Ghost Rose landed today!
Thanks @ReikoX !!!
6 Likes
YUP.
Which I why I assume you built your system as thatās why I built mine! A buddy looked into it; decided it was too much $$ to invest compared to just buying more buckets + net potsā¦ so he did that.
Week 2 flower he culled the plants as they ALL had problems. When he did 1-2 buckets it was fine; but he didnāt think about how much extra time it takes to maintain each additional bucket. I was trying to explain to him that the investment you put into building the RDWC system will have immediate returns in your time required to do the daily work. Then, after cycle 2 youāre prob paid off your investment with the additional productivity! Then afterwards itās all healers profit from there.
I only have a 4 plant system and itās allowing for huge yields when in use; so it took 2 cycles for it to āpay for itselfā. (as Iām not selling anything, the āpayā is representative of yield vs time compared to soil/soiless in all the other ways I grow; 2x cycles was A LOT of flower for the pantry 
)
5 Likes
I was thinking running multiple strains Iād be feeding each plant individually. Screw that though I aint mixing 12 different batches of nutes. Everyones been getting the same level of feed anyways.
3 Likes
@ReikoX Thanks! your posts really got me thinking on blumats again. I came across this pretty cool project that uses them as a low cost tensiometer for an automated system with raspberry pi/arduino. There are some really cool possibilities with these.
2 Likes
Thatās a pretty cool article. Had I found it years ago, I may have attempted using it. But it seems to me like they are reinventing the wheel. The beauty of the Blumat system is it is strictly analog. No computers, no power, and only a few moving parts.
Honestly, all Iāve done for the last 18 days is add water to my reservoir. Itās kind of getting boring. Maybe I should give them a foliar spray. 
18 Likes
If you installed a toilet fill valve in the reservoir you would literally have nothing to do 
9 Likes
They make a pressure reducer that letās you hook them up directly to a water source. I donāt have access to water in my workshop though.
7 Likes
I wouldnt disagree, simplicity adds a lot. However iāve not seen a better tensiometer solution if you want to computerize as the digital ones either corrode or cost a small fortune.
3 Likes
Yep, they make a digital moisture meter based on the same principle. I have one in each bed. Thatās what got me convinced to use these.
5 Likes
Thanks, that is the most logical notion I have heard. Witness how our outdoor plants move to the sun
The only reason to go further is if you want to see tensiometer readings over time, especially when graphed with data that also includes air temp, relative humidity, etc. over time.
1 Like
Do you only run pure water through the Blumats, or is there some sort of low PPM solution?
1 Like
Pure water. I got the soil tested, then amended it based on the results of that soil test.
10 Likes
Iāve seen somewhere awhile back, there is a light system that moves the lights across the grow room to imitate that āsun travelā action. But it would only work in a larger grow op, it was an interesting concept, lol but not one Iām willing to try! I just do like most folks and adjust the plants, as needed.
6 Likes
5 Likes
I had one one time it got hung up. I had like too low. Letās say they were toast. They work good. Iāve also seen the spinning lights. Were the lights turn around your plant. Just talking
1 Like
I had a Lightrail in my basement room before starting to remodel; itās a good way to stretch lighting too, I had 2 1kw HPS bulbs covering a 3āx16ā space. For an extra 15 watts/hr, and less investment in the motor than one extra light, Iām fairly happy with it. Iām planning to order another soon, since Iām expanding the usable space to more like 7āx18ā - Iāll have 4 350w LEDs covering the space, weāll see how it works. If itās an epic fail, youāll get to watch me faceplant again on my grow thread, thatās always fun. 
The downside, as @Hemp said, is that thereās a bit of a headroom adjustment. The assembly takes about 4-6", so youāre a bit more limited on how tall the plants can get. Still, I wouldnāt call what I have a large grow op, and it worked reasonably well for me.
7 Likes
naw cuz, faceplant is never fun, especially if itās your own faceplant! But things happen, so good luck!!
It might not be a ālargeā grow op but its a good sized room, so that works lol
4 Likes
True, I wouldnāt recommend it at all for a tent unless itās a real monster. 
2 Likes
15ā long monster lol
3 Likes