ComputerSaysNo
Well-Known Member
Either that, or a variation of it. At this point I'm only interested if top feeding even has any merit over bottom feeding (wicking). Having to deal with waste at all does matter (you've mentioned buckets of water in the tent). If there's waste water but no drain, that means pumps and buckets and hoses.
For me it's either an Autopot (have used it, works very well) or a rail with water in it with the buckets sitting on top and wicking from below (like the Hooch Bucket or equivalent). A system like Blumats (clever) is only worth it if the drip feed actually makes a difference to the plant (I do not know if that's the case).
It's a major pain in the ass unless there's a water source and and a drain in the grow room. For the water source, there's at least the possibility of running a hose from the tap, but the lack of a drain means hauling buckets of water to a disposal site.
Then there's the problem of dumping mineral nutrients; not advised to flush it down the drain.
I have to admit that I'm fascinated by the technological aspect of it, but the amount of moving parts is just impractical. One does end up with a system that needs constant babysitting, and sometimes it's just not possible. Especially not in a situation where you can't put anybody else on the task (either the grow is illegal in the first place, or it's a one-man operation).
What really made me pause and change my mind about all this was when StinkBud said, that while he thinks his aeroponic system is great, growing in coco is just as good and with way fewer downsides. And the man has years of experience with a truly impressive self-made system.
Also I've grown in coco with bottom feeding and really did not run into any problems, despite having limited experience, and the results were astonishing, and the system was so hands-off and handled so well, I'm just not ready to believe any longer that any active system has enough benefits for the home-grower to be worth implementing.
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