SIP Club - Getting Hydro/Coco Results In A Soil Based Medium
- Thread starter Azimuth
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RedskinnedRhino
Well-Known Member
Hadn't thought of composting carrots...Grass n carrots then aye ? And topped with straw n polos
Someone should genetically engineer a cannabis plant crossed with a venus fly trap. It could eat any bugs that land on it. LOL!
Pondwater
Well-Known Member
Well ..when do the seeds come out bro I want some do ya have any that eat mites ?Someone should genetically engineer a cannabis plant crossed with a venus fly trap. It could eat any bugs that land on it. LOL!
ReservoirDog
Well-Known Member
Hi Pondwater! I'm ReservoirDog, it's nice to meet you!
If this is soil that you like and have continuing access to, and want to use to grow some weed, I would give it a whirl in the 5's! @Emilya Green started her SIP career in 5 gals and she grows organic but admittedly with added organic ferts, Geo Flora. I think your idea of mixing in some 4-8-10, or whatever, like some nice GAia Green, seems sound.
I've been putting in a lot of time and energy to create a large, resiliant, ultra-low-cost worm castings production setup, so were I in your position I would give it a try, but amend with worm castings straight off the hop, and would be prepared to add more before flipping, and maybe even look for a phosphorous amendment to add a couple weeks before flip, tucked under the castings and watered in.
I might even consider doing the same if I were you, and not me! Grab a bag of quality castings from wherever you trust, and if they have a little bag of bat poo or even just bone meal nearby, grab one of those too for phos. I have always felt that organics grows, los/probiotic, whatever we call it, can always use a phosphorous bump before flip to really help the plants achieve their full potential. This is what endomycorihzal fungi do for plants, as it happens, they are excellent at searching out and providing more phosphorous to the plant than it otherwise couldn't access. Site sponsor Dynomyco makes the best, by reputation.
All that said, I bet you could churn out a decent smoke with what you have - but why settle? I bet you could pull off a very respectable grow with that soil in a 5 gal SIP, but I bet you could blow some minds if you amended it (most of all your own... over, and over, and over....) lol.
I have a couple/few years of SIPping experience now and I grow most of my veg in big ones outside. So far the organic (home-grown worm castings and home-cooked soil) and the fertilized (megacrop) are pretty much neck and neck, but it's early days still (plus they are all in 35 gal of soil so best not to make too many comparisons to a 5 gal. lol)
I grew outdoor but also hydro, way back, in the dark times, during the
Dont know what help I could ever be but throw up a flare here anytime and we'll try to pull the braintrust together! Also, the thread love's to BS, because when you're a SIPper mate, the world is your oyster! (whatever that means - I used to grow oysters commercially, making me an ''oyster expert'', and I haven't the slightest clue what that's about)
* I can vouch for every DIY project he has populated his site with, except his grow cabinet's, er, cabinet, and his window-split AC installation, and only because I did not build them. (he goes all-in with this AC installation because he wants his space to be Co2 friendly, and bug free). His presentation is excellent and supported by all the right photos. Best of all, the end products all get 5-star ratings from me, an actual builder and user.
Be safe out there! Best - RD
ReservoirDog
Well-Known Member
Oh fer chrissakes your Ogesus is out of this word, heavenly even.Day 35 for these four OGesus autos in Gro Bucket SIPs.
ReservoirDog
Well-Known Member
Ding -ding! (you tripped the "'he's gonna eat those words any minute now" alarm) Sorry to have to turn your work upside down mate, but cannabis is in fact within the top ten, of all plants, with respect to nute consumption. Whoops. lol.
- Thread starter
- #2,128
Here is her review of Geoflora. An organic grow in a bag. Well, two bags, one for veg the other for flower.
I hope you get things sorted around the site ok. Takes a while. If you ever want to call me or anyone put a @ before their name, like this @Pondwater and we'll get the message and visit. Forgive us if we miss it. I opened my computer to 450 notifications today so it's busy some days. Just don't give up!
Your soil sounds interesting! Yes weed is a heavy feeder. You'll have to see how it does.
Pondwater
Well-Known Member
Bloody hell lol
I’ve been doing spinosad and smc oils geraniol and neem there cornered on 1 plant now so almost there ffs haha
Done a pet shampoo pyrethrum too organic base
Thanks man I’m thinking 5gal on this soil amended will be dandy but gona put some 10gals there for testing
StratRider
420 Member
@Azimuth (or anyone),
I am only up to page 38 in this thread so far and have noticed mostly 2 types of DIY SIP's.
Those that are similar to the Grobuddy with the wick leg all around the perimeter and those with a center wick.
Has anyone weighed the pros/cons of both types?
Is it possible one has an advantage over the other?
I'm knocking out about 10 pages/day in the thread but would like to get a jump on this question if I can. Thanks
I am only up to page 38 in this thread so far and have noticed mostly 2 types of DIY SIP's.
Those that are similar to the Grobuddy with the wick leg all around the perimeter and those with a center wick.
Has anyone weighed the pros/cons of both types?
Is it possible one has an advantage over the other?
I'm knocking out about 10 pages/day in the thread but would like to get a jump on this question if I can. Thanks
StratRider
420 Member
I have considered wrapping the dome area with something like nylon hosiery to prevent roots into the water.
Has this been tried successfully? It should not prevent wicking in any way.
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- #2,133
Very similar outcomes. Depending on the size of the container you could get a larger reservoir with the center wick style, though I built one in a 2 Gallon bucket using a 4" center wick and the reservoir was about equal in volume to the soil connector.
Also, that style, built with two buckets, would be ideal if you used bottled nutrients that required a flush.
I think the "dome" style design is easier and simpler to build and the larger reservoir doesn't really matter to me because I can check on my garden daily and easily add water as needed.
But those are really nuances, as either of the styles produce great plants.
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- #2,134
Nah, no need. Some roots will explore the reservoir, but usually not many and those that do just get immediate access the the water.
Plus, it would be a real pain pulling out the hosiery at the end. And, unless you're using the dome style and made your holes too big so you require something to help hold the soil out of the reservoir, I can't think of a reason to do it.
The 2 piece SIP comes apart if there's a need to access the reservoir, like Azi said, for flushing or whatever..
Otherwise, they perform about the same- although, I've only done 1 grow in SIPs, so I'm not an expert-but they seem the same to me -both styles are reeaall easy to grow in...if you've ever had problems with watering correctly, those problems are a thing of the past in a SIP- that, and the fact that they grow really strong plants will keep me growing in them from here on...
I just grew 2 plants, one in each style of SIP- they both worked great, although the one in the dome type
came out a bit smaller than the other one (5oz.,vs. 7.8oz. in the 2 bucket SIP) but my dome type SIP holds a little less than 3 gallons of soil, and the 2-piece holds a little over 4 gallons, so that may have made the difference...
ReservoirDog
Well-Known Member
Agreed (as usual. lol. In fact, why am I even writing this?) I'm using DIY SIPs from 5gal bucket to 27 gal tote to 35-40gal Rubbermaid trash-can sized SIPs and only the totes utilize a false floor with a wicking-foot and this is due to their shape. The upside-down bucket/planter design is a winner for circular SIPs.
Whether a 5gal or 40 gal, Promix or home-cooked soil, I've landed on a 7/32" (6mm) drill bit/hole size as small enough to keep soil out and big enough to aerate/oxygenate my soil. Not "feeling lucky"? Go for 5mm, but I avoid top watering except for a gently applied 1litre worm-tea weekly, and this contributes to a clean reservoir. It also means far less compacted soil, which really makes a big difference and is part of the SIP magic that's less discussed. It takes energy to push roots out into soil, and more compaction requires more energy, energy that doesn't go to quickly generating top growth. SIPs are about efficiencies, like everything else.
Keep us posted @StratRider , we're all learners here!
StratRider
420 Member
Thanks for those responses folks. I had not thought of having access to the reservoir but so far I have not read of anyone needing to do that. But it is an interesting thought.
I started out watching "Mr. Canuk's Grow" videos and modeled my current setup that way with coco and organics, then stumbled into Dr. Bruce Bugbee's method backed up by another professor but that appears to require quite a bit of time and attention (even though I do have it).
The science behind sub-irrigation is quite intriguing though not to mention simple with excellent results as seen here.
Popping some Auto seeds right now and will switch 1 to SIP right away.
Only 60 pages of this thread to go because I don't want to miss a thing. Yeah, I'm that guy.
I started out watching "Mr. Canuk's Grow" videos and modeled my current setup that way with coco and organics, then stumbled into Dr. Bruce Bugbee's method backed up by another professor but that appears to require quite a bit of time and attention (even though I do have it).
The science behind sub-irrigation is quite intriguing though not to mention simple with excellent results as seen here.
Popping some Auto seeds right now and will switch 1 to SIP right away.
Only 60 pages of this thread to go because I don't want to miss a thing. Yeah, I'm that guy.
By the way, Welcome to 420, StratRider..!
Keep us posted on what you get growing!
Keep us posted on what you get growing!
Update on my SIP grow.
Very pleased with how they look. It has been cloudy so not quite the explosive growth I was expecting but still look pretty darned good if you ask me. It has been cloudy for weeks.
One of the SIPS has slight browning on the tips of the fan leaves - which tells me she likes the Grow Dots nutrients. Have not added water to the SIPs in a week and there is still water in the res. I'll top off tomorrow. The SIPs appear to be functioning as desired. Anticipating lots of new growth - the sun is scheduled to come out and play next few days. Been a while.
The two in SIPs are definitely bigger than my other 4 plants. The pots are 2.5 quart, not gallon.
Very pleased with how they look. It has been cloudy so not quite the explosive growth I was expecting but still look pretty darned good if you ask me. It has been cloudy for weeks.
One of the SIPS has slight browning on the tips of the fan leaves - which tells me she likes the Grow Dots nutrients. Have not added water to the SIPs in a week and there is still water in the res. I'll top off tomorrow. The SIPs appear to be functioning as desired. Anticipating lots of new growth - the sun is scheduled to come out and play next few days. Been a while.
The two in SIPs are definitely bigger than my other 4 plants. The pots are 2.5 quart, not gallon.
Sweet plants and sweet money pit - I mean swimming pool.Update on my SIP grow.
Very pleased with how they look. It has been cloudy so not quite the explosive growth I was expecting but still look pretty darned good if you ask me. It has been cloudy for weeks.
One of the SIPS has slight browning on the tips of the fan leaves - which tells me she likes the Grow Dots nutrients. Have not added water to the SIPs in a week and there is still water in the res. I'll top off tomorrow. The SIPs appear to be functioning as desired. Anticipating lots of new growth - the sun is scheduled to come out and play next few days. Been a while.
The two in SIPs are definitely bigger than my other 4 plants. The pots are 2.5 quart, not gallon.
. I just paid the pool people for the month and they said you owe for last month too! 
Fortunately their mistake.
On the res hole thing - I really want more holes rather than less and bigger ones too. I want roots jumping the airgap. Its in the dark. And as Azi said earlier they get direct on demand access to food.
Hose would make that impossible. Actually its a plant. It would probably shred it over time anyway.
Some direct Solo Coco Airpot v. Solo Coco Airpot SIP comparisons coming up.
Azi was kind enough to pick 3 strains for an upcoming grow of mine (All in Solos) I’ll pop some stuff in here as they grow.
Nick