vacation watering solution?

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Tom O'Bedlam

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Going away for 5 days and the plants start to look pretty sad after 3 days without liquid refreshment. Will they be ok (they're in 5 gallon pots, about 6 weeks into 12/12) or should I start to look at pumps or other ways to feed the plants? Maybe a 2nd, outer pot around the first with some water in it?

Any suggestions appreciated!

Tom

PS I'm looking for a cheap/homemade solution!
 
Rez - pump - drip irrigation

Mine get all droopy after 3 days
 
I'm thinking the same thing after calling the local garden shop...
 
If it is in season (spring supplies out) you may be able to find everything at a Hope Depot or Lowes.
 
You can get some of the watering type stuff at Homedepot if you look at the yard and flowerbed watering systems. That is what I use with some of the nicer submersible fish tank pumps. It makes it nice to have the individual watering automated. All I do is have 2 50liter totes that I have drilled holes in the lid for my hoses to go through, so that I can keep the lid on to keep the water dark and protected from debris. I also have an air pump and air stone to keep the water oxygenated for the roots. I mix up my nute solution and let it aerate for a couple hours before the digital timer turns on the pump and waters my babies. You would have to customise it to work for your setup so that you don't create a flood but it shouldn't be hard at all. :)
 
The second pot with water in it would be the cheapest and easiest.

Shouldn't cause any problems for a 5 day duration. It didn't for me when I did it.

Longer than 5 days might be a problem, but not 5. Don't need much water in it, a couple inches or so. You just need enough for the 2 days past the normal watering.

Wet
 
I think Wetdog is right...second pot shld work fine. I wldnt do it often but once in a while won't really hurt anything. If I din't hve many plants I wld do that when I go on vacation....
I hve been shutting down my grow when I go on vacay. I make sure everything is flowered out in time and all I hve left is my Keeper Moms. I take cuts from them and put them in the fridge right before I leave. The cuts will stay good in my fridge for up to 4 weeks. When I get back from vacay and am ready to resurrect my moms I put the cuts in my bubble cloner and in like 10-14 days I hve replacement moms.
 
Hey Hammy; I been wantin to ask you about puttin clones in the fridge. What are the particulars to doing that? I may have to shut down my grow this summer for the hottest part as I don't have a good way to keep them cool enough if it get too blazing hot here as it does sometimes. I am just getting some good strains goin and I'd hate to lose them. Thanks :)
 
Hushpuppy said:
Hey Hammy; I been wantin to ask you about puttin clones in the fridge. What are the particulars to doing that? I may have to shut down my grow this summer for the hottest part as I don't have a good way to keep them cool enough if it get too blazing hot here as it does sometimes. I am just getting some good strains goin and I'd hate to lose them. Thanks :)

Hush I did a thread on it but I believe it was lost in the crash...something like three clones, one fridge, 30 days. I took cuttings and put them in zip lock baggies and they went into the crisper of my fridge. I had wrapped the cut ends in moist paper towel which was a mistake. After doing it a few times I found that just taking the cuts and putting them right into a baggie and into the crisper....no prep on them. When I am ready for them I pull how ever many cuts I need and then prep them as if I just took the cuts. I cut a sterile 45 under water and then scrape the stem and dip in cloning gel. Then they get put into my bubble cloner. I got them to throw roots even at 30 days.
 
Sweet man :) Thanks, That will come in handy in the future, real handy.:)
 
I rigged a small aquarium pump in a 5 gal bucket with a hose. A battery-powered programmable timer from radio shack completes the system. It puts out roughly 2 quarts in one minute which is a little more than I usually give, but it's the shortest time increment the timer has. The pump was $8.95 and the rest of the stuff I had lying around, except for new batteries. I've tested it and it should do the trick!:D

thanks
 

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