SIP Mulching

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inth3shadowz

Well-Known Member
Curious, does anyone else NOT mulch or cover the top of their SIP buckets/totes? So far I haven't added anything and they seem to be doing amazing, but I see tons of people cover theirs. Not a ton of info I could find on it.
 
I honestly just dont have any on hand and didn't feel the need lol although instructions even say to add it. The top of the soil isn't drying out at all. I'm using one of those Grobucket inserts off Amazon. It's indoors though so does it really need it?
 
inth3shadowz said:
Curious, does anyone else NOT mulch or cover the top of their SIP buckets/totes? So far I haven't added anything and they seem to be doing amazing, but I see tons of people cover theirs. Not a ton of info I could find on it.
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Mulching helps retain moisture, and if you top dress, it helps keep microbes at the soil surface, breaking down organic material.
 
Hollatchaboy said:
Mulching helps retain moisture, and if you top dress, it helps keep microbes at the soil surface, breaking down organic material.
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Makes sense. I haven't had to top dress yet since I put it all in the soil before transplanting, but I'll def get some mulch on soon. Thanks
 
When I ran my SIPs I went without any mulch or cover - but also occasionally would top-feed/water in some extra goodness for a nutes/microbes bump. It worked for me fine, including my best run ever. Now, keep in mind I was in a 4x4 space but that was in an open room around 5X10 so the humidity contribution wasn't a factor.

I have purchased some EPDM rubber pond liner to make covers for the next time I run the SIPs and/or I'll use the original tote lids and leave a small air gap between lid and top of soil. I'm not sure if the pond liner would be able to be kept lifted enough to ensure a small air gap exists which is why I may fashion something out of the lid instead or use the lid as a support system and have it cut out enough so the pond liner is really just providing a better seal around what opening I make & the plant/it's stem.
 
If you need extra humidity (i.e. winter time) it may be beneficial to not have the cover. But the top will be dryer otherwise especially if you have fans/etc.
 
If you want big plants and the big rez to accommodate them, I highly recommend the Rubbermaid Brute Totes as they come in 2 sizes where the smaller one nests perfectly into the larger one and they are food-grade plastic. You can see mine in the SIP thread (it was shared a good while back).
 
NewGrower2011 said:
If you want big plants and the big rez to accommodate them, I highly recommend the Rubbermaid Brute Totes as they come in 2 sizes where the smaller one nests perfectly into the larger one and they are food-grade plastic. You can see mine in the SIP thread (it was shared a good while back).
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I'll have to check that out. This is a single 5 gallon bucket SIP. I've got some experiments going, hempy bucket, SIP, and air pots. So far the SIPs growth is blowing my fookin mind lol
 
inth3shadowz said:
I'll have to check that out. This is a single 5 gallon bucket SIP. I've got some experiments going, hempy bucket, SIP, and air pots. So far the SIPs growth is blowing my fookin mind lol
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The growth rate in my sip, is pretty similar to my dwc bucket. They're definitely the best trade off for organic imo.
 
inth3shadowz said:
Curious, does anyone else NOT mulch or cover the top of their SIP buckets/totes? So far I haven't added anything and they seem to be doing amazing, but I see tons of people cover theirs. Not a ton of info I could find on it.
Click to expand...
doing a grow in an Earthbox and was annoyed at the cover so I removed it. Went without mulch everything was fine though once I topdressed, it made sense to mulch. I did so and noticed a few weeks later the plant send feeder roots right up to the surface of the mulch. It also sends big fat roots straight downwards straight into the water…duel root zone stuff. These for feeding, those for drinking. It’s really neat.
 
I have used the mulch cover and also cover crop. I like using cover crop better than the cover and it does the same thing. It retains moisture just like mulch and also feeds nitrogen in to the soil. These plants were flipped 30 days from sprout and I’ve never seen growth like this before. Earthbox SIP for the win!!! This has to rival DWC and I was thinking I could throw a air stone in there next round to get even more explosive growth!!! Organic living soil DWC hybrid let’s go!

strains are:
Wedding cake X The Real Sour
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