Blumats

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
That is for 2 pots, 2 pots 2 trays, 2 aqua valves and a reservoir with lines & fittings.. What you linked is just 1 pot, 1 tray & 1 aquavalve (built into tray).
Yes £30 for 1 x2 £60 for two pots, valves and trays with all the fittings that leaves a big chunk for a reservoir.
It's been a few years since I've looked at auto pot gear but the 30/40ltr reservoir was rubbish a 50ltr flip top bin is a sturdier option, however they might have changed.

If you want to do more than one pot buy a tray, a corex lid and smart valve and you have a 2/4/8? pot system.
I've still got a bunch of 120x40 and 60x60 I used for years with good success, if I ever used them again I'd need to figure out some way of leaching the salt build up?
 

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
Can you insert these bluemat things into a pot that's got a plant already growing and 3.5 weeks into flower? It looks like they have to be placed uh invasively deep lol, I don't want to destroy the rootzone.

Pack of 5 for $32CAD ($25USD):https://www.amazon.ca/Tropf-Blumat-32003-Sensors-Automatic-Watering/dp/B000LLJMZW/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=Tropf-Blumat&qid=1606214500&refinements=p_85:5690392011&rnid=5690384011&rps=1&sr=8-7

Those things look nice, but I mean if I've already got the pots, coco, pot elevators and a shop vac why buy a whole nother system instead of a water halo ring or these bluemat probe thingies?
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Blumats work great. I've been using them for years with coco and have great success. I don't use dripclean, I don't flush the lines, I just keep the reservoir filled. As for the lines clogging, they don't if you use the right type of nutrients. As for washing away salt buildup, you don't need to if you feed properly.

They pretty much shoot holes into the theory that you have to water coco daily until runoff. All I do is set them and keep the reservoir topped off until harvest. It's as easy as that. As with most things cannabis, many make it more complicated than it needs to be. Set it and forget it. I'll never hand water coco again. To make it even easier I'm thinking of just setting fabric pots on a capillary mat maintained by a surface blumat. That will make it a real set it and forget it system. It will also allow for the easy removal and addition of plants without having to deal with individual blumats in the pots. Just set the pots on the mat and walk away. I go days without even looking at my plants or worrying about them being watered.

Surface Blumat for use with a capillary mat. Only $38.



Blumats in action. As you can see I don't defoliate anything either. No the lower stuff that does not get much light is stealing nutrients from the buds. That gets stripped off and made into dry ice hash. The end result is more product not less.



 

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
I used that type of system for years with great results but when I started learning a bit more I realised that the ec in the tray is always to high, no surprise as its never flushed.

I feed my plants every day and the run off ec is always up 4/6 points over only 24hrs, people that don't feed to run off always get build up problems?

I know the above to be true and accurate but I also know that you can get good results using a smart valve/autopot even though the ec can reach 2.5... its a bit of contradiction there's obviously more to it?
 

WintersBones

Well-Known Member
How do you flush excess salts using blumats in coco?
I just give my plants a quick flush through the blumats once a month or so when the reservoir empties, just before I top off again,
then resume feeding. So far I havent feed above 1.2EC or so and I don't usually see salt built up.

Look into AutoPots. I just did a run with their 4 pot XL system under a Growers Choice ROI-E720 LED and pulled 1.5 lbs off 4 plants feeding Botanicare CNS17 Grow, Bloom & Ripe base nutrients per feed chart.
I see autopots in my future. I'm happy with how the blumats are preforming for now, makes watering a large number of pots easy on the cheap which is why I went down this road first, as well as I need to move my plants around with my current room/tent layout, but that would definitely be a step up and something I'd like to try.
 

WintersBones

Well-Known Member
Blumats work great. I've been using them for years with coco and have great success. I don't use dripclean, I don't flush the lines, I just keep the reservoir filled. As for the lines clogging, they don't if you use the right type of nutrients. As for washing away salt buildup, you don't need to if you feed properly.

They pretty much shoot holes into the theory that you have to water coco daily until runoff. All I do is set them and keep the reservoir topped off until harvest. It's as easy as that. As with most things cannabis, many make it more complicated than it needs to be. Set it and forget it. I'll never hand water coco again. To make it even easier I'm thinking of just setting fabric pots on a capillary mat maintained by a surface blumat. That will make it a real set it and forget it system. It will also allow for the easy removal and addition of plants without having to deal with individual blumats in the pots. Just set the pots on the mat and walk away. I go days without even looking at my plants or worrying about them being watered.

Surface Blumat for use with a capillary mat. Only $38.



Blumats in action. As you can see I don't defoliate anything either. No the lower stuff that does not get much light is stealing nutrients from the buds. That gets stripped off and made into dry ice hash. The end result is more product not less.



Capillary mat idea is awesome! Might have to look into that myself.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I just give my plants a quick flush through the blumats once a month or so when the reservoir empties, just before I top off again,
then resume feeding. So far I havent feed above 1.2EC or so and I don't usually see salt built up.


I see autopots in my future. I'm happy with how the blumats are preforming for now, makes watering a large number of pots easy on the cheap which is why I went down this road first, as well as I need to move my plants around with my current room/tent layout, but that would definitely be a step up and something I'd like to try.
Feeding low strength nutrients is the key. If you feed 2.5 EC you're going to have issues.

I've been contemplating the capillary mat for awhile. I just haven't gotten around to it as the blumats are so easy already.
 

WintersBones

Well-Known Member
Feeding low strength nutrients is the key. If you feed 2.5 EC you're going to have issues.

I've been contemplating the capillary mat for awhile. I just haven't gotten around to it as the blumats are so easy already.
Ya I've never actually had any problems feeding this way so far and I only clean the system out once in awhile just in case as a preventative measure. Just ordered some distribution outlets so I only need to use and adjust one blumat in the larger pots instead of 2-3 like my last run.
 

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Misunderstanding there, you would need to be plain stupid to use 2.5ec??? I was using perlite and ec 1.4 during hot spells the ec in the tray would rise rapidly to as much as 2.5, the only difference being I was using a tray full of nutrient not a small amount like a single pot.

Also I made it clear that I had good results, it was the ec rising put me off using them, I'd use them again but like @WintersBones I'd flush them periodically.
 
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