coco+wick+gh flora nova=never dump run-off|pdg’s imaginary/enjoyable garden

[*mistress*]

helped my understanding of the subject very much thank you.

will try to use delta9nxs' media wick/sump design in the ppk thread and create some sort of linked-bucket media (coco or coco/perlite) wick system lol if that makes any sense.

I may add an airline to media wick to increase o2 and time beween waterings, even though i may not need 2, i will experiment nonetheless. thanks again for sharing your knowledge, cheerio!

if were linking them...

maybe simply elevate buckets...
on milk crates, or up-side-down 5 gal buckets.
w/ 1 big res underneath...
like this:
Wicked Experiment

or...
make shallow trough (imagine narrow dresser drawer), 2x4 & plywood/fiber board.
just wide enough to fit buckets; just long enough to fit buckets...
cover w/ pond liner. staple, drill hole on 1 end, etc...

make so that there is 1" grade ever 4'... for drainage.
bucket w/ pump & solution turns on & top feeds buckets. wicks extend out of buckets onto trough bed - as the water cascades by, like nft... 1st going thru media @ top, then out & down trough to same res bucket, or, drain-to-waste catch bucket...

so, can recirculate, or run drain to waste... can feed 1 daily, or multi daily. or, can simply feed individually by watering rope of specific bucket. since trough @ angle & drains fully, that which doesnt draw up thru wick just drains to res/waste bucket...

water drains very easily @ 1" declination per 4'...

if all linked, would run 1 cultivar... mono-cropping when link res... ph's (in media/plant) can differ between plant varieties, effecting overall ph, if recirculating.

 

[LJB]

So you want someone else to prove that your imaginary system works? Yeah it's probably ok for a couple of plants but setting that up for a garden bigger than a closet would be a lot more involved than a dtw setup.

1. google search "greenhouse subirrigation"

2. cue apology

 

[LJB]

wouldnt hurt drilling out more drainage holes into inner-bucket...

enjoy your garden!

that's why I like to start with the mesh bottom plastic pots.

 

[LJB]

*mistress*, I took your advice and re-tooled a formerly drain to waste vertical bloom room. Maybe you remember the pie pan drainage?

2-3 gallon pots and 100% coco, perched so to speak over their own 15 quart sterlite boxes. Elevated for the purpose of assisting with the drainage. Wicks are optional. Wick feeding will be experimented with.

 

[*mistress*]

very easy to remove run-off from basin w/ turkey baster... if dont run wicks. should be nice dtw...

1 mop string of wick would keep roots w/ water 24/7... & maybe, 1/4" of water/solution. just enough that only in corners next day.

enjoy your garden!

 

[delta9nxs]

hi, mistress, i hope you don't mind if i put up a few random pics of plants that have been or are growing in a wick fed sub-irrigated container. you and ljb and others have seen these already but i thought i'd let some folks who haven't see a few. later

the first one is in 100% coco

 

[Strangely]

Alright Misstress and assorted dudes / dudettes! How do we think a soil based grow would go using wicks? It's just I'm leaning toward getting anything hydro shop specific online, and a chuffing great bag of coco arriving via post would be a bit of a no-no I think. I'm in the UK by the way.

 

[turbolaser4528]

awesome, thank you guys for the help, mistress delta and ljb specifically.


how do y'all feel about running a drain to waste system with 1/4" open lines, and then also have a wick to pull up the "waste" solution, thereby making it a no runoff grow as well. ?

(I guess that wouldn't be drain to waste then huh lol)( I guess in a way it is a recirculating drip, but whatever it is, I must find more info!)

have a great day fellow freedom fighters

 

[turbolaser4528]

Alright Misstress and assorted dudes / dudettes! How do we think a soil based grow would go using wicks? It's just I'm leaning toward getting anything hydro shop specific online, and a chuffing great bag of coco arriving via post would be a bit of a no-no I think. I'm in the UK by the way.

im sure you could leave it longer than coco with the same size pots, just because soil seems to stay hydrated longer than coco in the same conditions. As far as wicking ability goes, I will assume that it will work BUT I have never done it and therefore my judgement is purely speculation. However, I am sure that you will receive an answer regarding that subject very soon.. good luck bro!!

O yeah, why would a bag of soil be any less suspicious than a bag of coco? Just ship to a safe adress if you're really worried about it, but i cant imagine that being a major problem.

 

[turbolaser4528]

*mistress*, I took your advice and re-tooled a formerly drain to waste vertical bloom room. Maybe you remember the pie pan drainage?

2-3 gallon pots and 100% coco, perched so to speak over their own 15 quart sterlite boxes. Elevated for the purpose of assisting with the drainage. Wicks are optional. Wick feeding will be experimented with.

ahhh dude you beat me to it@!!

nice design there, very clean. What size is that rope? looks kinda small for that 3 gallon pot

I am thinking of doing something similar, but I will probably use a dark bottom container, or spraypaint those ones you have to allow less light in in hopes of limiting algae growth (h202 sprayed often as well

As an experiment ill have a design like yours, but plants will be fed by a drip system, and the wick hopefully will draw up the waste and provide a better, more even, moisture profile in the coco, and essentially be a no runoff type deal. soon.....

 

[LJB]

ahhh dude you beat me to it@!!

nice design there, very clean. What size is that rope? looks kinda small for that 3 gallon pot

I am thinking of doing something similar, but I will probably use a dark bottom container, or spraypaint those ones you have to allow less light in in hopes of limiting algae growth (h202 sprayed often as well

As an experiment ill have a design like yours, but plants will be fed by a drip system, and the wick hopefully will draw up the waste and provide a better, more even, moisture profile in the coco, and essentially be a no runoff type deal. soon.....

I am going to feed the plants in the picture with a drip system, it just hadn't been set up at the time of the photo. Plants are only being watered once every 2 or 3 days right now. You're right about the rope in the one container being too small. I think it's 5/8th, frayed at both ends. It may not be obvious, but that one plant is already in the final destination 3 gallon container, while the others are still in 1.7 gallon. When they're repotted, multiple wicks will be put in place.

 

[LJB]

Not sure what I was thinking leaving the Sterlite uncovered. That will be fixed and as well spray painted black.

 

[turbolaser4528]

cool deal. I cant find shallow black containers anywhere, always have to DIY these days, lookin forward to seeing the final result!!!

thats strange that we are looking to do the same type of system though, drain to wick or whatever, what are the odds?!

 

[*mistress*]

hi, mistress, i hope you don't mind if i put up a few random pics of plants that have been or are growing in a wick fed sub-irrigated container. you and ljb and others have seen these already but i thought i'd let some folks who haven't see a few. later

the first one is in 100% coco

hi, delta9nxs! thx for stopping by & sharing pix...
btw, inc'd cal-nit & potas-nit into regime

Alright Misstress and assorted dudes / dudettes! How do we think a soil based grow would go using wicks?

soil w/ wicks should work well! just include enough drainage amendments so media does not become saturated.

It's just I'm leaning toward getting anything hydro shop specific online, and a chuffing great bag of coco arriving via post would be a bit of a no-no I think. I'm in the UK by the way.

only 'hydro' shop requirements seem to be nute(s). 1 bottle of gh flora nova bloom (4-8-7), or maxi-bloom (5-15-14) should be sufficient... including maxi-grow, in rotation, should give more n, when desired... as some plants may require more nitrogen than others...

so, in imagination, tested many, many alternative/different medias to find those that are 1) re-usable & 2) have moderate to little affect on ph, ec, etc... & 3) widely used & accesible...

orchid bark seems very comparable to coco/coco chips... comes in 3 sizes - small, medium, large... tested all (in imagination). small pieces similar to large perlite... though they hold more air & water than they seem...

nice, red tomatoes come from bark-grown plants, too!

lots of orchid enthusiasts, globally... so, no issue w/ orchid bark arriving... re-usable, too. moreso than coco. bark seems to lose its structure after several years... coco loses structure after 1-2 uses.
easily disposed of as walkway mulch, etc... not harmful to environment if buried... etc...

so, technically, can avoid 'hydro' store altogether...

most orchid gardeners use dyna-gro nutrients... very ...

Bloom 3-12-6 Blooming Formula
Grow 7-9-5 General Purpose Formula
Pro-TeKt 0-0-3 The Silicon Solution - Strengthens Plants

their potassium silicate product, pro-tekt, is always , for strengthening limbs & for ph-up... of both foilar spray & too acid nutrient solution... whether use their other nutes, or not...
the bloom formula can be substituted for gh fnb (though have not tested the grow & bloom... protekt=+++!).

many orchid gardeners use it (dyna-gro nutes), & should be available @ most net sites for orchid enthusiasts... so, can avoid 'hydro' shop, altogether, as long as know what nute ratios desired & how to apply...
by using alternative nutes & alternative media... orchid bark should make Strangely... though not many on these boards may concur... tested, works... small size, best...

not yet tried rice hulls, but, maybe in past may try

soil works, too! w/ good drainage...

awesome, thank you guys for the help, mistress delta and ljb specifically.

how do y'all feel about running a drain to waste system with 1/4" open lines, and then also have a wick to pull up the "waste" solution, thereby making it a no runoff grow as well. ?

should work...
though 'lines' tend to get in way of gardening...

major objective of this thread to minimize waste of clean water... that resource seems most required... for life, in general...
maybe disadvantageuos to all life to waste lots of water over-irrigating plants, when plants can survive on less & 'waste' can be recycled, if ph stabilized...

(I guess that wouldn't be drain to waste then huh lol)( I guess in a way it is a recirculating drip, but whatever it is, I must find more info!)

have a great day fellow freedom fighters

recirculate until it evaporates! keep ph stable & media moist... no 'waste' required...

enjoy your garden!

 

[LJB]

Drain-to-wick or top-feed to wick is a good name.

My first goal was to simplify the elevation, while still using these 2 and 3 gallon plant containers. The plywood platform that used to be in place of the Sterlite containers took up too much space. The second goal was to increase the drainage and lower what appears to be a pwt by installing the wicks. With these 100% coco grows in the mesh bottom pots that also have drain holes on the sides, the bottom 1" of the pots ends up with far less roots than the rest. Is that the pwt? I'm trying to increase the space for roots to grow in.

Feeding from the bottom through the wicks is an added experiment, something I've never done before.

 

[Lorenzo]

dtw = drain to wick

 

[LJB]

I use Pro-Silicate, which contains slightly more K than Pro-Tekt, and so second the usage of silicon supplements. They are very useful for pH up and for strengthening stems. I'll use it in veg if stems are growing, but literally feel hollow. 1-2 ml / gallon.

Some people mix silica clay right into the coco.

 

[turbolaser4528]

hi, delta9nxs! thx for stopping by & sharing pix...
btw, inc'd cal-nit & potas-nit into regime
soil w/ wicks should work well! just include enough drainage amendments so media does not become saturated.only 'hydro' shop requirements seem to be nute(s). 1 bottle of gh flora nova bloom (4-8-7), or maxi-bloom (5-15-14) should be sufficient... including maxi-grow, in rotation, should give more n, when desired... as some plants may require more nitrogen than others...

for media...
coco, @ moments, may seem like a crop-specific medium... yes...

so, in imagination, tested many, many alternative/different medias to find those that are 1) re-usable & 2) have moderate to little affect on ph, ec, etc... & 3) widely used & accesible...

orchid bark seems very comparable to coco/coco chips... comes in 3 sizes - small, medium, large... tested all (in imagination). small pieces similar to large perlite... though they hold more air & water than they seem...

lots of orchid enthusiasts, globally... so, no issue w/ orchid bark arriving... re-usable, too. moreso than coco. bark seems to lose its structure after several years... coco loses structure after 1-2 uses.
easily disposed of as walkway mulch, etc... not harmful to environment if buried... etc...

so, technically, can avoid 'hydro' store altogether...

most orchid gardeners use dyna-gro nutrients... very ...
their potassium silicate product, pro-tekt, is always , for strengthening limbs & for ph-up... of both foilar spray & too acid nutrient solution... whether use their other nutes, or not...
the bloom formula can be substituted for gh fnb (though have not tested the grow & bloom... protekt=+++!).

many orchid gardeners use it (dyna-gro nutes), & should be available @ most net sites for orchid enthusiasts... so, can avoid 'hydro' shop, altogether, as long as know what nute ratios desired & how to apply...
by using alternative nutes & alternative media... orchid bark should make Strangely... though not many on these boards may concur... tested, works... small size, best...

not yet tried rice hulls, but, maybe in past may try

soil works, too! w/ good drainage...

should work...
though 'lines' tend to get in way of gardening...

major objective of this thread to minimize waste of clean water... that resource seems most required... for life, in general...
maybe disadvantageuos to all life to waste lots of water over-irrigating plants, when plants can survive on less & 'waste' can be recycled, if ph stabilized...
recirculate until it evaporates! keep ph stable & media moist... no 'waste' required...

enjoy your garden!

Ahhh thank you again! I like the orchid bark, sounds like some pretty good stuff, and yeah no one would ever get suspicious of a person buying orchid bark lol

I agree drip lines get in the way of gardening, I would like to go anti automation someday, just for right now I have to ween myself off of machines slowly, its an expensive n complicated addiction many have been struck by. I need machine rehab or I might relapse again hahah

Drain-to-wick is a good name.

My first goal was to simplify the elevation, while still using these 2 and 3 gallon plant containers. The platform that used to be in place took up too much space. The second goal was to increase the drainage and lower what appears to be a pwt by installing the wicks. With these 100% coco grows in the mesh bottom containers that also have drain holes on the sides, the bottom 1" of the containers ends up with far less roots than the rest. Is that the pwt? I'm trying to increase the space for roots to grow in.

Feeding from the bottom through the wicks is an added experiment, something I've never done before.

thnx yeah I couldn't think of anything else to call it haha


Yup, I'd venture to say that is because of lack of oxygen, caused by pwt perhaps, that the roots did not grow as much in the bottom 1". maybe light penetration through the mesh as well?

maybe the mesh i'snt draining well enough, or at all..hmm

 

[Mister Postman]

cool deal. I cant find shallow black containers anywhere, always have to DIY these days, lookin forward to seeing the final result!!!

thats strange that we are looking to do the same type of system though, drain to wick or whatever, what are the odds?!

Not sure if your in the states or not, but check out wal-mart, or other places with crap for the kitchen. I found the short black tubs like the ones in the picture in wal-mart kitchen section.. They sell em right next to the dish drying racks usually

 

[LJB]

Yup, I'd venture to say that is because of lack of oxygen, caused by pwt perhaps, that the roots did not grow as much in the bottom 1". maybe light penetration through the mesh as well?

the plants were sitting in pseudo saucers with a hole drilled out and a line for drainage. Light wasn't getting to the bottom.

maybe the mesh i'snt draining well enough, or at all..hmm

it drains very well, there are many, many holes. The mesh bottom plastic looks like a tic tac toe grid one hundred times over.

I'm starting to think it's because there was only one drain hole in the saucers. D'oh!