Help with a drip system?

Zenogears

Zenogears

Well-Known Member
I've seen a few in a couple videos and pictures, but I don't quite get it. I've got 8 girls flowering right now in 3 gallon grow bags and it takes me an hour to water them, every 2-3 days. It's getting to be quite a pain in my rear end.

Does anyone have any links for tutorials about drip systems, maybe a list or links of materials I need to buy to set it up? It would be nice to just have to change a reservoir instead of watering 3 liters per plant, having to adjust the ph and nutrients every time i water.

I know many of you will say to just go hydro, but I like to grow with soil... I don't grow to make a bunch of money, I do it mostly because I love it. It would just be nice to set it up where I don't have to water every 2 days. I'm not very strong, so it's hard for me to carry that much water and move all those plants around to get to them to water them.

Thanks for any help boys and girls, it means a lot.
 
reddan1981

reddan1981

Well-Known Member
when I was running 8plants, I bought an 8 line manifold attachment. One end attaches to a hose, the end of that hose to a pump, pump sits in res, plugged to a timer. Buy the drip line size to match the 8 manifold ports. Cut each drip line equally this will help even flow rate. Get dripper rings, steaks or leave the drip line end open.
 
Nugs1

Nugs1

Well-Known Member
Ok so I give you a really simple thing to do but you'll have a few steps to complete it.
Get a reservoir (however many gallons your feeding the plants), go on amazon or whatever and get a water pump (http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Mag-Pump---150-GPH) something like this is what I have but I believe its rated at about 250 gph. Get 1/2 inch black tubing, you can find that at almost an hardware store. Then get several feet of 1/4 inch black tubing. Also get these (http://www.amazon.com/Raindrip-312050B-Barbed-Connectors-4-Inch/dp/B003B68AU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433577164&sr=8-1&keywords=1/4"+drip+connectors) or something like it form anywhere, its cheaper for me at my local hardware store. Lastly pick this up, (http://www.amazon.com/Raindrip-R630CT-Hole-Punch-Plugs/dp/B000BQW8J4/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1433576764&sr=1-1&keywords=drip+hose+punch) got mine at my hydro store.

Now punch however may holes you think you need in the 1/2" tube, those will be your feeding lines. Connect the 1/4" tubing to it with the little barbs. I'd prob do 2 feeders tubes for each plant. Now you can just stake the end of the tube near the base of the plant or buy one of those circle drip feeders. Up to you. If you have the space for something like a couple hundred gallon reservoir then go for it. Take a gallon jug and put one of those feeder tubes into it, turn on the pump then time how long it takes to fill up that jug. Say it takes 30 seconds, then you will know that in 2 minutes your girl got 4 gallons of water from each feed tube.
Ok maybe it sounds difficult but its not i promise.
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
it may have already been said but

you will want to make sure you have a filter between your pump and drip emitters to ensure you drip heads don't get clogged = dead plant

I use rigid 1/2 black pipe.... pierce the pipe and install the emitter which looks like a button and snaps in designed to regulate water flow... then attatch the tube and then at the end of the tube goes your stake

I would use a 30 gln trash can with a lid for a res

if the drip lines syphon you may need to put a tiny hole in the tubing just above the pump but inside your res... it will pee nutes when the pump activates but it will land back into the res if the hole is properly placed.....
 
Daggy

Daggy

Well-Known Member
Best way to do it (My opinion) Is to have a res with a pump on a timer.
From the pump you would run pvc in your grow with some T's installed and some risers coming out of T's.
Then you screw on your emitters and microtube them to your plants.
I have built like 3 auto waters already lol
 
Daggy

Daggy

Well-Known Member
Wont drip all the time but it will change your mission to checking ppm / PH and turning a knob. If you have digital valves and a controller you could actually let it do it all by itself, but I like to be there to watch it all go down lol
 
MistaRasta

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
I'm in soil as well and want to set up a drip system.

Will the plants closer to the reservoir get more water than the plants further away?

Will I need to get drippers with a gph rating?
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
MistaRasta said:
I'm in soil as well and want to set up a drip system.

Will the plants closer to the reservoir get more water than the plants further away?

Will I need to get drippers with a gph rating?
Click to expand...
no..as long as the pump is large enough all drip emitters should put out about the same if the lines are clean... the button or emitter regulates the flow so that all stakes get the same

unless your running a very long tube ..then you may need to consider increasing pump and tubing size

the emmitters do have a gph rating
 
dieselman74

dieselman74

Member
im having the same problem with the drip system plants at front get watered and the ones at the back dont its a large enough grow i have a 1500gph pump would i need a bigger one ,i have no emitters at the min just the 4mm tubing staked it would of been good if it worked i could of ran pump for 10 mins or so and saturated soil but the back ones are,nt getting any would the emitters help build pressure to make it reach plants at the end ..thank you guys great thread just wat i was looking for peace from ireland:)
 
im4satori

im4satori

Well-Known Member
dieselman74 said:
im having the same problem with the drip system plants at front get watered and the ones at the back dont its a large enough grow i have a 1500gph pump would i need a bigger one ,i have no emitters at the min just the 4mm tubing staked it would of been good if it worked i could of ran pump for 10 mins or so and saturated soil but the back ones are,nt getting any would the emitters help build pressure to make it reach plants at the end ..thank you guys great thread just wat i was looking for peace from ireland:)
Click to expand...

if I understand you correctly

your running drip system but you did not install the drip emitters but instead just attatched the tubed to the water feed direct with no drip emitter

again, if I understand correctly

the drip emmitters would certainly fix your problem

or you could get a huge pump that can put out enough to pressurize the water feed lines without the emitters but that's not what I would do

the drip emitters create pressure in the main water line and each will drip evenly

they are very cheap to buy ... make sure you have the correct size tubing and stake to fit the emmitters you choose

http://www.altgarden.com/hydroponic-gardening-9/hydroponic-irrigation/drip-accessories.html

here is a link to what I use... the wood pecker drip head is what im calling a drip emitter

along with the tubing and the stake they all are size to fit each other

I also suggest the filter used with this type system... its in this link/site somewhere
 
dieselman74

dieselman74

Member
im4satori said:
if I understand you correctly

your running drip system but you did not install the drip emitters but instead just attatched the tubed to the water feed direct with no drip emitter

again, if I understand correctly

the drip emmitters would certainly fix your problem

or you could get a huge pump that can put out enough to pressurize the water feed lines without the emitters but that's not what I would do

the drip emitters create pressure in the main water line and each will drip evenly

they are very cheap to buy ... make sure you have the correct size tubing and stake to fit the emmitters you choose

http://www.altgarden.com/hydroponic-gardening-9/hydroponic-irrigation/drip-accessories.html

here is a link to what I use... the wood pecker drip head is what im calling a drip emitter

along with the tubing and the stake they all are size to fit each other

I also suggest the filter used with this type system... its in this link/site somewhere
Click to expand...
 
dieselman74

dieselman74

Member
thanks so much bro i got netafim drippers from the uk 4 litres per hour they are inline drippers my plants are in rows of three ,i ran 13mm pipe around the whole growroom and 4mm pipe to each pot. instead of running three 4mm pipes to each pot i run one using the inline drippers and when i come to the end one i have end line drippers...my pots are 15lt pots will one dripper to each pot be enough ????im thinking 15mins twice a day for the drip cycles i guess its trial and error ,hi im4satori thanks for your input you helped me alot thats what its all about thanks again and take care :)oh my medium is soil and perlite...thanks....
 
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