Autos are very limited and highly variable.
1. My plants would be deficient optimized grows need more than half strength and the manufacturer of the fertilizer dictates the strength overall and how much you can/can't use. The use half rule doesn't apply for everyone or everything.
2. I let plants sit right on the concrete on plastic trays, they drink the little runoff that comes out every time I water. Yields and quality have never been better in Promix HPCC or coco/perlite. My heavy runoff plants are actually performing less than the plants that sit right in the run off.
3. The only thing that isn't Bro Science. Air circulation is key.