Growing Systems — Blumat

Blumat is the odd one out in this range. Where nearly every other system here runs on a pump or a timer, Blumat runs on suction. The clay cone holds water; as the soil around it dries, that soil pulls on the water in the cone and a small valve opens. When the soil is wet again, it closes. No electricity is involved at any point.

Sensors, sets and separate parts

The range falls into three parts. The Tropf Blumat sensors are the heart of it: singly, in threes, in a box of fifty, or as a maxi version with longer tubing for bigger pots. The sets are those same sensors supplied with tubing and fittings, from a trial set up to a ten metre set. Then there is the parts catalogue, which makes up most of this page: tubing in 3 and 8 mm, T-pieces, connectors, elbows, end pieces, a pressure reducer, a tank feed-through and locking clips.

Why there are so many separate parts

That is deliberate rather than clutter. A Blumat setup grows with you: you start with three plants and extend to twenty, and then you want tubing cut to length, another T-piece and a second branch. The brand is explicitly built around extending what you have rather than buying a larger system. That is why we stock tubing by the metre and not only on rolls.

Two tubing sizes, and the difference matters

The 8 mm tubing is the supply line, running from your tank or tap to the row of plants. The 3 mm tubing is the branch, running from that supply to the sensor. They are not interchangeable, and the fittings you need differ per combination. Each product page states which size it is.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a pressure reducer?
If you connect to mains water, yes. Working from a raised tank, the pressure is nearly always low enough already.

Does Blumat work in coco or only in soil?
The cone reads moisture tension, so it works in any substrate that holds moisture. In very airy media it responds differently than in potting soil, so adjust after a few days.

Can I run nutrients through the system?
You can, but it asks for maintenance: dissolved salts can block the cone over time. Flush the system regularly.