So I'm curious on Dutch buckets, and am planning an experimental run at some point to see how it goes. Then I got to thinking (yes, here I go again. ) about certain aspects of this and that.
So for a quick recap/overview, you take a bucket, put an overflow on it so there is a 2" or so water level in the bottom. Then you fill the bucket with perlite, and water it 4-6 times per day. This replaces the bottom water, plus hydrates the perlite. (That's the big picture concept.)
So the main parts from this I get are that the bottom water level is sort of a way to mimic the bottom of a normal pot that usually holds a constant moistness.
Perlite being inert, and holding moisture, works well and cannot be over watered. As it's not constantly watered, plenty of O2 for the roots. It also wicks up moisture from the bottom, etc.
All this I get. But here is where my mind started to wander on the "what if's" and such.
The big thing for this is the water in the bottom. OK, cool. One of the tips for a system like this is to use a paint strainer bag (mesh bag that fits in a 5gal bucket) to keep the perlite in. Put strainer in bucket, add perlite to that. Easy peasy cleanup, and perlite doesn't escape or clog the overflow drain. Nice.
This part is where my deviation comes in. "What if" I were to take say, a 3" or 4" tall tray that was 14"-16" either square or diameter, and then put a fabric pot inside of that?
Now taking the nuances aside for a minute (like light on the outside tray, etc), could that work?
The idea would be to have that water res, just the same as the bucket, but you're simply taking the sides down and using a fabric pot. So you get the benefit of air pruning, plus the benefit of the dutch bucket. It almost becomes like an octo-pot concept, but a bit different.
In my feeble mind, this could work. Bringing a fabric pot into play, the number of watering cycles may need increased to combat the quicker drying out. However, the perlite should be wicking up from the bottom, so maybe it's not so bad.
At face value, the biggest issue I see is light and its introduction to the outer tray. Would have to find a way to block that, either by finding a tray with a lid, or making some kind of cover/sock to go around the pot that covers the gap between the edge of the pot and the tray. Could be felt, could be reflective sheeting, whatever.
So other than the change for the fabric pot, the rest of the Dutch bucket concept is the same. I'm thinking that a 2"-3" gap around all edges should be sufficient, but maybe the answer to the light issue is to just have the pot fit the tray without a gap. You would probably lose the air pruning in the bottom 4" though, so probably not a great idea.
Now for the plumbing of the overflow.
Pretty simple, no glue needed. I'm thinking of a slight deviation from the standard Dutch bucket due to the fabric pot. The outside is the same, but once it comes into the tray, I think into a tee, and then have the drains there. This would make for 2 drains instead of 1, but would also help curb overflow situations. With a 2" water level, and only a 3"-4" high tray, you want to make sure it drains faster than the max input.
Thinking for fabric pot size, either a 7gal square (which is ~12" on all sides), or 5gal round (which is 12" diameter and 10" high.)
That would make for a 16"-18" tray to give a 2"-3" gap all the way around. I'm just guessing on the 2"-3" gap and it being sufficient enough for an air gap so that air pruning works. Heck, a 1" gap may work, but I'm not sure.
So, am I nuts?
So for a quick recap/overview, you take a bucket, put an overflow on it so there is a 2" or so water level in the bottom. Then you fill the bucket with perlite, and water it 4-6 times per day. This replaces the bottom water, plus hydrates the perlite. (That's the big picture concept.)
So the main parts from this I get are that the bottom water level is sort of a way to mimic the bottom of a normal pot that usually holds a constant moistness.
Perlite being inert, and holding moisture, works well and cannot be over watered. As it's not constantly watered, plenty of O2 for the roots. It also wicks up moisture from the bottom, etc.
All this I get. But here is where my mind started to wander on the "what if's" and such.
The big thing for this is the water in the bottom. OK, cool. One of the tips for a system like this is to use a paint strainer bag (mesh bag that fits in a 5gal bucket) to keep the perlite in. Put strainer in bucket, add perlite to that. Easy peasy cleanup, and perlite doesn't escape or clog the overflow drain. Nice.
This part is where my deviation comes in. "What if" I were to take say, a 3" or 4" tall tray that was 14"-16" either square or diameter, and then put a fabric pot inside of that?
Now taking the nuances aside for a minute (like light on the outside tray, etc), could that work?
The idea would be to have that water res, just the same as the bucket, but you're simply taking the sides down and using a fabric pot. So you get the benefit of air pruning, plus the benefit of the dutch bucket. It almost becomes like an octo-pot concept, but a bit different.
In my feeble mind, this could work. Bringing a fabric pot into play, the number of watering cycles may need increased to combat the quicker drying out. However, the perlite should be wicking up from the bottom, so maybe it's not so bad.
At face value, the biggest issue I see is light and its introduction to the outer tray. Would have to find a way to block that, either by finding a tray with a lid, or making some kind of cover/sock to go around the pot that covers the gap between the edge of the pot and the tray. Could be felt, could be reflective sheeting, whatever.
So other than the change for the fabric pot, the rest of the Dutch bucket concept is the same. I'm thinking that a 2"-3" gap around all edges should be sufficient, but maybe the answer to the light issue is to just have the pot fit the tray without a gap. You would probably lose the air pruning in the bottom 4" though, so probably not a great idea.
Now for the plumbing of the overflow.
Pretty simple, no glue needed. I'm thinking of a slight deviation from the standard Dutch bucket due to the fabric pot. The outside is the same, but once it comes into the tray, I think into a tee, and then have the drains there. This would make for 2 drains instead of 1, but would also help curb overflow situations. With a 2" water level, and only a 3"-4" high tray, you want to make sure it drains faster than the max input.
Thinking for fabric pot size, either a 7gal square (which is ~12" on all sides), or 5gal round (which is 12" diameter and 10" high.)
That would make for a 16"-18" tray to give a 2"-3" gap all the way around. I'm just guessing on the 2"-3" gap and it being sufficient enough for an air gap so that air pruning works. Heck, a 1" gap may work, but I'm not sure.
So, am I nuts?