Is it possible to setup automated watering for a hempy bucket (passive hydro) system?

I was curious if anyone has a known working auto-watering setup using passive hydro aka hempy buckets, and if anyone could give me any advice on the simplest way to do this? Thanks!

I don't grow this way and I am little lazy right now to look it up I kinda know it, but you have no replies.. Why not just a little pump on a timer from walmart digital timer 120v for 17 bucks i think? I use them for my fans they are cheap but good for low key stuffz like this. Again I don't grow this way but you will be inching up water flow a little at a time but at about 4 weeks in you should expect to be increasing the flow like a mofo so watch it suddenly they just start using a shit load more, depending on strains and bla bla bla

Hope a good bump helps you bro

Get another tank and elevate it above where your water line in the buckets------add another smaller tank with a float valve and plumb the bottom large tank to the lower one.

I assume you're using airstones?----if so--- I recommend plumbing a pump ot the controller tank and run continious circulation------will make nute flush a reload much easier also.

Just my opinion,

Alaric

You can drill holes in the bottom of the bucket, since perlite doesn't retain very much water do a drip system like if you were using a hydroton drip system. Recirculating or run to waste, its your choice. Also experiment with flow rate and watering schedules (ex. if you are all perlite perhaps a faster or constant flow, according to how much or if any vermeculite slower flow and on a timer) and soon you will find what works with your plants. I have the big chunky perlite and I do a constant flow through 5 gal. buckets. Hope this makes sense and helps.

John Droe

ns420 said:

I was curious if anyone has a known working auto-watering setup using passive hydro aka hempy buckets, and if anyone could give me any advice on the simplest way to do this? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Have you checked out my Blue Cheese Passive Hydro + Super Soil Journal...

I have used a digital timer system like the ones at Walmart, Home Depot and the likes. You want a good one, about $20.00 work and is seven day programable. If by chance you are automating due to not be home all the time, I use one of those computer power back up units in case power failure. It will be enough to run a small
single pump for awhile therefore reducing the loss of your plants. If it is DWC at least use it for the air pump so the plants nutes are getting O2. Drip feed I used those
multi port manifolds that screw on a threaded PVC pipe, straight up from the Tote reservoir and through the lid unto the manifold. If you want CAP sells a affordable digitale timer that allows the pump to run in second or minutes (up until 10) and a separate off cycle so if you want to use it for a cloner later you can have it on for 10 seconds and off for 10 minutes, this way your reservoir never heats up from a pump running all the time.

I set up auto feeding on 80 2L hempy plants. Only ran it once but it worked very well. heres a sort of picture of it (dismantled) on WoH.

I didnt have it recirculating but I could have if I wanted.

ns420 said:

I was curious if anyone has a known working auto-watering setup using passive hydro aka hempy buckets, and if anyone could give me any advice on the simplest way to do this? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yes I run a system like this but a bit more complex than your thinking of. These are basically bato bucket systems although you can drain into a flood table instead of a pipe....For simple get a 10 dollar garbage can for the reservoir and a 1/4 - 1/2 hp utility pump from e bay skip the b.s. pumps at hydro stores unless you are going real small.
put your hempies on a flood table sitting on some home depot buckets or concrete blocks and drain it into a 10 dollar walmart tote. hook it up with a pump and 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch drip tubing connect it to a digital
timer that programs down to the minute- 20 dollars. Dont forget a 1/8 hole in the pump line just above the reservoir high water line to prevent siphoning

Oh and if anyone knows who is hempy and why was he credited with passive perlite bucket systems. lots of people were using them
back in the early 80s I remember them well.

thecoolman said:

Oh and if anyone knows who is hempy and why was he credited with passive perlite bucket systems. lots of people were using them
back in the early 80s I remember them well.

Click to expand...

..... Hempy gets the credit is because by the time he did it, the web had been invented.

for all we know, the Romans grew in Hempy's. We call it Hempy because he was the guy who popularized it.

I set up an easy one when I went out of town for 6 days, Plants were small and needed water everyday, got a small tabletop fountain for the thrift for 4.00, used a simple timer to turn the pump on and off after 10 minutes everyday, water ran a good stream for 10 minutes, put the plants in a tote, set them on a baking rack about 10 inches high, filled the bottom 8 inches of tote with water and set the timer, ..it worked perfect, they would fill from the top with a small stream and then overflow out the drain hole into the tote, only to be picked up by the submersible pump again the next day, I did not add nutes I just wanted water for that time and I did not have to worry about nute burn while I was away, I use the tote sometimes now to flush my plants, it's pretty easy to set up and take down...

Moebius said:

..... Hempy gets the credit is because by the time he did it, the web had been invented.

for all we know, the Romans grew in Hempy's. We call it Hempy because he was the guy who popularized it.

Click to expand...

Maybe but they were in high times back before then.

I'm growing in a passive Hempy System. Check out Grow Journal #8 in my sig for more details.

[Redacted for idiocy, apologies]

this thread is a little bit old... but i feel the need to give my tip on how to water automatically your hempy buckets! It's a solution i found some weeks ago to solve the problem
of watering during my absence from home for vacation. i found online on amazon this tiny little usb powered device:

it is able to drop 100ml in one minute according to this guy on youtube:

watch?v=HOU-vqsFwL0
link to the actual product in the video description on youtube

multiple times a day if needed...
and with an airstone to keep the water moving and rich with oxygen.... boom!
this is a trick to be used for vacation abscence, but it could, in theory, be used for 24/7 irrigation if u find the proper water & nutrients needs of your plant. And if u
work with clones and know exactly how your plant behaves, than you're ok for the rerst of your life!

Hope this helps ^__^

SIPs FTW!

Moebius said:

Hempy gets the credit is because by the time he did it, the web had been invented.

Click to expand...

Well that...and the fact that Hempy demanded that everyone give him credit. He was sort of obnoxious that way... lol

And just a little aside...half these suggestions would totally not work in a hempy. Drilling holes in bottom? Recirculation? WTF
Cheers,
JD