Improvements To My Autopot Hydroponic System

If you currently own, or are considering buying, an Autopot Hydroponic system, here are some enhancements you may want to consider.

Regular readers know that I like the Autopot system because of it's simplicity -- no pumps, no electricity needed etc.  (See my original posting on the system: Autopots Reviewed)  While the basic system works well, there are some things that can be done to improve it.  Here are my recommendations:

Enhancement #1: Use 1/2 Inch Tubing & A Filter To Prevent Clogging

My Autopot system came equipped with 1/4" tubing which is used to connect the Smart Valves to the nutrient tank.  In practice, I find that sediment from the nutrient solution and debris that occasionally fall into the tank can clog this narrow 1/4 inch tubing. 

To address this problem, I decided to replace as much of the narrow tubing as possible with wider, 1/2 inch tubing.  To accomplish this, I ran a main line made from 1/2 inch tubing from the nutrient tank to the end of the area where my Autopots are placed.  I then used barbed connectors to run smaller 1/4 inch tubing from the main line to the individual Smart Valves (Smart Valves require a 1/4 inch connection). 

You can find the 1/2 inch plastic tubing, barbed connectors, and a hole punch at any store that sells drip irrigation equipment.  There you'll also find a filter mechanism that can be opened and cleaned and the bulkhead fitting you'll need to connect your nutrient tank to the 1/2 inch tubing.

 
 

Enhancement #2: Adding A Mixing Tank To Make Refilling Nutrient Solution Easier

Most hydroponic nutrient solutions have two or more liquid components.  For example, the brand I use has a component called "Micro," "Grow" and "Bloom."  Depending on what type of plant you are growing and it's stage of development, you need combine specific amounts of at least two of these components with water to make a complete food for your plants.

Nutrient solution manufacturers instruct you to first fill your tank with water, add the first component, mix, and then add the additional components.  They do not want you to mix the components together before adding them to the water because these components can "lock up," or interact in a way that prevents the plants from absorbing the nutrients. Manufacturers also suggest a specific order in which you are to mix the components (Water, component A, component B etc.)

To properly mix your nutrient solution, you could wait till your tank is completely empty.  That way you can follow the recommended mixing procedure.  However, this is not easy to do in practice.  For example, I often find myself in a position where my nutrient tank is 1/4 full in the morning and I know from experience that it will run dry during the course of the day when I am not at home.  This summer, I addressed this problem by using a separate mixing tank and then transferring the completed solution to my nutrient tank by hand using a bucket.  This worked, but was really time consuming and very inconvenient.

To better address this problem, I decided to fully integrate a mixing tank into my hydroponic system.  This would allow me to mix nutrient solution in the mixing tank and then transfer it to the nutrient tank using gravity to draw the water from one tank to the other through the same 1/2 inch tubing that I used to create a main line for my hydroponic system.  This eliminated the need to transfer nutrient solution from one thank to another using a bucket.

In my case, I decided to use one mixing tank to feed two nutrient tanks (One nutrient tank has a hydroponic mixture suitable for fruiting plants such as tomatoes and pepper.  The other tank has a hydroponic solution suitable for vegetative plants such as lettuce, chard and kale.)  The mixing tank, which sits above both nutrient tanks, has a T connector and valves fitted to it.  Depending on which nutrient tank I want to fill, I open or close the valves, and nutrient solution will flow into either the tank for vegetative plants or to the tank for fruiting vegetables.

To create the mixing tank, you'll need the following materials:

• 1/2 inch plastic irrigation tubing
• Two 1/2 inch valves
• One 1/2 inch "T" connector
• One Rubbermaid Roughneck brand storage container (used as a mixing tank)
• One bulkhead fitting
  

A PDF of this diagram is attached below and can be downloaded.

Download Autopot Diagram

Comments

[Eric Sheldon]

I used autopots this summer in my greenhouse, and they proved ideal : my 250-liter tank, sold as a rainwater butt, successfully supplied my ten tomato and two shishitô plants for the two weeks we were away in Japan. Autopots are rather expensive, but seem sturdy and well-designed. I had no valve problems. Next year I plan to double the quantitity I'm using to 24 and branch out into some other Solanaceae like eggplant, physalis and okra. I'd definitely recommend them as an almost effortless way to grow good quality crops.

[H. Mark Delman]

Thanks for your comments. I think youll be happy with the way they produce eggplants. I grew Japanese eggplants this year and they did quite well. You will need to put up cages or some type of support as with your tomato and pepper plants.

[Ibrahimkhan Abdoolakhan]

I read your articles about the autopots. It was amazing. I have been trying to find a supplier of the autopots on the internet who shipped worldwide i.e. outside the USA or Uk but of no avail. Please help me to find one. I live in Mauritius. Kind regards. Thank you.

[H. Mark Delman]

There are two companies that sell Auto Pots. One is in the UK and the other is in Australia. The Australian company is closest to you. My suggestion is to contact them and see if they will ship to you directly. The web site is: http://www.autopot.com.au/ I wish you the best of luck and thank you for visiting my blog.