Autopot system

ComputerSaysNo said:

I am using 50/50 coco/hydroton as substrate.

As nutrients I give the GH tri-part line at HALF recommended strength, plus some supplements (Fulvic, beneficial bacteria). Plant looks very happy.

The manufacturer of the autopot does not recommend organic fertlizers (such as BioBizz) because that supposedly can lead to clogging. I have no experience with that. Probably some organic ferts work better than others. Maybe it's just fine, and they're just overly cautious with their recommendations.

There is no risk in trying organic ferts. If the system actually clogs, you will find out pretty soon, and then you can simply rinse and feed a mineral fertilizer.

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TomatoGrower123 said:

So I should just put the organic fert in the water tank. Does it not smell bad after some time?

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ComputerSaysNo said:

I have no experience with organic ferts, so couldn't say. It probably also depends on the fertilizer in particular that you are using.

You won't have to completely fill the tank. If you elevate the tank, it will drain just fine no matter how much water is in there.

So, simply fill the tank with as much nutrient as your plant(s) will use until the nutrient solution goes stale. You can use any tank size that you want, as long as the tank is positioned high enough, it will drain just fine until the last drop; I do not see a problem with using, e.g. a 10 litre bucket as a tank and refill that every few days.

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ComputerSaysNo said:

I have no experience with organic ferts, so couldn't say. It probably also depends on the fertilizer in particular that you are using.

You won't have to completely fill the tank. If you elevate the tank, it will drain just fine no matter how much water is in there.

So, simply fill the tank with as much nutrient as your plant(s) will use until the nutrient solution goes stale. You can use any tank size that you want, as long as the tank is positioned high enough, it will drain just fine until the last drop; I do not see a problem with using, e.g. a 10 litre bucket as a tank and refill that every few days.

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ComputerSaysNo said:

You do not need an oxygen supply, unless you want the bubbles to agitate the nutrient solution so nothing will settle. This is practically hand-watering from below, O2-enriching the water does nothing.

I have the 47-litre tank as well, and I've had it drain completely empty on me while I was away and did not put enough nutrient solution in for the duration. My tank is positioned a good 30cm higher than my autopot; this will definitely allow most of the water inside to be fed to the pot.

Do some research on how long your organic nutrient solution will last, and then just size up your batch accordingly. I really have no experience with organics, so I don't want to disperse wrong information here. Probably as long as it doesn't smell, it's still fine. Just make a batch and go with as long as possible.

Alternatively, you could simply top dress your plant, and then just feed pure water from the tank. That would avoid to keep organic nutrient solution in the tank at all.

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TomatoGrower123 said:

One more thing what fert should I look at that lasts a long time.

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TomatoGrower123 said:

Hey Growers, I bought an Autopot system and I was wondering how and what to feed the plants in that system. I browsed online and all the people told me that hand watering from the top wont be good for the plant in such a system. So what nutes should I buy because right now I have Bio bizz nutes and a normal hand watering setup.

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Fishbulb said:

Put a pump or air stones in the Res. So the water doesn't go off.

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ComputerSaysNo said:

I'm running an autopot on a balcony now for about 2 months and didn't have any problems. The res is not in direct sunlight but definitely did warm up during the summer days. However, I haven't seen any signs of the res water going "off" or stale. Plant looks fabulous, too.

Did you have any specific problems in the past with the reservoir water? Or do you just use a pump/air stone for good measure?
I'm not convinced that a bubbler would make much difference in the reservoir, unless you run beneficial organisms which probably would need the O2 in order to proliferate and survive.

How would the pump/air stone keep the water from going off? It's not in contact with roots or medium, and it's not recycled. I don't see how oxygenating or agitating the nutrient solution in the res would avoid any potential problems.

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ComputerSaysNo said:

I'm running an autopot on a balcony now for about 2 months and didn't have any problems. The res is not in direct sunlight but definitely did warm up during the summer days. However, I haven't seen any signs of the res water going "off" or stale. Plant looks fabulous, too.

Did you have any specific problems in the past with the reservoir water? Or do you just use a pump/air stone for good measure?
I'm not convinced that a bubbler would make much difference in the reservoir, unless you run beneficial organisms which probably would need the O2 in order to proliferate and survive.

How would the pump/air stone keep the water from going off? It's not in contact with roots or medium, and it's not recycled. I don't see how oxygenating or agitating the nutrient solution in the res would avoid any potential problems.

Click to expand...

ComputerSaysNo said:

I am using 50/50 coco/hydroton as substrate.

As nutrients I give the GH tri-part line at HALF recommended strength, plus some supplements (Fulvic, beneficial bacteria). Plant looks very happy.

The manufacturer of the autopot does not recommend organic fertlizers (such as BioBizz) because that supposedly can lead to clogging. I have no experience with that. Probably some organic ferts work better than others. Maybe it's just fine, and they're just overly cautious with their recommendations.

There is no risk in trying organic ferts. If the system actually clogs, you will find out pretty soon, and then you can simply rinse and feed a mineral fertilizer.

Click to expand...

TomatoGrower123 said:

Hey Growers, I bought an Autopot system and I was wondering how and what to feed the plants in that system. I browsed online and all the people told me that hand watering from the top wont be good for the plant in such a system. So what nutes should I buy because right now I have Bio bizz nutes and a normal hand watering setup.

Click to expand...

OneMoreRip said:

I used them with just coco in the pots and dynagro foliage pro mixed in the res. Results were great. Only thing for me was a little slime in the res, which I heard could be caused by the general hydroponics ph down I was using.

I suggest making sure the bottom doesn’t get waterlogged After you open the valves, in case you turned it on before your plants are ready for it, there is no air circulation at the roots so it will be wet forever if the plants can’t use it.

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