dosatron for a small garden?

I am working to fully automate my garden as much as possible.

I would like to add a dosatron in line to my water supply for fertigating the soiless medium.

I am wondering which model of an entry-level dosatron would be suitable for a small garden of up to 6 plants?

And whether i need two for nutrient part and a and b respectively or of it should be okay to draw from a somewhat concentrate solution of a and b mixed?

Automation is something you pursue not do
It is hard till you dial in a grow and run clones of a specific strain

I swear by hand watering, its hands on as it should be, unless you are running 50 or more plants. I don't want exact same feed every time. I like to raise and lower my ph periodically so plants can get everything they need. 5.3 to 6.8, but veg at 6.2 on the nose, with once at 5.3 about a week before flipping, then below 5.8 for flowering, my plants love it.

Herb & Suds said:

Automation is something you pursue not do
It is hard till you dial in a grow and run clones of a specific strain

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Not true for everyone. I’m currently adding automation along side my grow. The way I have it set up, I can test my automation stuff in real time and implement each feature once i feel like it’s working correctly. So far I’ve got lights, humidifier, dehumidifier and ventilation fans automated. My next step CO2 then watering followed by nutrient mixing with auto ph.

OP, check out aquarium dosing pumps. Much cheaper than a dosatron.

Aquablend or gator xl are great dosers too. You'll want 2 of them. Don Juan Mattis over on icmaq explains how to use a single doser

Overgrowtho said:

I am working to fully automate my garden as much as possible.

I would like to add a dosatron in line to my water supply for fertigating the soiless medium.

I am wondering which model of an entry-level dosatron would be suitable for a small garden of up to 6 plants?

And whether i need two for nutrient part and a and b respectively or of it should be okay to draw from a somewhat concentrate solution of a and b mixed?

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You might be able to use an aquarium doser ( much cheaper), if you aren't recirculating. I just finished a setup for drain-to-waste coco which might give you some ideas:


Best of luck!

p0opstlnksal0t said:

Aquablend or gator xl are great dosers too. You'll want 2 of them. Don Juan Mattis over on icmaq explains how to use a single doser

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Need two because generally the A and B must be added separately (from two different concentrates/sluice tanks) right? Do you need to add some kind of mixer pipe as well so that the solution is well mixed?

I did an extensive search for the cited Don Juan Mattis on ICMaq but it yielded no hits. If you can kindly point me in the right direction, it will be much appreciated.

I am considering to buy some Chinese one(s) that have decent reviews on Aliexpress, and wont cost an arm and a leg for my small 6 plant 4x4 chamber:

He goes by djm on icmag board. I believe the thread is titled coco trees. I would definitely not use those china dosers unless you're ok with them breaking constantly.

You want 2 unless mix your stock tank at a much lower concentration to keep precipitates from dropping out. For that you'll need an injector that can inject at that much higher feed ratio

p0opstlnksal0t said:

He goes by djm on icmag board. I believe the thread is titled coco trees. I would definitely not use those china dosers unless you're ok with them breaking constantly.

You want 2 unless mix your stock tank at a much lower concentration to keep precipitates from dropping out. For that you'll need an injector that can inject at that much higher feed ratio

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I read 20 pages of that thread (interesting BTW) but its 100+ pages and I cant seem to find the section about dosing that you mentioned. You wouldnt happen to have a link? or keyword I can search it with (I tried many)?

Okay I will avoid the Chinese ones without warranties. I will see if I can do a real Dosatron, it might be like 500$/unit x2 for my small garden, which is pretty overkill for a tiny 4x4 garden unfortunately.... but I really value my time/freedom to travel and love to experiment with automation, so I might just do it anyways.

The dosatrons, when set up on an irrigation timer, can really help to automate a grow massively. Isn't that right? They dont require much human interventions at all?

Gator xl or aquablend to save a little money.

I'd look at a trol master for automation if you want on the go control and sensor values. Otherwise a simple sonoff switch and pump with netafim drippers and pressure compensating spray stakes will allow equal feeding

Thanks man. Good info. Is even feeding s problem for small gardens with 6 plants?

Not sure i can get netafim where I live..

Trolmaster seems very cool but just lacks dosing capabilities i think. For the other automation stuff I have smart home tech...

I am thinking of chancing it with a Chinese dosatron. The really ones are 500$ each x2. For a tiny garden it seems excessive.

I have found Chinese ones which have a 1 year warranty. So they'll replace it if broken etc. within 1 year and some with good reviews. Just less than half the price or a quarter of the price. Maybe the Dosatrons are overpiced since they have the market pretty much cornered?

p0opstlnksal0t said:

A simple sonoff switch and pump with netafim drippers and pressure compensating spray stakes will allow equal feeding

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I decided to forget the dosatrons and I am planning to feed on a reservoir. However the wifi timer came with the emitter like this
Since only 6 plants maybe I dont need to worry about the netafim/pressure comp issue? But make the drippers in a closed loop. Sound like a good plan? 2 of these vortex sprayers per 5 gallon pot should be enough?

What are you using for a pump? I've tried stuff like this, they'll work with the right pump, like a diaphragm or jet pump, but a submersible or utility pump will only give you a dribble. As long as you have enough pressure it's easy enough to limit it to what these want. These will take care of 2 issues, filtering and pressure regulating, but you may want even more filtration upstream because clogs will be an issue. I'm trying to set up a reliable system for 2 4 x 8 tables and I'm debating a reservoir and pump or nutrient dosers and tap pressure. I've got a jet pump that will give me plenty of pressure, but I don't know if it's worth setting up and still needing to mix a reservoir every other day. I suppose I could use dosers to automate filling the res, but that seems like adding an extra step. I would be there every day at first, but ultimately would like to be able to leave for a few days.

@Call_me_JJ I've got an RV pump. Diaphragm. Glad to hear it can work fine. I will have an filter on the intake, inside the reservoir. For pressure regulation I've got Netafim things that I can use.

Clogs will be an issue right? is that because salts get stuck somehow? Maybe there is a wider and better emitter system then?

(In my opinion dosers are the way to go if you can shell out for decent ones.... a bit too much for my small project)

Call_me_JJ said:

but I don't know if it's worth setting up and still needing to mix a reservoir every other day.

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Why? Why not have a huge reservoir? I've got 200 liters. I've only got it filled half way. This can last me 20 days! Filled all the way, 40 days! (Currently automated fertigating 1.25 liters per day for each of 4 plants in 5 gallon pot soiless medium).