoir of the autopot I have been adding 1 Tbsp of SLF100 per 4½ gallon of megacrop 1 part.

There is a basic sediment filter on the reservoir.
Have not had an issue with build up yet, have not cleaned anything yet.

Can still see the bottom of the reservoir and there is some sediment but not enough to conceal the bottom.

Has been in use for one month so far.
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An enzyme? Basically like hydrozyme I think.
 
Day 4 after setting the blumats and I just caught the first dripping! Very cool. Kinda surprised because the pot was still quite heavy but I guess dialage will come. Should I maybe tighten it up a smidge as part of said dialage? Or just lurk more and observe for now?

As you can see I kept things very simple. I didn't even use any elbows lol. Found the black 8mm very easy to flow with but it'd be horrible if you wanted straight lines. The 3mm lines are 75cm long and are great for letting you shift/rotate things. If I needed to I could shuffle everything outside the tent without disconnecting.

I still need to organize something in case of a runaway - I have something easy in mind. But for now my res is 18 litres and only half full. The bottom of it is 3ft 9in above the carrots.

I repotted these plants the day before installing the blumats and they were extremely rootbound and I couldn't insert the carrots into the dense mass, so I had to put them way out close to the edge. Even the makeshift feedline supports are on angles because they'd just bend against the roots.

JJ I'd already ordered some similar filters so I'm going to see what I can do with them. Maybe syringe them with iso or vinegar or something.

I have 2 unused carrots and plenty of 8mm left so I ordered another bulkhead and tap to make a small setup outside for some peppers or something. Also ordered some of the dial protectors!
 

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TrichDaddy said:
Day 4 after setting the blumats and I just caught the first dripping! Very cool. Kinda surprised because the pot was still quite heavy but I guess dialage will come. Should I maybe tighten it up a smidge as part of said dialage? Or just lurk more and observe for now?

As you can see I kept things very simple. I didn't even use any elbows lol. Found the black 8mm very easy to flow with but it'd be horrible if you wanted straight lines. The 3mm lines are 75cm long and are great for letting you shift/rotate things. If I needed to I could shuffle everything outside the tent without disconnecting.

I still need to organize something in case of a runaway - I have something easy in mind. But for now my res is 18 litres and only half full. The bottom of it is 3ft 9in above the carrots.

I repotted these plants the day before installing the blumats and they were extremely rootbound and I couldn't insert the carrots into the dense mass, so I had to put them way out close to the edge. Even the makeshift feedline supports are on angles because they'd just bend against the roots.

JJ I'd already ordered some similar filters so I'm going to see what I can do with them. Maybe syringe them with iso or vinegar or something.

I have 2 unused carrots and plenty of 8mm left so I ordered another bulkhead and tap to make a small setup outside for some peppers or something. Also ordered some of the dial protectors!
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If it seems too wet and it's dripping then dial it back a wee bit. The filters...I'd steer clear. I was going to still use them but worried about what kind of material and dye they used....sure it's not food safe.
Pond liner is best insurance for runaway
 
Cheers JJ, I'm gonna ask around at the many irrigation stores here locally for a filter solution. And I just ordered a proper flood tray.

So, the 2 plants on the left started dripping the first day and I haven't really seen them not dripping at all. It's like a constant drip maybe every 5 seconds for the most part. Pots don't feel excessively heavy.

The other 2 on the right were drier and only just starting to drip the next day so I cranked them up and I've cranked them more since, trying to match up with the wetter two. Dialling is so simple it's a joke. The only requirement is a steady reserved hand so you don't overdo your tweaks.

I wish I had paid more attention inserting the carrots because half are seated with the measurement mark away from me.

The biggest surprise has been that I expected it to be more of a wet/dry cycle, whereas from what I see so far, it's more trying to keep it at the perfect level.
 
TrichDaddy said:
Cheers JJ, I'm gonna ask around at the many irrigation stores here locally for a filter solution. And I just ordered a proper flood tray.

So, the 2 plants on the left started dripping the first day and I haven't really seen them not dripping at all. It's like a constant drip maybe every 5 seconds for the most part. Pots don't feel excessively heavy.

The other 2 on the right were drier and only just starting to drip the next day so I cranked them up and I've cranked them more since, trying to match up with the wetter two. Dialling is so simple it's a joke. The only requirement is a steady reserved hand so you don't overdo your tweaks.

I wish I had paid more attention inserting the carrots because half are seated with the measurement mark away from me.

The biggest surprise has been that I expected it to be more of a wet/dry cycle, whereas from what I see so far, it's more trying to keep it at the perfect level.
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Depends how you set them. They will go through a 'dry cycle' but you're right they tend to keep the medium evenly saturated. I'm still learning with them. Placement of carrots, and drippers etc. My advice would be don't bother with the drippers they are a pain in the butt.
Always set your furthest carrot first then work your way up the line.
 
Jjgrow420 said:
Depends how you set them. They will go through a 'dry cycle' but you're right they tend to keep the medium evenly saturated. I'm still learning with them. Placement of carrots, and drippers etc. My advice would be don't bother with the drippers they are a pain in the butt.
Always set your furthest carrot first then work your way up the line.
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Nice. Yeah just thinking about it, I feel like the more carrots and drippers you have, the more potential points of failure you're introducing.

What kind of pot weights are people aiming for anyway? Comfortably plump I guess?

Also, with the 8cm length of tube from the carrot, do many people ignore that and extend it?

I am now cranking them all up because I'm finding them a bit dry on the opposite side of the water point.

Best thing I ever did. Been wanting to use these for 15 years but always convinced myself it was too hard or fiddly.
 
TrichDaddy said:
Nice. Yeah just thinking about it, I feel like the more carrots and drippers you have, the more potential points of failure you're introducing.

What kind of pot weights are people aiming for anyway? Comfortably plump I guess?

Also, with the 8cm length of tube from the carrot, do many people ignore that and extend it?

I am now cranking them all up because I'm finding them a bit dry on the opposite side of the water point.

Best thing I ever did. Been wanting to use these for 15 years but always convinced myself it was too hard or fiddly.
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I just put my finger in the hole in the bottom of the pot. If it's dampish but not wet then I'm happy with that. Don't ignore/bypass instructions or you'll end up with issues/carrots not performing properly. I think youre supposed to keep the drip min 3" away from the carrot. I was keeping them further and noticed dry spot around the carrot the roots didn't grow there... And the pot was overwatering a bit. They can be fiddly a bit but for.the most part are pretty simple to use. You'll get the hang of it after a couple goes
 
TrichDaddy said:
Nice. Yeah just thinking about it, I feel like the more carrots and drippers you have, the more potential points of failure you're introducing.

What kind of pot weights are people aiming for anyway? Comfortably plump I guess?

Also, with the 8cm length of tube from the carrot, do many people ignore that and extend it?

I am now cranking them all up because I'm finding them a bit dry on the opposite side of the water point.

Best thing I ever did. Been wanting to use these for 15 years but always convinced myself it was too hard or fiddly.
Click to expand...

I have a pile of carrots but am only using 1 per 5g bag. I very well could use 2 but the plants seem to be fine with one, even though from the surface it seems like the 'water spot' isn't very big and the soil is generally more dry than I'd have it if I were hand watering, but the plants don't show signs of underwatering, so I guess that's where it should be. I also thought that you have to be careful with multiple carrots and your layout so that one doesn't in effect stop the other one from working correctly because of where the drips are happening (most likely one stopping the other from turning on).

I've had the carrots dripping more aggressively (somewhere around .75g per day of water/feed per 5g bag) and am back down to something that's more like half a gallon or a little less. I've also just dropped my feed from 3.5g of Maxibloom down to 2.5g. I also think that I was 'getting away with more' when it came to using my well water and hand watering than I can with the Blumats and now I'm running water filtered down to 0EC then adding Ca/Mg+more Mg+nutrients. When I was hand watering, the .44-.60EC water didn't cause any troubles.

There's also some thought pattern shifting, since you're basically running something closer to a hydroponic setup that is feeding/watering 'all the time'. So you have to re-think your feed solution strength as well as the fact that you're not feeding or watering to run-off. My shift from hand watering to Blumats also coincided with my shift from running some modern hybrids to running something closer to straight sativas that are closer to landrace, and those nutrition needs are also different...and it's been a bit of a bumpy ride once I hit a few weeks into flower.

I also seem to be having better luck with the system running Drip Clean all the time than I did before. Less line clogs, no runaways, etc. I'll probably buy some PeKacid and make my own after this small bottle of Drip Clean is done.
 
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