- Thread starter
- #401
Just covering all the bases here. Our leader has asked that we soread the word of the newest site photo contest.
SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself
- Thread starter SweetSue
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #402
Dropping some interesting educational material, unrelated to SWICKing, but relevant to every one of us.
Please help me spread this message as widely as we can on site. Thanks.
Please help me spread this message as widely as we can on site. Thanks.
OK guys, let's talk a minute. While watching the seminar there was discussion that included reference to an article on the proper way to inhale cannabis and the surprise that most of us have been doing it wrong most of our lives. I went looking for the article and came across it over at Green Flower Media.
So let me ask the gathering....... How many of you hold your hit as long as you can? Yep, me too. As long as I've smoked that was the challenge. How incredibly misguided.
After reading the explaination of how the lungs are structured and the speed with which THC is absorbed - that would be almost instantaneously - I found myself wondering how, as an educator, this had never occurred to me. If the cannabinoids are absorbed that quickly there's no reason to hold your breath.
So stop doing that. Right now please. Be kind to your lungs. You're still going to get all your meds, and you're still going to get high.
Do yourself a favor though, and wait a minute before you take that next hit or vape pull. It takes about that long for the THC to get into the brain and start attaching. Might as well let them do their thing and see if maybe that was enough.
I know, I've always just kept smoking until I got to the edge and slipped over into free fall. When I think of all the money and cannabis I wasted over the years it's chilling. I'm going to explore this new smoking paradigm. Maybe some of you will do the same. The thrifty Scot in me will be happier with this decision.
Just 'cause I care about you.
Atulip
New Member
Swick roots. I no longer run dry periods for my perlite bed. Haven't seen poor root growth from maintaining moisture, quite the opposite. I have to clean roots off weekly. This is what happens at 2 weeks unmoved. I'm patching perlite holes lol
Swick roots. I no longer run dry periods for my perlite bed. Haven't seen poor root growth from maintaining moisture, quite the opposite. I have to clean roots off weekly. This is what happens at 2 weeks unmoved. I'm patching perlite holes lol
I don't understand what is happening here,
What type of cannabis roots don't get air pruned in a fabric pot?
Are you burying your pots in perlite?
Atulip
New Member
They are getting air pruned, except where the bottom stays wet on a constantly moist perlite bed. I usually pull a small layer of roots off weekly, but those went a couple weeks.
I know earlier in this thread there was talk of poor root development without a dry period. Just sharing my root porn, I don't let the swick/pots dry at all. Had 6 like that in my tent, roots everywhere lol.
I know earlier in this thread there was talk of poor root development without a dry period. Just sharing my root porn, I don't let the swick/pots dry at all. Had 6 like that in my tent, roots everywhere lol.
- Thread starter
- #406
Thank you for sharing Atulip. I've decided recently that my own SWICK NO-tills have progressed to the point that I won't be letting them dry out at all.
Rad, I have roots like that on the bottom too. I leave them alone any more. I don't, however, have them exploding from the sides of the pot like that. Atulip, do you maintain strict control of your humidity levels to get that kind of root expression trying to tear through the sides of your fabric pots? This is amazing growth demonstrated.
Atulip
New Member
I started using rootmaker propagation pots instead of jiffy plugs now for seedling air pruning so that may contribute to finer roots. They're SoG so pots are nearly touching. They look like that when undisturbed for a couple weeks.
I do maintain ~50% humidity in the grow room with a dehumidifier(which also drains to the perlite bed(free purified water)), but that's just for mold prevention. (Hot and humid here) they're also all auto flowers, I don't know if root growth differs for them.
I do maintain ~50% humidity in the grow room with a dehumidifier(which also drains to the perlite bed(free purified water)), but that's just for mold prevention. (Hot and humid here) they're also all auto flowers, I don't know if root growth differs for them.
- Thread starter
- #408
I've grown autos and photos on my SWICKs and I've never seen this kind of root penetration. It must be because you have them so tightly packed. That would account for it, although those propagation pots sound enticing.
Humidity control is one of those things most likely to be overlooked, myself included, and yet, properly controlled, probably contributes a significant bit to the healthy growth of monster plants vs decent plants. Some day I'll get that under control. My DDAs grow wide open in the closet, almost like house plants.
Humidity control is one of those things most likely to be overlooked, myself included, and yet, properly controlled, probably contributes a significant bit to the healthy growth of monster plants vs decent plants. Some day I'll get that under control. My DDAs grow wide open in the closet, almost like house plants.
Atulip
New Member
Yeah not having mold is my main thing, and running perpetual something is always drying and something is always blooming. I'm loving the rootmakers. I start the first 2 weeks of autos life in the 4" prop pots now.
Yeah they're packed in lol.
Rootmaker
Yeah they're packed in lol.
Rootmaker
Nice to know your experience. Real world information.
I'm guessing there might be a difference in the types of roots that develop in wet/dry cycles. i.e. hydro roots are not the same as mycorrhizal forming roots. Not saying I know, just wondering out loud.
As Sweet Sue noted, the roots on the bottom are familiar. The roots on the sides of the pots are what is unusual. I usually run 50-80% in both veg and flower. I don't get roots out of the sides of pots in either SmartPots or GeoPots.
In theory, yes, If it it porous, water holding pumice or similar lava rack. I have not seen anyone here who has done it.
When growing with nutrient pour coco and nutrient rich water, you want 10-20% runoff from watering to remove the salts from the soil and the water. If that runoff collects in a swick and evaporates you are likely to get high levels of nutrients/salts that are bad for your plants. You also might get stuff growing in your SWICK.
You could do the nutrient watering above a tray and discard the runoff - like normal. Then use a SWICK of plain water to extend the time between waterings, but that seems like a lot of trouble for a small benefit of keeping the soil moist. I don't like to keep the soil moist until flower, and flower is when plants demand more nutrients.
For me, a SWICK and liquid nutrients / coco grow seems like a lot of trouble for very little benefit.
A SWICK does not need to be saved for "organic" soil, but it works best for nutrient rich soil.
I used lava rock in a kiddie pool with a large smart pot on top. The lava rock cracked the pool, causing leaks.
- Thread starter
- #414
I'd think lava rock'd require a pretty solid pan, something along the lines of pond liners. Lots of sharp edges.
The site where this idea caught my eye had members that used lava rock to great effect. Perlite seems to be chosen both for weight considerations (lava rock weighs a ton when wet) and because it used to be easier to source. I'm about to find out if that p's still true, since I need to rebuild my own reservoirs.
I agree with Rad. This system works best with a well-aerated organic soil.
The site where this idea caught my eye had members that used lava rock to great effect. Perlite seems to be chosen both for weight considerations (lava rock weighs a ton when wet) and because it used to be easier to source. I'm about to find out if that p's still true, since I need to rebuild my own reservoirs.
I agree with Rad. This system works best with a well-aerated organic soil.
I don't use them because I make my own, but check out Earthboxes. It is an enclosed sub irrigated planter.
Does anyone know if I can use diatomite in place of perlite? I can get 24 Qts of diatomite today for $7.66, or I can get 8 Qts of perlite for $4.99 once it's back in stock. Don't want to make a decision based on money, but if they'll perform the same, I'll go cheap!
I'll have to leave my girls home alone pretty soon, and I want to test this to see how long I can go without watering while I'm still here to take care of them.
I'll have to leave my girls home alone pretty soon, and I want to test this to see how long I can go without watering while I'm still here to take care of them.
- Thread starter
- #417
Are you talking diatomaceous earth? If so the answer is no. It won't wick water the way perlite or volcanic rock will.
How long will you be leaving them? That would help you determine the depth of the reservoir, although I believe it was HealingKronic that found you don't want to be deeper than 8". We had a member leave his for a week with no ill effects.
- Thread starter
- #418
bricklayer67
New Member
I travel for about 11 days a month, all in one shot, and I needed a self watering system. After much research and feasibility studies - in other words, I smoked on it - I found this thread and decided to give it a shot. I already had perlite laying around for my veggie gardens, so I picked up a tub for $4 and put perlite with 4 gallons of water in it. This brought the water level up to almost 2" from the top. After a good long soak, I stirred it up and put a dry layer of perlite on top and put it under my plant. I'm using a fabric 10 gallon smart pot, Doc's High Brix kit, and my girl is a Jock Horror named Emily that is 4 weeks into 12/12, and normally drinks between 1-2 gallons of water a week. Emily, say hi.
bricklayer67
New Member
A few more facts for the record, I just gave her a second CAT drench, so the soil is very moist to start with. I have a wireless camera ($50 on amazon) inside the box so if anything bad starts to happen I can phone a friend in an emergency. My RH normally runs between 45-60% inside the box depending on the weather, and it is currently 55%. I have a fan/filter running 24/7 and it exchanges all the air in the box twice a minute. I also have a very small oscillating fan inside that only runs when lights are on. I leave in the morning and will return September 6th, I will update this with the results.
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