A Cheap Alternative to AutoPots
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Hoocho shares his method for a cheap alternative auto pot system and we get to see them in action in a time lapse grow. Self watering, gravity fed and auto top up hydroponic system.
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Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology Vanlife and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle.
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Great idea! I’ve made my own version of autopot using a cheap float valve but still a lot of mucking around. Funny, I have the same water dispenser for our cat , never thought of using it your way.
One thing with the smart valve is that it works on flood and drain. With the float valve I made and your system the plant always has wet feet. Doesn’t seem to bother some plants but some don’t like it.
You just told me what i have been looking everywhere for! You are the man! Will be watching for more great hydro tips! Cheers Hoocho
You can do it by putting i pipe vertical inside a pot, than putting another smaller pipe inside a cool drink bottle, fill the bottle with water and put it upside up on top of the bigger pipe, with the smaller pipe inside.
You can buy a kit from autopot with the valve system that you add your own tray. It's only around 15-20
Elaborate please
@Konokey710 they call it the easy2go . It's on the autopot website. Just add your own tray and reservoir
Great Vid Hoocho! Nice watching the plants ‘dance’ to the music👍🏼
Autopot sells the components that go in a barrel/tank to make a reservoir which gravity feeds their system. I have a 30 gallon food grade barrel I will do this too. Now I know what I’m going to feed the water into! Thanks!
Without knowing yet what all the components in the reservoir do, I imagine once I have them setup I can determine if toilet tank components might do the same.
You might also want to consider a cheap air pump, airline leading to an air-stone inside your reservoir, if you have access to electricity in proximity to your growing set-up. This will help keep the nutrient in your reservoir mixed up. That would be one concern I'd have about having that much nutrient solution mixed up for a long time between fill-ups. The nutrient might settle out and you'd begin to notice it when looking at your plants.
For a 30 gallon container of water, IMO, an air stone is going to struggle to make much movement. You are either going to need to force a large amount of air that can cause a lot of spray at the top of the container, or I would personally just buy a very small powerhead. I personally am a sucker for Ehiem as I have had their motors run for 15+ years 24x7 365 with absolutely no loss in power if they are cleaned.@@juliemcgugan1244
@@juliemcgugan1244 I guess you could avoid that problem with regular or OW and growing organic with some slow release added dry amendment directly into the pot. Work with promix soil + perlite + worm casting + some dry amendment to srat then just a bit of dry amendments towards end of vegging before flower... Still worried about the PH changing in a reservoir of like 30 litres...does it change much over the days?
@@nidieunimaitre007 no pH shouldn't change that quickly..but it's easy to adjust
Attach the feeder to a larger tank and use a hose to attach the bottom to other plates for larger system
I like filing a saucer with LECA and setting the fabric pots on the LECA in the saucers.
I have to admit that this particular "Grow Motion" (or "GroMo") sequence got me all moist...
😂
Got some 1 gallon vivosun fabric pots, they fit really well into the water dispenser bowl. Put a layer of hydroton inside the pot before you add the 60/40 mix
I've also got these vivosun fabric pots and am very pleased with how long they have lasted. Granted, I have not had them sitting in any amount of water (I have heard about algae/mould growth on the fabric, when it is not allowed to dry out periodically, but that will be something interesting to test.
Aren't roors stretching too much a problem? I guess gravel about 3 " bottom fabric pot would help?
Nice cheap and affordable Great video Hoocho
Guess who needs to go and get some self watering pet bowls them! Hmmmm - maybe me! 😁🤣🇭🇲Great Vid!
Excellent alternative!!! I'm always looking for alternative diy of things.
I followed your method on using terracotta pot and use then for wicking in a similar set up. I like the auto method. I will pursue a larger storage method hopefully.
Are you kidding me lol what a great idea, haven't watched the full vid yet but high hopes so far
Nice one mate. It's great to see your channel grow......mmmm Merry Xmas
GENIUS!!!!!
Sick camera work
Looks like somebody got a new rail for their camera. Nice!
As of today (1/6/3023) the Auto Pot system is $105 USD on Amazon and a 1 gallon per water dispenser is as low as $13 USD. I will be trying this out.
fuck how is it in the future
@hoocho That’s brilliant. I’ve recently ordered some very expensive autopots and I’ll be off to Kmart tomorrow to grab one of these to try too.
One question - my understanding is that one of the key features of the autopot smart valve is that it gives the plants a “wet / dry” cycle by letting the water at the base of the pot run out completely before opening and refilling. Does the automatic pet bowl do the same, or does it keep the water at a fairly consistent level? If it is consistent I wonder if there are some plants that would do better/worse in this model compared to autopots based on their preference for wet / dry cycle vs consistent moisture.
Hey, if youve tried this, let me know how it turned out!
Are u kidding me autopots are cheap af lol.
Another great episode mate 🍻
🍻 cheers mate!
Coolest music in the time-lapse!
Love it. I asked Santa for a grow light. Might have to steal the pet watering dish
I just picked up a autopot xl why not there cheap and reliable!
Use to auto pot valve in a large container eg kids pool.
Build an IBC auto pot 😳
Haha this is on my long list of video ideas. Keep the suggestions coming. Love inspiration.
Check out the Autopot Valve with the Valve Box and Capillary matting in a large tray. 1x Valve for loads of pots/fabric pots
What a brilliant idea, I have been thinking to DIY my autopot then I watch this. Thank you bro, Sub and support!
Very cool. Just need to adjust the height so the other two are not getting more PAR/DLI
Nice! I'll definitely try out those water feeders. I want to hang a wick into then from the bottom of a self-watering pot.
does the soil stay wet all the time? doesnt it it need to dry a little to prevent root root and gnats
yes dont use this method unless you want root rot or pests, and even if it does not cause root rot the pots are so small wont get a big yield at all,and will get real slow groowth, rather pay $230 for a 4 xl autopot system where they fixed the issue of plants being water logged like this guy is teaching lol
Love your vids, would love a video of your time lapse filming, camera timing etc
Seems like it would keep the medium too wet all the time, would get tons of root rot
Yea it would, the auto pot system is a little more complex than the watering dish but just a little bit until you add their air dome and add air to the roots which should be sold as part of the auto pot system because without it your always in danger of root rot
I don't think that's right cuz the whole autopot system is based on cyclic wet/dry events. If the medium is right, it will draw oxygen in as it drys, then when completely dry will start the wet cycle again.
@@AidITSupport that’s the idea but if you’re growing in soil or peat then it’s only watering every few days, if it’s waiting for it to completely dry, and it seems like a waste of money at that point, when you could just buy a self watering planter. Imo if you want the benefit of the auto pot system the air dome and air base make it almost a hydroponics system which actually justifies the money the system costs
Best used as hydroponic system with coco\perlite as grow medium and salt nutes in the res. Coco allows more air and is resistant to most pathogens.
You would likely find rot if you use this just to water soil, especially if using organic nutrients, as wet and compact soil promote anaerobic bacterial growth.
The time lapse with the music in this video was amazing, great job. Great job and great idea with the pet auto water/ feeder. Something like that but instead of the tank on top just one of the nutrient feeder hoses. Done
A lot of plants will die using this method. It's just like having a constant standing pool of water at the bottom of a pot with a catch pan, and the catch pan always having like an inch of water in it or something. The roots drown on most plants, because it's constantly being overwatered and the roots end up just sitting in stagnant water. It would be nice to think you could just wrap some tape over the outside of your normal catch pan, constantly keep it full of water....thinking that blocking out the light with tape will do the trick, but it just doesn't work that way. The plant still drowns, the roots end up being submerged in stagnant water all day long.
There has to be a system where immediately under the pot itself, a sizeable air gap exists, and it cannot be trapped air either, that will still just suffocate the roots while they drown in the water below.
So in order for this idea to work for almost any plant....The pot needs to be suspended above the surface of the water and nutrients in the bottom catch pan with a good 2inch gap or something, then breathe holes need to go through the sides of the catch pan in that vacant area right below the bottom of the main pot itself. This lets the Air-gap below the bottom of the Pot breathe fresh air, and let the main roots breathe fresh air................But we still need to block out the light as well, so the Breathe Slots on the sides of the bottom well of water and nutrients, need to be covered with a light blocking fabric or hood or shroud or something. Then we have Success in a big way Houston! The very bottom of the roots will stay submerged in the well water with nutrients.....and several inches of the thicker roots exposed in the air gap will be able to breathe fresh oxygen, and the even thicker roots above that in the Pot will be able to absorb nutrients from the soil and stuff as well, by topping off your bottom well of water and nutrients by top feeding, and letting the soil above dry out as much as possible between feeds/watering.
Oy, i almost forgot....2 or 3 drops of Hydrogen Peroxide needs to be added to the bottom well of water and nutrients, and then stirred in real good. This will help kill any algae that might try to form, but will not be enough to harm the roots, and will in fact be just enough to Oxygen enrich the well water and nutrients.
this is root rot waiting to happen for sure, hope nobody is listening to this guy lol
Bro you are really genius, honest and straight forward which is a very rare commodity to see these days. Wish you all the very best success in all your future endover. Luck favours the honest 👍🙏💐
On the other side
Why cant we use individual reservoir/s of the capacity as required depending on number of pots in a battery or cluster of pots with one or two automatic fluid dispensing bottles with caps just like the one we have in a facial steamer or souna. These bottles can be replenished as the situation demands.
What say.
Nice. Very good Idea. Whats the Name of the drinking Pot? And how Long will the water Last? A week or 2?
Autopots, roll out!
great idea, hoocho! will try...
When the King Gizzard song came on I had to pause the video to make sure my Spotify wasn't playing.
Genius as always! ☺️
Dancing plants!!! Trippy man 🤪🤪
In one of your upcoming videos, would you be able to do a comparison with seedlings planted at the same time please?
I'd also love to see this. Also across different types of plants, with one in auto-pot and one in the cheap alternative, to give us an idea of which plants prefer to keep their roots out of the wet (Auto-pot) and which don't mind sitting in a bit of water (Alternative to auto-pot.)
What are the size of the pot are you ended up using for the chili? Thanks
great idea thanks for sharing
Awesome...Totally Awesome
what's the size of the pots in ur cheap version
Love your work man.
Thanks mate!
Hempy buckets are so much easier.
Great video and music who’s the band and love that Scotish accent!🙏
That’s genius!
Every mediterranean "plato" pot: Look what they need to mimic a fraction of our power...
you are awesome thank you thank you for giving us so many ideas to save I love you 👍😁
فكرة💡 ممتازة جداً 👍🏻👍🏻
سوف أقوم بتجربتها.
Brilliant
although expensive, ive had my two pot trays from autopot systems australia for just over 20 years now and still looking good - the uv treatment of plastic is most important and will determine the lifespan of the plastic - aussie sun loves plastic
This is what I have been looking for. With so many products, I am struggling to get 2-3 years of use, even though they are cheap and can be used in a DIY set-up. I don't mind paying extra money, if I'm going to get 20 years of use out of them. Even if I have to replace the smaller components, as long as the auto-pots, trays, piping and reservoir stays in good working order.
Was the ts1000 at 100% power. In the comparison
If you like hassle-free hydro, be sure and do a TH-cam/Google search for KRATKY.
what a tripper you are, will try, love cheap, coz i am lazy too
Great idea, great video!
Where did u buy the water bowls
Autopot though goes through a dry period
Brilliant!!!
Hey mate you should do a video using gravel insted of clay balls.
cool !! there is another way of auto pet bowl which uses no valve.
awesome
I'll post this on the Kmart mums group XD
Clever idea!💡 I don’t get it why Autopots are so expensive, it’s just plastic everybody wastes every day.
Can totally understand that. However, with cheap alternatives, I find that I am replacing them every year, since I'm living in a place that has a triple-whammy of high heat (45 deg C + in the hight of summer,) high UV radiation and close proximity to the sea (peyia, Cyprus.) I am going to dip my toes into the Autopot systems world, just to see how long the components and equipment last. Have seen another commenter on here who has used their system for 20+ years (the trays, pots, reservoir, unsure about them smaller components,) and it is still going strong. That really screams 'good-investment' to me.
Great song! Sheesh! What is that?
Is this king gizzard?
Way cool
Have you ever grown med cannabis in these?ive had problems with root rot any suggestions?
dont use this method to grow weed...the roots will rot it will cause pests, on top of that from the soil being wet all the time growth will be real slow, autopots uses a way to bring oxygen in the soil that this method does not do
Why not a vermiculite/perlite mix like you do your seedlings in?
No reason in particular, just familiarity with this medium. Perlite and vermiculite would also work if it’s fine enough. I find the fibres of coco work to wick really well and as a bonus: renewable resource.
@@Hoocho Thanks. You totally sold me on the vermiculite/perlite blend in your seedling videos so I'm going to start my self wicking grow bags with that.
As much as i like the idea, this is not the same as autopot/valve. more like a ball value which keeps the water level constant.
Exactly. The valve gives plants a wet a d dry period. This is just all wet.
@@stale7724 not if you elevate the pot, as was suggested in the video.I am going to try this but will place gravel in the bowl so it lifts the pot up. In many ways that would just make it like a big double cup. Love it. Hope my kmart has some of these tomorrow lol
@@eerotarik2567 Autopot valves don't keep the water at a constant height - which gives the roots dryer times. Not knocking this design, but autopots doesn't just === bottom watering. The valve is what its all about.
very nice!! don't you need to control pH levels regularly?
The res is ph balanced and only delivers ph balanced nutrient.
@@Hoocho how often do u refill res
Genius.
Where do you get the pet waterer in australia?
K mart
@@Hoocho Awesome
I like big dogs which need much bigger dog bowls.
you should 3d print a bigger pot to fit the diy auto pot.
cross over episode ;)
Hi
How do I purchase few Auto-Pots?
I got mine from www.aquagardening.com.au/
Like his creativity a lot but to me it is not affordable. I will have to find a very down to earth way to generate cheap food resource.
@ 7:45. its not a quarter the price its half as you said it 10 each and you got 2 = $20, your auto pot that you bought was $40 but it includes 2 pots. So half the price
it dosnt introduce flow and ebb like autopot do
Honestly.... I like the ones you made better. They just look asthetic pleasing.
Do you want an even less expensive option?
God dam that f@$kin genius! You got them from Kmart?
That’s right, $10 each. Cheap as chips.
@@Hoocho I promise once I had paid down some debt (buying houses isn't cheap lol) I am purchase some T-shirt and kick some bucks your way. Thanks again for your hard work!
@@jasmorris1286 great idea, use Patreon to help him along the way so he posts more. Tshirts - let’s get a list of ideas for Hoocho.
@@jasmorris1286 Don’t feel obligated at all my friend. Put every cent towards that house. I only have the Patreon and merch as options for those that have excess.
This channel is all about empowering people to live cheaper to do exactly what you’re saving for!
🤙🏻
If you get everything just right it’s hassle free😂😂
King Gizzard!
up vote for good content but also for KGATLW audio..
is the droop on those leaves same outside in optimal conditions ?? my spidey sense says peat is messing with plants
so you can only use small pots that will cause root rot .. i'll stick with auto pots
Yo anyone know if there's a Chinese knockoff of the autopot. It's a bit out of budget as is
So did the british invent it first or was it the australians?? not whick systems themselves.. you know what i mean.. obviously some competition going on
those autopot clowns.. if your product is going to take 30 years to show a return on investment the world probably doesnt need your product.
Why don’t u grow weed u seem to have the knowledge
Hello hoocho, what you are showing cannot work, and comparing it to autopot is abusive. I explain. You put your pot in a saucer which has a constant level. THE SUBSTRATE in your pot is flooded by capillary action, the roots have no oxygen. For such a system to work, you have to inject air into the cup with an air pump just like in an aquarium and like this = autopot, and you will have the same result.
Now, the point of autopot is a very simple, and above all accessible, water reserve that can be filled with a float and that can be used in many ways.
1 / we put nutrients in the water and we can do without potting soil with the roots in clay balls etc ...
2 / Like what you do with your pot but the autopot valve waits until the plant has used all the water (instead of water there is air), and the roots breathe
Personally, I started with windowfarms
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windowfarm
The TOP of the TOP to understand what I am explaining
Potato roots BREATHE better than in soil
th-cam.com/video/9ck5iEP03g4/w-d-xo.html
In short, whatever you want as a growing medium,
But one basic thing, ROOTS MUST BREATHE
A French
Bonjour hoocho, ce que tu montre ne peut pas fonctionner, et le comparer à autopot est abusif. J’explique. Tu mets ton pot dans une soucoupe qui a un niveau constant. LE SUBSTRAT de ton pot est noyé par capillarité, les racines n’ont pas d’oxygène. Pour qu’un tel système fonctionne, il faut injecter de l’air dans la coupelle avec une pompe à air exactement comme dans un aquarium et comme ça = autopot, et tu auras le même résultat.
Maintenant, l’intérêt d’autopot c’est une réserve d’eau toute simple, et surtout accessible que l’on peut remplir avec un flotteur et qui peut s’utiliser de plusieurs façons.
1/ on met des nutriments dans l’eau et on peut se passer de terreau avec les racines dans des billes d’argile etc …
2/Comme ce que tu fait avec ton pot mais la vanne autopot attend que la plante ait utilisé toute l’eau (à la place de l’eau il y a de l’air),et les racines respirent
Personnellement, j’ai commencé avec des windowfarm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windowfarm
Le TOP du TOP pour comprendre ce que j’explique
Les racines de pommes de terre RESPIRENT mieux que dans la terre
th-cam.com/video/9ck5iEP03g4/w-d-xo.html
En résumé, tout ce que vous voulez comme support de culture,
Mais une seule chose fondamentale ,LES RACINES DOIVENT RESPIRER
Un français
the way autopot treats customer simply trying to source a larger pot size because they seem sol out everywhere they acted like i wqs asking for hand outs and charity can you imagine? and that was autopot global
why do your plants look so unhappy/thirsty?
ahh they are overwatered