Hello there Everyone,
I'm on a mission to find the most efficient method to collect runoff water that comes with growing in a coco-based medium. Anyone who has ever grown in coco (or soil) knows that runoff water can be quite a nuisance. Aside from just being plain old messy, runoff water can cause formidable humidity issues if left to evaporate. My current method is as follows:
1) Harness the potential of gravity.
2) Create a few basic angle gradients.
3) Let mother earth do the work
So what i've been using in my current office is a raised platform (4ft deep) with a slight downward angle (1ft at wall/10" at front) with a gutter drain attached to the front edge of the platform. I laid down panda paper (slick black/white plastic sheeting) that causes the runoff water to flow into the drain and down to a plastic container at the end/lowest point of the gutter. In a 4x4 section of this platform i usually place about 9 plants, so each 4ft section of platform must be able to handle the runoff from 9 3gal pots!
Here's a quick paint illustration:
I know my method is only one of many, and i would love to hear from all you coco growers out there and how you deal with runoff water. Some just let it evaporate with a dehumidifier, others have elaborate timers and pumps. Feel free to chime in and share any information pertaining to coco water runoff, and possibly even methods of watering. I've heard that coco performs best with multiple (5x/day) waterings, as opposed to once every day or every-other day. I've also heard that you want to shoot for 10-25% runoff with each container and that it's a good idea to water with plain r/o water once a week.
Is this just hearsay, or science..? Let the discussion begin
I'm on a mission to find the most efficient method to collect runoff water that comes with growing in a coco-based medium. Anyone who has ever grown in coco (or soil) knows that runoff water can be quite a nuisance. Aside from just being plain old messy, runoff water can cause formidable humidity issues if left to evaporate. My current method is as follows:
1) Harness the potential of gravity.
2) Create a few basic angle gradients.
3) Let mother earth do the work
So what i've been using in my current office is a raised platform (4ft deep) with a slight downward angle (1ft at wall/10" at front) with a gutter drain attached to the front edge of the platform. I laid down panda paper (slick black/white plastic sheeting) that causes the runoff water to flow into the drain and down to a plastic container at the end/lowest point of the gutter. In a 4x4 section of this platform i usually place about 9 plants, so each 4ft section of platform must be able to handle the runoff from 9 3gal pots!
Here's a quick paint illustration:
I know my method is only one of many, and i would love to hear from all you coco growers out there and how you deal with runoff water. Some just let it evaporate with a dehumidifier, others have elaborate timers and pumps. Feel free to chime in and share any information pertaining to coco water runoff, and possibly even methods of watering. I've heard that coco performs best with multiple (5x/day) waterings, as opposed to once every day or every-other day. I've also heard that you want to shoot for 10-25% runoff with each container and that it's a good idea to water with plain r/o water once a week.
Is this just hearsay, or science..? Let the discussion begin
