I haven’t checked the EC/PPM of my final solution but I basically follow a drain to waste chart & dial it back a ml or two on each thing. Full regimen as of right now at day 9 flower:
2ml Armor Si
2-4ml CalMag
12-15ml Bloom Pro Blend
4ml Liquid Karma
2ml Hydroguard
pH of the final mix falls about 6.3-6.4 without adding up or down. I probably should take a PPM reading, I do have a meter. I will next time I make mixes
This is a killer combo with Jack’s 3-2-1. When they say dial them into a hanging drip and then go back ONE click my recommendation would be to go FORWARD one to two clicks and allow them to drain to waste
@Growgrassblowglass solid info, thank you! Are your drip rings also gravity fed, like do they just constantly slow drip until your rez runs dry? At the same time your “carrots” are seeping into the deeper substate, and I’m guessing you have your drip rings and carrots off one reservoir?
This IS good advice, however, i believe the ones that OP @rookiebuds is using are NOT the adjustable type, they have the basic blumat classics. (Which are still very usefull!)
PER blumat : “siphon to pull water from a reservoir into a container, emitting it through the porous ceramic cone”
The moisture is delivered through the ceramic cones, via wicking/siphon.
The only way to “adjust” the blumat classic is to raise/lower the resivoir.
The other style Tropf drippers are fed with line pressure, either from a pump, or gravity, and are much less susceptible to clogging.
Ive only met a small number of ppl using blumats. i try to spread the good word whenever i can.
The 3mm tubing of the carrot feeds the drop ring for more even distribution, other option would be stringing together a few dropper stakes with more 3mm tubing between each which they told me was more likely to clog and the drop rings work better.
The preset carrots come with 2 lines marked for typical gravity and pressure systems, mine have been working just fine off the gravity line, caught them at 250mbar today (a bit dry) so I might adjust them. I hand watered in some nutes instead and I’ll see if they go back to their normal 40-170ish range in the next day or 2.
Generally it bounces between that range though and if I ever catch it a bit high I just open the carrot a half a turn for a few seconds to flush out any gunk or air bubbles and turn it back to where it was and they usually fix themselves that way.
In a month they’ve only been out of whack a few times but never left the plants thirsty, only just a bit out of optimal moisture range for the soil, technically speaking.
I have a 5 gallon bucket connected to the 8mm line, it’s seated on a table behind the tent that’s about 3.5ft high. They recommend 5ft for these versions, and the 3 carrots running off that loup of 2 lines to form an oval on the tent floor so you don’t have a single line and the one at the end of the line getting less pressure.
I know you don’t have to have the reservoir higher for the houseplant ones like you have, but I’d assume a bit of force from gravity would help
I am curious about those ones for my one alocasia though!
Michael box has a number of episodes he’s a guest on growcast podcast and he gives tons of great info on blumats and their use, tips and tricks etc. He’s the owner of sustainable village
Raised the reservoir and added a third carrot to each pot. Hoping this will keep things somewhat moist for at least a two-day period. Time will tell, I’ll let you guys know what happens
Alright, so after 3 days of no watering, the Blumats BAAAARELY did their job, pots were bone dry & light as a feather but the plants showed ZERO stress or wilt.
In my opinion the use of these Blumats helped, but knowing what I’ve learned here from you guys I should opt for larger carrots and possibly accompanying drip rings. Lesson learned, notes taken
Just found this for ya, max of 200ml per 24h with those carrots where my tropf style carrots water about 1 gallon split between 3 plants in 5gal grow bags with 1 tropf each