Blumats. Who's using them?

calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
Lets just say my friends system failed last month and dumped 20 gallons of nutrient solution in his upstairs grow due to the gravity feed nature. Write a list of pro's and con's honestly if you're someone that isn't around your plants at least once every 2 days you shouldn't grow these plants need lots of attention to be grown correctly.
 
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Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
I was looking into drip rings, from what I've read they clog up as much as the drippers do, so I decided to go another route.
Got a bunch of 3mm 3way splitters and branches the main line into 2 lines, then ran them to diff sides of the pot. Sometimes they both drip sometimes just one or the other. It's not perfect but it works. Just found the drippers were clogging every couple weeks when using the bloom booster in the res.
I also go 6more carrots, and the plan is to do an organic run with just water in the res in my 3x3
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
I’m outside, heated tent in shed.
Res is not in heated tent.
water has got to be too cold.
Water temps are 10deg
It’s about 3-10 degrees in the shed at night.
I’m using salt nutes, and no pump or aeration in the gravity res.
It’s only been a week since setting it up. But being winter-ish here, temps have dipped from mild to freezing.
Should I get a pump to mix, or heater for the res?
I have a heat mat and controller I could put under the res.
Set it to 18-20?
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I've had a rough time with my setup, so I'm switching to rockwool during my next grow just to pull a big harvest and get myself back on track. Then I'm probably try the Blumats again with three gallon pots instead of the tiny ones I'm currently using.
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Cookie Rider said:
I’m outside, heated tent in shed.
Res is not in heated tent.
water has got to be too cold.
Water temps are 10deg
It’s about 3-10 degrees in the shed at night.
I’m using salt nutes, and no pump or aeration in the gravity res.
It’s only been a week since setting it up. But being winter-ish here, temps have dipped from mild to freezing.
Should I get a pump to mix, or heater for the res?
I have a heat mat and controller I could put under the res.
Set it to 18-20?
Click to expand...
Your water should be min 62°f to 72°f
I heard the carrots sometimes don't work as well in the cold. Plus that's a little too chilly on the plants.
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
78-82 in tent with girls and carrots.
Res is outside tent, in unheated shed.
It’s about 55 in there now.

adding heat mat under res now.
And blanket to insulate res for now.
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
lusidghost said:
I've had a rough time with my setup, so I'm switching to rockwool during my next grow just to pull a big harvest and get myself back on track. Then I'm probably try the Blumats again with three gallon pots instead of the tiny ones I'm currently using.
Click to expand...
What size are you using now?
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Cookie Rider said:
What size are you using now?
Click to expand...
They are like 1/2 gallon fabric pots. I think it would have worked if I used plastic pots. The issue seems to be they are either overwatered or underwatered to the point where they are slowing drying and the salts are building up into crazy levels. I could keep lowering my EC compensate for the buildup, but I think it would take a few grows to get it perfect and I'm tired of experimenting at this point.

My plants don't look horrible, but they definitely aren't expressing their full potential. Mostly some lock out burns that looks like deficiencies around the edges. I'm just glad I read the runoff and caught it before they burnt to a crisp. Now I'm using the Blumats as a secondary watering system, hand watering once a day at a low EC, and letting them ride it out until harvest in a few weeks.
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
Jjgrow420 said:
I just use a submersible aquarium heater.
Click to expand...
Just picked up a submersible heater and “organics” to topdress and straight water in the blumats after seeing the floating bits in the res after a week with just salt based nutes in there.
Changing foods always is interesting.
Here we go!

After a week w the mats and it’s very cool to see each girls drinking pace.
And how the leaves change w more and less. Really learning how to read the leaves better.
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Cookie Rider said:
Just picked up a submersible heater and “organics” to topdress and straight water in the blumats after seeing the floating bits in the res after a week with just salt based nutes in there.
Changing foods always is interesting.
Here we go!

After a week w the mats and it’s very cool to see each girls drinking pace.
And how the leaves change w more and less. Really learning how to read the leaves better.
Click to expand...
Agreed, you can really dial in your feed.
I run a uv sterilizer light on my res. Keeps it clear. Some nutes bung up in the res other don't. GH 3 part is fine. No bits. Calmag from gh. (if you run ro)
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
Ok, I’ve reduced my head count.
Down to six or so.
Potted up from 1gal to 3 gal.- to allow better growth.
Going to straight water in blue mats.
And Gaia green 4-4-4 in the pro mix.

hope I get the lush growth and time back from mixing foods.64B86D87-E822-4172-94B6-5EE87729919D.jpeg
 
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Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Cookie Rider said:
Ok, I’ve reduced my head count.
Down to six or so.
Potted up from 1gal to 3 gal.- to allow better growth.
Going to straight water in blue mats.
And Gaia green 4-4-4 in the pro mix.

hope I get the lush growth and time backfrom mixing foods.
Click to expand...
I usually don't run straight 4-4-4
Always mixed it 60/20/20
60% 4-4-4 20% insect frass 20% 2-8-4
Then I'll add some bokashi pro grow on top, diatomaceous earth and glacial rock dust and a pinch of bat guano.
 
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