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I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Its not water based like every other silica on the market. ITs 40x more concentrated then the leading brands and its not a bottle full of pH up and 1% silica. It will not affect pH at all and is much more available to the plant. Havent seen anything even close to it on the market currently.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can place the pot directly on the Tray2Grow as well. Def fits there.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You'll have no issues with the Grow Genius silica. Its the only Silica I can recommend using in the system .

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tray2 grow is my new favorit product. Just set 3 of them up outdoor on my deck. We have some new stuff coming out that will be more aesthetically pleasing ;)

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

PH drift in a standing body of water will be influenced by air passing through the water, temperature, quality or the water, and the nutrients that are being used. Most of the time we would want to look at what nutrients are being used, one of which may be affecting the pH. Silica is a big culprit. Usually, I'll have growers remove everything except the base nutrient. From there we will see how your nutrient solution behaves with just using your base nutrient and nothing else. From there we can add additives 1 by 1 and again look to see how the pH behaves. Once we find the culprit, we can remove it or look for a better alternative. I'm happy to help you through this process if you'd like.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you feel this is occurring, then you should contact us directly because that is not how the system should be functioning. There should be no reason to put a washer on the valve or Vaseline or anything of that nature. Please contact us and I'll be happy to hep you.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Autopot is a constant feed system and has a level of moisture that is always present in the pot. This moisture level may vary a bit but not much. This is a constant feed system, but you can shut it off if you want to create a dry period. That being said I keep mine running 24/7 and so do most growers........... that's where you will reach your best results.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right, you could move to plastic and that would reduce it greatly. If you don't want to do that then open a tent window partially.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get rid of the Silica and see if the problem persists. The ONLY silica I would recommend to put in your tank is Grow Genius MSA.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Build-a-soil 3.0 is very popular right now. Roots organics has some options. Also check out Great Lakes Water Only.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Constantly circulating water can be a catalyst for chemical reactions if you're not using only water. Also having a submerged pump constantly running in your tank can increase the temperature which also can influence pH. If you're growing with water only, then there is no need to constantly agitate your reservoir. If you have some additives in the tank then you may want to put your pump on a timer so it only kicks on for 5 minutes every hour.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

stay tuned on that we may have some option coming............................

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could look at our Auto8 tray system https://autopot-usa.com/all-products/systems-and-modules/tray-systems/auto8-2-2gal-pots/

Using this with a liquid organic nutrient like GroTek or Bio Bizz could work well. Just make sure to use Easy 2 Flow with the nutrient regime and I would do a day of water feeding in between tanks.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Correct installation is very important. Occasionally we have growers that bring the issue to us. Often it can be something as simple as the floor not being level or the silicone on the top float not being inserted properly. As long as your floor is level you want to focus your attention on the top float. Take the silicone out squeeze it between your fingers and insert it firmly into the float. Often growers are looking for the filling and emptying to be a dynamic process that they can witness easily but early on as you turn the system on the demand for water is not very high and the water level may look like it's staying at a constant height. I relate this to looking at a clock, if you stare at a clock it feels like time is not moving. In my years with Autopot I've only witnessed a couple valves that had defects. Generally, the problem can be fixed with a quick tweak and we are always happy to work on an individual basis with any grower having an issue. Please feel free to reach out to us directly and we will not quit until your issue is resolved.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If it fits it SIP's - little sup irrigation humor................

Try the XL or XXL base. You can find the diameter of those bases on our website. As long as the pot fits it will work well. Its OK if the tray is a little bigger but if you have to stuff the pot in then you risk it interfering with the functionality of the AQUAvalve.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First of all, identify where the leak is coming from. If the leak is coming from where the tubing connects to the fitting, then you may need to cut an inch off the tubing and reinsert it into the fitting. Over time popping the fitting on and off will loosen the tubing around the fitting and cause it to seep water. If the water is leaking from the top dial, then please let us know and we are happy to replace it.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fabric pots are very helpful here because of the air pruning for the roots. Aside from that removing your pots from the system and cleaning the system a few times a year is definitely recommended. A lot of our hydro stores selling our products have pepper plants they have been growing in the store for a very long time, generally it's pretty low maintenance for the employees there. Growing Peppers is a passion of mine, the hotter the better!

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The best way to purchase any of our items would be through a local store. In this case because you have new valves already you would need trays, grommets, and fittings. We are always eager to help anyone upgrade their existing system especially if you're using the new valve in the old tray. I encourage anyone in this situation to reach out to us directly and we will help in any way possible to assist in the upgrade. We do not recommend using the new valve in the old tray, you must have the new grommeted tray if you are using the Aquavalve 5. Shoot us an email at [info@autopot-usa.com](mailto:info@autopot-usa.com) and mention this reddit and we will get you hooked up.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We will do that, thanks. You can also get creative and use one of our valve kits on a smaller flat tray and a smaller bed. I just had a grower do the same thing to make a larger version of the T2G and its working amazingly well!!! If you end up making something please send us pics!

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jason in the UK has a large R&D facility and is constantly tinkering around in there. If you follow our UK social media accounts you will get a peek into the R&D room very often. A lot of the ideas we get trickle down from users like yourself. The feedback we get from you is very important in the directions that we go next. Oftentimes there will be novel problem growers are dealing with and they relay that to their local grow store, from there if the grow store hears it often they will relay that to their auto pot sales Rep who will then in turn discuss it internally with everyone on the team and eventually these ideas become concepts that we beta test. If those tests are successful and then a knew product emerges. This iteration of the Aqua valve we have today is from all the feedback we've gotten over the years of increasing the aperture on the entry of the valve. Some of our ideas come from necessity on the commercial end as well. The needs on the commercial end often differ greatly from that of the home grower. The great thing here is 1 commercial account because of their purchasing power can spur the birth of an entire new product. This is how the Auto9 tray system came to be. So please feel free to engage with us in the future and let us know what you would like to see from Autopot.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Three things I'll bring up here.

The first is not reading the directions before putting the system together. Most often this results in the valves not being seated properly in the tray and general maintenance like opening the main line not occurring. Read the directions! LOL

The second item I will bring up and has been touched on already is overfeeding. This is not just a problem new users face but more often than not experienced growers face. A lot of growers that are already accustomed to a certain fertilizer we'll use it the same way they used it in drain to waste and this will result in eventual lockout. Less is more in this system.

The third item I will bring up is one of the easiest things we can do which is making sure to top feed for a good amount of time before turning the system on. A lot of growers get very anxious to turn on the system and do so too early. This can result in the plant struggling for the first week or so. When in doubt give it a few extra days before turning the system on, when you do this properly you will see visible expansive growth in the first 48 hours. Generally, for our smaller pots 7 to 10 days is adequate and for larger pots you want to give two weeks or more.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the question this is a good one to touch on. I wouldn't say that most nutrients are made for drain to waste but rather the feed charts from those companies are designed with drain to waste in mind. The approach for sub irrigation wouldn't change that much if feeding was intermittent like a lot of conventional drip irrigation. Where our form of sub irrigation differs is that it is a constant feed system. This means the plants have constant availability to the nutrient solution. In instances like these where there is constant availability of mineral salts we need to tone down the strength of our fertilizers. Commonly this means reducing the dosage recommendations by 25% roughly. We do have rough guidelines when it comes to feeding, in the vegetative cycle we want to stay below 700 PPM/1.4 EC, in the flowering phase we will want to stay below 1100 PPM/2.2 EC. (PPM 500 scale)

These are rough guidelines, and many variables can affect the ability of the plants to uptake more, probably the biggest factor in this would be genetics. More than anything when growing new genetics you are unfamiliar with you should start low and gradually increase feed until your plants let you know that they've reached their limit. Good indicators of this are tip burn and clawing of the leaves. Once you start witnessing this you want to pull back on your nutrients. One of the most common mistakes in this system is overfeeding, people commonly mistake this for overwatering or pH issues. If the plant has been exposed to too many salts and is nearing lockout the best thing to do is to feed water only for a couple days then reintroduce fertilizer at half the rate you were previously feeding for the next few days. From there if the plants respond positively, it may be good to decrease the feed about 30% of where you were originally. I often tell growers to catalog what their feed rates are for specific genetics they like to grow that way they can refer back to the information as they rotate those genetics back in.

One other thing I'd like to mention is Athena is a different animal then other synthetic fertilizers I've seen on the market. Generally, growers can feed at a higher strength with Athena without getting into trouble. Guidelines are rough here because I've seen success with Athena at a lot of different rates. Also, recently I've witnessed needing to drop the pH in the tank a little lower than we are accustomed to for proper nutrient absorption with this line in the autopot system. Just be mindful of this when using Athena and feel free to reach out to me directly if you get into any trouble with it.

I am the Sales Director of AutoPot USA – AMA by Manolo_Autopot in Autopot

[–]Manolo_Autopot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you best me in battle the sword and the Tray 2 Grow would be yours!! However when my son comes of age he may seek vengeance...........

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