After much hemming and hawing about how to feed my orchids more consistently, I took the plunge and bought a Dosmatic MicroDos II (aka MicroDos Dos). I think this model (adjustable from 0.5% to 2%) has been discontinued, but I found it for a relatively good price on a car wash supply site.
Here's my initial setup, which I gave a test run this morning:
From left to right:
- Quick connect
- 120 mesh in-line irrigation filter
The manual calls for 140 mesh, but I didn't want the filter taking up a lot of space and 120 seemed sufficient for NYC tap water.
- Dosmatic
- 25ft coil hose
- sprayer head (stowed below the hose)
The water source is a garden hose from the kitchen with a shutoff valve and quick connect, which I drag to the living room every morning. I'm starting with a target nitrogen concentration of ~20ppm, which I'm already thinking may be too strong if I'm watering daily.
I mixed about 85mL of MSU (13% N) to 1L of water, which is being taken up at a ratio of 1:500 (2%). Hopefully I've used Ray's resources correctly; math is not my strong suit! Fertilizer concentrate feeds from the dish soap jug pictured to the right of the bucket.
Seems to be operating as advertised, but I have some questions about maintenance:
The manual says to run water through the pump after every use, but that seems a bit excessive. I am thinking I can flush the pump when I flush my orchids, maybe once a week or so. Thoughts?
I have the option of keeping everything from the Dosmatic to the sprayer head either full of water or drained between uses. Have people found one or the other to be better for the longevity of their hoses and sprayers? Because of my remote water source, the filter side will be open and drained unless I add a shutoff valve between the quick connect and filter.
Thanks for your input!
Dosmatic MicroDos II
Linear Mode
