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Sprinkle in some karanja and man oh man they would get even bigger - those were some nice red worms.
Mephisto Genetics White Crack + Sour Livers SIP LOS Grow
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Sprinkle in some karanja and man oh man they would get even bigger - those were some nice red worms.
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MOB is happy with quality and we will be well over average yield for this girl - yes they showed their love for LOS.
Similar to me I add a few extras on my no tills but we are the same wave length. I wrote a quick post what I do. Because SIP is a little different to no till we would miss the cover crop and thats all I really see as the missing amendment otherwise very similer I wouldn't want to disturb the soil in the SIP either
I don't cover crop in containers for canna. Been there, done that, not worth the hassel IMO, but if folks like it, more power to them. My no tills are SIPs, just home made instead of EB's. I use real mulch instead of a shower cap, but that's just my style. For the guys that battle gnats, sounds like the shower cap works great.Similar to me I add a few extras on my no tills but we are the same wave length. I wrote a quick post what I do. Because SIP is a little different to no till we would miss the cover crop and thats all I really see as the missing amendment otherwise very similer I wouldn't want to disturb the soil in the SIP either
cheers
os
Thats interseting OS you got any pics of your SIP builds? Would beinterested to see them and the system you use for wicking and the mulching with no cap.
So do you top water your SIP to get the amendments into the soil?
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Shower Cap is instrumental in the condensation and drip drip drip back into the top dressings as well as to help combat bugs - that’s a free insurance policy, thank you ....
I have seen a few trial grows, one by BuildaSoil - EarthBox with cap verses EarthBox without cap but that one had a cover crop ..... cap was way to go .... another trial Grow was a guy named Pedro - you can check him out on Instagram - Pedro went from pots to LOS Big Box Beds with cover crops to an EarthBox, then four boxes verses LOS Bed then tried cover crop and eventually ended up with the cap, right back where manufacture directions said, but myself all that happened before I grew my first EarthBox but like Pedro I tried pots at same time and even the same soil and the EarthBox out grew all my pots combined - but then the strain could of been big factor ....
Lot of ISIP containers, even the five gallon homemade will have a cover cap - not all but most as rain water falling in would add to the wicking water and overwater for sure with Good rain but indoors no worries there .....
Mulch will have similar effect, it’s usually damp under the mulch but why not mulch and a cap @Organic Sinse or would that create issue when top watering or do you top water?
I have seen a few trial grows, one by BuildaSoil - EarthBox with cap verses EarthBox without cap but that one had a cover crop ..... cap was way to go .... another trial Grow was a guy named Pedro - you can check him out on Instagram - Pedro went from pots to LOS Big Box Beds with cover crops to an EarthBox, then four boxes verses LOS Bed then tried cover crop and eventually ended up with the cap, right back where manufacture directions said, but myself all that happened before I grew my first EarthBox but like Pedro I tried pots at same time and even the same soil and the EarthBox out grew all my pots combined - but then the strain could of been big factor ....
Lot of ISIP containers, even the five gallon homemade will have a cover cap - not all but most as rain water falling in would add to the wicking water and overwater for sure with Good rain but indoors no worries there .....
Mulch will have similar effect, it’s usually damp under the mulch but why not mulch and a cap @Organic Sinse or would that create issue when top watering or do you top water?
That's the thing. With soil mixes, its really tough to get a container to wick up much more than 6", which requires top watering. I like to let the plants use a foot deep worth of soil so I have to water from both directions. In order to get 3 crops from the same pot of soil, it also needs to be that deep to keep everything working well and everything alive down there. I put most of water thru the top, and allow what drains off to be wicked back up. In the long term (more than one cycle), its important that there is a way for the small particles of broken down organic material to find there way down the soil column. Thanks to worms burrowing and top watering, the small particles are carried down to the bottom. If there isn't a way for the particles to refresh the supplies down low, the bottom of the pots get muddy and things don't drain right and breath right. Worms and other micro organisms are responsible for making those particles so tiny, that they become muddy. Its especially a big deal if you have European Nightcrawlers. Its also more important for bigger longer term containers like beds that may go years. Another reason I like to top water, is it creates almost a suction like effect that pulls air, behind the water as it works its way thru the soil.
That's the short version, I could talk about this stuff forever.
cheers
os
I have used a couple different designs, but they are all pretty similar. I start with a saucer and a hard side plastic container that fits inside it. I then add a couple inches of landscaping lava rock to the bottom. Then I place a screen or landscape fabric on top of the lava rock, and then add soil.
My current set up I have been using for years is just about the same as above. I start with 18" saucer and a 10 gallon round, hard plastic container. I put a couple inches of lava rock in the bottom, and then set a 10 gallon smart pot (black felt pot) on top of that. I roll the edges of the smart pot over the top of the plastic container. Then I just fill the smart pot with soil. This set up will air prune the roots down to about 6" where they would come out of the sides. The rest of the way down, the roots circle on the outside of the smart pot and are fed perfectly via wicking action.
Here is a link to where I show how I build 7 and 10 gal sips (plus some more stuff). Its all in post #1
Automatics make good Organic sinse
So I thought it would be nice to have some kind of a how to get started with autos thread. This is how I use the skills we all talk about here in GCO...
hth
cheers
os
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I have used a couple different designs, but they are all pretty similar. I start with a saucer and a hard side plastic container that fits inside it. I then add a couple inches of landscaping lava rock to the bottom. Then I place a screen or landscape fabric on top of the lava rock, and then add soil.
My current set up I have been using for years is just about the same as above. I start with 18" saucer and a 10 gallon round, hard plastic container. I put a couple inches of lava rock in the bottom, and then set a 10 gallon smart pot (black felt pot) on top of that. I roll the edges of the smart pot over the top of the plastic container. Then I just fill the smart pot with soil. This set up will air prune the roots down to about 6" where they would come out of the sides. The rest of the way down, the roots circle on the outside of the smart pot and are fed perfectly via wicking action.
Here is a link to where I show how I build 7 and 10 gal sips (plus some more stuff). Its all in post #1
MOB, I hope posting that link is cool with you.Automatics make good Organic sinse
So I thought it would be nice to have some kind of a how to get started with autos thread. This is how I use the skills we all talk about here in GCO...forum.grasscity.com
hth
cheers
os
Good Post from 2017 ..... Informative, thanks for posting ..... Interesting concept and it works obviously ......
Glad you make mention of the Ten Gallon MINIMUM on the Pot - I believe KIS even says 15 Gallon and this is an important point as I believe too many folks think if it’s supercharged “Living Organic Soil” I can use just a 3-5 gallon pot and all should be well and that is just not true ...... unless of course you use an EarthBox, where you trick the plant into thinking more soil than there actually is - EarthBox Junior holds about 7 gallons when heaped up and over but first White Crack slow grew had only 5 gallons so if using EB you can use smaller amount of soil ......
As you stated - The wicking action only goes so far - the Earthbox is low, which allows it to wick consistently and evenly thru entire medium - the Global Grow Bucket, a five gallon bucket is not as effective as the EB due to the taller design and should have some top watering or minimum a cap on top to help conserve and condense moisture ...... Will be interesting when you visit your local garden center this spring, would love to get your input on the EB, think you would like my friend, sure makes watering easy!
Peace,
MOB
slowandeasy
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Yes the Juniors only hold about 5 gal if not mounded over. I believe that an Orginal would most likely be a little less work than Juniors due to 2x the amount of soil. Build a Soil and Kis Organics both say 10 to 15 gal minimum for Organics to work best. However, for smaller and faster strains a Junior is the smallest I would go. People using 3gal Smart Pots will have a harder time keeping the plant happy til the end than someone using 7gal. Juniors need top dressings starting before flower and decently often the whole grow for optimal growth and not getting hungry. I think you are right about the low profile shape of Juniors, they wick perfectly due to the height. Too tall woukd not wick as well and would leave parts too moist down low and parts too dry at top. Kis Soil cost me a small fortune to get shipped here, and I have a bunch of Juniors. Otherwise I would use some Originals for some larger strains and to see what works better. All of the plants I have done in Juniors seemed to have gotten plenty large enough. I believe with more experience I can time out the Top Dressings so the plants are able to provide the plant with a little more food before they actually need it. Have not been able to grab any worms yet. Honestly no big deal for me, but I am curious if they would help. With Juniors I think properly timed top dressings are the key to best sucess vs having worms or not. I have not done enough plants in them to have a solid routine. I have Coconut water for plants going into flower and in flower, not sure if it helps or not...but worth a shot. So far I have also tried Popcorn Seed Stater tea. Not sure if it helped or not, butvits easy to do. I will also grab some Malted Barley soon for sprinkling on them. Cheap and cant hurt to try. Peace, slow
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