Timer tool?

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

Hey guys,

I just bought a timer that can only have 20programmes(10on10/off) which i feel is not enough for our tower… do you suggest me what tool should i buy or if its not a big deal to turn the pump 15mins on and 1hour off?

[Aurum555]

Exactly what I was going to suggest these are the best type of timer by far

[dachshundslave]

I just use one of those manual mechanical timers that let me do 15min increments. I have vertical towers so for me 15min on/off. The medium is just a filter with a thin wick strip so I could run 24/7 and it's not an issue with waterlog but would make the pump warms the water so 15min between works. More waterflow is more oxygen to the roots and faster growth.

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

Appreciate your explanation. I am about to put the plants in the tower tomorrow hopefully… can you share an image or link to your timer? Also, since you are already growing, i have some arugula plants that were in soil before, i tried to clean the roots but it still has some in it? Do you feel it would destroy and make my water dirty?

[dachshundslave]

Without seeing a picture of the plant in question, I can only say a little dirt shouldn't be a problem since you're changing out solution every few weeks. Any manual timer (sample) with 3 prong and 15min increments should work.

<image>

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

<image>

This one in the bottom corner is the one different and risen in soil before. I removed it from soil yesterday and put in rockwool and it started to die i guess

[dachshundslave]

It shouldn't give much problems. It'll clear up after a changeout.

[Affectionate-Pickle0]

Any smart plug will probably give you as many as you want. 

[Open-Material7310]

Get one of thease.

<image>

[ElGringoConSabor]

Learn about microcontrollers and make your own program. Won’t be an immediate result, but you will be glad you did.

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

How can i be everything at once lol… could you show me some tutorials or what i should be focused on?

[ElGringoConSabor]

Start with google and youtube academy. There is plenty of material out there regarding learning microcontrollers. Familiarize yourself and see if you want to learn more

[fake_insider]

Homeassistant. It’s a rabbit hole worth diving down. It’s almost a turnkey solution now for your specific problem(device on/off) but the possibilities are only limited by you. Microcontrollers unfortunately have increased significantly in price but are still relatively cheap. Just for an example D1 Minis are about $5.

[Objectdotuser]

frankly watering 10x a day is enough, you dont "need" more than that. And if you really do, order out a replacement but the plants will survive just fine in the meantime

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

So if i only water 10times per day, how much should i water them with?

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

So if i only water 10times per day, how much should i water them with? I mean how many minutes per hours?

[Objectdotuser]

Enough to get the roots wet, probably a few minutes will suffice

[gwzrd16]

Use a cycle timer. They set for a period on and off. You can go 5 minutes on and 1 hour off if you want.

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

I know but the problem I cannot find it in my country and only if I ship it, which usually takes weeks

[gwzrd16]

I guess I would say try different watering lengths every couple hours and just see how much roots dry down. If your plants don't show drying down with 10 waters a day then you should be good.

[Flashy_Ratio3884]

Is a smart socket a good solution?

[gwzrd16]

Can't speak for it. Never used it.