Year: 2024

Starting your journey with an AutoPot system might feel like diving into a new world of sub-irrigated gardening—something many growers haven’t tried before. We pride ourselves on the user-friendliness of our systems but with any new venture, there’s a bit of a learning curve, no matter how easy it is. In this post, we’ll guide you through some key tips to ensure your first experience with AutoPot is as smooth as possible, helping you sidestep common mistakes and set up a thriving, self-sustaining garden.

Before diving into the tips, it’s crucial for any AutoPot user to fully understand how the AQUAvalve works and how to maintain it. It’s the heart of the AutoPot system after all, and knowing how the AQUAvalve operates will make you a better AutoPot grower. Here are two videos we recommend to help you grasp just how unique and innovative the AQUAvalve is…

Now that you understand how the AQUAvalve functions and how to maintain it, let’s dig into how to properly set-up and maintain your AutoPot System…

Potting Up Tips

AutoPot lets your plants manage their own watering and feeding schedules, so your main job is keeping the reservoir topped off. This makes the system set-up and potting-up phases critical for getting the best results.

Follow these tips to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success with your AutoPot system…

Use a blended substrate with good oxygen retention: Most growers typically use coco or soil blended with something like perlite or hydroton to improve aeration. Avoid using 100% coco/soil with no aeration or a substrate that’s too heavy, such as peat moss, as it will compress over time and reduce oxygen content in the root zone. With that said, you can always add extra perlite to any mix to make it lighter. We recommend starting with a 50/50 blend of coco or soil and perlite, pH-stabilized clay pebbles, growstones or Hydroton. Whatever you use to lighten your substrate blend to improve aeration, make sure it’s either inert or pH stabilized!

Use a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot: We recommend using a drainage layer in any pot except for the XXL Pots (9-gallon and 13-gallon fabric pots). Whether you choose one of our AirBases or a 1″ layer of perlite no. 3, hydroton, growstones or pH-stabilized clay pebbles, a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot is crucial to prevent your substrate from becoming too wet. The purpose of the drainage layer is to elevate your substrate above the max fill line in the tray, which is approximately ¾ inch, so things don’t become oversaturated. Ensuring your drainage layer is within our recommended range is key for success. Here is a video showing how to properly install the AutoPot AirBase.

Establish your root zone before turning on the system: This is crucial because you want your plants to thrive as soon as you turn on the system. You should see explosive growth right away, and if you don’t, it’s likely because you started the system too early. If this happens, you can always turn off the system and continue top feeding for another week or so to let the roots develop further. A small root zone can cause the plant to lag while the roots grow deeper to fully benefit from the AutoPot system. As a general rule of thumb, top feed until the plant’s leaves extend beyond the rim of the pot before turning on the system.

Don’t feed too heavy; Less is more with AutoPot: As a general rule of thumb, on the ppm 500 scale, keep your nutrient mix at 700 or below during the vegetative stage and 1100 or below during flowering. This of course can vary depending on nutrient brand or comfortability with the system and is only a general guideline for new users. Remember, with an AutoPot system, nutrients are always available to your plant and they’re feeding constantly, so using too strong of a mix can cause nutrient burn. Think of AutoPot like a DWC hydro system but growing in soil or coco because the plant metabolic growth rates in each are the same. If a nutrient company offers a hydro feeding schedule, use that instead of a drip or drain-to-waste schedule.

Use a recirculating pump if using a nutrient line that doesn’t stay in solution: Depending on your nutrient choice, you might want to consider adding a recirculating pump to your reservoir. Not all nutrient solutions behave the same in a standing reservoir—some contain “organic-leaning” additives, while others stay in suspension longer. Running a recirculating pump on a timer for 15 minutes every 2 hours can help keep your nutrient solution stable and pH-balanced, but this will vary depending on the solution you’re using. To get a better idea of how your nutrients will perform in a standing reservoir, you can fill a bucket with the solution and let it sit for a few days to observe any pH fluctuations or sediment formation.

Keep everything level: Always double-check that your trays are level when setting up your system. Uneven trays can interfere with how the AQUAvalve functions, which can affect performance. Ensuring everything is level is crucial for optimal results. Take the time to make any necessary adjustments before turning the system on for the first time.

Keep things clean: Always clean the sides and bottoms of each pot before placing them in the tray. This removes any soil particles and keeps your system clean. It also helps ensure your AQUAvalve5 stays free of growing media that may end up in the tray. Keeping everything clean is essential for optimal performance.

Tray placement is important: Don’t place trays on cold concrete floors as water in the tray can be chilled from below and will affect plant growth. If you can’t avoid placing them on a surface where the temperature fluctuates, consider placing polystyrene or cardboard under each tray to ensure the water temperature in the tray is not affected.

Do I need an AirDome?

Adding an AirDome to your AutoPot system can significantly boost oxygen content in the rhizosphere, leading to healthier plants and better yields. In this section, we’ll cover how the AirDome works and why it’s a valuable upgrade for maximizing your garden’s potential.

It’s never a bad idea to add extra oxygen into your root zone, but you’ll notice a more dramatic benefit if you are using a heavier substrate than our recommended mix, which is a 50/50 blend. With a 50/50 blend, you have a light, aerated substrate blend with pockets of air leading to ideal conditions for your plants in a bottom feeding system like AutoPot. With heavier substrate blends like a 70/30 or 80/20, you have less oxygen retention capacity because there are less ‘pockets of air’ in the blend so utilizing supplemental oxygen pumped into the root zone via an AirDome will lead to increased plant performance and yields.

If using a 100% coco or soil blend, be careful about using an AirDome. 100% blends can compress over time and inhibit air from the Air Pump from traveling upwards through the media. This can result in that air blowing back into the tray as its only escape and creating bubbles or water movement in the tray that will disrupt proper cycling of the AQUAvalve. Cycle disruption can also happen if you use too strong of an Air Pump so make sure you’re using an Air Pump appropriately sized for the number of pots you’re using.

Essential AirDome Tips:

• Each AirDome requires 15gph so for example, if you’re using a 4 Pot System, you’ll want a 60 gph Air Pump. You don’t need a stronger pump than what we recommend to supercharge your airdome and in fact, using too strong of a pump can lead to AQUAvalve cycling issues. If you notice an AQUAvalve not draining the tray completely before it refills or water movement/bubbles in your tray, turn down your Air Pump!
• Turn on your Air Pump two weeks after you have turned on the system. You want your plants to acclimate to the bottom feeding environment of AutoPot before you start pumping air into the root zone.
• We recommend running your AirDomes with your light timer, so they turn on/off with the lights.
• Keep the pump elevated off any cold or hot floors to try to maintain stable air temperatures.

Weekly Maintenance?

To keep your AutoPot system running smoothly and your plants thriving, a bit of regular maintenance is key. While the system is designed for low-maintenance operation, performing some weekly checks and simple tasks can ensure everything stays in optimal condition. In this section, we’ll cover the essential weekly maintenance steps you should take to keep your AutoPot system functioning at its best.

Opening the flush taps. The ‘flush tap’ is the tap at the end of your main line coming from your reservoir. We recommend opening this tap for 30-45 seconds every time you refill your reservoir and you have max head pressure. This will push out any sediment that may have settled in the lines throughout the week preventing it from getting into your AQUAvalve and causing issues.

Check your AQUAvalves/fittings from time to time. This is pretty straightforward. Just take a look at your AQUAvalves and connections to make sure they’re secure in the tray or secure to the tubing. We’ve seen people move pots/trays around and accidentally knock loose an AQUAvalve or fitting and cause themselves unnecessary problems. It’s always good practice to do a quick 5-minute spot check to ensure everything is working optimally.

Keep your reservoir dialed in. If your reservoir pH/ec is dialed in, your plants will be dialed in. This is what you want to check regularly to ensure optimal performance. If you try to check the pH/ec of your trays, you may get some crazy readings because that water in the tray is interacting with the substrate/plant. You want to ensure your reservoir is always dialed in, not the trays. As a general rule of thumb, aim for water temperatures between 64-70 F and a pH of 5.8 with soil or 5.5-5.6 with coco.

Let the reservoir settle after refilling. After you refill your reservoir, wait 30-60 minutes before you turn the tap back into the ‘on’ position. Do this once a week if using mineral nutrient. Ideally undertake once you have re-filled your reservoir and allowed it to settle for an hour. A full reservoir provides you with the maximum pressure to flush.

Soften tubing before making adjustments. Dip the end of your pipe in hot water before connecting your fittings. This will soften the pipe and allow you to connect fittings with ease. When disassembling the system dip the still-connected fitting and pipe in hot water to ease separation.

Thanks for reading! We hope these tips help you on your journey with AutoPots. As always, if you have any questions, don’t be a stranger! Reach out at info@autopot-usa.com or call us at 702-338-0373.

If you are a grower that has used a silica/silicon additive in an irrigation system, you are well aware of the challenges that can arise. Whether it’s fall out in the reservoir, wild pH swings or dealing with a clog in your line, the average silica nutrient can cause its fair share of headaches. Honestly, we felt the same way at AutoPot. A silica additive was usually the first product we would remove from a grower’s blend if they were having reservoir issues. Most silicas, for all the benefits they can provide to a plant, were not worth the trouble. We’ve long been looking for a silica/silicon product that we felt confident recommending in our system, and we are happy to announce that with Grow Genius 40% Mono-Silicic Acid, our search is over.

Why Mono-Silicic Acid?

The only bioavailable form of Silicon, MonoSilicic Acid (MSA), is hard to stabilize and bottle, so it’s not in blended hydroponic nutrients, or most substrates. As a result, unlike NPK and trace elements, Silicon supply isn’t often optimized, even in successful grows.

As a result the door is open to noticeable improvements in several key areas by simply treating Silicon as you would any other nutrient and optimizing supply to reduce cycle times in propagation, and get noticeably sturdier, stouter plants that and are significantly more resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses:

In fact, the beneficial effect of silicon on a variety of crops has been established for over a decade. You can read an excellent evaluation of the various types of silicon available to gardeners here or jump straight to the summary table here to read the results (TLDR: stabilized monosilicic – which is the category GG Mono is in – outperforms everything else). Not only does silicon strengthen natural growth and defenses for bigger, healthier plants, it also provided your plant with increased resistance to:

• Powdery mildew, Botrytis, Black spot and other fungal pathogens.
• Thrips, mites, aphids and other biting and piercing pests.
• Heat stress, water stress and high winds / damage from pruning.
• Toxicity from heavy metals and other undesirable elements in soil.

Why Grow-Genius 40% MSA?

Because it’s the only bioavailable form, all Si products work by supplying MSA and Grow-Genius 40% MSA is the most cost effective AND the cleanest way to do it: Silicates don’t guarantee % MSA delivery because they are precursors.

More modern, big brand First Generation 1% strength molybdenum stabilized MSA (aka ‘Silica’) outperforms them but has the same drawbacks in use (aggressive pH, precipitation blocking drippers and lines, compatibility problems with other products, etc.) And even the best Nano Silica performs only about as well as first generation MSA

Grow-Genius uses totally unique, Second-Generation stabilization technology not based on potassium silicate to deliver 40X more MSA than big brand MSA products, at much better value for money, with NONE of the usage issues, and much lower applied heavy metals than any other source of Si for plants. The next strongest MSA product is only 10% claimed and is severely restricted in terms of compatible EC and pH – it doesn’t come close to what Grow Genius has been able to achieve with their 40% MSA. It’s that simple.

Si for max R.O.I (it’s not all about flowering)

We recommend using Grow Genius in your reservoir and as a foliar feed. Feed weekly via your reservoir at 0.1ml/gal but it’s also important to foliar feed as well as you can deliver much more MSA via foliar application than via roots – and that’s how to get maximum morphological effects: stretch reduction, and a sturdier plant. And especially as you can’t foliar cannabis when flowers have emerged, vegetative growth is where to focus to get the most out of Silicon. Just two applications of Grow Genius can have significant effects on multiple metrics.

Below are our recommendations for using Grow Genius in your grow…

• Seed Soak / Propagation mix: 0.03 ml/L (0.1 ml/Gal)
• Cuttings / Sprouted seeds: 0.03 ml/L (0.1 ml/Gal) add to res 1x / week
  AND foliar at 0.5 ml/L (2 ml/Gal) 1x / week
• Vegetative growth: 0.03 ml/L (0.1 ml/Gal) add to res 1x / week
  AND foliar at 0.5 to 0.75 ml/L (2 to 3 ml/Gal) 1x / week
• Once flowers emerge: 0.03 ml/L (0.1 ml/Gal) add to res 1x / week – Stop foliar application at early flowering on species with dense or compact flowers, especially indoors or in cold or damp weather.

Do I need to flush Grow Genius out of my substrate?

There is no need to flush as the only thing taken up by the plant is MSA, which is the natural form of Silicon used by plants. Continue application up to harvest for continued protection and support for new cells or cease a week or two beforehand for max economy.

Should I add Grow Genius first like every other silica product on the market?

You do not need to add Grow Genius first when blending. This is because Grow Genius isn’t based on Potassium Silicate, so there is no pH adjustment to do. Mix your nutrients and add Grow Genius last to reduce any potential foaming from the integrated wetting agent – that’s all there is to it. GG Mono does not affect pH.

Can I use Grow Genius in my organic grow?

Grow Genius is widely used in organic living soil facilities by some of the field’s foremost researchers because it’s such a clean, pure, controllable and above all, tiny input. If soil health and minimal inputs are your priority, Grow Genius is used at 100ml per acre vs multiple pounds or gallons for alternatives, making it the clear choice for soil and personal health. “Traditional” silicon sources come bundled with relatively high heavy metal loads and as application rates increase so do applied heavy metals.

Grow Genius is extremely low in heavy metals as a raw product. By the time it’s diluted at 0.03ml/L (0.1ml/gal) it’s cleaner than drinking water. We’re not exaggerating when we say that Grow Genius delivers tens to tens of thousands of times lower heavy metals per unit of Si delivered compared to the other options available.

Looking at how Silicon can facilitate cleaner practices in general because it works by helping plants build natural defenses, as opposed to toxicity, it’s a perfect partner to biological control. We even use rapidly biodegradable stabilization (readily biodegradable: 95% over 28 days (method: OECD Test Guideline 301F) which is harmless, or even beneficial, to microbial life at recommended rates. Silicon is not harmful to most beneficial microorganisms and low levels of ethanols are digestible by many soil borne bacteria and fungi. But above all, because our monosilicic is so concentrated, the net addition of product to the soil is tiny: just 0.03ml/L (0.1ml/gal) in solution. This is the benefit of treating trace elements as they should be: like vitamins, not food.

So while Grow Genius isn’t listed as an organic product yet, we’re working on it and expect to have organic certification in the near future.

Why Grow Genius for an AutoPot System?

Now that you know the benefits of silicon and what makes Grow Genius so unique, let’s talk about why it’s the perfect product to use with an AutoPot System.

1. Ultra concentrated – A great value at 0.1ml/gal ~ $0.05/gal. A 100ml bottle makes 880 gallons of solution for your reservoir. If you’re using one of our 12.4-gal hard tank reservoirs, that’s enough for 70 refills! This product will last many grows and the value is unbeatable. The next strongest MSA is 10% claimed, and most big brand MSA products are in the 1-2% range. There is simply no other product on the market that comes anywhere close to the 40% MSA that Grow Genius has achieved.
   
2. Reservoir Stable for 7 Days – Silica products and AutoPot reservoirs can lead to a lot of headaches for a grower. Fall out, clogs, wild pH swings, etc. These types of things can derail a grow and cause you a lot of stress. Grow Genius uses a new ethanol-based stabilization technology that overcomes the concentration limitations that applied to the older stabilized monosilicic products. Because of its unique progressive release stabilization, the product is good for up to 7 days in a tank. This is our favorite feature of Grow Genius!
   
3. pH Neutral – Yes, Grow Genius really is completely pH neutral. The reason Silicon supplements are associated with aggressively high pH is because most of them are based on potassium silicate or amorphous silica. Grow Genius uses totally different chemistry to other products and so doesn’t have these drawbacks. We recommend adding it last after any soluble nutrients and you’ll see it has no effect on solution pH.

As with any product in this industry, there are a few things to make sure you DO NOT do to ensure the product works properly over the course of use.

• Close the container securely immediately after use: ethanol evaporates quickly!
• ​Do not allow any water or dirt into the container: Grow Genius will re-polymerize on contact, meaning it will turn back into a gel-like product if you get water in it. Be very careful with this! Make sure the lid is closed tightly so no humidity from the air can get in the bottle and always make sure your pipette or measuring equipment is DRY if you are putting it in the bottle to measure out the required dosage.
• Grow Genius does contain ethanols and silicon which means it is safe for plants when used as directed, but not for direct contact with humans: do not ingest, breathe or allow contact with eyes/skin.
• Always avoid breathing mist from spraying this or any garden product: always wear an appropriately rated mask, eye and hand protection when working with garden chemicals.

Even though plants don’t require silicon to survive, if you grant them access to the nutrient, it’ll improve almost everything about their physiology. It works to protect them against pests, diseases, and environmental pollutants, while fortifying cell walls against stress, boosting photosynthesis and increasing overall yield/quality.

If you are growing with AutoPot and want to increase the performance of your plants, we can’t recommend Grow Genius 40% MSA enough.

Thanks for reading!

Take life down-under, wed it to life up-top. Hey, that’s Susy B Living! Hey, that’s plant grafting! Hey, that’s Susy B Living plant grafting! Hailing from Australia but now residing in the U.K., Susy is a hemispheric-horticulture-melding kitchen gardener who is guided by some intriguing ideas. 

This year she’s been growing grafted fruit and veg to great effect. For those not in the know, grafting is an innovative method of binding two plant varieties in order to improve the health, vigor, and yield of a crop. Susy very kindly took us through her grafted plants along with many more eye-opening projects in her vast and varied gardens.

After a stunning, grafted Bonica aubergine crop in 2023 Susy decided to branch out with tomatoes for ’24. The tomatoes in question are Crimson Plum and Avitidas. These graft varieties both combine a very strong rootstock with sensational fruiting qualities. Deep flavor, robust flesh, minimal seed count, ready for the pot – sounds absolutely ideal! 

Although Susy has so far grown ready-grafted plants, the process of grafting itself is relatively simple. Grow your rootstock variety and your fruiting (or ‘scion’) variety until the stems of both are at around 2-3mm in diameter. Take a scrupulously clean scalpel and slice across the stem of the young root donor plant at a point just north of the first true leaf. That’s your rootstock. Then slice the top section off your fruit donor plant. That’s your scion. Clip the two together using readily available binders and in a few months hey pesto! Or rather, hey marinara!

As well as accelerated growth and yield, grafted varieties often offer better resistance to non-native growing conditions. A rootstock that is known to thrive in harsher climates can, in theory, support a fruiting section that, whilst delicious, might otherwise prove vulnerable outside its native environment. The ability to bring home trickier crops has a clear appeal to Susy. 

Whilst she enjoys the things that flourish in northern climes Susy says she misses some of the produce that can be grown natively in Australia. ‘I miss the mangos definitely. Of course you can get most things these days, but in Australia we actually grow them there. Things like peaches, passionfruit, watermelon, pineapples and bananas.’ 

Susy has tried to grow more exotic plants in the UK with mixed results. ‘It’s really difficult because of the winters here and the high cost of heating a greenhouse. I had a passionfruit that did well for a season but then died during a cold snap, however I do have a Macadamia nut tree that is thriving.’ The need for responsive, low-cost, low-maintenance plant support for non-native varieties has now led Susy to try AutoPot Watering Systems. 

Sixteen different types of chilli and pepper are enjoying the complete and undivided attention of Susy’s mixed-module AutoPot system. Anaheim, Piri Piri, Buena Mulata, Lemon Drop, Scotch Bonnet, Apache, Cayenne, Albertos Locoto, Curry Chilli and Korean Dark Green comprise the chilli collection. Meanwhile the peppers represented by Lemon Dream, Akron F1, Bright Star F1, New Ace F1, Corno Giallo, and the inimitable Paprika. Destined for fermented hot sauce, dry seasonings, pickling, jams, and fresh cooking, the fruits of the system will get used in nearly every meal round at Susy’s gaff.

The system that’s being used to water these plants is made up of 2.2 gal easy2grow and 3.9 gal 1Pot modules. These have been arranged around the perimeter of a greenhouse allowing the plants plenty of light. In Susy’s experience the set up was a breeze, ‘it was fairly straightforward because my husband did it! Cutting the hosepipes and getting the layout right takes a little bit of work but after that he said it was very quick and easy.’ For simplicity all the modules are hooked up to the same 60 gallon FlexiTank collapsible reservoir. Whilst the plants can receive fertilizer via the reservoir and pipework Susy chooses to feed them directly.

As well as offering consistent, accurate, and responsive watering the systems are a huge labor-saver. This is especially important to Susy given the amount of plants she has to attend to in her gardens. ‘At home we have two greenhouses and 12 raised beds for veg growing, and an area for citrus, fruit trees and soft fruit. I also have an allotment where I have another greenhouse and more space for crops like potatoes, brassicas and long season vegetables.’

All Susy’s plants are grown with reference to a Biodynamic Moon Calendar. In a nutshell, the calendar advises growers as to how and when they should work the soil, plant seeds, plant out, apply fertilizers and treatments, and harvest. All in accordance with lunar cycles. In Susy’s own words, ‘the calendar structures my gardening year and I find it really works. I have a Youtube channel where viewers can follow my daily moonphase schedule and see what I sow and grow.’ 

That this should work makes perfect, logical sense given that our oldest forms of timekeeping are the solar and lunar cycles. It is with reference to these cycles that farmers have perfected sowing, growing, and harvesting over thousands of years. 

To support other growers in their efforts to follow the moon phase calendar Susy has also produced a series of capsule Sowalongs. These bite-sized videos are designed to coincide with the optimum sowing time for any number of different plant types. You can check out the Sowalongs along with a trove of other easily accessible growing tips on Susy’s insta reels.

Sincere thanks to Susy for sharing and for showing off our systems to such superb effect. If you’re feeling inspired to try AutoPot you can even get 10% off using Susy’s discount codes – available via her insta linktree