Holiday Blues

aprosjat

Well-Known Member
Guys, I will be going to France for a week in early June but I have my grow on going 6 days in ( indoors ) , what would be the best way to make sure my plants don't dry out for the 7 days away, would I be able to turn the lights off for the 7 days so as not to let the light dry them out before I get back or should i just put the lights up high and hope for the best ...? :rolleyes:
 
Guys, I will be going to France for a week in early June but I have my grow on going 6 days in ( indoors ) , what would be the best way to make sure my plants don't dry out for the 7 days away, would I be able to turn the lights off for the 7 days so as not to let the light dry them out before I get back or should i just put the lights up high and hope for the best ...? :rolleyes:
I figure you are growing in soil.

I would rig a drip system to drip very slowing into the pots, and raise my lights a little (6 inches). This should prevent a dry plant, and also give the plant some room to grow. The drip shouldn't make the soil too wet (aim for the outside of the pot or outside of the drip line of the leaves). But the drip will need to be very slow. Maybe a drop per minute or so. I would use a gallon (4liter) bottle (per plant) or something of that size. The drip will slow as the bottle gets empty (head pressure).

This is only what I would do. Your mileage may vary.
 
Don't leave your lights off that's for sure. Maybe dim them if you have the option. You can also lower temps a little.

You can make an auto watering system quite easily with a small electric pump, hoses and a timer

But really- six or seven days between watering is quite reasonable. Just put them into slightly bigger pots and soak them down. It takes a little experience to be able to find the right pot size and know how long they take to dry out- but knowing this is an important aspect of growing.
I'm frequently away for six day periods and I just make sure they're in enough soil, and water them well before I leave.
Basically my entire life routine revolves around the length of this wet-dry period. And that length is a direct reflection of the pot to plant size ratio.
 
Don't leave your lights off that's for sure. Maybe dim them if you have the option. You can also lower temps a little.

You can make an auto watering system quite easily with a small electric pump, hoses and a timer

But really- six or seven days between watering is quite reasonable. Just put them into slightly bigger pots and soak them down. It takes a little experience to be able to find the right pot size and know how long they take to dry out- but knowing this is an important aspect of growing.
I'm frequently away for six day periods and I just make sure they're in enough soil, and water them well before I leave.
Basically my entire life routine revolves around the length of this wet-dry period. And that length is a direct reflection of the pot to plant size ratio.

They are currently in 20 CM pots , but I think i have the right system to do what i need
 


Today I received my Watering timer , when I am off work ( 1 day to go ) , I will build my watering system and do some testing before implementing the system before going away to make sure it works correctly!
 
Guys, I will be going to France for a week in early June but I have my grow on going 6 days in ( indoors ) , what would be the best way to make sure my plants don't dry out for the 7 days away, would I be able to turn the lights off for the 7 days so as not to let the light dry them out before I get back or should i just put the lights up high and hope for the best ...? :rolleyes:
Leave lights alone. Get a half gallon bottle ,pierce small hole in side and enjoy your holiday!!
 

Some parts arrived today , I am hopping the rest arrives tomorrow and I can build the full watering system ... still missing the bucket reservoir for the water some extra connectors , I cant wait to start testing this coming week , persistence is key. The little irrigation is going to be kick ass ... More updates to follow!
 
Update on the testing completed , first attempt has been a failure , could not get enough pressure for the 3 pots ( the water only came out of 2 of the pipes ) and have had to rethink the whole system. I have some other pipes and connectors arriving this weekend... But I think the new system I have designed will work , just need to wait for the parts to arrive.
:rip:
 
All parts arrived and have built the watering system ... a few teething problems along the way but it works perfectly now


Reservoir 15 litres


Timer attached


All the piping and have tested it and it gives enough to each plant every 48 hrs it runs for 1 minute .


Reservoir feed through the to of the tent via the exhaust hole at the top , on top of a wooden plank to stabilise the reservoir!


Pipes attached and have them leading down to each pot !

I only leave on the 4th of June so got a few 48 hour periods to make sure they get enough water or make sure they dont get too much ... :cool: :Namaste:
 
Looks great. Run it as much as you can before leaving. . My experience is that- anything that can go wrong, will. Incredible how many things that is, even with the simplest of systems.
 
Assuming your timer will handle the multiple events (or you can add a second one), you can adjust your light schedule to have some additional dark hours in the midst of your lights-on time. If not taken to extremes, this shouldn't harm your plants (although you could reasonably expect growth to be somewhat slower).
 
Looks great. Run it as much as you can before leaving. . My experience is that- anything that can go wrong, will. Incredible how many things that is, even with the simplest of systems.

Tested for the 7 days and it works like a dream ... cant wait to see how they have done while i am away , need to see some height ....:cool:
 
Watched pot never gets smo-- err, boiled, lol?

Must be like little kids - little angels while you're standing there looking at them, but turn your back and hear the cookie jar get burgled. (Thankfully, the under-five set hasn't completely figured out that, yes, sound travels ;) .)
 
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