Django66
Well-Known Member
I have problems with under/over watering. I purchased the Auto Pot XL 4 pot system. I can still return it. lol. I won't. So, here is my plan that is open for changes if they make scientific sense and are not too unnatural.
The soil mix - base = 33% (about) each of Pro Mix, dark reed sedge peat and builders' all-purpose sand. I do this by volume rather than weight because the moisture content will be inconsistent. The all-purpose sand has irregular sized grains that are not rounded. With a EWC and a few other amendments that soil worked fine. It was very heavy but drained well. The surface dried out in a few hours after watering which prevented fungus gnats. I now add a good amount of vermiculite to the base to lighten the whole thing up. I noticed that the roots were only growing around the outsides of the pots and very little roots around the tap root. There were totally empty spots where no roots grew. The added vermiculite solved the problem. I grew healthy plants for the most part with only a few reject plants. I'm experimenting with Auto flowers. I'm confident in using my soil as it is now except for Auto Pots.
I sterilized the soil with leftover dry ice from my hash attempt. -110 degrees F should kill any creepy crawlers. Everything else that dies I can add back later. I added about 30% perlite to my soil mix. To the bottom of the XL Auto Pots, I added an inch and a half of perlite. I filled the pots the rest of the way with the soil/perlite mixture. I intend to grow four auto flowers. I started six cultivars so I will have to pick four out of six. Mephisto double grape and sour stomper, Gnome Automatics Black Strap and Ace of Spades, and two freebies from Multiverse Beans. Top Gun from Atlas seeds and White Russian from Errors
. I'm on my third indoor grow but it's really just turned into a continuous grow. I've got germinating seeds all the way up to hanging plants. I'm loving these autos. I haven't tried any of these breeders (because I'm new) but I know one I'll never use again. I Love Green Money. They got mine. Live and learn. Mephisto had no bad reviews and are well known. Gnome Automatics had a good story, and he seems like a breeder who is honest and cares about his product. I'm learning that breeding and genetics matter just as much if not more than growing skills. F-5's or better from now on too. Some people sell some lame F-1 seeds and call it some new stupid name. I say "people" not breeders because they're not.
Any advice from a grower that has been using Auto Pots successfully would be appreciated. I don't want to hear about how much they suck. Any tips or cautions that I should be aware of? Can I occasionally top feed the plants with KNO3 and water? It's completely water soluble so could I add it to the bottom tray. I'm thinking that I shouldn't add anything too the reservoir water. I don't use any other nutrients. There are many advantages of using Potassium nitrate over ammonia or urea derived nitrogen sources. That's a different thread we'll talk about another day.
Should I add a mulch layer? I use rice hulls and have plenty of them.
Cover crop, never tried it. Not sure if it would be worth it for Auto flowers in Auto Pots.
Cannacure for Auto dry/cure. Game changer. Perfect dry cure and smoke.
The soil mix - base = 33% (about) each of Pro Mix, dark reed sedge peat and builders' all-purpose sand. I do this by volume rather than weight because the moisture content will be inconsistent. The all-purpose sand has irregular sized grains that are not rounded. With a EWC and a few other amendments that soil worked fine. It was very heavy but drained well. The surface dried out in a few hours after watering which prevented fungus gnats. I now add a good amount of vermiculite to the base to lighten the whole thing up. I noticed that the roots were only growing around the outsides of the pots and very little roots around the tap root. There were totally empty spots where no roots grew. The added vermiculite solved the problem. I grew healthy plants for the most part with only a few reject plants. I'm experimenting with Auto flowers. I'm confident in using my soil as it is now except for Auto Pots.
I sterilized the soil with leftover dry ice from my hash attempt. -110 degrees F should kill any creepy crawlers. Everything else that dies I can add back later. I added about 30% perlite to my soil mix. To the bottom of the XL Auto Pots, I added an inch and a half of perlite. I filled the pots the rest of the way with the soil/perlite mixture. I intend to grow four auto flowers. I started six cultivars so I will have to pick four out of six. Mephisto double grape and sour stomper, Gnome Automatics Black Strap and Ace of Spades, and two freebies from Multiverse Beans. Top Gun from Atlas seeds and White Russian from Errors
. I'm on my third indoor grow but it's really just turned into a continuous grow. I've got germinating seeds all the way up to hanging plants. I'm loving these autos. I haven't tried any of these breeders (because I'm new) but I know one I'll never use again. I Love Green Money. They got mine. Live and learn. Mephisto had no bad reviews and are well known. Gnome Automatics had a good story, and he seems like a breeder who is honest and cares about his product. I'm learning that breeding and genetics matter just as much if not more than growing skills. F-5's or better from now on too. Some people sell some lame F-1 seeds and call it some new stupid name. I say "people" not breeders because they're not.
Any advice from a grower that has been using Auto Pots successfully would be appreciated. I don't want to hear about how much they suck. Any tips or cautions that I should be aware of? Can I occasionally top feed the plants with KNO3 and water? It's completely water soluble so could I add it to the bottom tray. I'm thinking that I shouldn't add anything too the reservoir water. I don't use any other nutrients. There are many advantages of using Potassium nitrate over ammonia or urea derived nitrogen sources. That's a different thread we'll talk about another day.
Should I add a mulch layer? I use rice hulls and have plenty of them.
Cover crop, never tried it. Not sure if it would be worth it for Auto flowers in Auto Pots.
Cannacure for Auto dry/cure. Game changer. Perfect dry cure and smoke.
