How-Tos
This is the premier way of keeping your houseplants watered both while on vacation and while you're at home.
This video shows the three water source options for Blumat Watering Systems: gravity, tap or pump.
After trying many ways of setting up Blumats in raised beds, the consensus landed firmly on the Double Manifold system being the best way. This video shows why and how.
Learn about this easy, fast, and water-saving way to automatically irrigate a 4' by 4' raised or in-the-ground bed. No timers, batteries, or electricity required!
This video shows how to set up the Sustainable Village Capillary Mat system- an easy way to water lots of small or large plants with one piece of equipment.
A low cost but automated capillary mat system you can make yourself.
Learn how to install one of our automatic watering Capillary Mat Systems. Watering your plants from the bottom encourages downward root growth and gets seedlings, starts and clones ready for transplanting!
For large systems, we’ve discovered a quick and effective way to set up a large number of Blumat sensors quickly - even thousands at a time. This video shows you how. With this method each sensor will provide an even, consistent moisture level for every container in your growing environment.
This animated video shows you how to install Tropf Blumats for automatic irrigation. It's a quick and easy setup - all you need is scissors!
Want to reduce transplant shock? Izzy shows you some simple techniques that make transplanting incredibly easy with the Grassroot Bottomless Pots. Pair these pots with a capillary mat system and watch your roots go crazy!
These gravity irrigation systems save time and money while producing more vigorous high yielding harvests. Great for grow rooms, small greenhouses, off-grid grows, and rainwater systems. This video shows the unboxing and complete set up for Bumat 12 Sensor Drip Irrigation Kit.
If you already have a conventional drip system and want to upgrade it with Blumats, you can re-use the same supply line and many of the components. Here's how.
Watch Izzy explain how to install a Blumat Gravity Loop System.
Tad Hussey and his company KIS Organics were one of our first customers about 11 years back. They had enough innovative confidence to work with us on expanding Blumat installations from small to commercial systems.
Though it's over 10 years old and very simple, this is still an interesting 31 second video showing the technology at work.
Miklos shows us how to set up and use the Blumat Digital Moisture Meter.
Watch Izzy explain how to assemble and condition an Irrometer - everything from taking it out of the box to installing it in soil.
Izzy explains some tips and tricks for attaching fittings to BluSoak 2.0. These will ensure that your fittings are tight, secure, and leak-proof.
Need an easy way to quickly check pressure in different parts of your irrigation system? Michael shows how to install a Schrader valve in PVC. Once installed you can use a Quick Connect Pressure Gauge to measure pressures throughout your irrigation system.
Detailed instructions on how to assemble a Grassroots Raised Bed.
Michael explains how to set up our standard High Flow Pump Kit.
Learn how to assemble and install our High Flow Pump Kit with Perma-Loc fittings.
We've learned a lot since making this video 6+ years ago, and there's still some good, relevant, helpful information here.
Our newer information and videos have more of a large-scale, commercial focus. This one still has good information for setting up small systems.
Another "legacy" video. The Cap-Dialing method works much better for large systems and often even for small systems like this.
In 2005, Sustainable Village moved and became care-taker for this grass-covered backyard. Each year brought more garden, less grass until... no more grass!
In advance of a livestream interview on building a living soil raised bed, Michael Box of Sustainable Village (Blumat) filmed this quick tour of his home garden set-up in Colorado.
Here's a DIY capillary mat system - make your own from parts and save big on costs. We installed this system at the Harlequin's Gardens nursery.
We normally only recommend Blumat Classics for houseplants. They also, however, provide an effective and much lower cost way of taking care of seedlings and clones. Just one reservoir can gravity-irrigate many small plants.
An overview and summary of installing Blumats in 65 and 100 gallon pots.
Here's a tutorial on how to upgrade traditional drip irrigation into a Blumat system. This video gives simple step-by-step instructions.
How to winterize a pressurized Blumat system by switching to a gravity system during the winter.
These reels are big and not easy to unload. Michael shows you how to get one of these giant reels off the trailer and into your field.
How to design a very low cost but effective Blumat system in a greenhouse, using 65 gallon pots.
Short BluSoak1 Demo - Drip Tape / Soaker Hose with Blumat Automatic Watering.
Some harvesting results from a Blumat system - Dr. Ben Higgins, Tad Hussey, and their team organized this experiment at Gold Leaf Gardens in Lacey, WA.
Tad describes how Blumats work and demonstrates how to set them up in your garden.
"Seeing is believing" - Blumats really work!
The same soaker hose we use for irrigation also works really well for aeration. Here's one example. Use it for compost tea - or to just give the oxygen rich water to your plants - they will love you for it!
A low-cost way of setting up your own DIY fertilizer injection system.
Products
Give your plants the constant slow release of water that they need with the Blumat Bottle Adapter and Glass Globe. Beautiful and functional, these glass globes will water your plants for 5-6 days or more.
Misting plants can help keep them stay hydrated as well as prevent them overheating. These high-quality misters make the job easier and faster while adding to the decor.
Worried about leaving you plants while on vacation? Meet the Blumat Bottle Adapter, coming to the aid of plant lovers since the 1970's.
Tropf Blumat Sensors give your plants the exact amount of water they need and help you grow healthier, higher yielding plants.
This video made by Blumat Austria explains how to use the distribution drippers in your Blumat system to spread water and extend your irrigation capabilities - clear and animated details.
One of the oldest Blumat products and still going strong! This video made in Austria unpacks a box and shows some of the parts in action.
Short and sweet but a good video for anyone who hasn't used these yet.
What makes BluSoak better than common soaker hose and drip tape?
Take the guesswork out of setting up and dialing in systems. Install one of these at the end of a long line of tape/soaker hose, before and after a pump system to know when to clean or replace the filters, and to adjust for the best psi to give you the best water flow rate.
Designed for Living Soil, the Impermeable layer directs water down towards the roots and enables it to drain out the bottom. High quality and durable, these pots will last for many seasons.
Popular for watering sports fields, parks, and large farms, we think these could become an important transitional product for setting up subsurface irrigation systems.
Eliminate “hot spots” near stoves and ceilings, improve air circulation, more efficiently heat up your home quickly, and move cooler air throughout the home during the warm summer season.
A product from our past that we still have. Razor savers can reduce disposable razor use by 75% - you can get 50+ shaves per razor!
In large, commercial systems, good filtration is essential. These Disk Filters both do that job and save you lots of time.
Podcasts, Classes, and Interviews
"A Watering System You Can Trust!"
Mark Wayne Boutwell talks Blumat and tours Sustainable Village with Lead Designer Michael Box on Perfect Gardens TV.
Lead Designer Michael Box of Sustainable Village explains Blumat work and how they help, moisture meter options, and background about the company's history and mission.
On-demand irrigation that only waters your plants when it senses the soil is dry enough. This grows healthier crops with higher yields, lower costs, and faster ROI.
In this Garden Talk video, Mr. Grow It interviews Michael Box asking about the different methods of auto-watering and the ideal setup for different size containers.
The history of Blumats in the cannabis growing world going back to 1979.
Blumats use simple yet effective technology to automate your irrigation. Izzy explains in detail how to diagnose and troubleshoot issues with your Blumat system.
Future Cannabis Project Interview. Our lead designer, Michael Box, is on the Future Cannabis Project with Brandon Rust (of Bokashi Earthworks and Black Label Organics in Oklahoma). He explains how Blumats work, our design process (with a focus on manifold systems), pump systems and more!
A Future Cannabis Project presentation. Michael Box, Cooper Didier, and Izzy Becker give a master class on Blumat irrigation following Michael's presentation at the Grassroots Soil Life Summit.
A Fully Automated Indoor Cannabis Farm. Chris Castle from Flora and Flame, David LeBeouf from Grow Remote, Michael Box from Sustainable Village, Peter Cervieri from Future Cannabis Project.
A great discussion about minerals, microbes, soil health, and irrigation featuring Bryant Mason, Matthew LaPlante, and our own Michael Box. Over 3 hours long but full of important but most often misunderstood information.
Water Techniques for Huge Yields - Watering properly, Irrigation & Blumat! Talkin' Loud! Podcast Ep41.
In 2003 and 2004 we partnered with the University of Colorado and Naropa University to organize and sponsor some international conferences. They promoted almost every area of sustainable development: shelter, irrigation, energy, education, health, water, ecotourism, food, biomimicry, digital bridges; policy, youth, indigenous and peacekeeping issues. We had over 250 presenters and over 3000 people came from almost every developing country.
A step-by-step guide to setting up irrigation systems. Chip Baker, Justin Jones, and Michael Box.
One of the first Blumat videos we made way back in 2013, it still has lots of good and helpful information.
