How To Make A Wicking Bed

[itchybromusic]

wonder how you would go with synthetic nutes sitting in a stagnant res 

[Sir PsychoHashy]

Good point, didn't even think about that.  Would probably depend on how hot the res got, which would be less of an issue with a larger res, but a smaller one would cycle through quicker.  I'd probably go with a larger well insulated res and chuck an airstone or 2 in it, and try and build a flush system into it to enable completely fresh solution to be changed every week or 2.  Should be some way to avoid it being an issue.  I've run the hydro res for 2 weeks at a time with only top ups without issues, and have been running the res for my Blumats with only top ups for 4 months, but that was mostly emptying on a daily basis for most of that.

[itchybromusic]

Good point, didn't even think about that.  Would probably depend on how hot the res got, which would be less of an issue with a larger res, but a smaller one would cycle through quicker.  I'd probably go with a larger well insulated res and chuck an airstone or 2 in it, and try and build a flush system into it to enable completely fresh solution to be changed every week or 2.  Should be some way to avoid it being an issue.  I've run the hydro res for 2 weeks at a time with only top ups without issues, and have been running the res for my Blumats with only top ups for 4 months, but that was mostly emptying on a daily basis for most of that.

in the vid i posted the guy uses a soilless medium , peat , aeration & dolomite i think 

he adds anaerobic bene's ( EM-1 ) to the res so no air needed but nothing else in the res but water & EM

& of cause , outdoors , any critter that makes the res home , which is cool cause the EM will bio-remediate 

any waste from the critter or dead stuff even the critter dying in the res   

nutes are from top dressing with manure , compost & bokashi so not a synthetic nutes grow but the plants look pretty healthy  

Edited May 30, 2016 by itchybromusic

[forgetiwashere]

it can definitely be done with coco. just make sure you only use salt based nutes. you can keep salt based nutes for a long time mixed without aeration.

[sunseeker]

With the bin and bucket set ups I have tried to mixed success. Even with an organic soil set up the water at the bottom res needs to be able to be drained through a Bung hole or something similar. Learnt the hard way as the water becomes quite nasty if left for more than say 2 weeks in summer. I set up black plastic 65l garbage bins but made the water holding section too big. I reckon bout 10litres at the base is plenty and a Bung to drain if needed. I will take some pics of a new revised system I have in mind, not yet completed will do it this weekend though

[itchybromusic]

With the bin and bucket set ups I have tried to mixed success. Even with an organic soil set up the water at the bottom res needs to be able to be drained through a Bung hole or something similar. Learnt the hard way as the water becomes quite nasty if left for more than say 2 weeks in summer. I set up black plastic 65l garbage bins but made the water holding section too big. I reckon bout 10litres at the base is plenty and a Bung to drain if needed. I will take some pics of a new revised system I have in mind, not yet completed will do it this weekend though

if the water smells it's gone anaerobic in the res , use anaerobic bene's in the res , EM-1 , will help bio-remediate anything that gets in the res outdoors 

there waste or something dead 

[brownies]

Hey Folks! 

 

Sorry to rehash an old thread (2 years old now sheesh) but after recently returning to the forums I figured I'd go through my old topics and see if there were any responses I neglected to answer. It seems as though everyone understands the basic principles and all questions have pretty much been answered but I always like giving my two cents  

 

Hey guys sorry to drag up an old thread but can a wicking bed be done with coco?

 

Haha, look at you dragging up a 14 day old thread while I'm replying 2 years later! You can definitely do it with coco but as Sir PsychoHashy said, nute/salt build ups could be an issue. If all else fails just do regular flushes with plain water. Also bare in mind that if you're experiencing any build ups, you'll want to flush from the top (through the coco) as opposed to through the res fill pipe otherwise the reservoir at the bottom will have been flushed but none of the medium will have been.

 

The other thing worth mentioning is that the point of a wicking bed is to reduce water waste and set up a relatively 'automatic' system with little maintenance or upkeep needed. The point is for the plant to do the work while you sit back and enjoy the harvest! In the case of a wicking bed, that is achieved through the ability of the container to hold a supply of water (meaning less watering/work on your part), while not drowning the roots (the wicking process with the addition of an overflow valve as a safety net) and by incorporating your nutrients into your medium (think a "no-dig" or "lasagna" garden bed). I have nothing against liquid nutes or soilless mediums but the bags of soil and manure would cost less than the nutes and the coco I reckon.

 

See no reason why not, coco has great wicking properties.  Would have to put some thought into avoiding build up of nutrients in the coco by either running low strength, and/or doing the odd water only cycle, or something?  Only other issue I can think of would be if you had extended rain periods (assuming outdoor) flushing the coco right out so the plants end up starving, but there's ways around everything

 

The rain issue is a good point. I've never had any problems myself with such things but I've never used a soilless medium in my wicking beds so obviously the nutrients come from the medium (solid matter). 

 

wonder how you would go with synthetic nutes sitting in a stagnant res 

 

Nothing says ya can't put an airstone or 10 in the res with the ag-pipe Since writing this little tute 2 years ago, I've added airstones to all my reservoirs (no matter what the setup). If you're feeling fancy, you can chuck a submersible heater in there too to regulate temps! Nothing wrong with combining modern technology with old-school methods  

 

 

Brownies

[itchybromusic]

Nothing wrong with combining modern technology with old-school methods 

 

your the grower , it's all gotta work for you 

 

i've been know to do the same & combined , starting modern then looking back

 

there is no one way just your way  

[brownies]

Nothing wrong with combining modern technology with old-school methods 

 

your the grower , it's all gotta work for you 

 

i've been know to do the same & combined , starting modern then looking back

 

there is no one way just your way  

 

Couldn't have said it better myself

 

I think there's something special to be said for the combination of new and old, especially in things like gardening.

 

Knowing how to set up a basic indoor grow kit is all good and well but I think it's important to have a firm understanding of traditional methods and the simple techniques employed by those who were doing it out of necessity.

 

It seems to me that gardening is one of the stand outs when it comes to new versus old.

 

You've got your old Italians and Greeks that wouldn't even bother installing a temperature gauge in the backyard nevertheless have even the faintest idea of how to pronounce the word "hydroponics" and yet they grow award-worthy produce, season after season. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got your younger generations that wouldn't know how to grow a measly carrot but could run a completely automated DWC system for the sole purpose of making money selling cannabis.

 

In my opinion there is a lot to be said for bridging that gap and being able to combine that fundamental knowledge of basic horticulture with contemporary technology and the modern gear that most of us are familiar with. When you realise the two are not mutually exclusive, it opens you up to a whole new world of techniques and possibilities.

 

That or I'm just high and rambling about gardening as usual

[micmac]

Pretty well spot, make decisions based on the knowledge u have gained growing all sorts of things, veggies etc

Bonsai tinkering with my dad is where a lot the plant management strategies can be implemented in all types of grows with a pre determined space is to used

 

 

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