Fertigation manager system

[Sk-one]

Is anyone aware of an off the shelf system that will automate a drain to waste grow? I've been looking around and I haven't seen one yet. I started my first coco grow 6 months ago and quickly realized that the frequent fertigation took up a lot of time. So for the last six months I've been working on an automatic system that can handle 4 plants. It does 3 main things for me. The first is that I can set an interval time for fertigation events and tell it in milliliters how much each station should get per event. The second thing it does is automatically weigh the run-off for each station, and if it is below the percentage that I specify, it will automatically increase future fertigation events by 10 percent. The last chore that it handles for me is once a day it drains all of the drip pans. It is all controlled by a phone app and can be accessed from anywhere you have service to keep an eye on things. It has really made growing a lot more fun for me, and I can leave for days without worrying about anything. The only slight downside is that the plant containers have to be suspended above the drip pans (which are sitting on digital scales). Has anyone else done or seen anything like this? I'm trying to decide if I should turn this into a product and need some feedback from the community! Would something like this make your life easier?

 

[Sk-one]

Really...No one has any thoughts? Here is a screenshot of the app and a picture of the plants elevated above the drip trays and scales.

 

[rkymtnman]

how about a simple 6 outlet manifold, a submersible pump, a digital timer and aquarium tubing to each plant? that's what i use.

 

[jcdws602]

Thats pretty cool. I use the run off pump with float valve from the bucket company paired with my trolmaster controller. The trolmaster controls the fertigation pump down to seconds and the runoff pump drains the runoff into my drain once the float valve is activated. Works pretty awesome. The trolmaster sends me notifications to my phone when a scheduled fertigation is missed by any failure via water sensor in the run off res.

 

[Sk-one]

Hey, thanks for responding. Your system sounds good and must be working well for you. Can you accurately control individualy the amount of water each plant gets? I guess maybe I didn't word my first post well enough. My goal was to create a system that adapts automatically to the plants changing need for water over the course of its life. Another big benefit of my system is that it will save quite a bit of money in nutrient solution because it always ensures that the plants aren't getting too much water. Just out of curiosity, how much did your system cost you?

 

[Sk-one]

Thats pretty cool. I use the run off pump with float valve from the bucket company paired with my trolmaster controller. The trolmaster controls the fertigation pump down to seconds and the runoff pump drains the runoff into my drain once the float valve is activated. Works pretty awesome. The trolmaster sends me notifications to my phone when a scheduled fertigation is missed by any failure via water sensor in the run off res.

Thanks for the response. Does the trolmaster have any way to measure the runoff? How much does that system cost?

 

[rkymtnman]

Hey, thanks for responding. Your system sounds good and must be working well for you. Can you accurately control individualy the amount of water each plant gets? I guess maybe I didn't word my first post well enough. My goal was to create a system that adapts automatically to the plants changing need for water over the course of its life. Another big benefit of my system is that it will save quite a bit of money in nutrient solution because it always ensures that the plants aren't getting too much water. Just out of curiosity, how much did your system cost you?

i went for simplicity and reliability. i've used the same set-up for probably 5 or 6 years. first auto feeding hempy buckets and now auto feeding GH waterfarms.

as a guess, cost was probably $40 to $50 USD

 

[rkymtnman]

the heart of the system:

 

[jcdws602]

Thanks for the response. Does the trolmaster have any way to measure the runoff? How much does that system cost?

The run off pump is $159 and trolmaster environmental controller is 289 but it also controls my lights (on off and dimming), fans, cO2, ac etc.. It doesn't weigh the run off. I just time how long it takes to get the desired run off and set. Check this out. Its the system I use.

 

[Sk-one]

The run off pump is $159 and trolmaster environmental controller is 289 but it also controls my lights (on off and dimming), fans, cO2, and ac. It doesn't weigh the run off. I just time how long it takes to get the desired run off and set. Check it out this out. Its the system I use.

Thanks, that's the first time I've seen anything from the Bucket Company.

 

[jcdws602]

Thanks, that's the first time I've seen anything from the Bucket Company.

Yw. The grow system itself is a little pricey but they work great. One thing I really like is you can use just about any medium.

 

[Sk-one]

Here's a drawing of my setup if anyone is interested...

 

[Sk-one]

With this system I've left my plants unattended for 7 days and the controller takes care of all the work

 

[Sk-one]

Here's a pic of the drip rings that I'm using to evenly disperse the nutrient solution across the top of my grow medium

 

[aussiebuddy]

adaptive feeding is a neat idea

a simple DTW system using an aquarium pump and on a timer and a float switch in the drain sump provides a way to leave unattended for some time for about $100

i have a need for a system that automatically regulates the pH of the res and provides an ability to codify nutrient schedules more than I have need for an adaptive watering system.

 

[Wastei]

adaptive feeding is a neat idea

a simple DTW system using an aquarium pump and on a timer and a float switch in the drain sump provides a way to leave unattended for some time for about $100

i have a need for a system that automatically regulates the pH of the res and provides an ability to codify nutrient schedules more than I have need for an adaptive watering system.

If you're not able to keep an aerated reservoir stable for 14 days with simple DTW you're doing something wrong.

It's all about nutrient ratios and CEC(cation exchange capacity). If you get those parameters right you'll keep pH stable in hydro.

 

[Sk-one]

If you're interested in something like this, I got my website up and running....
www.growtekusa.com

 

[Mr. Bakerton]

Here's a pic of the drip rings that I'm using to evenly disperse the nutrient solution across the top of my grow medium

Can I use those drip rings on a gravity feed watering system? I grow in soil and have been on the verge of making something not as good as this via drip irrigators. This is exactly what I have been looking for. I would assume they will handle a mix of water and nutrients if it is premixed and dissolved?

 

[xtsho]

4 plants in coco? There's a very simple solution. No need to make it complicated.

A 5 carrot Blumat starter kit for $50.

 

[Sk-one]

4 plants in coco? There's a very simple solution. No need to make it complicated.

A 5 carrot Blumat starter kit for $50.

The Fertigation Manager is in a totally different category as the above product. I'm not saying the carrot kit isn't good, but can it be set to fertigate at set intervals? Can it always maintain the recommended 15-25% runoff that most drain to waste media requires? Does it empty the drip trays for you? Does it have an app so you can check on your crop while you are on vacation? The Fertigation Manager is actually quite simple to use and set up as well.