Soma Style Grow Bed in a "Bus Tub"?

[JackTheGrower]

Jack or Ernst (not sure which to address you as)

Did you notice a marked improvement in either growth rate or yield?? Branching or budding sites?? Possibly just overall plant happiness???

Oh from the very beginning? Yeah the first two years were not as productive as the next 7.

Over time as I have dialled things in yes.
Over time as the soil has matured yes.

Y'all understand I can compost in this box? It's that big. But the same basic idea.. Managing a large amount of soil and this soil never leaves the box grow after grow friends.

You can call me Ernst that's fine..

I'm happy to see folks doing as I do. Cool with me.. We might as well share the news.

 

[supermanlives]

me i am looking for taller tubs so i can mimic somas beds. my tubs are way to shallow for soma style

 

[NUG-JUG]

JacktheGrower- Thanks for your tips on this thread I've learned a lot. Kudos to Wooderson for bringing up the idea. I want to build a bed for a 1000W hps. My idea was a 4ft.by4ft. on casters,but I'm not sure of the depth yet?? It will be long term since I feel that's the point of doing a bed in the first place...I want to use some homemade compost\perlite\coir\and other things to start..Should I not use would since I may move it in the future, and it will rot just like a compost pile. Maybe some tough plastic..

 

[Slangheat]

JacktheGrower- Thanks for your tips on this thread I've learned a lot. Kudos to Wooderson for bringing up the idea. I want to build a bed for a 1000W hps. My idea was a 4ft.by4ft. on casters,but I'm not sure of the depth yet?? It will be long term since I feel that's the point of doing a bed in the first place...I want to use some homemade compost\perlite\coir\and other things to start..Should I not use would since I may move it in the future, and it will rot just like a compost pile. Maybe some tough plastic..

I have mine on those furniture moving pads instead of casters... made of wood, heavy wood lol. Lined with 3.5mil black plastic. at the end of a grow, I shovel out some of the dirt into one of my bins, and then grab the black plastic from all 4 ends, muscle it out of the bed, and dump that into the bin aswell.

 

[Tactical Farmer]

You are removing the material after each cycle I take it?
Placing down a new layer of perlite each cycle?
Using a new soil mix?

yup
yup
yup

Yeah I can see the benefits of using the same (aged) perlite in the bottom.

Fungi loves to cling to & grow on perlite.

I just dump the tub into compost pile & hose them out good & start fresh.

There are lot of weird bugs in the soil, dont want to give them anymore time to establish themselves in the perlite possibly ?

I did spray the fresh perlite with a frothy fungi tea to get some life going on in there ahead of time.

* Might sprinkle some oats & molasses in there with the perlite.

 

[JackTheGrower]

JacktheGrower- Thanks for your tips on this thread I've learned a lot. Kudos to Wooderson for bringing up the idea. I want to build a bed for a 1000W hps. My idea was a 4ft.by4ft. on casters,but I'm not sure of the depth yet?? It will be long term since I feel that's the point of doing a bed in the first place...I want to use some home-made compost\perlite\coir\and other things to start..Should I not use would since I may move it in the future, and it will rot just like a compost pile. Maybe some tough plastic..

Have a look at my three cool tubes and may I suggest you will get more out of distributed lights than a single bulb if you are trying to grow in a box like I am ..

My 1k is excellent but a bit of over-kill as a center light and the twin 250 ballast was put in to correct poor growth on the outsides. I could easy use a 600 or even a 400 as a center light.

Hey we might as well share.

In a 4x4x2 you can compost in it. So you can start with a mix and use it then add more materials and compost again and so on year after year.

Soma did have his on rollers in the article I read long ago. But if this is a personal grow box 4x4x2 is a goodly space IMO.

There are large tubs for farm use. Galvanized steel or plastic They are called Horse Troughs these might make an easier large plant container system that we could put wheels on. Just Ideas.

Did you see the link for the box I constructed? It's an example I am sure can be improved.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Yeah I can see the benefits of using the same (aged) perlite in the bottom.

Fungi loves to cling to & grow on perlite.

I just dump the tub into compost pile & hose them out good & start fresh.

There are lot of weird bugs in the soil, dont want to give them anymore time to establish themselves in the perlite possibly ?

I did spray the fresh perlite with a frothy fungi tea to get some life going on in there ahead of time.

* Might sprinkle some oats & molasses in there with the perlite.

It's all good.. You do one thing and we all learn I do another and so on.

I wonder what the perlite looks like in my air space down there but not enough to take it all apart. This was a bitch to build and I am happy to be on the easy living side of it now.. I expect it to fall apart before I take it apart.

You should have seen what happened when I had too much of the top grade of fish emulsion in one year. There was this yellow/brown foam type of fungus that grew out of the air stand tubes and it had to be all in the drains and under the soil since it was growing out of the very bottom. That was when I switched from the really good fish emulsion to the lower grade. It was necessary for my set-up. I did decay but that was an experience.

Nature isn't sanitary like chemical but we have Nature to thank for life.

 

[supermanlives]

i got used of the smelll LOL^^^^^ gonna look for some tubs this week . anyone got any ideas?/ i i was thinking of those cement tubs from home depot. can anyone reccomend a minimum tub depth? thanks

 

[Sinnerman]

i got used of the smelll LOL^^^^^ gonna look for some tubs this week . anyone got any ideas?/ i i was thinking of those cement tubs from home depot. can anyone reccomend a minimum tub depth? thanks

I guess it depends on what kind of root mass you want?? Plus your veg time.

I'm building a couple on a smaller scale for a SOG perpetual. I will be picking out the tubs shortly. I have a few tubs around what your using now in a SOG, but for this I want more depth.

 

[JackTheGrower]

i got used of the smelll LOL^^^^^ gonna look for some tubs this week . anyone got any ideas?/ i i was thinking of those cement tubs from home depot. can anyone recommend a minimum tub depth? thanks

An old washing machine has a nice tub in it usually. That would be plenty deep for a really big plant.

You see different strains of cannabis have different root profiles.

I have some here that have a major carrot and others that are mostly shallow root plants.


If I have to say 18 inches of actual soil depth is a nice depth but 24 inches is better.

 

[Tactical Farmer]

These Lowes brand 27gal tubs that im using are only 12 inch deep not counting the few inch of perlite.

they seem huge but get rootbound fast.

it doesn't seem like it would be but a simple lift of one end will tell you if they need water or not.

if you cant easily lift then it doesn't need water - if you can lift then its dry.



Its that simple. lol

* Even HAD to carry (with help) a full tub with 1 Bubblegum from inside to finish outside last summer.

It was tied down so well to the upper brim that with a 25gal rootmass it was less than 3 ft tall.

Didn't even look like a pot plant = VERY STEALTHY..

 

[JackTheGrower]

Guess what I found...

The issue of Heads with the Soma design in it!

I wonder if I can scan and post the pictures without offending?

What do you guys say Jay and Von?

 

[ZENARCADE]

JackTheGrower, I for one would love to see those scans. I just went digging through boxes of Heads back issues and for the life of me I can't find that issue!!!!

I've been lurking this thread for a while. Lots of great info here, you guys are great! I am planning something like the soma beds for my next run. A friend of mine on here does the these big containers, recycling the soil and all, but he feeds from the bottom via tube. The bottom feeding really keeps the gnats from setting up shop!

I know its taboo to mention these websites but s.anniesshop and o.pengrow have really good tutorials on "Big Earth Containers".

 

[JackTheGrower]

JackTheGrower, I for one would love to see those scans. I just went digging through boxes of Heads back issues and for the life of me I can't find that issue!!!!

I've been lurking this thread for a while. Lots of great info here, you guys are great! I am planning something like the soma beds for my next run. A friend of mine on here does the these big containers, recycling the soil and all, but he feeds from the bottom via tube. The bottom feeding really keeps the gnats from setting up shop!

I know its taboo to mention these websites but s.anniesshop and o.pengrow have really good tutorials on "Big Earth Containers".

Well.. I set it down while cleaning the Shed and now I have to go find it again but I do think we need to get permission to reproduce the article here?

Maybe i can take a photograph? I do own a scanner as well..

Von, Jay?? What do you say Mods..

 

[Flux451]

Mods? What would you say? I for one would be charged to see

Thank you all for this great thread as well as everything else you contribute to the noosphere

BTW
Have any of you found further information or threads on the air zone pump idea?

Aero/Organic/Soil in a sense with soil reuse - thats burly
Very Very Cool Thread thanks again

 

[redneck shogun]

These aren't mine I only googled it to see it somebody else took scans and it seems someone did here
Hope I don't get in trouble.

 

[Flux451]

Excellent, good stuff

So perlite is as good or better then hydroton or lava rock?

Humates are key to add to the soil? I need to get my fingers in the dirt, not yet a composter so much

Any of you support the idea of anchoring roots with stones or bricks in the bottom of planter?

Also, would over aeration cause the roots near the bottom dry out too soon or would you blast them with oxygen? Any further look onto this?

 

[MarquisBlack]

I dig this thread..

 

[NUG-JUG]

These aren't mine I only googled it to see it somebody else took scans and it seems someone did here
Hope I don't get in trouble.

I hope you don't either! Thanks redneck shogun!

 

[JackTheGrower]

Excellent, good stuff

So perlite is as good or better then hydroton or lava rock?

Humates are key to add to the soil? I need to get my fingers in the dirt, not yet a composter so much

Any of you support the idea of anchoring roots with stones or bricks in the bottom of planter?

Also, would over aeration cause the roots near the bottom dry out too soon or would you blast them with oxygen? Any further look onto this?

I believe the idea is to provide an air space that a "fabric or screen" will be laid over.

I have used perlite.

Our local clime is important to note. You do see that there isn't any water drainage with Soma's design.

Roots that hit open air just stop growing. Roots that dry out die.

Roots grow to hold the plant up. The depth of soil determines the root space.

Try out a large plastic tub. Perhaps cut a drain hole in the side near the bottom. Place some perlite then some window screen fabric or other fabric over that. Cut two holes for air pipe. Fill with soil mix and try it.

I think that will be cheaper to test out for you than building a proper box.