DIY drip system DTW

jondamon said:

I need the emitters on mine or the flow is too much for the timer I’m using.

that’s why I’ve purchased some 8LPH emitters and will most likely buy the 2LPH and 4LPH emitters also to have on hand.

thinking 8 litres per hour each emitter.

15min feeding time is 1/4 of an hour.

8/4= 2 litres per 15mins x2 emitters per plant = 4 litres of feed for that 15mins.

18L pots and 4 litres is perfect for a good 20% runoff.

the others emitters will allow me to control further and can have 2 different emitters in each plant if needed.

Eventually I’ll most likely get a more advanced timer. Such as the TIME+R and have a quick flow rate over some floraflex plates for dispersal.

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the manifold i use has adjustable flow rates. i run them wide open and just adjust my timer. 8 minutes on is what i finally came up with for proper run-off.

Double checked today that were still no leaks!

I placed some kitchen roll (kitchen towel for the USA?) the kind you use to mop up spills etc right by where the kit was installed into the tote last night before I left it alone.

this morning no leaks no drips no wet kitchen roll.



have a darkness pic for your pleasure.

day 71 of 12/12

Nice little timer I just picked up for the pump etc for next run so that I can run it fully open for X minutes to achieve runoff rather than fudging it in the 15minute segmental timer.

My simple system, cheap to build, no pressure issues.
27 gallon rez and the fixing's


My Orbit 8 port manifold, can run up to 3 of these for 24 plants if needed.


The emitters are Rainbird stream rotors. Adjustable arc. The white fitting is a quick coupler so I can remove the pots from the tent to work on them.


Rockies system is an easy setup also.

Purchased some floraflex caps 6” and delivery tube clips for a more uniform delivery method as the coco was only saturating where the drip emitters were.

Looking through this thread gives me a new appreciation for the simplicity of Blumats. No pumps, timers, etc... Just stick them in, setup the flow, and keep the reservoir filled.

xtsho said:

Looking through this thread gives me a new appreciation for the simplicity of Blumats. No pumps, timers, etc... Just stick them in, setup the flow, and keep the reservoir filled.

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Unfortunately you can’t get BLUMATS in the U.K.


it was hard enough to find the floraflex caps lol.

xtsho said:

Looking through this thread gives me a new appreciation for the simplicity of Blumats. No pumps, timers, etc... Just stick them in, setup the flow, and keep the reservoir filled.

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I tell a lie I’ve just found some lol.

however though you need to suspend your water tank higher than the delivery system.

which in most grows isn’t practical.

jondamon said:

I tell a lie I’ve just found some lol.

however though you need to suspend your water tank higher than the delivery system.

which in most grows isn’t practical.

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I'm fortunate and have a metal shelf right next to the tent in the corner of the garage. I can see how it would be impractical in some setups. But they sure make things easy.

xtsho said:

I'm fortunate and have a metal shelf right next to the tent in the corner of the garage. I can see how it would be impractical in some setups. But they sure make things easy.

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Tbh this entire DTW auto system has been a work in progress since early July (when my grow only had a few weeks left lol)

I’m sure once I set it all up with the floraflex caps it’ll be a whole lot easier.

set it to flood for 1-2 mins and it should evenly distributed the solution to the coco via the floraflex caps.

a lot of the back and forth I’ve had has been tinkering with delivery timings and then changing emitters and drippers etc.

It’s a matter of finding what works for your circumstances.

I would be interested, if you ever do one to, to see a tutorial and parts needed for BLUMATS and their setup etc.

jondamon said:

Tbh this entire DTW auto system has been a work in progress since early July (when my grow only had a few weeks left lol)

I’m sure once I set it all up with the floraflex caps it’ll be a whole lot easier.

set it to flood for 1-2 mins and it should evenly distributed the solution to the coco via the floraflex caps.

a lot of the back and forth I’ve had has been tinkering with delivery timings and then changing emitters and drippers etc.

It’s a matter of finding what works for your circumstances.

I would be interested, if you ever do one to, to see a tutorial and parts needed for BLUMATS and their setup etc.

Click to expand...

It's already been done but not by me.

All you need to get started is a starter kit that comes with everything you need except something for a reservoir.

This site probably has the best information and tutorials on using them.


A 5 carrot starter kit is around $50 US. But it sounds like you already have things covered for watering.

xtsho said:

It's already been done but not by me.

All you need to get started is a starter kit that comes with everything you need except something for a reservoir.

This site probably has the best information and tutorials on using them.

Learn More | Sustainable Village

Learn more about Blumats and Sustainability: videos, podcasts, product guides, articles, instructions, and more!

www.sustainablevillage.com

A 5 carrot starter kit is around $50 US. But it sounds like you already have things covered for watering.

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Always handy for others to know when searching the site.

this way if anyone is interested in BLUMATS when they search this thread should come up too.

double whammy lol.

I’ll check out the link and have a read

Thanks @xtsho

gr865 said:

My simple system, cheap to build, no pressure issues.
27 gallon rez and the fixing's
View attachment 4959268

My Orbit 8 port manifold, can run up to 3 of these for 24 plants if needed.
View attachment 4959267

The emitters are Rainbird stream rotors. Adjustable arc. The white fitting is a quick coupler so I can remove the pots from the tent to work on them.
View attachment 4959266

Rockies system is an easy setup also.

Click to expand...

Where did you get those quick connects? How does the whole mainfpild system work for even watering needs for your plants? I'm also curious about how if your have to change the flow rate aren't you just spending a similar amount of time.

I want to DM you about some ideas for a flower only system a few more plants but you have some stuff dialled in.

gr865 said:

My simple system, cheap to build, no pressure issues.
27 gallon rez and the fixing's
View attachment 4959268

My Orbit 8 port manifold, can run up to 3 of these for 24 plants if needed.
View attachment 4959267

The emitters are Rainbird stream rotors. Adjustable arc. The white fitting is a quick coupler so I can remove the pots from the tent to work on them.
View attachment 4959266

Rockies system is an easy setup also.

Click to expand...

I cannot find those quick couplers anywhere in the U.K. lol.

I think they’re a brilliant idea for quick removal.

but alas I can’t find any lol.

jondamon said:

I cannot find those quick couplers anywhere in the U.K. lol.

I think they’re a brilliant idea for quick removal.

but alas I can’t find any lol.

Click to expand...

In the US, they can be ordered from Sustainable Village. I also get my 1/4" red rubber hose from them.

gr865 said:

In the US, they can be ordered from Sustainable Village. I also get my 1/4" red rubber hose from them.

Click to expand...

A life saver thanks brother.

xtsho said:

Looking through this thread gives me a new appreciation for the simplicity of Blumats. No pumps, timers, etc... Just stick them in, setup the flow, and keep the reservoir filled.

Click to expand...

I think Blumats are overrated. The passive feeding can be had with AutoPots as well, and they are cheaper than Blumats.

You need several Blumats per pot, and the flow is difficult to control. The tank needs to be set higher than the top of the pots to allow for arbitrary flow.

If you want to move the pots, you'll have to remove the Blumats individually, or have a manifold in front of each pot.

I do not see why anybody would pick Blumats over, e.g. an AutoPot or an Octopot; Blumats are more expensive, and less reliable and convenient overall. I'm ready to be convinced otherwise, however.

@jondamon Can you link the kit that you have bought for the reservoir water level indicator? With the blue hose.

ComputerSaysNo said:

I think Blumats are overrated. The passive feeding can be had with AutoPots as well, and they are cheaper than Blumats.

You need several Blumats per pot, and the flow is difficult to control. The tank needs to be set higher than the top of the pots to allow for arbitrary flow.

If you want to move the pots, you'll have to remove the Blumats individually, or have a manifold in front of each pot.

I do not see why anybody would pick Blumats over, e.g. an AutoPot or an Octopot; Blumats are more expensive, and less reliable and convenient overall. I'm ready to be convinced otherwise, however.

Click to expand...

Blumats are fantastic in certain applications.

in a bed style grow 3x3 4x4 or even just large pots a blue mat system is much cheaper than an auto pot. in most cases all you need is two carrots and drip tube to go between and the feed system. It's like $50 all in. And growing the system from there is cheap as fuck too because you only really add two carrots drip tube and some T's when you add to the system.

the only real drawback IMO is if you are always bumping into/pulling on accidentally hitting the carrots you gotta make sure they are still well bedded in the medium so they can keep sensing the moisture correctly.

MidnightSun72 said:

in a bed style grow 3x3 4x4 or even just large pots a blue mat system is much cheaper than an auto pot. in most cases all you need is two carrots and drip tube to go between and the feed system. It's like $50 all in. And growing the system from there is cheap as fuck too because you only really add two carrots drip tube and some T's when you add to the system.

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I have looked at the documentation on their website. It says that the XL blumat can give up to 200ml of water per 24 hours. A medium-size plant can take 2-3l per day. That means I would need at least 10 blumats for such a plant. They also say in such a setup the tank would have to sit higher, and the carrots would constantly be dripping water (making it drain to waste if I understand correctly).

What am I missing here? Is their website wrong about their own product? How can you feed an actual plant with 2 carrots if they can't give more than maybe 400ml per day?

I would really like for somebody to show their amazing Blumat grow here and demonstrate how that is better than an AutoPot.

I can see some specialty applications, like many small plants in small pots waiting to be transplanted or something like that.