Mixing Nutes in rez

Thomek

Member
Hey guys, I've recently switched to auto pot systems but I'm having a little trouble getting my head round the rez....

i normally use soil with the ionic growth technology range nutes, i also use they're supplements aswell i.e humic acids, PK, super drive, liquid silicon

a lot of these supplements are to be used weekly adding them to your normal feed just once a week , PK being twice a week after week 4
My confusion comes from the fact with auto pots I'm using a tank that i will fill once a week that will gravity feed the plants constantly, so how do i add the nutes that are only to be used one day a week ? if i was to add them to the tank at the start of each week the plant would be exposed to the supplements 7 days a week ? i can't work it out , the guy up the grow shop didn't really get the question and left me confused still lol

any help would be massively appreciated :)
thanks in advance !
 

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Ionic pk boost like all others can be added to the tank during the weeks required. It doesn't have to be added only once or twice a week. I have always used any booster or additive for the whole period required. But I hand water. When I used auto pots I mixed up everything needed in the tank and then come week 5 (with canna line) added the pk at the rate advised. I imagine with soil your just topping up the reserves of p and k in the soil which is why it would be different than a soilless medium.
I am assuming however that you are not using soil in autopots?

ftp://ftp.growthtechnology.com/instructions/IONIC-instructions.pdf


IONIC PK BOOST


1. Make up an IONIC BLOOM formulation in the usual way.

2. Stir tank thoroughly.

3. Add IONIC PK BOOST to tank at the rate of 1 ml/litre.

4. Stir again then check and correct the pH.

5. Use nutrient in the normal way. IONIC PK BOOST can

be added to the tank on a weekly basis throughout the

flowering/fruiting cycle of growth.
 

Thomek

Member
hey coreywebster, i am using soil in auto pots but have clay pebbles in the bottom 1.5' deep, the PK says to mix nutes then PH and add PK after?
i use soil bloom, greenfuse bloom supplement, superdrive supplement, humic and liquid silicon , PK in week 5 ,
can i mix all the nutes on say a sunday .. at normal rates and just let them feed?
 

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Ah cool, I think your the first person I have come across using soil in autopots.
My gut says if your plants are requiring more p and k then they should be requiring it all week like any other medium. But I'm a coco guy so would prefer not to stake my life on that. A safe bet would be to run it at a reduced level.
I just read the advice for soil so I can see your problem, soil in a hydro method. But it does say the once a week method is for hand fed soil rather than constant gravity fed.
BTW I found with a 4 pot autopot system using 15ltr pots my res would last 3 days before needing a top up. I'm aware though that they make bigger res and smaller or bigger pots as well as single mega pot systems. So you will just have to see how fast the drink.

Just out of interest are you running the autopots with the optional air net in them and did you mix 50% perlite with your soil?

Oh and I would follow the instructions regarding the mix, only thing I did different was to mix the nutes and then mix the pk with a gallon of water and add that to the res, seemed to precipitate less that way. :bigjoint:
 

Thomek

Member
Haha, I was gonna run them in coco but the guy at the store (and a few online) said it was ok so i thought i would be a safe compromise considering I've ran soil for a while now so i have an understanding of it, Il keep you updated on the results lol, hopefully it comes off ok, I'm thinking about doing the coco on the next to be fair

I rang the grow shop earlier and they said the same, run it at a small dose so i think il do that,
can you top feed once they have started bottom feeding because i could always feed it in that way if its an option. Three days is less than i thought i would get out of it to be fair but I'm sure il manage,

I got the autopilots with the nets and a black and gold root disk is this what you mean?i mixed the soil with clay pebbles about 20%, I'm running Bio Bizz light mix so it comes with perlite in it, hope fully will be airy enough , i was hoping to add more pebbles but i ran out earlier than i thought.

yeah the ionic says the PH then PK so il go with that i was a bit confused on that myself at first
 

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Yeah you can top feed but might be wise to lift them out of the auto trays so you don't make a mess.
The air nets were an added extra you could get when I bought mine, they are like a plastic net dome which goes on top of the clay pebbles and underneath your medium so you can pump air right to the rootzone. I never needed them in coco. I imaging with bio bizz light you wont see any issues. Sounds like you have a good mix for aeration.
Since your experienced with soil it makes sense to stick with it and see how it goes. I would be lost on soil myself. Too used to coco I guess.
Good luck with it. I will keep an eye on this thread and see how it all turns out. :bigjoint:
 
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