Dtw first couple autofeed setups

medidedicated · Mar 23, 2023

Never automated feed before. Dtw coco. 1x1 and 2x2. The 1x1 is almost done, the 2x2 will update soon. Any tips, comments, etc are appreciated.

Maxi series and pool shock. When the tub gets low, I can simply prop it up 4” and it can almost empty all of it.

95gph pump. I guess it is enough for one pot. Making a diy halo for a plant nearly ripe, just tired of hand watering. This is fun as heck, my first setup.

The led strips are for the event that it out grows lights or to simply side light the plant as I seen it work great. Not expecting much from 1x1, just a fun couple of ounces of dank indicas.

led side strips are 25w 3000k. Ufo 65w fecida led. Has yellows, reds, blues and whites. No uv or IR. Goal is to make it cheap and easy. The 2x2 will be a normal dtw setup in a resivoir 16gal.

medidedicated · Mar 23, 2023

2x2. It runs great, should of done this long ago. Diy halos are easy and cheaper. Now I know how to make them.

Need to set up a drain system to pump the water out of the runoff tub for ease of use. Have them go to one large bucket.

medidedicated · Mar 24, 2023

Added a pump to the runoff tub so it can pump to a bucket to be tossed away MUCH easier. Testing so far, the runoff tub can hold 2 feedings, 1.5 gallons each.

I do not need that much runoff, I just needed to water more often but could not overnight, so the extra dry back can hold more water and should be watered thoroughly to flush out salts.

But now that I can auto feed 5 times a day, I should not need all that runoff and the coco should be moderately wet the whole time so this mini jug may hold up for 2 feedings. Maybe 3. It is 2.5 gal but 2.25 when full as it has a hole in it for access.

There for, the runoff tub may hold 2-4 feedings, we will see. I use the tub as this grow is almost complete otherwise, I would put plant on a table and use larger bucket. Had to raise the whole tent on boards to make this work, hence the weird setup.

medidedicated · Mar 24, 2023

Avoiding any auto runoff pump setups to save money and piece of mind as, this cannot fail or you already know what that means.

The mini jug has less capacity to make this leak proof somewhat. 2.25 gallons v.s 3 gallon capacity tub.

medidedicated · Mar 24, 2023

I moved the wires lol. Just testing things out. I moved them to otherside. Will have a pump in the runoff tub to pump to same bucket as the 2x2 plant. Just one bucket and two resivoirs to fill twice a day and empty once a day or less often than that is the goal.

Next time I am aiming for much better than this, the 1x1 is a prototype, if you will. Just trying to get a few runs out of it and one day, build thee ultimate dank box. It is really just a diy grobo. I saw it one day and said, “ I want to make my own and much better/cooler for $1200. “

I would put the runoff and solution underneath the whole thing and make it slightly taller for a small fan/carbon filter for when it is needed. The idea is to make it look like furniture, but be a fully equiped grow machine.

Edit: whoops, meant to put this thread in hydroponics. Well, let me know what you think in terms of venting and lighting etc.

medidedicated · Mar 24, 2023

The 2x2 is working great. About to sit back and watch it work itself and fill resivoir every 10 hours. and empty runoff tub every 3ish feedings.

I almost can get one more feed in but darn, just will not make it. 3 Gal bucket should work, and I just might do it but again, I am weeks, almost days from chop on the 2x2 so it would be useless.

Right now it is 5 mins on for a 3 gallon pot in warmer temps every 5 hours. Valve some what closed, big holes in the DIY halo. The little holes where too small so just chucked it with scissors to get a good flow for a 95gph unit.

I bought stakes and ziptied them to the tube to where it holds them. Could of added one more to the top to each stake, not just sideways, to fasten the tube better, but meh, it works.

I really wish I did this long long ago. This is super satisfying and easy. Im a mad man with the tubes lol it is auto feed ONLY from here out.

medidedicated · Mar 29, 2023

Got the 2x2 to look more like a normal setup, put a bucket for a rez. It can feed itself 3 times per 15 hrs and the runoff tub can hold all 3 feedings.

The 1x1, I repositioned strip lights, dedicating to the 11” canopy setup vs 23” with only space bucket strip leds which are too ineffecient and below optimal ppfd.

Still needs work setting up and might need to diy a halo or spaghetti line it to cover the whole pot but maybe its because it needs to be saturated first then wick its way around the pot with regular feed.

I just transplanted and coco laying around for few days so that is why it was dry. more photos coming of adjustments. Shifted halo to sit more flush.

Going to weave up a small dense canopy up til I cannot bend branches anymore. GG4 auto by auto seeds. I have nets and lst clips standing by.

medidedicated · Mar 29, 2023

I did not water yet, usually water in the morning but it wicked itself all the way around, so the halo will stay. As shown, the halo is more flush to the pot now.

The red line marks the top of the canopy, the most space I can make out of this.

Unless I use 1 gallon instead of 2, to give me an extra 3”, but wanted a thriving plant with bigger buds and better water retention, so I chose 2 gallon.

I am finishing up the setup then starting a journal on how this goes, or I might just make this thread the journal.

coreywebster · Mar 29, 2023

Is the lid the run off tub is sat in strong enough to hold all the weight if the tub when full?

medidedicated · Mar 29, 2023

coreywebster said:
Is the lid the run off tub is sat in strong enough to hold all the weight if the tub when full?

Yeah, both setups. The lids are weaker but still hold up, they just crack easy when trying to make holes. The 5gal bucket is only 3.5gal full. I don’t see any sign of it giving in.

Edit: It feeds soon after refilling so it immediately lightens the load, but good point, should be weary of that. It seems to be tough enough though.

medidedicated · Apr 3, 2023

Some algae already. Sign of poor irrigation IMO. Might need to add a dripper. It doesn’t feed smoothly but it is working. Not liking the idea of the tub being a resivoir but then again, in flower, it will be used rapidly.

That might also cause ph drifts but I can still just use a jug or something alternative to the tub for a rez. Something light proof.

The pot is sagging on the base, touching the tray and the runaway system needs to work faster, but is working. Need to raise tray or down slope the hose more steep somehow.

I was affraid of smells and slimes etc with my first setup to find, I have yet to clean the resivoir. So that is good. 1x1 needs refreshing faster.

Probably because it is just salts, sterile. I tried aerating solution before and it rotted so fast, could not see myself doing this.

The 1x1 is in veg so it only needs one watering a day, so not much going on there which does mean some slime in the runoff tub and solution going mildly bad faster. It will catch up.

medidedicated · Apr 3, 2023

Can you dim leds so plant can grow into the light? I could just grow my answer but if anyone can chime in, great! I saw it work for others but we will see. I think I will have to, buds can stretch so much taller than expected.

medidedicated · Apr 5, 2023

Root shootin’ out the bottom already. Thing is already covering most the area, in over my head with this. Lst soon, then over, and over again. The original strip light setup might of been better, could still adjust them so it spirals up the box. Hanging up nets soon.

curious2garden · Apr 6, 2023

medidedicated said:
Can you dim leds so plant can grow into the light? I could just grow my answer but if anyone can chime in, great! I saw it work for others but we will see. I think I will have to, buds can stretch so much taller than expected.

I'm assuming it would depend on the LEDs. I could grow so I was touching my glass enclosed hood on my 1000W HPS but on my LED in flower I can't get closer than 18" or I start to see barring from the light's intensity. So it's back off from 80% to 60% while I learn my lights.

medidedicated · Apr 8, 2023

About week 2.5 so clipped it sideways. Got a 9” halo on its way to double line the pot. Going to clip the hosing by the stem of the plant so the hose line purposely leaks on its way to the halos. I anticipate full drip coverage when I set that up.

medidedicated · Apr 8, 2023

Update, got the second halo and middle of pot drip line set up. It waters too fast but at least thoroughly to my liking. Should see less algae therefor.

Will need a switch that functions in seconds, can only run for 50 seconds before it is overflowing. I cut too many holes in the middle drip line but it works.

Hung up a net to weave stems around it along with lst clips to meet the limited canopy requirement. Which could always dim lights to let plants grow into it. Taking signs and acting immediately to not burn plants.

The ball joint is almost all the way open. I think this is best I can get it.

In over my head! thing might as well be called a waste of time or the rot box haha. It is just for fun, not sure what I see in this. Ornamental weed haha.

Kola_Kreator · Apr 8, 2023

medidedicated said:
Some algae already. Sign of poor irrigation IMO. Might need to add a dripper. It doesn’t feed smoothly but it is working. Not liking the idea of the tub being a resivoir but then again, in flower, it will be used rapidly.

That might also cause ph drifts but I can still just use a jug or something alternative to the tub for a rez. Something light proof.

The pot is sagging on the base, touching the tray and the runaway system needs to work faster, but is working. Need to raise tray or down slope the hose more steep somehow.

I was affraid of smells and slimes etc with my first setup to find, I have yet to clean the resivoir. So that is good. 1x1 needs refreshing faster.

Probably because it is just salts, sterile. I tried aerating solution before and it rotted so fast, could not see myself doing this.

The 1x1 is in veg so it only needs one watering a day, so not much going on there which does mean some slime in the runoff tub and solution going mildly bad faster. It will catch up.

If you get the right type of nutrients you can aerate your res and grow a healthy colony of beneficial microbes, similar to a compost tea. Sterile hydro systems won't give you the growth that the hybrid organic/salts nute lines can. If you got bad bacteria just from running air then you might want to look at a different nutrient line.

Are you running an agitation pump? It's best to keep the water moving all the time. This will help with the health of the res.

In late veg/flower you want to be watering every hour starting 1 hour after lights on until 2 hours before lights out. Set the timer to for about 6-10 seconds.

medidedicated · Apr 9, 2023

Kola_Kreator said:
If you get the right type of nutrients you can aerate your res and grow a healthy colony of beneficial microbes, similar to a compost tea. Sterile hydro systems won't give you the growth that the hybrid organic/salts nute lines can. If you got bad bacteria just from running air then you might want to look at a different nutrient line.

Are you running an agitation pump? It's best to keep the water moving all the time. This will help with the health of the res.

In late veg/flower you want to be watering every hour starting 1 hour after lights on until 2 hours before lights out. Set the timer to for about 6-10 seconds.

It was GH flora series and also mother plant A and B (I was new at this, not knowing what I was doing, that mothering plants is a whole ball of wax of its own and not needed.

I used hydrogaurd which I am sure was part of the issue.

I used a 95gph pump to aerate and basically had the same setup as the bucket I have now for the 2x2 but it rotted quick. It was just a bucket and pump with hose near the surface. I was hand watering but trying to keep aerated at least but failed.

Not sure what is going on since I am doing the same thing but with h2o2 and pool shock added with no issues. No aeration though.

Have not needed to clean either rez yet, still. About 3 weeks into this. I was going to aerate again soon, just trying to finish up this run and keep building the 1x1. Next setup will have aeration.

2x2 is a few weeks away from chop, the 1x1 I have time to figure out how to aerate.

Treesomewanted77 · Apr 9, 2023

medidedicated said:
It was GH flora series and also mother plant A and B (I was new at this, not knowing what I was doing, that mothering plants is a whole ball of wax of its own and not needed.

I used hydrogaurd which I am sure was part of the issue.

I used a 95gph pump to aerate and basically had the same setup as the bucket I have now for the 2x2 but it rotted quick. It was just a bucket and pump with hose near the surface. I was hand watering but trying to keep aerated at least but failed.

Not sure what is going on since I am doing the same thing but with h2o2 and pool shock added with no issues. No aeration though.

Have not needed to clean either rez yet, still. About 3 weeks into this. I was going to aerate again soon, just trying to finish up this run and keep building the 1x1. Next setup will have aeration.

2x2 is a few weeks away from chop, the 1x1 I have time to figure out how to aerate.

Try a wave maker instead of a pump it will help keep temps down. I use a pump and often forget I turned it on and my res water will be in the 80’s but hasn’t hurt anything yet and I don’t run sterile anymore unless I’m doing DWC or F&D haven’t needed to in DTW so far. I did switch over to GH flora series from flora nova bloom because the nova bloom is so dirty and I have noticed my res stay way cleaner with the flora series but the 3 bottles is the part I don’t like

medidedicated · Apr 15, 2023

Have not connected the socket timer yet. Hard to decide what to time it at. It either over flows or not enough. I snapped a branch trying to lst it with a clip. Man handled it too much.

Back breaking box to work on haha, I have to try hard not to accidently snap something off. Almost time for flowering, should have no issue filling in space. Flowers in like a few days. (planted 3/21)

I cannot get runoff to drain fast enough. Any plumbing tips appreciated. Thinking it needs a steeper slope to run straight into tub, the hose sitting in a pool of water might be part of it.

Need to get a 90 degree pvc fitting and cut the hose? Thinking of using a bucket for resivoir like I have for the 2x2. This prototype needs much better design improvement. Not even a prototype since my next design will be much different.

Dtw first couple autofeed setups

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