AutoPot - 1Pot 16 pot watering system

The 1Pot system for sixteen pots is sixteen trays each with an AQUAvalve5 on a 16 millimetre main line. At this number the work shifts from installing to checking, and there is one thing worth walking regularly.

Sixteen valves that know nothing about each other

Every pot having its own valve is the strength of 1Pot, and it is also why a fault here goes quiet. Foul one valve and that single tray stops filling while the other fifteen carry on. Nothing beeps and nothing overflows. You see it in the plant, and by then you are days behind.

The valve regulates through a narrow inlet and an air seal against the tray floor. Both are sensitive to debris: substrate washed into the tray, roots that have reached it, a film of algae on a tray catching light.

What to check, and how often

A round of sixteen trays takes a few minutes and prevents most of it.

Lift a pot occasionally. The Root Control Disc holds roots back with its gold coating, but roots grow through concrete. If any have come through, cut them away; the plant is unbothered.

Keep the tray clean. The valve must sit flat on a clean floor to pull its vacuum. Substrate under the valve lets air in where it should not, and the tray then refills while water still stands: the dry-back disappears and the plant sits permanently wet.

Watch for trays that never empty. That is the clearest signal. A healthy cycle lets the tray run completely dry before more arrives. Standing water always present means that valve's air seal is leaking.

Replace the discs each crop. They last several seasons, but renewing at the start of a new crop stops you carrying disease over.

Technical Specifications:

• Pots: 16 x 15 litres
• Trays: 16, each with its own AQUAvalve5
• Pipework: 16 mm main with 9 mm branches
• Tank: not included, FlexiTank optional
• Checks: trays for fouling and for running fully dry

Frequently asked questions

One plant is falling behind, the rest are fine. Look at that valve and tray; valves work entirely independently.

One tray always has water in it. The air seal is not closing. Clean the tray and the underside of the valve.

How often should I check? A short weekly round is ample.

Roots in the tray, is that bad? Cut them away and check the Root Control Disc; the plant does not suffer.