Growing with Drippers - An experiment in automation

Hi all, I plan to do a closet grow, 4 weeks veg, 4 weeks 1st flower, 4 weeks 2nd flower with a 3 stage system, 4 plants at each stage at all times (12 total, sometimes sixteen, to get a few extra weeks vegetative growth in).

The veg stage will be 4 plants under a 250W MH, the flower stage will be 8 plants under a 600W HPS. They will both have perspex shields seperating the plants and the lights so that there is plenty of airflow and not an excess of heat in the cupboard.

Anyway, I'm thinking about using drippers to feed my plants - I found drippers that can be adjusted between 0.5l/week and 1l/hr, which easily covers the amount of water my plants would need at the beginning and at the end. I would be using three seperate solutions, first water, then veg composition for the seedlings, mild flowering/veg for the stage two plants that are maturing, and full flowering nutes for the stage three plants.

Does anyone have any information/input about using drippers? Can anyone explain disadvantages, if any, and will I have to worry about not feeding my plants at intervals but constantly? Will it be easier to overnute or overwater, should I be worried, etc, etc.

Thanks for your input,
UK Grower Anon.

Hello Mr. UK...

you are growing in soil correct?

why do you want to use drippers?

If you water properly (correct technique).. you will only need to water once every 3-10 days depending on...

plant age
plant size
room temperature


the main concern with using drippers (with soil as your medium) is finding the correct setting/interval of watering.

you don't want to over water , under water or promote uneven root growth in a pot or container...

uneven root growth is caused by improper watering techique... this can often lead to a plant becoming root bound


iloveyou


IF you are going to use drippers, I encourage you to use a 50% perlite mix with your soil.. this will prevent over watering...

keep us posted

Iloveyou

Damn! Knowm,
I use drippers with my grow! You taught me sumthin'! I thought my soil mix was a bit of a hog! I knew perilite would be a good drainage supplement,but I had no idea that it would be such a difference as to the times you had to water! Meaning.that if you pick the pot up and fill the weight,you can then feel the need to water!Or not.....I've found that the perilite with my grow and soil mix,should be 25-25-50 That's not NPK! it's perilite,manure,aged or composted,and pro mix potting soil.Used this way,it will have a better chance to use the nutes as well as not needing to water as often.Or risk the chance of using too much nutes.Ya already got the manure in there.It'll be some time in veg before ya acctually fertilize.My indoor mix is gonna be 25-25-50 from now on! Thank's! Outdoors? 50-50 no perilite at all!Even the old can be taught things!This Ole' Dawg's,got a new trick!

Thank's!
Ga Grown