Organics Made Easy – With AutoPot Watering Systems

If you could grow everything affordably, reliably, and productively using organic fertiliser then why on earth wouldn’t you? So long as it was definitely inexpensive, simple, and effective, the vast majority of people (whether eco-conscious or not) would probably rather have something grown 100% naturally. 

The problem is that ‘naturally’ also suggests nature. And ‘nature’ sounds unpredictable. ‘Nature’ gives you idea that you may not be in complete control, that plants may go haywire if not kept on a short leash. That you might have to expend a lot of time to get the results you want. If time is money, then money is also money. Switching to a new way of growing is an understandably daunting prospect in terms of outlay on unfamiliar new feeds. 

Happily we’ve come up with a couple of ways to make growing with organics bountiful, cost-effective, and easy. Shall we have a look at what they are then?

So, there are two main ways to feed your plants organically using an AutoPot Watering System. The first is to run your organic fertiliser in solution to the pots via the reservoir, pipework and fittings. So far, so familiar, this is the same way you’d supply most mineral feeds with AutoPot too.

Feeding via the system

As our systems are power-free, require no running water, and respond precisely to plant needs you’re immediately off to a good start in terms of ‘affordably, reliably, and productively’.

The benefits of using the system to feed your plants are minimal labour, minimal maintenance, and a single, central source of nutrients that you can reliably set for all your crops. Equipped with AQUAvalve5 all our systems can now fluently run mineral or organic feeds through the pipework with reliably fast flow and without blockages.

Feeding via the system is an easy approach, in that you can, to some extent, ‘set-and-forget’. However, you do need to be on-it where fertiliser levels are concerned and you really should agitate the fertiliser in your reservoir occasionally. Cleaning up after organics can be a bit mucky ducks too. Organic fertilisers in solution aren’t the most fragrant or visually alluring and can be messy – albeit in an ‘all-good-clean-fun’ way rather than a chemical-burns way.

One big drawback of feeding via the system is that it means supplying all the plants the same fertiliser at the same ratio. For a greater degree of flexibility and ease you could try our second approach. 

Feeding plants directly

There are situations where you might just prefer to apply your organic fertiliser directly to the pots, module trays, or the plants themselves. Such situations might include growing different varieties in the same system. If you feed directly you can then tailor your nutrient regime to each plant. The system is simply used to supply plain water and clean-up etc is virtually non-existent. 

But hang on! Surely that means hand feeding? Hand feeding = labour, and that’s no longer easy. Fear not, for we’ve got the perfect fix.

Using BioTabs

Slow-release feeds such as BioTabs’ eponymous grande fertiliser pellets (pucks?) are a great way to grow organically with minimal grower input. Set 5-10cm beneath the surface of your growing media, these marvellous tablets provide a balanced, long-lasting, blend of nutrients that’s proven to produce superb results. A pack of 10 costs around £15 and you only need one pellet per 5L of grow media, making them a really cost-effective choice.

What BioTabs do

Each BioTab contains a slow-acting mix of organic nitrogen, bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, fish meal, natural humic acids, and beneficial soil bacteria. May not sound delicious to (normal) humans but if your plant had lips it’d be licking them. 

However, as with most organic fertilisers, it’s not just about the nutritional value. The beneficial soil bacteria in BioTabs also improves the grow media itself and contributes to swift and complete uptake of the fertiliser content, resulting in uniform, healthy growth. 

From here to organic eternity

The potential for further exploration, experimentation, and enhancement is vast with organics. All manner of innovative but easy-to-use products are available to compliment your principle fertiliser of choice. 

By using these products to improve bioactivity you can genuinely add to the health, quality, and flavour of your crops. In the case of BioTabs there’s a comprehensive range of powdered or liquid organic soil conditioners, growth accelerators, PK and/or Silicon boosters, inoculants and foliar sprays on offer. 

Simple to master, intriguing to think about, and rewarding to use, these provide superb support for all kinds of flowers, fruit, vegetables, herbs, trees, and shrubs. 

Keeping the dream alive

Obviously you’d not want anything to threaten your thriving, beautifully curated, bioactive organic grow media. One threat lies in chlorinated tap water which can kill off beneficial bacteria and other cultures. We’d heartily recommend Ecothrive Neutralise as an instant fix for this issue. This safe, effective treatment is based around concentrated vitamin C. Just 1ml per 20L of tap water in your reservoir should be plenty to keep your organic dream alive.

Further info

Our Growers Guides offer comprehensive guidance to growing in all types of media with all types of fertilisers. From the link here you can check them out, download, print, give to friends, paper your walls with them!