Does blumatt work in coco? If so, couldn’t one make a passive hydroponic system with them?
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Yes you just set it to how wet you want the coco and it’ll saturate to that level
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For best performance in a soilless coco grow you should have nutrients in all water and feed to runoff multiple times a day . . . something Blumats aren’t capable of. They are great when used as designed in soils but they aren’t intended to be the heart and soul of a hydroponics/soilless grow.
Yes, you can run coco and treat it like soil and reach harvest, but don’t expect to see the results that a grower running coco and properly feeding it will see. About like driving a racecar and never shifting out of first gear . . . leaving a lot of growth potential untapped.
Also Blumats cost more than a pump, timer, lines and a reservoir needed to build an automated feed system . . . I can put together a HFF/DTW system capable of feeding multiple plants for well under $75.
If you do choose to run them, keep in mind they are designed for water and not fertilzers, you’ll need liquid or highly soluble nutrients to avoid issues with the discs, lines and drippers clogging.
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I was looking for something more like an airlift style for a single pot, and drip irrigation (or stream) - can you think of anything effective?
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that’s why I was asking about the Blumatt, I didn’t know if
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If it’s still available, General Hydroponics Waterfarm single.
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it’s a beautiful product, just what I was thinking, but without the need for a motor. I was thinking of something more mechanical that recirculates the nutrient reservoir, something like blumatt but with enough suction force for a drip. There are systems for large water capacities, but I don’t know if there is one for mini fountains or mini pots, some system that uses gravity suction.
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A ram pump is the only thing I know of that will lift water without requiring an outside energy source, it uses the water hammer effect to lift. It may be possible to build a scaled version and have a self powered hydroponics system but I’m not aware of any commercially available product that uses a ram pump or anything similar.
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Yes, I was hoping something similar existed, or to be able to scale that model. It’s not that my life depends on this; I already have my grow tent and my plants, and I like substrate. But I thought it would be fun to research and experiment a bit. I don’t think anything like that exists on a small scale, at least nothing simple. These methods usually rely on gravity generating pressure or vacuum, and I don’t think it’s possible to achieve it on a small scale. I’ll resign myself to it, and something else to do will come to mind. Thanks for your interest; we’re missing a crafts and DIY section in the forum.
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