Growers – ‘How good are AutoPot Watering Systems?’
Us – ‘They’re great’
Well that’s that then! An open and shut case. Veteran growers and novices alike drop what they’re doing and pile into our stockists’ stores creating an unprecedented surge in sales that pushes AutoPot production to the ragged edge. Our online shop reaches critical mass in a matter of seconds. Hey presto! Horticultural retail is redefined.
A few months later the resultant harvests reshape national economies as people overwhelmingly turn to self-sufficiency. AutoPot Watering Systems outnumber people, their off-grid, gravity-fed functionality leading to an unstoppable rise in plant life. Tomatoes infiltrate every level of government, sweetcorn take the crown, melons mash military might, it’s nothing but flowers.
If you think all of that seems a bit far-fetched on the basis of our saying ‘they’re great’ you’d be right. People are not interested in us telling them how good AutoPot is in the first place. People want to see results, ideas for using the systems, and new innovations. Which is why we have the R&D room.
A little slice of green heaven atop AutoPot HQ, the R&D got a reset in late 2025 and is now filling out nicely with chillies, herbs, roots, greens, flowers, fruits, and something illegal – more of that to come!
With one almighty exception, there’s less of an emphasis on vine growing this time around. We’re focusing on easy yet super-productive pot-grown varieties in order to demonstrate just how simple, compact, and effective our systems can be. First up, the chillies.
Being a fair and benevolent parent to all his chilli plants means that AutoPot MD Jason Ralph-Smith is obliged to love his peppery progeny equally. But it doesn’t take too much teasing to winkle out his true favourites. And closet of all to his heart are Aji Limons.
The citrus clue really in is the name with these Peruvian delights. Respectably potent whilst not excessive, the Aji’s hot and spicy punch is given terrific depth by a zesty and refreshing kick of lemon. Aji’s are really versatile, but not in a ‘workaday’ sense. More in the sense that they lend their specific characteristics to a wide variety of dishes really, really well, especially fish – where the heat and the lemon absolutely come into their own. They are also a perfect way to demonstrate AutoPot with manageable, user-friendly, prolific crops.
These dense, productive, easy-to-grow plants rise to about a metre in height and a little more than that in spread, making them ideal for most spaces. As with pretty much any chilli, they require a bit of warmth, humidity, and shelter if grown in a temperate climate. But these conditions are easily achieved, even in a simple greenhouse, balcony, or conservatory setting. The trickier thing with chillies is striking the right balance in terms of irrigation.
Given the right conditions, chillies will draw on water pretty voraciously But at no point do they want the grow media in which they’re situated to become heavy. That means you’ll want some means of irrigating them that minimises the burden but that does so only in response to uptake. If only we could think of a wa-a-a-a-y. Hmmm.
Yes, the big advantage of using an AutoPot Watering System for chillies is regular, uniform, moderated watering that occurs only in response to uptake. The plants are able to draw everything they need, when they need it. You simply don’t have to worry about remembering to water or even getting the amount of water right. It is both a huge weight-off and a massive boost to healthy, uniform, productive growth.
We’ve got our Aji’s set up in 15L / 3.9 gal 1Pot modules which offer an ideal balance of pot capacity and space efficiency. As with all of our chillies, once in the system the plants are grown in Biobizz Light Mix. This is a brilliant grow media in terms of its aerated, free-draining structure and its nicely charged fertiliser.
The nutrients in the Light Mix saw our chillies through the first six weeks of system growth with just plain water supplied from the reservoir. Thereafter we’ve added AutoPot All Purpose Plant Feed to the water supply. Thus, everything in terms of irrigation and plant nutrition is delivered automatically with a minimum of fuss.
Tasty as they may be, you can’t just eat Aji’s all day. You need some greens if you want to make a meal of things. How about a bit of fresh, crunchy, succulent veg? An easy-to-grow, cut-and-come-again salad leaf with a subtle, peppery-sweet flavour? Don’t look a ‘horse’s ear’ in the mouth – enjoy pak choi!
One of the best things about growing pak choi is that it thrives in cool, slightly damp conditions and actually benefits from early or late sowing. In fact, you really want to avoid excess exposure to hot, sunny weather as this can cause it to bolt. All of this makes it an ideal crop for those times of the season when your more sun-hungry plants are off the table.
Because it is both compact and happy in shadier areas, you can get pak choi going in a wide range of settings. We’ve got our plants growing in trays on a Tray2Grow System which has been set up in ‘capillary matting’ configuration. The Tray2Grow is slender and low-profile enough to fit in most spaces yet can accommodate a large number of plants. Don’t need wall-to-wall pak choi? No problem! You can happily place a mix of plants on the system.
As with all AutoPot Watering Systems, the supply of water in the Tray2Grow is controlled by an AQUAvalve. This automatic, power-free device only admits a fresh supply of irrigation into the system when the previous supply has been used up. In the case of pak choi this is useful in ensuring the grow media is always fairly well saturated – because the plants do not like to become dried out. There’s always a ready supply on hand when required.
Continuing our theme of a decent dish, you’ll probably be wanting a few accents and complimentary flavours to add depth. For that, look no further than AutoPot-grown basil, rosemary, ginger, and parsley. This time we’ve done some of the above in 1Pot modules and others in AQUAbox-irrigated planters – to show off just how easy it is to set up wherever you grow.
True, it is quite possible to hand-water fresh herbs in little window-box pots. But we find that such plants can be a little too easy to forget when grown this way. Herbs aren’t always as low-maintenance as you might think.
How often have you found that your ‘ready-supply’ has yellowed and died, seemingly in the blink of an eye? Cultivated in hand-watered pots, the plants often don’t sustain the amount of foliage required for quick regrowth after each harvest either. For a bountiful, long-lasting supply a watering system can be a real boon.
Responsive, automatic irrigation helps support rapid, prolific growth in herbs. Because of this, there’s always something you can afford to harvest whilst leaving enough in place for the plant to bounce back.
In our experience it doesn’t matter if you’re not regularly getting through the full harvest of herbs on the plant. In a watering system, herbs that are ready to pick can remain perfectly healthy for long spells, with a flavour and aroma that only deepens over time.
Evening all. Time for a trip down Letsbe Avenue? Yes, if you’ve persevered to this point in the hope of learning about our illicit grow room plant life then well done. The miscreants in question? Fomenting formative funky flowering funnels of flame, our Crocosmias are flippin’ thrivin’ on a Tray2Grow System. To be fair, they’re not exactly illegal, not unless you allow them to exceed the boundaries of your property and invade open country. But it was a bit of excitement while it lasted wasn’t it?
In truth, Crocosmias are yet another example of the benefits of container growing. You can enjoy their stunning and shapely flowers without exposing the wider world to what is quite an invasive, non-native variety. Like the chillies, these plants enjoy a well drained grow media with a regular but never excessive supply of water.
As they develop the Crocosmia will gaze upwards and see a strange anaconda-like presence wrapping itself around the canopy of our R&D room. This extensive, circling vine may not be the most fruitful but it sure is furtive and virile. So what’s it doing there?
What it’s doing there is throwing its hat into the ring as a contender for the world’s longest tomato vine. And that gong appears to be within touching distance. Currently the plant is around 40-50ft. With the record at 66ft and the spring-summer spurt still to come it looks set to raise the bar with ease.
True, the tomato plant itself isn’t THAT compact. But the AutoPot system from which it springs is but a modestly sized Tray2Grow set up with a fabric planter. These are an excellent option if you want a self-contained allotment plot but lack anywhere to grow in-earth. And, after all, what are you using the roof space of your greenhouse or conservatory for otherwise?
Want even more inspo’ from the R&D room? Regular updates on progress therein? The soothing tones of Jason Ralph-Smith’s tour guidance? Simply head to our Insta or Facebook pages and drink it all in!
