Autopot 4 pot system

Just want to know if anyone has any experience with these, has used it or even still uses it.

Just want to know whether it would be best to get something like this or make my own system.

http://www.hydrogarden.com/content/images/products/main_01-025-410.jpg

I used one of these. Still do to an extent. Reduced it down to a 2 pot system with a smaller res. They work very well & require probably the least maintenance out of any grow system I know of.
That said there is learning curve to using them. My 1st run was terrible, 2nd run bit better but still crap. 3rd run was all good & has been ever since.

what sort of learning curve do you mean, what do they involve.

I seriously considered going with autopots but I run multiple strains at a time and that could cause issues with just one res.

I finally decided to get as close as I could and made some coco hempys with the autopot's airdome idea. They're doing VERY well with no learning curve.

There's a whole section for autopot growers on AFN.

I still want the system but I know it won't be the best for my grows. It's a hard battle with myself. lol

I used to run them. They do a good job. I have seen some folks run them with just perlite, although I ran them with coco and 2" of clay pebbles at the bottom. I'm not keen on the whole feed rom the bottom idea, just seems more likely to cause salt build up. Guess you could just run a lower EC though.
The problem with them is
1, the ones with 8mm (might be less) tubing can block up from salts, but you can upgrade to 12mm (I think its 12mm)
2, Makes you lazy and you don't have to get up close and personal to the plants. Which if you ever have a bug problem or pm or mould then you may not spot it a soon as you would with hand watering.

They do work though, I have 3x 4 pot systems in my attic collecting dust.

There are better systems you could make easy enough. But it depends on if pump noise is an issue.
If it isn't some sort of ebb and flow pod system would work great. Best method I ever tried. But mine was super noisy

coreywebster said:

There are better systems you could make easy enough. But it depends on if pump noise is an issue.
If it isn't some sort of ebb and flow pod system would work great. Best method I ever tried. But mine was super noisy

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Yeah noise would be one of the issues i would want it to be fairly quiet.

AsdaCarPark said:

Yeah noise would be one of the issues i would want it to be fairly quiet.

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In that case the autopot will be a good choice. Since it doesn't use any moving parts. Just gravity fed with a float in the tray that shuts off when its got and inch of water and opens up when its dry.

As I say I used an ebb and flow system I built myself, while it was the best system for fast growth it was so loud I only ran it for a few grows, the pumps could be heard outside, but that could of well been my poor choice of pump.

If you do go with autopots, from what I've read, get some extra silicone pieces for the aquavalve, extra root discs, and pot socks come highly recommended.
Also seems like anyone who still uses autopots also uses the airdomes. (you can save few bucks by using inverted netpots with an airstone instead)

BTW, I hate you (not really) because these threads always remind me that I want autopots but I know they won't be ideal for my grows.

Good call on the silicone pieces. Lose one of those and the whole pot is scuppered

I use autopots and I have zero problems with salt buildup and clogging. I only have one plant in a 24l xxl pot, but it's a monster, almost filling my 4x4 tent.

windrunner said:

I use autopots and I have zero problems with salt buildup and clogging. I only have one plant in a 24l xxl pot, but it's a monster, almost filling my 4x4 tent.

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I imagine the xxl comes with the bigger tubes. The smaller ones were always blocking when I had them. You could squeeze the tube and feel it had hardened and crush it and watch the salts come out in chunks. I do have hard water though.
For all I know they already upgraded all the models to the bigger tubes. It was a good 5 years ago i bought them. If not its an easy solution and only costs a few quid to upgrade the tubes and fittings.

No, the Aqua valve uses the same 6mm tubing on all the different pots. THe tubes is not the problem. If you experience clogging, then you are most likely using unsuitable nutrients. No organics.
So far I have been running my system non stop since november and Ive had no blocks, only one valve that stopped working because it had not been cleaned. As long as you do normal maintenance, this system is close to fool proof.

windrunner said:

No, the Aqua valve uses the same 6mm tubing on all the different pots. THe tubes is not the problem. If you experience clogging, then you are most likely using unsuitable nutrients. No organics.
So far I have been running my system non stop since november and Ive had no blocks, only one valve that stopped working because it had not been cleaned. As long as you do normal maintenance, this system is close to fool proof.

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I run Canna coco nutrients for canna coco. Like I say though I live in a hard water area. Since November, that's not exactly a long time. I'm talking about a couple years of use. Not blocking overnight. Its been a problem for lots of other people too.
I agree regular maintenance is required and it is a great system.

The purpose of posting the info was to make the OP aware of the potential problem. Because when you can leave them all week feeding on a res, if one does go wrong mid flower you can have a dead plant by the time you come to fill the res.
Glad yours is running sweet. But like I say, its a common enough problem and worth knowing about.

I've seen a LOT of people upgrade to 1/2" lines all the way to the valve so they only have to replace/clean an inch of the standard tube when/if it clogs.

I've been using the same 6mm tubing for over a year now. I use drip clean throughout the grow & in-between grows the tubes get flushed out with a watered down bleach mix.

Salt build up can be a bit of a problem. Where the ph of your res can be quite stable the ph of the nutrient mix in the trays themselves can fluctuate quite a bit. If you have a salt build up in the tray as well this can push ph levels even further out of whack. I feed just ph'd water with a drop of maxicrop once a week to help clear the trays of any salt build up. This is just a preventative measure to cover myself. I guess it depends on the ec you are using & if you are accidentally over feeding or not.

I also find that I when putting my plants into the autopot trays I have to get them used to it bit by bit. If I just put them into the trays & turn the res tap on I end up with plants all looking like they have been over watered. For me I find that I have to give them say an hour a day to start with, with the res on & the rest of the day with the res off. Then maybe a couple hours on a day & the rest off & so on.
In other words they have to be eased into the system.

Those issues were the learning curve I was referring to. Maybe some growers haven't had these problems before but for me these were the main issues I had getting used to the system. Now its generally all plain sailing. I normally pull between 5-8 ounces per plant on average so as a home grower I'm happy enough with it.

I considered autopots then alien easyfeed, but ended up going for the iws autodrain with drippers seems it may work a treat not fully used it yet

I soak my coco/catsand mix when I put my plants in my autopot, but I don't start the drip until maybe a week later and the roots have been well established. I am on my last week now with my C99 and I cant wait for the results.

What nutrients do you use. And if you stay away for a longer periode
Thats the reason to use it, but the nutrients will drop to the ground of the depot.
I thought to use a little circulation pump. That will be on for one minute every 6 hours or so.

Any expierience?