[Forest]

The way the autopot system works is by leaching the salts to the surface +-2cm of soil which at the end of a grow can look white with salt and have a caked soil feel.   On the plus this means that you do not need to flush your soil to wash excess salts out the soil but on the down if you do decide to flush the soil you will need to use a large quantity of water or all you are doing is washing the salt cake on top to the roots :/

 

I may be a bit biased here but I love this system and have grown organically in this system as well : )

 ive just set up a flood and drain with fabics and coco and im my research before hand  i came across the upper build up in a few posts ,  they general option was clay balls/perlite type media would be better  as it dont hold ferts , i get over it by tipping a few litres  of the tanks feed  from up top before each res change  to flush the ferts down  as i can only flood up to half way up the pots , , i have bottom fed coco in the past and had great success but i always have to option of a flush from the top can you do that with autopots? i guess you can lift them out should you want to flush ?

 

also coco works much better when top fed in  that it drags oxygen down with it as it drains  sth that wont happen to bottom feeding as well

[Dex]

Interesting points guys @Forest and @Charnel..
From what I've seen is allot had good results but I asked to see if it's worth the 80 odd quid, if I just stop being lazy I can build a semi auto pot but manual put the water in feed from top let it drain the add fresh bits at the bottom..

If that makes sense no res and no collection at the bottom, and I was thinking of the lower half to be more pebbles similar to hempy sort of settings mix the coco and pebbles but mire pebbles at the lower bit,


but then I'd be best off with drip feed with that sort of setting lmao I don't know what to do when I was searching about it it was good things from YouTube to Google.. But those points forest said is pretty interesting

[Charnel]

@forest  You can flush in the way you have described.

 

The Aqua valves that cause the trays to flood and drain will for sure pull oxygen through the roots perhaps not as efficiently as a good soaking but depending on the plant size the autopot will do more than a single flood and drain per day providing oxygen to the lower roots and ensuring that they do not sit in a puddle of water until they rot.

 

Simple system that can probably be out done by others but im not sure on the same level of effort as I say I have had some spectacular yields of these systems off the past and they have a special place in my heart

 

I find that clay at the base raises your ph in the tray and in larger pots will not wick up the moisture which can lead to problems if your plant is particularly thirsty and large for the pot.  I would recommend chunky perlite at the base of the pots over clay pebbles or hydrotons.

 

[Charnel]

Have a look at these if you are considering an organic grow as this is completely possible with an autopot system.

 

http://biotabs.nl/fe...tablets-54.html

 

I like to make my own diy versions but according to many online the tabs work very well

[2scoops]

 A really good system that works really well if you get it right, summink i used for a few years when i started out growing. I`m nearly sure i still have the system tucked away in my loft somwhere, but yes it`s a good en Dex.

[Dex]

A really good system that works really well if you get it right, summink i used for a few years when i started out growing. I`m nearly sure i still have the system tucked away in my loft somwhere, but yes it`s a good en Dex.

What you using now jimmy if you don't mind me asking and hope your well too and sorted

[2scoops]

What you using now jimmy if you don't mind me asking and hope your well too and sorted

 

Well i had or i`ve got the same system as Charnel by sounds of it that takes 2 plants in 7 litre pots in one rezz and i had 6 pots with a 40 litre tank and x3 rezz pot type holder things, the only reason i stopped using it was the auto valve fucked up on one or 2 over time, probably just blocked, fuck knows and the newer auto valves which came out a few years l;ater didnt fit, i still have a brand new autovalve somewhere too, but its a nightmare getting in loft, well tbh i cant get in, fuck climbing, but i seem to remember my mates son coming and packing a load of grow stuff up nice n neat and putting it in a corner in my loft. I know you didnt as that but i do like to ramble as you know mate   But yes  all i use now is a watering can once a day in flower and every other day in veg, i just gotta a 80ltr black plastic £5.99 wilko bin i fill once or twice weekly and dip the watering can in their as and when needs be.

[Forest]

Interesting points guys @Forest and @Charnel..
From what I've seen is allot had good results but I asked to see if it's worth the 80 odd quid, if I just stop being lazy I can build a semi auto pot but manual put the water in feed from top let it drain the add fresh bits at the bottom..

If that makes sense no res and no collection at the bottom, and I was thinking of the lower half to be more pebbles similar to hempy sort of settings mix the coco and pebbles but mire pebbles at the lower bit,


but then I'd be best off with drip feed with that sort of setting lmao I don't know what to do when I was searching about it it was good things from YouTube to Google.. But those points forest said is pretty interesting

to get the best from coco then its dripers imo, rc or rtw. but they do take a bit of tweaking, and learning for the times and frequency you use them for,   they are easy if you have lots of space for run off ,   but if you can simply tip a couple of liters of your res before change day in the top of the auto pots every so often then i think it negates the build up idea (its what im doing on the flood and drain scrog at the mo with frabics and coco and it all going swimmingly,  but i will add drippers for next run i think)

 

like c says perlite is much better than clay balls it wicks well and balls not so well , but they do a bit ! , ive done hempys with both and both worked well imo , theres a simple system for you ,

 

ive built the flood and drain my self and i do think its a cracking system, simple and low maintenance,   i check ph once every two days and top up with just water every three days for now im one week in to flip and i flood three times in 24h  and the growth is super fast , might be worth thinking about if you have the head height for it , i change res every 9 days ish and run a high ec so i dont have to add back nutes mid week as they get depleted.

 

im using 11l fabric pots on it with plain cooc in but next time i would use a perlite mix because i would like to flood more often and a lighter mix would dry quicker, to get the oxygen affect more as it drains and pulls it down ,

 

when you think on it its very  similar system to the auto pots i think? , how much do the auto pots flood up the pots?

 

great subject

[2scoops]

Here`s a great grow done using autpots, he got over 84oz from 8plants growing in just coco, i forgot if he used 2 or 4 lights though tbh. http://www.t-g-c.nl/...ush-dope-style/

[Charnel]

Here`s a great grow done using autpots, he got over 84oz from 8plants growing in just coco, i forgot if he used 2 or 4 lights though tbh. http://www.t-g-c.nl/...ush-dope-style/

 

Now that's a Autopot Grow to sell the system if I have ever seen one!