SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself

[DrZiggy]

Cheers SweetSue that helped clear lots of stuff up I must of been a little fuzzy about the principle in question... silly me


Now i just got to find some thing big enough for these pots & that should save some watering time in flowering.

I've read here on 420 the pan made for underneath water heaters works great and they're inexpensive. and large..

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Cheers for all the tips folks i''ll get out on my next couple days off for a look around

What size tent do u have? And what kind of lights

So much to learn....so many journals to follow

I'll pop over to your journal linked in your sig 'n' tell ya, don''t really want to hijack SweetSue thread with some details

 

[Radogast]

Cheers SweetSue that helped clear lots of stuff up I must of been a little fuzzy about the principle in question... silly me


Now i just got to find some thing big enough for these pots & that should save some watering time in flowering.

How about a cement mixing tub from Home Depot, 24"x 18" x about 5" deep ...... They have 2 different sizes... i use both.....

I've read here on 420 the pan made for underneath water heaters works great and they're inexpensive. and large..

Look around and you will find something. I have used:

- Home Depot cement mixing tray (24x18x5") I like the depth.
- Tractor Supply Co rabbit hutch liner (48x30x6".) That one holds up to 8 7-gal pots under a 4' CFL - My faorite, I'll use it again.
- Flood table liner from a hydro store (96x48x13".) Massive, holding more than 30 gallons. Too large for my current grow plans

 

[SweetSue]

Look around and you will find something. I have used:

- Home Depot cement mixing tray (24x18x5") I like the depth.
- Tractor Supply Co rabbit hutch liner (48x30x6".) That one holds up to 8 7-gal pots under a 4' CFL - My faorite, I'll use it again.
- Flood table liner from a hydro store (96x48x13".) Massive, holding more than 30 gallons. Too large for my current grow plans

That 24x18x5 would be perfect for my auto tent. Hmmmm......

 

[Radogast]

That 24x18x5 would be perfect for my auto tent. Hmmmm......

Dr, Fish gets credit for the first mention. I had been using mine for a garden cart liner - but I'm now planning to use it for soaking the little pots and a SWICK in flower (depending on how many plants I flower and whether I can even buy perlite before spring.)

 

[SweetSue]

AngryBird and I have launched a new thread dedicated to home remedies, those tried-and-true techniques and recipes you always defer to when you or your loved ones are in need. I'm sure everyone reading this has one or two they'd be happy to share with the community. We'd appreciate your participation in this new endeavor. You can find us by following the link. I hope to see you there.

Home Remedies: A Community Project

 

[BrixNewb]

I am looking to do some SWICK watering while I am away in a few months so I have been mulling over SWICK ideas in my head. I wanted something that would fit nicely under my 5 gallon soft pots without being too big in the tent. I found a 7 quart oil drain pan at my local auto part store for less than $4. It has tapered walls, looks like it would fit a 7 gallon pot as well, maybe even up to a 10 gallon.

 

[SweetSue]

I am looking to do some SWICK watering while I am away in a few months so I have been mulling over SWICK ideas in my head. I wanted something that would fit nicely under my 5 gallon soft pots without being too big in the tent. I found a 7 quart oil drain pan at my local auto part store for less than $4. It has tapered walls, looks like it would fit a 7 gallon pot as well, maybe even up to a 10 gallon.

I keep meaning to check these out. I used dish pans, which were very space efficient, but the 7-gallon pots covered the tops completely, making them challenging to monitor and fill. These oil pans look like just the right size.

 

[BrixNewb]

I keep meaning to check these out. I used dish pans, which were very space efficient, but the 7-gallon pots covered the tops completely, making them challenging to monitor and fill. These oil pans look like just the right size.

Just measured and at the top they are 13.5" across.

 

[Dr Fish]

HD has two sizes of heavy ABS cement mixing trays... Just got two of the 2'x3', for $27.00...
A year ago i was running a 2'x4' scrog screen at 5 weeks flower, plastic 5gal pots, 75/25 coco/perlite.. Bad news on the doorstep, i had to leave the next morning, and be gone for a week.... What i did was mix up enough 50% solution to leave my plants sitting 4-5 inches deep.... I did cut the light in half when i left.. Was only away for six days, and had 3/4" inch left in the tray.... The 2 plants looked great...
Smart pots left sitting in a much bigger saucer could last a long time... The water depth could be the max you would use in a saucer that's just a little bit bigger than the pot.. It would support 2-7gal. or maybe 3 5gal smart pots for quite sometime.. The large tray holds total 22-23 gal...

 

[SweetSue]

Community alert: a chance to lend a helping hand

jamesleemc, one of our family here, recently returned home to find that sanctuary violated by thieves. They cleaned him out, including all 14 plants, lights, equipment..... Every one of us reading that shuddered.

He's started a thread asking for any used equipment and supplies that might be able to find their way to him. I'm posting the link, but know that there are no directives other than a desire to help a member hurting in any way you feel compelled to respond. A kind word of encouragement can be every bit as valuable as a ballast when you've been slighted like this in life.

If nothing else, stop and let him know your positive intentions are bolstering him as he waits to see what wonder the universe holds in store for him next. Shall we surprise him?

support and help

 

[36Gr0w]

Sub Irrigation, Sub Irrigated Planters, and Earthboxes are things to look into. It is very easy to DIY, and you can make your own LABS and / or Bokashi tea for faculative anaerobic bacteria to keep the res clean and avoid harmful bacteria.

I don't like a res flooded with light or stagnant water / runoff build up. It's easy enough to keep the res covered and make LABS, and it's cheaper to suspend the container with something other than perlite.

 

[Radogast]

Sub Irrigation, Sub Irrigated Planters, and Earthboxes are things to look into. It is very easy to DIY, and you can make your own LABS and / or Bokashi tea for faculative anaerobic bacteria to keep the res clean and avoid harmful bacteria.

I don't like a res flooded with light or stagnant water / runoff build up. It's easy enough to keep the res covered and make LABS, and it's cheaper to suspend the container with something other than perlite.

Have you tried it? The water in perlite doesn't seem to breed bacteria like a hydro reservoir and have the issues I hear reported from hydro. I've left a SWICK in flower with varying inches of water for months with no green or smells.

In theory, the water isn't really exposed to light as it wicks up under the pot.

There should be no runoff in a SWICK. It should contain merely water.
It i easiest if you bottom water only. Simple to do if you skip watering with nutes and do nutes only in foliar sprays and soil.

It's a different approach than hydro nutes or runoff to waste nutes. It doesn't fit everyones style.


As for expense:
A couple of years ago, for about $25 each, I purchased perlite from Worm's Way in 4 ft tall bags (about twice the size of a 3.8 cu ft peat moss bale)
I'll be setting up a SWICK (for flowering only) when I find another good price.

On the west coast of the USA, also a couple of years ago, pumice was cheaper than perlite. Pumice is virtually unavailable and unreasonably expensive on the east coast.

 

[DrZiggy]

I used a perlite SWICK with Doc Buds Kit, perlite was green, brown from drenches and grew great herb

 

[SweetSue]

I've never had any problems with smell with any of my reservoirs. That's over a two year period, under many different lights. The algae that grow on the perlite are a non-issue. I was just thinking it's time to set the Candy Cane auto on a SWICK and let her go. Walking into this conversation kinda locked that in.

Let me get my butt in gear. Lol!

 

[SweetSue]

This Candy Cane Auto is my next to last LOS pot. Hard to believe. She's at Day 29 and ready to explode.

Tomorrow I'll add more water and give her a thorough drenching, removed from the SWICK. From there on out she gets plain water only.

 

[36Gr0w]

I have watched you all have success doing it, and it works for you. I can't justify having more perlite under my container than in it, it presents more potential reservoir problems, I can't water certain things to runoff through the media, and it is inefficient compared to net pots filled with peat or coco for drawing water. Both accomplish the same thing, a swick may be less maintenance.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

well i cant have you guys having all the fun so here will be my swick hydro made from insulated salmon boxes

i will cut squares here when rockwool cubes comes so its a tight fit

 

[SweetSue]

How are you sealing it for waterproofing Professor? Silicon caulking? I'm mighty impressed. I might have to lift that rep hammer and tap you gently with it. Brace yourself.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

i am going to fill the holes with a spray , its instant leak fix , then im adding two taps one at each side for flushing