Drip system issues

lokiean

Active Member
so i set up my drip system with a 50 gal res. did exactly what the store person said. and im still having problems. when i water the plants for 15 mins to half hour. once every two days. after the watering im left with a soaked floor. 1/2 inch deep of water. and the soils still dry as hell. i replaced the drip heads with adjustable ones. (slower/faster drip) but it still does the same wether faster or slower. how do i get it right to where i saturate the soil witout ending up with a wett floor and dry soil.. im confused.
 
hiya lokiean!!

well, it seems to me that you have a leak somewhere!!?? if your soil is still dry it sounds like the water isnt even making it to your pots... mind you- once every 2 days is too little! what is your grow medium?? this can effect your watering/feeding times but once every 2 days is way to meagre. you should be looking at somewhere in the vicinity of once every 3 hours! for 15-20 mins or so... again, this depends on your grow medium, whether it be hydroton clay or rockwool etc- will determine how often and for how long you water/feed. i water every 3 hours for 15-20 mins(3 hours for 30 mins when flowering) using 4 T-feeders at the pot end and use hydroton clayballs as my grow medium.

im assuming that you have watched the system running with water pump pumping water up to your drip feeders and watering your plants, yes??? top feed systems are quite simple in their design(or should be!) it is either:

1- a leaky reservoir
2- irrigation tubing isnt fitted properly somewhere, one of the joints is possibly too large for tubing or irrigation tubing has a hole somewhere?
3- return(to res) irrigation tubing has a leak somewhere
4- it is set up for a run off/run to waste design when you want it to follow a re-circulating design

all of these issues should become quite apparent upon inspection-whilst the system is running/pumping
if possible could you provide a pic of your specific setup??
 
the above query was meant for a recirculating top feed system, it is possible that you are using a dwc top feed system or something similar, it could be a possibility that your pots are simply over filling (assuming you arent using a recirculating system where the nutes return to the res through irrigation tubing).. and the fact that your medium is bone dry is because you arent watering enough... if you can provide more information and/or pics would be great.

regards!
 
ive a 50 gal res with a pump hooked up. using a soil mix in smart pots. promix, happy frog soil conditioner, bone meal, compost. ive a large tube running in a circle with two little tubes attached to each pot. attached to those little drop things. i can adjust the drip flow on each by turning the knob on each. i ran for about half hour n ended up with 1/4 inch of water on the floor. it does run through the soil. maybe i should try running it ten-15 mins a few times a day to slowly saturate the soiL? ill take a pic later when i get home. thanks
 
oh! so you dont have anything to catch the water running through your pots??! loL well, we'll need to see a pic to get a good idea of the system.. in my top feed hydro system i have irrigation tubing running out of the bottom of my pots that return to the reservoir so there isnt any issue with leaking. you need to attach a return feed from your pots to your reservoir or add a drip tray underneath your pots and run it for 10-15mins max, like you mentioned...
 
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