I’m finally going to install a drip system in my tent, and I have a couple of questions.
I am going to use my smart home system to create virtual timers for my pump, but I have no idea how strong of a pump I’ll need. My thought was to split the line out of the pump into 3 lines, with (6) 3 gal pots on each line. I’m not going to run it daily, but 2 times a week. I want to soak the pots with each watering.
So my questions are:
Is 6 pots per line ok? I don’t want the first pots to get flooded and barely have any water make it to the back pots.
Hey @RexVegas420 welcome to OG someone will be along to advise you soon, I’m interested as I would like to build a fertigation system for coco coir grows💚
OK I’ll try to help out a little bit. First off watering twice a week would be fine in maybe Veg and early flower, you will need to water more often in late flower.
OK now for drip. Correct way would be something like a shurflo/seaflo pump run to a pressure regulated drip manifold, usually have 6-9 ports or so, then to the drip emitters your choice on gph.
Might have to experiment a bit to see what works in your setup, lot of variables. #1 can definitely be a problem. Siphoning is another thing to watch out for.
I use the cheapest pumps with 1/2" line to mainifold(s) then 1/4" to each pot with an open end or tee(s). Simple, cheap, reliable.
Thanks for the tips. So you can adjust the flow of water from the pump on those models? That definitely sounds like what i need. I watered 2 times a week for 20+ years and it is just fine as I use a coco/sphagnum mix to help retain moisture. I don’t really use a soil per se.
I’d suggest you look into blumat if you haven’t bought all the stuff yet, it’s a personal preference, have tried both ‘active’ and ‘passive’ hydroponics.
The pumps are not adjustable. What you would do is select the gph your looking for and then time your pump accordingly. A guesstimate but I’m sure you could run about 20+ drip emitters off the single pump. Can use as many or as few drip emitters as you need depending on the manifold you buy.
I use a drip system. I use an aquarium pump and black poly with twist lock connections. For the drippers, aquarium pumps cannot achieve the pressure for regular emitters. You’ll need high pressure pumps, which has a whole mess of complexity.
What I did instead was to use 1/8” line and netafim stakes with no emitters.
They look like this. Custom hydro sells them. I run 2 per pot in 2gal coco in my hybrid hempy bucket method. (I’m happy to report I’ve been using for a year now and love it).
I haven’t had any issues with clogging from nutrients, even with running the ec at 2.7 for tomatoes. But what has been a problem on occasion is clogging from plant roots growing into the tubes.
I use some grow clean in my mix though. It has polyphosphate that helps prevent clogging.
I use the same netafim drippers and learned to run a filter screen in between the pump and the drippers and this helps with preventing clogs.
Edit to say that my inline filter is also a pressure regulator since I use a pretty strong sump pump. It’s something to consider if you’re getting a strong flow and cannot drop drip time enough to compensate.
Also, if you are only operating a tent I would recommend going the coco and blumat route first. Just elevate a 27g black and yellow tote and put in a passive drip loop. You’ll use way less water and the coco only takes water only as it needs it
