Begin Again – Young Plants With AutoPot Watering Systems

Juicers and jet skis; both innovations that seem like a terrific idea at the time. And then they pale. They pale because, whilst excellent at performing a given task, they are not terribly versatile, as anyone who has tried to blast across the briney on a blender or purée using an outboard will surely testify. That shrill, distant alarm that goes off in your head as you contemplate purchasing an innovation is the ghostly, garage-entombed echo of a thousand whirring juicers and jet skis. 

With that in mind, we at AutoPot have always tried to produce watering systems that are as versatile as they are innovative, systems that offer solutions in all growing scenarios. Convention has it that watering systems are for the bigger things in plant-life; large, exotic, demanding, labour-intensive varieties. Hence our longstanding association with champion giant veg and RHS show growers. But in order to be truly useful we try to create systems that are capable of doing a whole lot more. A case in point; our irrigation solutions for seedlings and young plants. 

If you’re looking for a gentle yet responsive means of raising young plants then watering systems are actually an excellent idea. Far from being a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, they can provide assured, soft-touch plant support. To be clear, the type of ‘watering systems’ to which we’re referring do not involve invasive, pump-driven technology. They need not be powered at all, and the best (in our humble opinion!) are controlled entirely by the rhythm of the plants requirements. We’d even go so far as to describe the intelligent use of natural fibres as a form of watering system. A case in point is CocoMat. 

For those who want a natural, low-tech means of watering young plants CocoMat is a superb way to go. This coco coir and natural latex matting is laid into any size garden tray with a root control sheet on top. Pots or trays of plants or seedlings are placed atop the root control sheet. With your tray filled, CocoMat then effectively acts as a wick, allowing the plants to draw up water at exactly their desired rate. There’s nothing to fear in terms of plants being starved or overwhelmed, they’ll do exactly as they please and develop more healthily and more fully for it. The matting is easily cut to size and can even be paired with easy2GO to create an ultra low-maintenance system that will run indefinitely.

easy2GO is a simple, inexpensive device that, when used to propagate, sits in any flat bottomed garden tray along with your pot- or tray-laden CocoMat. At the heart of easy2GO is the AQUAvalve; a power-free, self-regulating float valve. The AQUAvalve opens to meter out a supply of water and/or nutrient solution into the tray and then closes. Only once the CocoMat has wicked all that supply up to the plants will the AQUAvalve reopen to admit a fresh fill. Crucially for young plants this means the potential for over- or under-watering is virtually eliminated.

Beyond the propagation stage we move into kits that quickly, inexpensively adapt our pot-and-tray modules for use with growth-stage plants. Prime amongst these kits is PotDivider. This handy insert allows you to segregate your pot into four sections, ideal for starting off smaller plants. Once planted up, your ‘PotDivided’ pot sits in a module tray that is connected via pipework to a reservoir. 

As with easy2GO, the supply of water and nutrient solution is regulated by an AQUAvalve, this time in the module tray. This means that plants are in control of their own feeding and there’s nothing to turn ‘up’ or ‘down’ as they develop. When the time comes the PotDivider lifts out cleanly, bringing your nascent plants with it, making the process of removing plants an absolute cinch. What’s great is your established plants can immediately be repotted in the self same modules with the run of a full pot to themselves. 

To bring the plants on a little further we offer robust yet inexpensive propagation lids that fit the pots perfectly. Designed to be fitted during the crucial early weeks, the lids help to generate the humidity that young plants crave. Sated by the humidity that the lids confer, your plants can quickly take hold, fill out, and enjoy a fantastically sound basis for further vigorous growth.

Without exception these are inexpensive and adaptable ways to get more from your young plants. So, as thoughts turn to next season why not take a gander and consider what they might do for your young ones?