Blumats
- Thread starter Abiqua
- Start date
Sativied
Well-Known Member
How about in the future? I plan on getting a set. I currently use the sort of manual version, a blumat tensio meter, still have to water manually. Growing without a tensio meter on soil is like growing on hydro without a ph meter but apparently that's just me...
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
the future counts, lol.....I have been looking all day, but haven't found it....somewhere I have a tensiometer build that is a good as it gets for DIY, but can't f'in find it for the life of me.....post it when I find it.....
The more I think about it, I kind of agree of your assessment with the pH meter analogy. I originally got into soil tensiometers, with a curiosity on measuring soil gravity in Pots, relative to moon gravity throughout the night cycle of the girls.
We know it happens in soil, but there is very limited data, so probably not many too interested in that topic.....
oh yeah, also helps when you leave for a bit and no stinking power outage can fuck these
Sativied
Well-Known Member
It's just really nice to be able to measure and quantify water use, and keep soil humidity always balanced. Check out my thread on the blumat tensio meter here:
https://www.rollitup.org/t/how-to-prevent-overwatering-blumat-tensio-meter.849516/
Probably going to try the Tropf set next run. Even if it's not perfect, like you said, can leave them for a bit without having to worry about completely drying out.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/how-to-prevent-overwatering-blumat-tensio-meter.849516/
Probably going to try the Tropf set next run. Even if it's not perfect, like you said, can leave them for a bit without having to worry about completely drying out.
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
I don't know, lol, that was exactly the question I have been pondering....they really are tiny, although the dripper add on kits, look like they would work really well for multiple small pots, although I am a little confused if you just need one blu-mat carrot and then add the drippers, its a weird setup......haven't seen it in personI'm interested in the blumats tooDo you think they could fit in a 6 inch pot?
http://www.amazon.com/Blumat-41005-Distribution-Drippers-Watering/dp/B000LLOUKO/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419560976&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=blu+mat+dripper
Positivity
Well-Known Member
I've used them in 4" square and round pots. They work really good...
Good way to make sure you never lose a favorite plant..
The shutoffs are really helpful. One right by the rez to stop flow when changing blumat cones in and out. And one at the end of the line to flush the system once in a while.
Make sure to get an extra roll of the small line. The are much easier to snake around pots than the more rigid bigger line.
The drippers are controlled by the carrot. Theres a lot more chance of water overflows..rez emptying when using them. I'd just use extra carrots...
Good way to make sure you never lose a favorite plant..
The shutoffs are really helpful. One right by the rez to stop flow when changing blumat cones in and out. And one at the end of the line to flush the system once in a while.
Make sure to get an extra roll of the small line. The are much easier to snake around pots than the more rigid bigger line.
The drippers are controlled by the carrot. Theres a lot more chance of water overflows..rez emptying when using them. I'd just use extra carrots...
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
Still looking for that dam PDF on the tensiometer, just finally got to the thread Tensiometer thread. Wow, wtf have I have been thinking!
I have seen these and wanted to buy them, but I always put them off along with the blu-mats [which I finally picked up a few carrots]
I know that people swear by the blumats, but one think that has me wondering, is if there is a diffusion learning curve. Soil water tension and diffusion over the surface don't always work hand in hand.
However, in a larger indoor setup with multiple gallons of soil, I could see doing spot checks throughout the soil on a grid somehow, using the tensiometer and possibly using those readings to define proper diffusion throughout the medium. Not just a spike in a general downward trending direction.
Almost the difference between putting a light source into a 90 degree reflector or a 120 degree reflector. In this case, 120 would be the parallel, for a wide even distribution of the water thru the medium, not just at the end of the carrots. Those are some of my ramblings for the day....
Merry Christmas, to those who celebrate and Happy Holidays to all!
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
That's awesome Posi! I think I am going to soak mine tonight and get started on messing around with them. Really excited, waited a while to do this!
Sativied
Well-Known Member
You need at least one carrot+dripper for each pot. For large pots you need more than one.
When the soil is dry there's a tiny bit of pressure inside the carrot that pull open a membrane basically opening a valve of the drip line.
Not mine:
In combination with the tensio meter I use too:
For tall/high pots get the Maxi version else the lower area in the pot will remain too dry not using the pot efficiently.
There's a video showing it at: http://www.blumat.com/en/waterfunction.html
When the soil is dry there's a tiny bit of pressure inside the carrot that pull open a membrane basically opening a valve of the drip line.
Not mine:
In combination with the tensio meter I use too:
For tall/high pots get the Maxi version else the lower area in the pot will remain too dry not using the pot efficiently.
There's a video showing it at: http://www.blumat.com/en/waterfunction.html
Positivity
Well-Known Member
just need to play with them than it'll slowly make sense.
I run them less than optimally. 1 in a 5 gallon. But i give a nutrient tea every other day. There more as a dry out protection...
I broke a few rules using them in 4" pots, running organics through them (high maintenance), barely elevated rezs...
The regular sucks water slowly through a line you drop in a container....syphon instead of gravity fed. It cant keep up with even small plants. Maybe starters..
I run them less than optimally. 1 in a 5 gallon. But i give a nutrient tea every other day. There more as a dry out protection...
I broke a few rules using them in 4" pots, running organics through them (high maintenance), barely elevated rezs...
The regular sucks water slowly through a line you drop in a container....syphon instead of gravity fed. It cant keep up with even small plants. Maybe starters..
Sativied
Well-Known Member
Tropf is German for "drip". The Tropf set is an automatic drip set using the tensio meter technology as a sensor.
mc130p
Well-Known Member
Ah so that's what the little deal hanging off of the carrot is...thanks
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
Awesome info, gonna watch the vid tonight as I trim.
Do you ever move the tensiometer into different places in the pot or do you just leave it static throughout each run? Probably going to be my next purchase!
Thanks
Sativied
Well-Known Member
It's best to keep it in one spot to prevent piercing more of the root mass. I move it between pots occassionally, or remove it to refill it, in which case I push a little of the top layer soil in the hole, add some water to make it a little muddy, and then reinsert the tensio meter. That ensures it comes in contact with the soil properly.
It takes a while for the measurement to stabilize, by that time the water is also spread out throughout the pot. In practice you may have a slight variation throughout the pot but nothing significant. Only thing I avoid is pouring water over the tensio meter.
Someone in the dutch mj forums hooked up those carrots to an arduino logging the tensio values over time, I will post a few pics when I get back at my pc.
Currently got one in a 2.5 gallon pot. I give it 400ml water and then wait for a while 30-60 minutes or so, then I check the value to see if it's low enough, but not too low. 0 means saturated with water, drowned. 50 is ok. Next day I see it's for example at 230. From that I can derive I can give it more than 400ml, so I give it more water, enough to get that tensio down to 20-30 or so. Next day it's for example 180. Which is better than 230. Could add a little more water. May come down to zero, but if it's 80-120 or so the next day again, it's optimal. If the next day it's still on 0, or like 40-50, I know I shouldn't water that day.
It seems so basic, how much water to give, but you can derive a lot of info and conclusions from gathering data over time. It's like with ppm in dwc, by itself the value means little, it's how it changes over time what provides the feedback.
It takes a while for the measurement to stabilize, by that time the water is also spread out throughout the pot. In practice you may have a slight variation throughout the pot but nothing significant. Only thing I avoid is pouring water over the tensio meter.
Someone in the dutch mj forums hooked up those carrots to an arduino logging the tensio values over time, I will post a few pics when I get back at my pc.
Currently got one in a 2.5 gallon pot. I give it 400ml water and then wait for a while 30-60 minutes or so, then I check the value to see if it's low enough, but not too low. 0 means saturated with water, drowned. 50 is ok. Next day I see it's for example at 230. From that I can derive I can give it more than 400ml, so I give it more water, enough to get that tensio down to 20-30 or so. Next day it's for example 180. Which is better than 230. Could add a little more water. May come down to zero, but if it's 80-120 or so the next day again, it's optimal. If the next day it's still on 0, or like 40-50, I know I shouldn't water that day.
It seems so basic, how much water to give, but you can derive a lot of info and conclusions from gathering data over time. It's like with ppm in dwc, by itself the value means little, it's how it changes over time what provides the feedback.
a senile fungus
Well-Known Member
Omg I want one, or twenty...
Abiqua
Well-Known Member
A little holiday reading....blow your minds.....
I am going to try and put together a parts list for the tensiometer and see if all this shiat still exists. I urge anyone to read the Soil water potential paper. It's a lot to digest, I hopefully I can outline some for those interested. Definitely a multiple sesh read
I am going to try and put together a parts list for the tensiometer and see if all this shiat still exists. I urge anyone to read the Soil water potential paper. It's a lot to digest, I hopefully I can outline some for those interested. Definitely a multiple sesh read
Sativied
Well-Known Member
The graph at the top left is from 3 tensio meters. This is from a custom made project. Value lowest after watering.
He ("wietefras") basically attached pressure sensors to the regular carrots which are attached to an Arduino, instead of the digital display on the regular tensio meter.
Original thread is in dutch but for more pics see http://www.wietforum.nl/topic/103667-zelf-digitale-tensiologgers-maken/