First grow and going away for a week. How to set up watering?

[Akitaone1]

Ok this is my first actual grow indoor. I am going away for a week and have to figure out how to water these without killing them. Also should I turn them over to 12/12 before I leave or wait? They where started 5 weeks ago from seed if that matters. And I have a week to figure this out..

 

[leafminer]

There are various possibles depending on budget. For instance you could buy a Rainbird sprinkler control box and program it. But you'd need an appropriate valve too. Or... I think the irrigation valves are 24V. You could buy a simple timer from the hardware store, and run the output to a 24V power supply that you either build or buy... have to do the research to see AC or DC. And then a Rainbird water valve...
OR
The no-money ways. You could run a continual drip feed, not enough to waterlog but enough to keep them alive. Or maybe a see-saw with a watering bucket on one end that gets gradually filled up and overbalances. This is what you get when you have engineers you see.

 

[WeedHopper]

Put the drip on a timer if necessary but Leafminer is right. A drip system would work.

 

[leafminer]

I keep thinking: toilet valve. Put the pots on a seesaw. When they dry out, a counterweight lifts the seesaw and opens a toilet float valve. The plants get watered, the extra weight tips the seesaw back over and the valve closes.

 

[ROSTERMAN]

Can you just put them outside in a veggie garden for the week
And treat them for insects before bring back in.
I have done this but not in flower, I also treat for PM (mildew white) with green cure before coming back into room.

 

[ROSTERMAN]

Get a container and some fish tank airline
drill holes for each line needed and insert the tube at lowest point of bucket (Home depot or lowes) than silicon around the airline or
tube inside and out to make it water tight.
You will also need a flow valve for the airline ( one for each line used (2 for 2 plants)
Once you have the flow valves it is just a matter of figuring out how much of a slow drip you want by either opening or closing the flow valves.

Flow valves
Tubing airline

Bucket

 

[ROSTERMAN]

And of course you will need to place the bucket higher then the plant for gravity to allow water to flow down into the pots.
So bucket needs to be higher than the dirt

 

[JTDS2011]

simple, just water the plants and let them sit in the water that drains for alittle while and soak up all what it needs, then if u wanna switch go to 12/12 itll make the light less time to beable to dry the soil.

or just soak the soil and keep em on the daily schedule and let em dry by the time u get back itll need another watering, i have left a couple times always watered right before i left and never rlly had issues so far.

have a safe trip

 

[ROSTERMAN]

If under LEDs I bet one good water right before leaving would work
Or overflow tray with extra water filled in it the day you leave.
HPS or MH bulbs would be way to hot and burn off the water fast

Stick a few floros in there for the week and shut down the big lights