SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter)

[dogterB]

Thanks all for the input! I'm still going to give it a go and play around with the idea. If it doesn't work out I'll at least have the auto watering setup and can just pop new buckets in. I'll run 2 buckets, one with the colander turned over to form a dome and another like normal but with perlite in the colander to act as the wick.

 

[myke]

Planning ahead wondering is there a wick size to soil ratio that may work better?You look at some out door ones with drainage tile in the bottom and dirt just sits on top. Basically no wick.Compared to a fabric pot ontop of a perlte bed witch is basically all wick.

Thinking theres a benefit to having bare roots living in water compared to large wicks where roots are in soil under water.

Could compare sips where one has less soil with more water capacity so more water roots, to more soil /larger wicks.

Ive only used 1 style so far, 1 5" net pot to approx. 9 gallons of soil.

 

[Hash Hound]

Planning ahead wondering is there a wick size to soil ratio that may work better?You look at some out door ones with drainage tile in the bottom and dirt just sits on top. Basically no wick.Compared to a fabric pot ontop of a perlte bed witch is basically all wick.

two pages back post #3294 I show using two different wicking methods in my tomato double bucket sips, one a deli cup and one with 1/2" rope.
Both are doing great with a slight edge to the wicks.
Indoor I use two pieces of 3/8" rope (cotton sash cord) draped over a plant riser instead of a container of perlite and that works real good too as you can see in post #3286

this is an insert I bought on azon that had the 1/2" cord included. I was using that for the plant riser but it was a bit to tall and unstable so I shortened the legs a bit, the wick was a bit to thick that's why I bought some 3/8".
I used those 1/2" wicks in the double bucket outdoor.

 

[myke]

two pages back post #3294 I show using two different wicking methods in my tomato double bucket sips, one a deli cup and one with 1/2" rope.
Both are doing great with a slight edge to the wicks.
Indoor I use two pieces of 3/8" rope (cotton sash cord) draped over a plant riser instead of a container of perlite and that works real good too as you can see in post #3286

this is an insert I bought on azon that had the 1/2" cord included. I was using that for the plant riser but it was a bit to tall and unstable so I shortened the legs a bit, the wick was a bit to thick that's why I bought some 3/8".
I used those 1/2" wicks in the double bucket outdoor.
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Thats right forgot about that nice work.

What Im getting at is having water roots or more of them sooner.You can tell by how much water they use meaning theres more water roots,I think.So I guess a comparison between two same size sips but one with much less soil then the other.Allowing roots to quickly fill the wick and sit in water.Would need more top dressing for sure.

 

[ilovereggae]

two pages back post #3294 I show using two different wicking methods in my tomato double bucket sips, one a deli cup and one with 1/2" rope.
Both are doing great with a slight edge to the wicks.

sorry which one has the slight edge? deli cup or ropes?

also can u post link to that insert on amazon?

 

[Hash Hound]

The rope has a slight edge but not by much, both are out preforming the tomatoes in dirt. The tom in ground is about the same height, but the ones in the buckets have thicker stalks and branches, darker green and more fruits forming. The rope may have the edge but that's only judging by it being a few inches taller, both are very healthy.
At the end of season I'll dissect the dirt to see what the root structure looks like.

They fit nice into a bucket. Some review said they are hard to get out once you get them in but I had no problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Watering-Bucket-Garden-Wicking-Plates/dp/B01DWSB2FI/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Self+Watering+Bucket+Garden+(Set+of+2)+5+gal+Bucket+Water+Wicking+Plates&qid=1627250507&sr=8-2

 

[ilovereggae]

they fit nice into a bucket. Some reviews say they are hard to get out once you get them in but I had no problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Watering-Bucket-Garden-Wicking-Plates/dp/B01DWSB2FI?pd_rd_w=BpEsA&pf_rd_p=8baf753a-4815-4dcb-a8bf-42c9153b6c3c&pf_rd_r=J7G30TCG12GQN2YPSWZZ&pd_rd_r=b5458f11-6e42-422c-8c24-af5769ea212e&pd_rd_wg=nHyar&pd_rd_i=B01DWSB2FI&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_27_i

how do you water? just regular top water or do u drill a hole for a pvc fill pipe?

 

[Hash Hound]

Well with the tomatoes I have a tube through the top buckets to fill the reservoir and an overflow hole about three inches up from the bottom.
With the heat we've been having I'm filling them daily.
Using the riser indoor it's sitting in a dish pan and I just fill the res. to a line marked on the side,

 

[xIPhobiaIx]

Hello all, just a quick question.
I am thinking of picking up the 3 gallon and 6 gallon octopots autofill systems but am also looking at a ebb and flow or dwc system.

I have looked around the threads and notice people talking about the excellent yields from SIPs and esp octopots though it was hard to find any specific answeres comparing them with pure hydro.

So, my question is does the octopot really outperform pure hydroponic systems when it comes to yield?

This is just the last piece of the puzzle before pulling the trigger. Thanks!

 

[myke]

Hello all, just a quick question.
I am thinking of picking up the 3 gallon and 6 gallon octopots autofill systems but am also looking at a ebb and flow or dwc system.

I have looked around the threads and notice people talking about the excellent yields from SIPs and esp octopots though it was hard to find any specific answeres comparing them with pure hydro.

So, my question is does the octopot really outperform pure hydroponic systems when it comes to yield?

This is just the last piece of the puzzle before pulling the trigger. Thanks!

This depends on your space and what size plants you plan on growing.

 

[xIPhobiaIx]

This depends on your space and what size plants you plan on growing.

For veg it will be 12 plants in a 4x8 tent grown to almost 2 feet tall than transferred to a room that the grow space will be 12x8 and the ceilings are 8 ft tall. However, not sure I want to grow them as big as I did last time (7ft) cause the work was so damn much and it was super hard to train them. I think 5ft will be the max and they will be ScroG'd in both veg and flower with being topped as well. Both rooms are CO2 enriched.

So with all that again not looking to know how much I will yield but theoretically between octopots vs hydroponics (ebb and flow, rdwc) which would be a better medium to provide a better yield. (assuming both systems are ran and grown correctly)

 

[myke]

For veg it will be 12 plants in a 4x8 tent grown to almost 2 feet tall than transferred to a room that the grow space will be 12x8 and the ceilings are 8 ft tall. However, not sure I want to grow them as big as I did last time (7ft) cause the work was so damn much and it was super hard to train them. I think 5ft will be the max and they will be ScroG'd in both veg and flower with being topped as well. Both rooms are CO2 enriched.

So with all that again not looking to know how much I will yield but theoretically between octopots vs hydroponics (ebb and flow, rdwc) which would be a better medium to provide a better yield. (assuming both systems are ran and grown correctly)

Having grow both ways, rdwc and 10g sips. The organic buds dont shrink as much as hydro.With that said youll need a lot of dirt.12 plants= 120 gallons of soil.Those octa pots maybe to small not sure.Need room for roots.
Rdwc needs a cool location,flood tables you can get away with warmer temps.
I found transplanting a 5g pot so about a 2' plant into a 10g sip the plant it literally took off growing like a hydro plant.
Hydro set up right can give you 4-6 days of no top ups.My sips Ive found they need watering every other day.That octa pot system looks like could go a week with small plants.
Yield is depending on the grower,12 oz plants are possible with both ways.Need about a 3x3 area for ea plant.

 

[xIPhobiaIx]

Having grow both ways, rdwc and 10g sips. The organic buds dont shrink as much as hydro.With that said youll need a lot of dirt.12 plants= 120 gallons of soil.Those octa pots maybe to small not sure.Need room for roots.
Rdwc needs a cool location,flood tables you can get away with warmer temps.
I found transplanting a 5g pot so about a 2' plant into a 10g sip the plant it literally took off growing like a hydro plant.
Hydro set up right can give you 4-6 days of no top ups.My sips Ive found they need watering every other day.That octa pot system looks like could go a week with small plants.
Yield is depending on the grower,12 oz plants are possible with both ways.Need about a 3x3 area for ea plant.

Awesome information thank you, so 4-5ft tall
plants might need more room than a coco/perilite 60/40 mix? I thought one of the advantages of hydro is you can use smaller pots than soil to get same or bigger growth.

I would not be using soil in the octopot but coco/perilite 60/40 mix.

Thoughts?

 

[myke]

I would not be using soil in the octopot but coco/perilite 60/40 mix.

Thoughts?

How would that work? Coco is drain to waste.Feed from top drain at the bottom.

 

[xIPhobiaIx]

How would that work? Coco is drain to waste.Feed from top drain at the bottom.

On the octopot site they literally say to use a medium like coco with perilite in a 60/40 mix.

The water and roots just sit in the bottom and drink while the airy medium provides a breathable system and retains sole mosture to help prevent root rot, etc.

 

[myke]

I dont believe them lol,Coco use pots in large trays like 4x4, bulkheads to drain runoff.You can rig up auto feeds but anyway the rest is easy.
Octo gimmick is what they should be called.

 

[xIPhobiaIx]

I dont believe them lol,Coco use pots in large trays like 4x4, bulkheads to drain runoff.You can rig up auto feeds but anyway the rest is easy.
Octo gimmick is what they should be called.

But there are grow journals and people on this site have had great success lol. My concern is not the method but the results in comparison to pure hydro.

 

[myke]

But there are grow journals and people on this site have had great success lol. My concern is not the method but the results in comparison to pure hydro.

Well pure hydro out grows them all,controlling node spacing is tough as they grow 1-2" a day.Pending on strain but most everything I grew needed training every other day.SOG I never tried in hydro,flood and drain was very popular back in the day.

 

[myke]

Up date on my tomatoes. Added the clear plastic trellis to the ceiling. Cheap and just a few staples to hold it up

 

[myke]

And the other sips.had a bunch of colas fall over. Doh! My bad should have had better trellises. Had lay down some plastic trellis and a bunch of wires to get everything back up. Continued with top dressing every week and some top water over it daily. They sure eat a lot.