Cbdhemp808's Comparison Grow - HI-BISCUS SIP Bucket Vs. Nursery Pot

cbdhemp808

Well-Known Member
Greetings Growmies and SIPsters!

I'm excited to start the comparison grow this weekend. I'll be using the 5 gal SIP bucket design that I built, called the Triforce SIP. The nursery pot will be a standard "#7 squat" 6 gal with the same amount of medium in it as the SIP, which is about 4.4 gal.

Triforce SIP build info: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE.

Strain/s: Humboldt Seed Co.'s HI-BISCUS
Genetic Makeup: 50/50 hybrid, sativa effects.
Pot/Bucket Size: 5 gal SIP bucket vs. 5 gal nursery pot
Tent Size: n/a
Grow Space: n/a
How Many Plants: 2 identical clones
Environment: Outdoor greenhouses - one for veg, one for flower
Stage: Flowering
Medium:
• grow medium: 1/3 sifted compost soil, 1/3 fresh worm castings, 1/3 coco coir, plus ~2 gal perlite, organic nutes​
• bottom 5" of medium: 1/3 above grow medium, 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 perlite​
(bottom medium is specifically for the SIP reservoir area, and duplicated for the nursery pot.)​
Lights: sunlight, low-wattage LED photoperiod lighting in veg
Nutrients: Down to Earth organic ferts
Room/Tent Temperature: greenhouse; high 80°s day to low 70°s night
Relative Humidity: high
Media/Res PH: to be determined
Pests: none expected
Watering: to be determined
 
Ready for planting this weekend...

Two identical clones of HI-BISCUS, about 17" tall



 
hyrule_herb1.jpg

from Hyrule Herbs game mod by HGStone
 
Sweet! I'm in. That nursery pot, is that your growing media in it, or is that a mulch cover? What media are you using for the grow?
That's just some coco coir I put in to measure the fill line which is marked w/ black sharpie on the blue tape.

Using super soil that's 1/3 coco coir, with a special 5" layer of coir/perlite/soil in the reservoir area. Check the first post above for media details.
 
Here we go! Planting Day...

Time, temp, and RH in the veg house.

temp_time_RH.jpg


Blue arrows show composition of my super soil mix for this grow. I used about 2 gal of perlite. Orange arrows show composition of the "bottom medium" that's used in the SIP reservoir area—what I call the "R" zone, where roots can reach saturated soil in the reservoir.

LEFT: Bottom medium in place in the Triforce SIP. RIGHT: Equal amount in the nursery pot. I mixed some water into the medium to make it more workable, for holding the domes in place.

Some soil mix added to the SIP, and getting ready to up-pot. I added enough soil so the 1 gal pot is almost flush with the bucket rim, then added soil about half way up the 1 gal pot. Then I removed the pot to create a planting hole (next photo).

Here's the hole to receive the plant.

Myco in the hole, which then gets misted with the pump sprayer.

SIP planting complete. Next I'll add reflective/insulative material around the bucket, also to keep light out.

continued...
 
Planting Day PART 2...

HI-BISCUS clone in #7 nursery pot. Reflective bubble wrap is to reduce solar heating on the pot. There's a 1-inch layer of coco coir at the top as a mulch.


Start of side-by-side comparison grow of identical HI-BISCUS clones. Left is Triforce SIP. Right is #7 nursery pot with the same amount of same growing medium.

Top view of above.

Post-potting droop.

I gave both plants a bit more than a quart of water (I only use rainwater), directly to the soil in a radius to match the root zone (from the transferred 1 gal pots). Gradually I'll expand this radius as the plants grow.

Plant height now for both plants is about 17".

EDITED:
After potting and adding water, I weighed both containers... SIP 26.6 lb, pot 25.7 lb. So there's 0.9 lb difference... SIP weighs more. An empty 5 gal bucket weighs 1.6 lb (no handle), while an empty #7 nursery pot weighs 1 lb. The SIP domes and tubes weigh about 4 oz (0.25 lb), bringing the SIP total empty weight to about 1.85 lb. So there's a 0.85 lb difference in the container weight... SIP weighs more. This still leaves 0.8 oz of additional weight in the SIP, which must be retained water, and equals about 6 tbsp or about 1/2 cup. I could see the reflection of the water in the reservoir, looking down the fill tube with my headlamp. EDIT: My dip stick showed less that 1/4" of water.

EDIT: I just realized that I'll definitely need to slug-proof the SIP, since slugs will go after the reservoir water. They have an uncanny way of finding water. So, perhaps a band of aluminum foil at the base of the bucket. Or, because mosquitoes will also seek the reservoir, I could cover the tube openings with pieces of window screen held on w/ rubber bands, or make some elastic "socks" out of panty hose somehow.

:ciao:
 
I noticed a couple curled leaves on the HI-BISCUS clone in the SIP, and also on one of my CBD #9 clones. I think this may be due to damage from flea hoppers, which make the white specs on the leaves. I have definitely been seeing the black adult female flea hoppers lately. The offspring look somewhat like green aphids.

Sunday I'll give all the plants in the veg house a spray of neem & Bronner's peppermint soap solution.





 
DAY 7

It was pushing 90°F again in the greenhouse today.

Plants are looking great. I decided to give them each 1/2 gal of water.

HEIGHT: SIP - 19.5", POT - 20.5"

EDIT: I corrected the height measurement. Added a support on SIP plant cuz it was leaning a bit. Dip stick shows 3/8" water in rez. I elevated the POT so that soil level matches the SIP.

Adding photos...





:ciao:
 
I sprayed again with neem/soap solution, cuz seen some more bugz. Should be good to go now.

How long do y'all predict it will take for the roots to reach the rez? Should I fill the rez now? In a few days? Buds was saying to top-water a couple times then fill the rez. But I dunno about water sitting and not being consumed very fast. Buds says don't worry about over watering and that SIPs are foolproof.

🤔
 
Back
Top Bottom