4x4 bed-Blumats/Blutape Qs

Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
Hiya fellas, I'm still deciding on how I'm going to water my new 4x4 no till bed (indoors, in tent). I'm considering hand watering with a reservoir, sump pump, and extra long garden wand. But then I remembered that I'm curious about Blumats....and then I found Blutape. Does Blutape work pretty much the same way as the Blumats, and do you think it's a better option for a bed? Also, how would it work inside a tent-reservoir on some kind of stand next to the tent, then tubes going in through one of the bottom entry points? This might be a dumb question, but can the tube enter the tent at a lower point than the carrot/tape and still maintain the capillary action or whatever? Thanks!! I do appreciate any help with this. My joints have gotten pretty bad and I think if this works out it would be the easiest solution for me.
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Blumats for the win; was going to suggest this in your other thread. Never heard of blutape. You just soak and then push the carrots into your bed; you can add extra tubes as needed. The reservoir stays outside the tent on a stand like you say and you run your source line into the carrots which drip as needed. The roots sort of pull moisture from them; it’s not a constant drip.
It is gravity fed so you will need to have the reservoir elevated which can make filling it up a PITA. My res is at eye level on top of a cabinet; there’s very little space above it so I run a hose from a small pump to fill up the reservoir from a spigoted source bucket. I put it on a recycle timer when I go away for long term automated watering. Takes a couple weeks to dial the blumats in properly and it can be a real pain if it ever runs dry but it’s an easy way to water lots of plants autonomously.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
Hiya fellas, I'm still deciding on how I'm going to water my new 4x4 no till bed (indoors, in tent). I'm considering hand watering with a reservoir, sump pump, and extra long garden wand. But then I remembered that I'm curious about Blumats....and then I found Blutape. Does Blutape work pretty much the same way as the Blumats, and do you think it's a better option for a bed? Also, how would it work inside a tent-reservoir on some kind of stand next to the tent, then tubes going in through one of the bottom entry points? This might be a dumb question, but can the tube enter the tent at a lower point than the carrot/tape and still maintain the capillary action or whatever? Thanks!! I do appreciate any help with this. My joints have gotten pretty bad and I think if this works out it would be the easiest solution for me.
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I used the tape, but on top of rockwool slabs and it was a bad idea because there wasn't enough contact. Despite my issues I feel they would work well with soil because you can bury the tape a bit and get a good wick going. Especially if you aren't using nutrients, because the feeder tubes are ultra narrow.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
Richard Drysift said:
Oh yeah can see that tape working well for a bed; carrots are probably better for smaller containers.
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I just finished ordering one-the guy at sustainable village walked me through all the little fittings and extra thingies I need to get it up and running. It seemed complicated until I watched them set one up-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-iDb5pjSiE

It'll be a month before I get the bed up and running, but it should be a fun grow and I'm also testing a new LED so I'll definitely do a diary and keep you guys updated on how this blusoak system works!
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
I just finished ordering one-the guy at sustainable village walked me through all the little fittings and extra thingies I need to get it up and running. It seemed complicated until I watched them set one up-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-iDb5pjSiE

It'll be a month before I get the bed up and running, but it should be a fun grow and I'm also testing a new LED so I'll definitely do a diary and keep you guys updated on how this blusoak system works!
Click to expand...
I felt a little overwhelmed picking everything out, but it was actually really easy and kind of fun to set it up. The hoses are easy to run and cut, and everything just plugs into each other. It's way easier than using a special tool make cuts and to punch holes for feeder lines and force stiff tubes onto a bunch of fitting with traditional irrigation systems.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
lusidghost said:
I felt a little overwhelmed picking everything out, but it was actually really easy and kind of fun to set it up. The hoses are easy to run and cut, and everything just plugs into each other. It's way easier than using a special tool make cuts and to punch holes for feeder lines and force stiff tubes onto a bunch of fitting with traditional irrigation systems.
Click to expand...
Oh gosh, I felt like a complete idiot when I first called and was asking what everything did. I really should have watched a few videos beforehand-to be fair to myself, the kit only had half of what I needed to set it up, so if anyone is reading this and want to jump in, just call Sustainable Village and have them put together a parts list for you. I'm so hyped to get it set up though, it really seems perfect for a no till/water only setup.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
MidnightSun72 said:
I thought the tape was instead of the emitter tubing. And not a replacement for the carrots.
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the tape uses a carrot at each end, a big one and a small one-it's genius really, such a simple way of monitoring the moisture throughout the depth of the bed to control how much comes out of the tape. This is the "mid level" kit, the cheapest kit only has one carrot, so it's only determining when to "turn on" the tape flow from that one reading. I totally love this high/low tech.
 
MidnightSun72

MidnightSun72

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
the tape uses a carrot at each end, a big one and a small one-it's genius really, such a simple way of monitoring the moisture throughout the depth of the bed to control how much comes out of the tape. This is the "mid level" kit, the cheapest kit only has one carrot, so it's only determining when to "turn on" the tape flow from that one reading. I totally love this high/low tech.
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I am trying to do planter beds as well. Although I am trying to figure how to put them on wheels so they can roll around.

I was talking to a guy at blackswalowsoils. It's an organic soil place here in canada. And he was recommending the tape to me too.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
MidnightSun72 said:
I am trying to do planter beds as well. Although I am trying to figure how to put them on wheels so they can roll around.

I was talking to a guy at blackswalowsoils. It's an organic soil place here in canada. And he was recommending the tape to me too.
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Wheels would be cool! I'm out in the boonies so I need to have everything delivered, so this venture has been pricey. I'm just going to plop the 4x4 bed into a 4x4 hydro tray (fits perfectly) and I'm keeping it flat on the ground because you need 5 feet between the reservoir and the top of the soil to have enough pressure-BUT you can connect it to a faucet and use a pressure reducer too. I think I'm going to pump water up to my reservoir so I don't hurt myself lol, like maybe with a sump pump, not sure yet. For my res, I'm just using a 20 gallon tote drilled for bulkheads and I'm putting it on top of some heavy duty shelving.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
Wheels would be cool! I'm out in the boonies so I need to have everything delivered, so this venture has been pricey. I'm just going to plop the 4x4 bed into a 4x4 hydro tray (fits perfectly) and I'm keeping it flat on the ground because you need 5 feet between the reservoir and the top of the soil to have enough pressure-BUT you can connect it to a faucet and use a pressure reducer too. I think I'm going to pump water up to my reservoir so I don't hurt myself lol, like maybe with a sump pump, not sure yet. For my res, I'm just using a 20 gallon tote drilled for bulkheads and I'm putting it on top of some heavy duty shelving.
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I used a really small sump pump to give it a little pressure.
 
WintersBones

WintersBones

Well-Known Member
Bluemat user here, big fan of it. I use with nutrients and the distribution drippers in coco but would great for a bed. Very curious about this tape though. I plan on trying out a no till bed in the next year or so, I will follow along with great interest! Good luck!
 
MidnightSun72

MidnightSun72

Well-Known Member
How does a 4x4 tray fit a 4x4 tent? I know my 4x4 and my 4x8 don't measure 4ft between the poles

I am looking at doing 4x 3x6 planters. And then one small to make up an extra corner.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
MidnightSun72 said:
How does a 4x4 tray fit a 4x4 tent? I know my 4x4 and my 4x8 don't measure 4ft between the poles

I am looking at doing 4x 3x6 planters. And then one small to make up an extra corner.
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You could trim the lips, but I went with 3x3 outer dimension trays and they are just about perfect. It's nice to have a little bit of floor around them for stepping or posting an arm.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
MidnightSun72 said:
How does a 4x4 tray fit a 4x4 tent? I know my 4x4 and my 4x8 don't measure 4ft between the poles

I am looking at doing 4x 3x6 planters. And then one small to make up an extra corner.
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Some trays will fit most 4x4 tents, as lusid said, look for the "outer dimension" trays, like botanicare. Can't guarantee they will fit all tents though
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
What's wrong with good old fashioned drippers connected to a submersible aquarium pump in a res?
 
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