organicgordon
Member
Has anyone used used blumat systems with soil? How easily does it work? I want to be able to leave on trips without worrying about the health of my plants. How tough is it to learn how to use well?
Blumat with Soil and Megacrop?
- Thread starter organicgordon
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- advice needed blumat question
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
Blumats work great!!! They can be a bit tricky to dial it in at first but once it is set it’s pretty much automatic. That is unless you let the system run dry. Any air that gets in from low water level requires you to bleed it off. Sort of like a hydraulic brake system on a car.
The system is gravity fed so you’ll need to elevate the bucket or whatever reservoir vessel you use at least double the height of the carrots. Every so often you’ll need to re-soak the carrots and reset the system. If it never runs low you can avoid this for much longer. Setting the drip flow is easier and more stable I find if you keep the lines at an even height. I zip-tied a few of them to keep the flow nice and even.
One problem I had was that in the summer my plants were taking down more water than a single 5gal bucket could deliver to them. After 4-5 days the bucket was getting dry. So instead of squeezing a larger reservoir in an already cramped space I opted for a pump attached to a recycle timer set to fill the res bucket daily. This essentially doubles the capacity so I can go away for 10+ days and not worry about watering my plants. I also drilled a hole in the lid and put in a wooden dowel stick glued to a patron cork with a piece of tape indicating the water level visually.
I still hand water as needed and soak the roots every few weeks. You can hand feed like this too but you don’t want to run anything through the system except water. Using fabric pots virtually eliminates overwatering as any runoff ends up on the floor.
The system is gravity fed so you’ll need to elevate the bucket or whatever reservoir vessel you use at least double the height of the carrots. Every so often you’ll need to re-soak the carrots and reset the system. If it never runs low you can avoid this for much longer. Setting the drip flow is easier and more stable I find if you keep the lines at an even height. I zip-tied a few of them to keep the flow nice and even.
One problem I had was that in the summer my plants were taking down more water than a single 5gal bucket could deliver to them. After 4-5 days the bucket was getting dry. So instead of squeezing a larger reservoir in an already cramped space I opted for a pump attached to a recycle timer set to fill the res bucket daily. This essentially doubles the capacity so I can go away for 10+ days and not worry about watering my plants. I also drilled a hole in the lid and put in a wooden dowel stick glued to a patron cork with a piece of tape indicating the water level visually.
I still hand water as needed and soak the roots every few weeks. You can hand feed like this too but you don’t want to run anything through the system except water. Using fabric pots virtually eliminates overwatering as any runoff ends up on the floor.
organicgordon
Member
@Richard Drysift wow thank you for the thorough answer! My mom had an aquarium growing up so I remember the syphoning principles from that doesn’t sound too different. I’ll look into it, I have airpots and fabric pots so I would need a lot of water and I’m in a 2x2.5 so that might need to be refilled often
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
You can make a reservoir for blumat system out of virtually any vessel to suit your needs. They sell a kit for this but whatever you use make it totally lightproof. Black is the best color. Also do yourself a favor and aquire/install some extra valves in the line so you can turn the system off for maintenance. Makes adjustment of the lines and changing the carrots around so much easier
organicgordon
Member
@T macc you mean like those classic fish tank air pumps that people use for compost teas? I was planning on scratch feeding, that’s good to know so I can help it out
organicgordon
Member
@Richard Drysift thank you for the input! I have some thinking to do for sure
T macc
Well-Known Member
Not the air pump. A submersible water pump. Like for fountains and hydro
xtsho
Well-Known Member
Blumats work great. I run them with 100% coco in fabric pots. I used to add perlite to my coco but no longer do. It's not needed and just one more thing I don't have to buy. Plants grow just fine without it. I run nutrients and never have any problems with clogged lines. I don't bother with drip clean products. The nutes you use will determine whether you get clogging or not. I just use calcium nitrate, MKP, and a micronutrient blend. Not all nutes are good for running through blumats. Some of the dark colored sludgy nutrients are not good candidates to use as they will leave deposits in the lines. The lines that go from the main line to the blumats are only 3mm.
I use an 18 gallon tote elevated above the pots with a small pond pump in the bottom to keep the nutrients oxygenated and stirred up. Works like a charm. I just mix my nutes and fill the reservoir. No hand watering at all.
I use an 18 gallon tote elevated above the pots with a small pond pump in the bottom to keep the nutrients oxygenated and stirred up. Works like a charm. I just mix my nutes and fill the reservoir. No hand watering at all.
bladecutter
Member
Great information. One quick question, are you using the Blumat Juniors that don't' have a dripper or the others that have a pump and use the drippers that you adjust for each pot? I am going to try the Juniors. I know how wet the pot is determined by the height of the reservoir. But how do I know how damp the pot should be?
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
Did not know there were so many! Your res needs to be elevated at least double the height of the carrots when placed into containers but going higher than this does not increase pressure in the lines. Gravity does the work; it just has to be high enough. While the “junior“ style carrots could work for you I recommend the drip valve style ones for more control.
The juniors are intended for houseplants in small containers, not saying they won’t work but you’ll probably need 2+ per container and you will have to keep the plants small. There is no way to adjust flow; they are passive feed only. A well established root system should pull and distribute the water throughout the container but if the juniors dont provide as much moisture as the plants need then you’ll need to hand water. I would use solid containers as opposed to fabric if you go with the juniors.
With the drip valve style carrot you can adjust as needed to keep positive flow. They still dispense water passively; sweat right through the terra cotta but then you have added control in case your res runs dry or temps rise. With the drippers use fabric side pots so runoff flows onto the floor instead of pooling up in the soil all anaerobic and what not.
When you build your pots water by hand just after transplant. Water to capacity without runoff. Lift up on the pots to roughly gauge the weight; now you know what a well hydrated container feels like. When the container feels much lighter than this they need water. If that ever happens with the juniors you’ll have to add another carrot to the system but with the drippers you just open the valve another 1/4 turn to increase the flow.
The juniors are intended for houseplants in small containers, not saying they won’t work but you’ll probably need 2+ per container and you will have to keep the plants small. There is no way to adjust flow; they are passive feed only. A well established root system should pull and distribute the water throughout the container but if the juniors dont provide as much moisture as the plants need then you’ll need to hand water. I would use solid containers as opposed to fabric if you go with the juniors.
With the drip valve style carrot you can adjust as needed to keep positive flow. They still dispense water passively; sweat right through the terra cotta but then you have added control in case your res runs dry or temps rise. With the drippers use fabric side pots so runoff flows onto the floor instead of pooling up in the soil all anaerobic and what not.
When you build your pots water by hand just after transplant. Water to capacity without runoff. Lift up on the pots to roughly gauge the weight; now you know what a well hydrated container feels like. When the container feels much lighter than this they need water. If that ever happens with the juniors you’ll have to add another carrot to the system but with the drippers you just open the valve another 1/4 turn to increase the flow.
bladecutter
Member
Thanks. Great information. I tried to cancel my Junior order earlier today but missed the window. I'll either return them or use them on some house plants. For the right garden, Blumats are a great option.
TheRealJPeterman
Member
Did you make your own? Having a hard time finding a diy solution... Or even a 5 gallon that comes ready to use.
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
No I’m lazy; splurged for the blumat starter set with the bucket pre-drilled and then added more carrots & feeder lines later on. Any plastic bucket w/lid will work but the black ones are not cheap; hydro stores usually stock them.
TheRealJPeterman
Member
Haha I'm lazy too It's the drilling of holes and sealing properly that I'm worried about as far as diy, but, I'll keep looking. Thanks.
xtsho
Well-Known Member
I started with the 5 carrot starter kit without the bucket. It comes with the bulkhead fitting to use with whatever you want for a reservoir. Drill one hole and put the fitting in. It has gaskets and is water tight. Then just attach the feed line.