nice plants B.C.
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Oregon Organic Guerrilla 2009, with your host BACKCOUNTRY
- Thread starter BACKCOUNTRY
- Start date
congrats on a successful season backcountry!
i really enjoyed your explanation, details, and pics
i nominated you for potm for this pic
good luck
i really enjoyed your explanation, details, and pics
i nominated you for potm for this pic
good luck
Thanks guys!
Wow! A POTM nomination! Thanks s13sr20det! That plant was sick and dying when I took that last pic, but she did manage to produce some pretty buds.
lunatick- Are you talking about 3 smaller plants on one reservoir?
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September and October are always such busy months for me, and not really from the Cannabis plants, in typical years my plants need less water in September, and no water in October.
Mainly these months are busy because I am cutting firewood(I need 8 cords), and because I am busy harvesting my vegetable gardens, and preparing the harvest for winter storage.
Soon, as winter takes hold, all the distractions will fade, and I'll be ready to prepare for next years Cannabis grows. I'm thinking I might start a thread to document preparation for the 2010 season.
The beauty part is that I already know where I want to grow, in a area hard to access. There is no water there, even in winter no water sits or flows, I'll have to use a rain harvester to collect the water through my rainy season(Mid-Oct to April). I'll also be working on several other irrigation ideas I'd like to try, and of course next years Earth holes will need to be installed, and planted.
Wow! A POTM nomination! Thanks s13sr20det! That plant was sick and dying when I took that last pic, but she did manage to produce some pretty buds.
lunatick- Are you talking about 3 smaller plants on one reservoir?
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September and October are always such busy months for me, and not really from the Cannabis plants, in typical years my plants need less water in September, and no water in October.
Mainly these months are busy because I am cutting firewood(I need 8 cords), and because I am busy harvesting my vegetable gardens, and preparing the harvest for winter storage.
Soon, as winter takes hold, all the distractions will fade, and I'll be ready to prepare for next years Cannabis grows. I'm thinking I might start a thread to document preparation for the 2010 season.
The beauty part is that I already know where I want to grow, in a area hard to access. There is no water there, even in winter no water sits or flows, I'll have to use a rain harvester to collect the water through my rainy season(Mid-Oct to April). I'll also be working on several other irrigation ideas I'd like to try, and of course next years Earth holes will need to be installed, and planted.
bc,i meant using one large(about 3gal)tc pot per plant,the tc pot itself will be partly(half or more)painted(with some aquarium silicone)it will reduce water seepage and still have the same watering surface as lets say about 1 gal tc pot although water pressure will increase on the bottom part it can be "controlled" with additional silicone sealant). - in order to create a res incorporated "inside" the tc pot..
or u can just silicone glue a small(about 3gal)rubbermaid directly to a 1gal tc pot(holes drilled in between)so the res will sit on top of the tc pot(whole thing can be berried deeper),once again water pressure will increase and as u noticed the plant will adapt.
or u can just silicone glue a small(about 3gal)rubbermaid directly to a 1gal tc pot(holes drilled in between)so the res will sit on top of the tc pot(whole thing can be berried deeper),once again water pressure will increase and as u noticed the plant will adapt.
OH! OK, I thought you were talking about Earth holes earlier, LOL!
Yeah, I do want to work with the Terracotta irrigation techniques, this idea has probably been in use somewhere in the world since the invention of pottery thousands of years ago. Its very old school
A few things I've gleaned from reading about and using Terracotta irrigation:
The water doesn't seep out of the Terracotta pots, the transfer of water is accomplished by wicking. When the soil around the pot is moist, transfer of water from the pot slows because it has nowhere to go. As the soil dries it starts again. Also, the plants grow roots to cover all available surface of the pot, drinking the water directly off the surface of the pot, which allows more moisture to flow.
My idea would be to dig a wide hole, and line all but the bottom of the hole with plastic, and then place several large pots around the edge of the hole, leaving enough room in the middle for the new transplant, then the amended soil is returned, and the plant planted.
This season, I had about 2 gallons worth of pots for each plant, which is realistically about 1-3 days worth of water in the hottest weather(the 95-109F crap). The plants I tested this year only got 2 gallons per week, they should have had at least 4 gallons available, and 5 or 6 would be better.
I'm thinking at least 2-2 gallon pots or 4-1gallon pots minimum per plant, and chances are I'd use more. It may even be tempting to use 12 gallons worth of pots and see if the plant will go 2 weeks between watering, but I'm sure it would be simple to turn this into a water once a week system.
One way I have seen to make great terracotta watering pots is to take two identical terracotta pots, place one upside-down on the other, and epoxy/seal them together. The drain hole in one flower pot is also sealed, and this end becomes the bottom, with the other hole being sealed with a removable cork for refilling. The terracotta "bottle" is buried just below the surface near the plant.
This is something I came up with a couple years ago, I used a strong waterproof sealing epoxy to glue a terracotta drip pan to the mouth of the matching pot, then I glued a poly nipple to the drain-hole of the pot. The idea was to connect the nipple to a water line which would connect to a external reservoir. The idea was to create a passive, efficient irrigation system that would allow weeks between visits. I may reopen this project now that I have proven to myself that the terracotta has promise through use of the basic pots this last season. I've just gotta make sure that what ever system I use has plenty of capacity and plenty of water nearby for refills.
Yeah, I do want to work with the Terracotta irrigation techniques, this idea has probably been in use somewhere in the world since the invention of pottery thousands of years ago. Its very old school
A few things I've gleaned from reading about and using Terracotta irrigation:
The water doesn't seep out of the Terracotta pots, the transfer of water is accomplished by wicking. When the soil around the pot is moist, transfer of water from the pot slows because it has nowhere to go. As the soil dries it starts again. Also, the plants grow roots to cover all available surface of the pot, drinking the water directly off the surface of the pot, which allows more moisture to flow.
My idea would be to dig a wide hole, and line all but the bottom of the hole with plastic, and then place several large pots around the edge of the hole, leaving enough room in the middle for the new transplant, then the amended soil is returned, and the plant planted.
This season, I had about 2 gallons worth of pots for each plant, which is realistically about 1-3 days worth of water in the hottest weather(the 95-109F crap). The plants I tested this year only got 2 gallons per week, they should have had at least 4 gallons available, and 5 or 6 would be better.
I'm thinking at least 2-2 gallon pots or 4-1gallon pots minimum per plant, and chances are I'd use more. It may even be tempting to use 12 gallons worth of pots and see if the plant will go 2 weeks between watering, but I'm sure it would be simple to turn this into a water once a week system.
One way I have seen to make great terracotta watering pots is to take two identical terracotta pots, place one upside-down on the other, and epoxy/seal them together. The drain hole in one flower pot is also sealed, and this end becomes the bottom, with the other hole being sealed with a removable cork for refilling. The terracotta "bottle" is buried just below the surface near the plant.
This is something I came up with a couple years ago, I used a strong waterproof sealing epoxy to glue a terracotta drip pan to the mouth of the matching pot, then I glued a poly nipple to the drain-hole of the pot. The idea was to connect the nipple to a water line which would connect to a external reservoir. The idea was to create a passive, efficient irrigation system that would allow weeks between visits. I may reopen this project now that I have proven to myself that the terracotta has promise through use of the basic pots this last season. I've just gotta make sure that what ever system I use has plenty of capacity and plenty of water nearby for refills.
Thanks DR Dog! I live for this kinda stuff!
So, OK, I have a stack of ideas for next years prototypes, the basic principles of the Earth hole are proven, now I need to refine configurations and sizes, along with a couple non-EH systems.
Project ideas:
5 gallon bucket Earth hole: To test the yield potential of 5 gallons of soil vs. 10 gallons. To test the concept of building Earth holes with 5 gallon buckets.
A rope wick Earth hole: This would provide a apples to apples comparison of Earth holes using Rope wicks Vs. those using soil wicks.
Plywood Earth hole: This Earth hole would be built from painted plywood, presented as another alternative configuration for growers who can't use totes.
High capacity Terracotta pots: A technique using several large capacity Terracotta pots to leach water for one plant in the middle.
Wetpot clone: This would use terracotta bottles buried in the plants root zone, these(2-4) would be connected to a tote buried or hidden nearby, which would act as a reservoir.
These are the ideas so far, If I did one of each, that would be 5 plants, with a good harvest this would be plenty for my household, with a nice little surplus. But I'm sure I'd want to to do at least a couple EH with 10 gallon soil capacity as well, this would bring the number to 7 plants, a good number I think.
So, OK, I have a stack of ideas for next years prototypes, the basic principles of the Earth hole are proven, now I need to refine configurations and sizes, along with a couple non-EH systems.
Project ideas:
5 gallon bucket Earth hole: To test the yield potential of 5 gallons of soil vs. 10 gallons. To test the concept of building Earth holes with 5 gallon buckets.
A rope wick Earth hole: This would provide a apples to apples comparison of Earth holes using Rope wicks Vs. those using soil wicks.
Plywood Earth hole: This Earth hole would be built from painted plywood, presented as another alternative configuration for growers who can't use totes.
High capacity Terracotta pots: A technique using several large capacity Terracotta pots to leach water for one plant in the middle.
Wetpot clone: This would use terracotta bottles buried in the plants root zone, these(2-4) would be connected to a tote buried or hidden nearby, which would act as a reservoir.
These are the ideas so far, If I did one of each, that would be 5 plants, with a good harvest this would be plenty for my household, with a nice little surplus. But I'm sure I'd want to to do at least a couple EH with 10 gallon soil capacity as well, this would bring the number to 7 plants, a good number I think.
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I was taking a walk this morning, enjoying a rare sunny November day. The above idea popped back into my head. The whole thing is built with 5 gallon(19 liter) buckets, depending on the needs of the grower it could be configured with 1-4 buckets as reservoirs, with one bucket on top serving as the planter. Each reservoir bucket would need a fill tube and its own wick(probably a piece of pipe filled with peat or coco) going to the planter bucket.
Advantages:
With the right backpack, many buckets could be carried per trip, giving a simple option for growers who can't be seen in the bush with totes.
Does not require alot of on-site building, all modifications of the buckets can be done at home, giving a more stealthy option that doesn't require much time or labor like building from scratch would.
Resourceful growers may be able to find free sources of 5 gallon buckets, or perhaps cheep sources. If all else fails, they can be found at home improvement centers for less than $5 a piece.
Disadvantages:
All I can think of is that this system would require you to fill each bucket individually, not a huge deal.
At any rate, you could bring more gallons worth of "from scratch" building materials in a single pack load, than you can buckets, but you'd spend lots more time and effort setting it up.
My local Home depot sells new 5 gallon buckets for $2.34, the lids are .98c.
In my climate, 20 gallons should last my plant 3 weeks in the harshest part of summer. Thats 4 buckets for the rez, and one for the planter. That would be $15.62 in buckets, but I think I can get them for cheaper. The Home depot buckets are bright orange, but it don't matter, they will be buried anyways.
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Sorry I keep bumping my own thread, but its been so long since I've posted much, it seems like I live here in the off season, LOL!
After I pulled my Terracotta "pitcher" grows, and noticed that it seemed to work good(just needed more water), I got to thinking about ways to automate refilling of the pots without actually using a terracotta bottle(which are hard to make or find).
I tried to figure out a way to refill the pots, without overflowing them. The only way I could think of would be to use float valves, but those are often expensive, and I can't really think of a cheap way to make them for myself.
I like lunatick's idea of cutting a hole in a tote and gluing a terracotta pot to it. It eliminates the need to use tubing that could clog, and the need to use terracotta bottles. My concerns would be making sure the pot to tote connection is leak proof, and I'd be concerned about having a tote sitting on the surface, so it would need to be at least partially buried.
The big concern would be that connection between the pot and the the tote, if it leaked the water usage would become high.
After I pulled my Terracotta "pitcher" grows, and noticed that it seemed to work good(just needed more water), I got to thinking about ways to automate refilling of the pots without actually using a terracotta bottle(which are hard to make or find).
I tried to figure out a way to refill the pots, without overflowing them. The only way I could think of would be to use float valves, but those are often expensive, and I can't really think of a cheap way to make them for myself.
I like lunatick's idea of cutting a hole in a tote and gluing a terracotta pot to it. It eliminates the need to use tubing that could clog, and the need to use terracotta bottles. My concerns would be making sure the pot to tote connection is leak proof, and I'd be concerned about having a tote sitting on the surface, so it would need to be at least partially buried.
The big concern would be that connection between the pot and the the tote, if it leaked the water usage would become high.
multiple reservoirs...pure fuc'kin genius. even if there is still some digging to be done....it's doable. and you can use a tarp system and fill them in the rainy season...or from a creek or lake some growers have near their spot... some people are truly spoiled...
that terracotta "bottle" idea is exactly what im talking about but instead of using that connector and a water line one can just glue that "bottle" directly to a rubbermaid and punch a few to connect them both - simple.
[__ _]
tc\_/
about the earth hole:if the soil wick contained a small amount of roots it may be easier to use a rope(time travel)insted,especially when using multiple reservoirs.
[__ _]
tc\_/
about the earth hole:if the soil wick contained a small amount of roots it may be easier to use a rope(time travel
)insted,especially when using multiple reservoirs.
Heh heh, every blessing seems to have a corresponding curse in Guerrilla growing.
When I was doing lots of sketches of possible Earth hole configurations last spring, I had this idea with the buckets. I dismissed it at the time because I was afraid 5 gallons would not be enough soil. It had not really dawned on me yet either that I could use multiple containers for reservoirs.
I'm excited about the bucket Earth hole, this will probably become my standard configuration, unless I am really pushing for huge plants, although I believe I could have gone with 5 gallons for this years Earth hole and probably had the same size harvest. We will see next year, I'm sure 5 gallons would be good for at least 4oz, if not 6.
The really important thing for me right now is to be thinking about storing water while my rainy season lasts. I think I'll first build crude pits lined with plastic, I'll fill them with rainwater using a tarp. It should only take a few weeks to collect the 90 or so gallons needed by each plant. At this point I'll return with totes or materials for building reservoirs, these will be built to last. I'll probably siphon water from the crude reservoirs into the permanent reservoirs located downhill, in the process I'll strain leaves, bugs and other matter from the water.
I hope I can get all of the above done by March, if I act soon, it could be done by January. Having all that water stored will make the summer season very easy, having irrigation systems that will last weeks without supervision will make guerrilla gardening fun again.
When I was doing lots of sketches of possible Earth hole configurations last spring, I had this idea with the buckets. I dismissed it at the time because I was afraid 5 gallons would not be enough soil. It had not really dawned on me yet either that I could use multiple containers for reservoirs.
I'm excited about the bucket Earth hole, this will probably become my standard configuration, unless I am really pushing for huge plants, although I believe I could have gone with 5 gallons for this years Earth hole and probably had the same size harvest. We will see next year, I'm sure 5 gallons would be good for at least 4oz, if not 6.
The really important thing for me right now is to be thinking about storing water while my rainy season lasts. I think I'll first build crude pits lined with plastic, I'll fill them with rainwater using a tarp. It should only take a few weeks to collect the 90 or so gallons needed by each plant. At this point I'll return with totes or materials for building reservoirs, these will be built to last. I'll probably siphon water from the crude reservoirs into the permanent reservoirs located downhill, in the process I'll strain leaves, bugs and other matter from the water.
I hope I can get all of the above done by March, if I act soon, it could be done by January. Having all that water stored will make the summer season very easy, having irrigation systems that will last weeks without supervision will make guerrilla gardening fun again.
that terracotta "bottle" idea is exactly what im talking about but instead of using that connector and a water line one can just glue that "bottle" directly to a rubbermaid and punch a few to connect them both - simple.
[__ _]
tc\_/
about the earth hole:if the soil wick contained a small amount of roots it may be easier to use a rope(time travel
Would you leave the Tote on the surface of the ground? Or would it be buried?
I'm so in love with the soil wick, understandably after this season. I had intended to build a test rig for a rope wick planter for this summer, but ran out of time for alot of intentions.
Since the soil wick is proven to me personally, I'll probably use it primarily for most Earth holes next year, but I'll also build one with rope wicks for comparison, if it proves to work as good or better, I may switch all my Earth holes to rope wicks.
I can't wait to get the workshop rollin this winter!
bc next years ideas sounds great(save me a seat).
gluing a terracotta pot to a plastic tote is a simple idea,as u mentioned before the tote will have to be at least partly berried,its better to bury the whole thing and covering it+installing a refill tube.
pot to tote connection will be sturdy - an aquarium silicone will do the job:the tc pot can be also glued upside down and the tc runoff part can be glued as the "new" bottom(an option).
the other option(first one) - was a bit simpler - 1 big ass(3gal or so) tc pot,mostly painted with silicone to reduce wicking surface.
if ill ever irrigate using water lines i will defiantly try
the blumats again,hardly any head pressure is needed(the res should be 1m higher then the plant for a 10m water line length)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWPLr0Selh8 - it can be used as float valve in order to refill the a bigger tc pot or a an earth hole res,but they are a bit pricey and the entire idea is kinda lame.
an air tight res(a blast from the past)can also be used for refill,but once again a lot can go wrong.
).gluing a terracotta pot to a plastic tote is a simple idea,as u mentioned before the tote will have to be at least partly berried,its better to bury the whole thing and covering it+installing a refill tube.
pot to tote connection will be sturdy - an aquarium silicone will do the job:the tc pot can be also glued upside down and the tc runoff part can be glued as the "new" bottom(an option).
the other option(first one) - was a bit simpler - 1 big ass(3gal or so) tc pot,mostly painted with silicone to reduce wicking surface.
if ill ever irrigate using water lines i will defiantly try
the blumats again,hardly any head pressure is needed(the res should be 1m higher then the plant for a 10m water line length)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWPLr0Selh8 - it can be used as float valve in order to refill the a bigger tc pot or a an earth hole res,but they are a bit pricey and the entire idea is kinda lame.
an air tight res(a blast from the past
)can also be used for refill,but once again a lot can go wrong.
socbutter
Member
Admiration & Questions
Admiration & Questions
Wow! What a trip this has been!
BC thank you for sharing your grow and methods.
I for one will look forward to your next grow in 2010. SO as not to miss the 2010 grow/thread could you please let us know some how?
AS for your ruminations on this thread by all means keep ruminating!
I am tagged.
2 Questions:
Not for guerrilla gardening maybe patio or indoor (if GFI electric access is available) if I build the earthtainer according to the how-to videos (using your mix or LC/BURNONE mixes) would adding air stones be worthwhile??
I do not remember, in your thread, but do you supplement with teas like the one in Organic for Beginners?
Admiration & Questions
Wow! What a trip this has been!
BC thank you for sharing your grow and methods.
I for one will look forward to your next grow in 2010. SO as not to miss the 2010 grow/thread could you please let us know some how?
AS for your ruminations on this thread by all means keep ruminating!
I am tagged.
2 Questions:
Not for guerrilla gardening maybe patio or indoor (if GFI electric access is available) if I build the earthtainer according to the how-to videos (using your mix or LC/BURNONE mixes) would adding air stones be worthwhile??
I do not remember, in your thread, but do you supplement with teas like the one in Organic for Beginners?
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more air to the roots or to the water? a light mix would work well. i'd add perlite...if i had it...but i think cocopeat would work too.
If it is a patio grow i would put the earthtainer on a platform with wheels because once the soil is wet it's going to be hard to move it around if you would need to...
If it is a patio grow i would put the earthtainer on a platform with wheels because once the soil is wet it's going to be hard to move it around if you would need to...
Ehhhhh, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt, but I don't think you would see that much benefit from it in this system, but I could be wrong. At any rate, in all the study I've done on Earthboxes, I've never heard of anyone doing it.
You know, it was my intention to do teas for all my plants this year, but I could see the EH was doing well with the super rich potting mix I made. I decided that since I intend to use the Earth holes to extend visits to a month apart, I wouldn't be able to feed with teas anyways, so why include it in the test?
If you used a rich mix like I used, it would be a good thing to supplement with a good tea like listed in the Organic for Beginners thread, you just got to watch for the signs your plants are getting too much Nitrogen, but the soil will work great on its own.
Rolando Mota
Active member
Congratulations Backcountry on the success of your experiment. 
After some practical thought, it occurred to me that the 'terracotta pot glued to a tote' idea would be kinda inconvenient for a Guerrilla grower. You would either have to glue the pot on at home, and then try to haul it to the plot without knocking it loose as you navigate difficult terrain and brush. Or you'd have to do the gluing onsite and then leave it overnight and install it on another trip. I have to say I am also nervous about trusting even a high quality waterproof epoxy to not leak while sealing such a large diameter surface, otherwise I'd give this idea a try by doing the gluing onsite.lunatick said:
Reducing the wicking surface area would not be to your advantage for any reason, the Terracotta works in a similar way to the soil wick, water is only drawn as the plant needs to drink it. If you reduce the amount of water the plant can drink, you directly reduce the amount of bud she produces. If anything, I want to increase the surface area available to the plant.lunatick said:
1. Do you know of a good company to order the Blumats from? I searched and searched for a non-shady site to order them from last winter, but only found a Canadian site and a German site that had malfunctioning order forms, and one american site that only sold the Junior version.lunatick said:
2. The idea of refilling the Terracotta pots is not lame in the least, the pots work great, now I need a way to refill them automatically. I actually think your Blumat solution may have merit, but then again, why not just use the Blumat by itself.
Damn I'd like to try those darn Blumats!
