Hey everyone i just got the special edition hightimes Master grower guide 2009. There's this article in there telling about a new earthbox system that is 26" long 11" high and 10" deep...they recomend three plants to one earth box...but i was wondering has anyone used one of these or are using one cause this looks cool as shit...I'm not kidding this could be the future of growing in soil. The idea is you cant over water or underwater the plants due to this wick system and resevoir setup. I really really want to get this!!!!!!!!
High...
I'm here on this forum now and can comment on this. Sorry I didn't get here in time to answer the fresh thread.
First, some of the arguments against, mentioned previously, may be valid technically (C. Sativa likes drying out sometimes, but in nature, there's no guarantee of cyclic drying to stimulate root explosions. And in fact the wicking action that keeps the plants watered (whatever crops you're growing) perfectly, on an as they suck it up kind of schedule, is broken when the reservoir dries up and the soil gets to a certain dry point. And even at that point if you water, the "pump" has lost its prime and the plants will dry up even with water in the tank. Solution: fill the res, then top-water to saturate the soil. Excess will drain out, the wicking process can now continue. Flowering C Sat plants will drink the 3-gal reservoir dry in a week or less if you're pushing with CO2 and heavy ferting.
This system works best in my opinion when running organic media.
It may not be for the mad scientist who likes to tweak shit on the fly like some hydro growers I've observed at a distance (I mean no offense--it's preference--but org soil is a lead-time/lag-time slow dance, and the hydro grow is more click, green. Click, buds. Click, oops, too much, click, ahh, okay. This is not new, of course.) My point is that the EarthBox is not a direct replacement for just any style of container growing; drip-feed, for example, seems to run counter to the way the EB works. But They sell an AWS (auto-watering system). It uses water-pressure-operated demand-valves that top off each box individually from a central line or tank. You could dissolve some types of nutes or ferts in it and add to the feeding that way. Or just periodically lift the "shower cap" as I call it and top-feed. The design would work really well with Subcool's Super Soil, I'm pretty sure; in fact, I'm about to build a small batch of his stuff and test it out in the EB. I'll post when I do.
I like 2 plants per box, after having tried three. But if I was better at canopy management (hey I'm only about to harvest my second crop) I would try for three smaller LSTd or supercropped buggers. EB makes growing a lot simpler for soil growers. And there is a recent email that the folks at EB sent out just days a go and I'll post it in a follow up post immediately. Aw shit, why not right now.
So for more info the EB forum is
here.
The newsletter regarding potting media is here:
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Dear [Customer],
Some of the most frequent questions we get at EarthBox have to do with growing media. There have been many conversations on the Forum about potting mix vs. potting soil, and we thought we'd take this opportunity to specify the growing medium required for best results.
We've found that the best potting media can have different names, depending on the geographic region of the country. We call it potting mix, which is the term most often used in the Northeast. In the West it's often known as potting soil, even though it doesn't contain any soil at all. Potting mix in the western half of the country is a product that you mix into the soil when planting trees or landscape plants, which makes it unsuitable for EarthBox gardening.
The point is, depending on where you live, you'll be looking at bags of potting media with different names or references. The most important thing is the ingredients it contains, not what it's called.
Read the label carefully, and look for a mix containing large amounts of organic matter such as peat moss, bark fines, or coir (coconut fiber), along with either vermiculite or perlite. Avoid any medium that contains soil, rock or clay, or any products described as "partially composted," or a "byproduct."
After extensive testing, we recently determined that a growing medium that boasts "moisture control" or "water grabbing crystals" is okay to use. Try to avoid a potting mix that contains fertilizer for a full year's feeding; but fertilizers rated for a season or a three-month time release are acceptable, especially if they're water-soluble. We found the amount of fertilizer to be minimal.
In general, any growing medium that's labeled for container gardens, hanging baskets or seed starting is well suited for EarthBox gardening. You'll find that an appropriate EarthBox growing medium has a much lighter weight than soil.
Many garden centers and chain stores will have their own mixes, and in some cases their own brands (i.e. Lowe's Professional Potting Mix). Below are some national and regional brands of potting mixes that are okay to use. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a general guide.
- Miracle-gro Potting Soil
- Miracle gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
- Miracle-gro Organic Mix
- Pro-mix BX
- Pro-mix numerous other formulas
- Jungle-Growth
- Fertilome
- ASB Potting Mix
- Eko Potting Mix
- Sun-Grow Metro Mix 360
- Sun-Grow, numerous other formulas
- Baccto Professional Potting Mix
- Baccto Lite Premium Potting Soil
- EB Stone Edna's Potting Soil (west coast)
- EB Stone Flower & Vegetable Planting mix
- Kellogg's Gardener & Bloom Blue Ribbon Blend Potting Soil (west coast)
- Kellogg's Champions Blend Potting Soil (west coast)
Note: the quantity needed for each EarthBox is about 2 cubic feet, or 60 dry quarts.
We hope you've found this information helpful!
Frank DiPaolo
EarthBox
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Please note that I am not affiliated in any way with EarthBox. I just think that it's a great growing tool for certain sections of our special market.
If you want a big-ass plant, go one per box and it'll have 15 gallons of soil to play in.
Love always,
GrowGreenGreen
