SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter)

[GrassBurner]

May be a good idea. I was going to go organic soil aka build a soil etc. but after watching tons of videos of earth boxes including I guess the older gentleman who either marketed or came up with the idea. So I'm trying the fertilizer strip method. The 2 per sip it looks like are going to run out of fertilizer. The one per sip looks ok. 3 cups of fertilizer for all sips. Are you using organic soil?

Yeah I use a real simple organic soil. 30% peat, 20% compost, 10% ewc, 40% lava rock/perlite. Then I add basalt, oyster shell flour, Dr Earth Homegrown dry ammendments, langbeinite, and if I have it some malted barley. Water it in with some fish poop and it's ready to rock.

 

[Polly Wog]

That sounds a bit cheaper than build a soil. I was using promix with happy frog, dolomite, earth worm castings, Dr. Earth. Top dress as well. Nothing fancy. It worked in the containers. Then I thought I'd try the sips. I'm convinced. I guess you top dress if need be with Dr? The 2 per sip are starting to look a little hungry.

 

[Grain Bill]

Update from march 4th
So yeah, I will continue with that setup, definetely with 2 plants and not 4. My thoughts after a few grows: Will stick to a feeding schedule and maybe switch to an organic suspension formula for feeding instead of Raw NPK ( used about 120 gr bloom all in one for 1 cycle with 2 plants, cost of microbes must be considered too). I will not grow during winter anymore (northern region) bcause reaching proper hdt % with a humidifier is fastidious in my case and I don't have a heat problem in summer. As advertised, Candy kush adapted very well to my scrog setup ( LST with a net). It's obvious that it requires less manipulations- so less stress- than other strains, in order to get the right shape at late veg/early bloom. Will try to stick to this strain and 1 or 2 others for now. Pics are from a few weeks ago, cheers!

 

[myke]

That sounds a bit cheaper than build a soil. I was using promix with happy frog, dolomite, earth worm castings, Dr. Earth. Top dress as well. Nothing fancy. It worked in the containers. Then I thought I'd try the sips. I'm convinced. I guess you top dress if need be with Dr? The 2 per sip are starting to look a little hungry.

Yup say 4 or so tble spoons of dry, scratch it in with some ewc.Every 7-14 days and water over it a little say 3-500ml a couple times.

 

[myke]

Ive posted this before,Im pretty liberal with 444.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

Ive posted this before,Im pretty liberal with 444.View attachment 5128120

How much is it?

 

[myke]

How much is it?

5-6 heaping tablespoons

 

[weedstoner420]

Growbox update: the beast was got by the rot a couple weeks ago... Spotted one limp yellow leaf in the main cola, surrounded by healthy green ones, pried it open to find grey mold deep inside. RIP top 6-8 inches of buds...I did salvage a nug that was mold-free and it's pretty decent, despite being a few weeks early. What remains:



The right side box has a bush bean in the back, mostly to have something to snack on while the weed finishes up. Looks pretty happy, just bean a bean... Gonna start picking them in the next couple days:

 

[myke]

Im always freaked out about mold especially with big bud strains.Why do you think it happened?

 

[GrassBurner]

I haven't been able to find Dr Earth Flowergirl at any of my local stores. Thinking about switching to the "Premium Gold" for flower which is a 4-4-4, and bumping up the K with powdered langbeinite. The Flower Girl (3-9-4) is high in P, not sure if that's really necessary. Do you think the nitrogen content in the Premium Gold would be too high in flower? I've got "pure gold" on hand, which is 2-2-2. I appreciate any advice.

 

[weedstoner420]

Im always freaked out about mold especially with big bud strains.Why do you think it happened?

I think it was mostly down to poor canopy management on my part. When it went into 12/12, it was only a seedling...I didn't top it because I didn't expect it to get very big, but it blew tf up in the SIP before it even started flowering. I bent the main stem at a 90 degree angle several times and ended up with a few stems all growing into each other near the top...

That combined with I'm growing in an unfinished basement where the humidity sometimes spikes when it rains heavy. I don't even attempt to flower in the summer anymore, every time I've done it I've gotten at least a little bit of mold... After this one is harvested it's just keeping the moms healthy and trimmed until September-October.

I'm still keeping a cutting of this plant cuz I like it a lot, just will top it next time. Hopefully it'll be less out of control as a clone too...

 

[GrassBurner]

Growbox update: the beast was got by the rot a couple weeks ago... Spotted one limp yellow leaf in the main cola, surrounded by healthy green ones, pried it open to find grey mold deep inside. RIP top 6-8 inches of buds...I did salvage a nug that was mold-free and it's pretty decent, despite being a few weeks early. What remains:
View attachment 5128457
View attachment 5128458

The right side box has a bush bean in the back, mostly to have something to snack on while the weed finishes up. Looks pretty happy, just bean a bean... Gonna start picking them in the next couple days:
View attachment 5128459

Sorry to hear that, it takes a good amount of time and effort to get them that far. I lost a cola that was as big as my forearm, and quite a few other big ones, on a plant last year. Hopefully you still get a decent amount of smoke
I'm diggin the bean plant.

 

[myke]

I haven't been able to find Dr Earth Flowergirl at any of my local stores. Thinking about switching to the "Premium Gold" for flower which is a 4-4-4, and bumping up the K with powdered langbeinite. The Flower Girl (3-9-4) is high in P, not sure if that's really necessary. Do you think the nitrogen content in the Premium Gold would be too high in flower? I've got "pure gold" on hand, which is 2-2-2. I appreciate any advice.

Use the 444 and add N and K is my new mix.I cant get much for K other then kelp alfalfa frass etc. Im just using low in P stuff now just to see if any difference.Im out of bloom 284 and wont restock it.

 

[GrassBurner]

Use the 444 and add N and K is my new mix.I cant get much for K other then kelp alfalfa frass etc. Im just using low in P stuff now just to see if any difference.Im out of bloom 284 and wont restock it.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[weedstoner420]

Sorry to hear that, it takes a good amount of time and effort to get them that far. I lost a cola that was as big as my forearm, and quite a few other big ones, on a plant last year. Hopefully you still get a decent amount of smoke
I'm diggin the bean plant.

Yah it's always a bummer seeing those one or two dead sugar leaves pop up out of nowhere, and of course it's always at the very end. This plant grew way bigger than expected tho so I'm not stressing on the yield.

I like the bean too. It almost didn't make it...it didn't properly shed its seed husk, and managed to grow from a stem with no cotyledons. Good job bean!

 

[Polly Wog]

The two per sip are hungry. The one per sip not too bad. The one pic is of one of the two per sips roots. Time for water. They all got a top dressing. A bit late on the hungry ones but it's just a test. Next time one per sip and more fertilizer. The one per sip I used 1.5 cups jobe organic tomato fertilizer and 1.5 cups 444 Dr. 1.5 cups dolomite in all. The two per sip got 444 and flower girl. Same ration. Both Dr.

 

[Polly Wog]

I'm ready to give in on the 3 7 gal bags. I'm embarrassed by their growth.

 

[myke]

View attachment 5129023View attachment 5129025View attachment 5129026View attachment 5129027View attachment 5129028The two per sip are hungry. The one per sip not too bad. The one pic is of one of the two per sips roots. Time for water. They all got a top dressing. A bit late on the hungry ones but it's just a test. Next time one per sip and more fertilizer. The one per sip I used 1.5 cups jobe organic tomato fertilizer and 1.5 cups 444 Dr. 1.5 cups dolomite in all. The two per sip got 444 and flower girl. Same ration. Both Dr.

Wow 1.5 cups dolomite lime? Why for?

edit. And 3 cups of food ea? You go man! Lol.

 

[GrassBurner]

Use the 444 and add N and K is my new mix.I cant get much for K other then kelp alfalfa frass etc. Im just using low in P stuff now just to see if any difference.Im out of bloom 284 and wont restock it.

Dr Earth has a liquid fertilizer that's omri certified called "Nitro Big" that is a 3-0-1, might be something for your N and K, doesn't seem like a lot of K though.

Nitro Big

Was cruising around Dr Earths website, they offer a ton of different products. They've got another liquid fertilizer called "Natural Wonder" that's a 3-2-1.

 

[myke]

Dr Earth has a liquid fertilizer that's omri certified called "Nitro Big" that is a 3-0-1, might be something for your N and K, doesn't seem like a lot of K though.

Nitro Big

Was cruising around Dr Earths website, they offer a ton of different products. They've got another liquid fertilizer called "Natural Wonder" that's a 3-2-1.

Here in Canada I can only find Gaia for dry,others for tomatoes I find have too much Ca for me since I reuse the soil.

Edit,I use alfalfa and kelp for N and K both these have very little P, EWC also has N.