Really great thread you got going on here.
I was wondering, do you toss the soil at the end of every run , or do you reuse it "living soil" style?
Really great thread you got going on here.
I was wondering, do you toss the soil at the end of every run , or do you reuse it "living soil" style?
I am reusing the soil.
I have been using the same soil for about 5 years and using it in sips for nearly 2 years in some of the containers. After each run I lift up the mulch layer of wood chips, pull the old root ball out, replant a new clone and top dress dry amendments.
do you think it is recommended to keep the soil itself and the bottom wicking layer separate with landscape fabric, or something? or is it ok if they are directly in contact?
This might be a stupid question. but how do you know when you need to water? do you do it just by judging how the plant looks, or do you use a soil moisture meter?
Is the whole point to water from the bottom to get the roots to grow down to there? Isn't the lower soil still going to have the majority of the space water instead of air?
I am working on getting a system for flower, and was making a top water with rings, copied from a coco set-up. The totes I added a drain to could also use that drain as a fill tube, and the drain collection reservoir a sip box.
My top watering design, collecting all that runoff and pumping it to a waste jug, kinda got cold water thrown on it when the soil guys said I don't really want to water so much that there is any runoff. But, it could be used as a bottom watering system to flood to a certain level, on timer, so the flooding happens every so often and the soil is allowed to drain / transpire in between. A tote in tote could be used to have the water area in the lower tote, soil in the upper one.
a to put fabric bags in them.
I have holes in my totes for air, because I plan to use fabric bags.
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So back to the question about bottom watering vs top... is it to try to drive the roots down to the bottom?
I am planning to use 7 gallon bags in those 7 gallon totes, which is why the holes are there. They will flood from the bottom just fine I think, if a bottom watering is preferable to top.
My automatic top watering system will convert easily to bottom watering. If needed. In fact, if it is better to water from the bottom and then let the plant suck the soil moisture down, here is how it could be done:
1. the timers and pumps could flood at SIP height,
2. wait however long,
3. then activate the bilge pump to empty out the same box that was filled to make the SIP level.
4. The water that drains from the totes would return to the box, and is pumped out by the automatic bilge pump. The bilge pump leaves about an inch of water in the box (in my case a 5 gallon bucket that I also mount a fan onto). This is my return catch bucket. It could just as well be the box, IF the hoses were sealed to the bucket. I have a nice submersible pump that would pump from the reservoir to the box. That pump would need to keep the SIP water level up during the wet time (step 2).
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I was going to pump the drain water into a carboy for disposal onto my garden. I was also going to have the carboy gravity overflow back to the reservoir, in case I cannot get to the room for a few days. Using live soil is nice, because there is no nute schedule. Just a big reservoir, which I plan to aerate.
So then let the soil / plant do it's thing, and when moisture dictates another round, fill up the box again to SIP height. What would be nice is a moisture sensor that triggers the next round of water.
Edit, I took the time to watch some wicking videos. I see now what the idea is: create a water table below the bottom of the soil with a medium that will allow the soil to wick up the water.
So, I am thinking about using my existing totes as - is, and water them this way. Will this work the same way:
Can a fabric pot of soil be placed on wet medium and still soak up the moisture OK? What's to stop me from just putting a layer of fabric on top of the grid (to keep medium from getting into the grid), a 1-2" layer of medium, and set the soil pot directly on top of that medium? What medium? you can placed a fabric pot on top of a container that holds perlite and water, just like the inside of a SIP but it has some limitations compared to a SIP designed like mine. for more info on this type, i'd googled "SWICK system". the height of the water can not climb as high when using large pots but it may work for yours. you'd have to try and see. i think this is due to not having plastic pots because it loses humidity from the fabric bags.
i think perlite is the best for wicking because it is not porous and is solid which makes it easier for water to cling to and climb upwards compared to pumice which has holes.
Why not a bag with an inch of medium in the bottom, and the soil bag set on top into that one? The tote supports it all (and a here, also a scrog). That way I would only lose an inch of soil height.
i don't think you'll need to add perlite at the bottom before adding soil in the soil bag itself. i think it may work better with the peat on the bottom of the bag.
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The high waterline is supposed to be located where relative to the medium/soil (in this case the bag) interface? inch or two below the bag.
If it is better for the plants to water periodically, as in hand watering the SIP, and let the plant drink the soil moisture down, then can that hand watering process be automated?yes, i have mine connected together with hydro tubing that automatically tops off the reservoir inside the SIPs but i have been adding just enough to fill the reservoir plus a couple gallons and then i let the reservoir go empty. it actually doesn't get empty but will leave an inch of water in the bottom. it will let me "handwater" by filling up the SIPs when i add water and since i am not filling up the garbage can full, it allows for the soil to dry out a little before i fill it up again. often when i add water again, especially once plants are larger, you will go in after a few hours or the following day to find the plants are leaning over with weight from the uptake. its a good thing you got scrogs. definitely need some sort of support system with these.