* SIP Design observations *
I've got two plants in two different SIP designs now in flower. Both are based on the designs shown earlier on page two of this thread,
Here.
The older one is just beginning week 7 and will be starting it's
Draughting phase today. It is is in my old style based on the design in the video at the end of the post, although instead of the bucket-in-bucket design I did it all in a single bucket by building a false floor from a bucket lid cut down to fit. The basic design is that the soil is held up out of the water by a floor but it also has a cylinder of soil protruding through that floor from above down into the water below (ResDog calls it a 'wicking foot') and that serves as a wick for the water to move upwards into the rest of the pot. This is one of the designs most commonly found on the 'net for diy versions and is based on the original SIP design, the Earthbox.
The other plant is only 6 days into flower, showed pistils at about day 3 or 4 and is in my newer design based on the lessons I learned from my experiments beginning
Here. This one has an upside down food storage container that serves as a dome in the bottom that defines the reservoir and keeps soil out while providing a void for the water and air. The soil fills the pot, draping around this dome or void and is based more on the design of the GroBucket insert that
@Buds Buddy uses.
So, the reservoir areas are opposite/negative images of each other. The first is a cylinder of soil surrounded by water while the second is an empty space for water in the middle which is surrounded by soil.
Both have roughly the same reservoir capacity, but I'm finding the newer plant in the dome version is already drawing the full 1L reservoir daily while the older plant is only drinking 3/4 of its reservoir. This is consistent with those run in the 1L experiment, and my thought is that the more water taken up, the bigger the plant since that water has to be going somewhere.
In the experiments in my 'Alchemy' thread I found that the roots seemed to find the reservoir area much more easily and quickly in the dome version. I built the pots in that experiment using clear 1L containers so I could watch the roots and their interface with the water. Obviously I can't see what's going on in the buckets but I'd bet it's similar.
Both of the plants in the 1L experiment produced great plants so it may not matter all that much in the end, but I will say in my current round my results so far are consistent with the experiment.
Still, it's not a true experiment since it's a very small sample size, I have different strains going and different sized containers now than before so certainly enough variables to call the results into question. But, they are consistent with the respective pot designs that I have gotten before.
So, I'm staying with the Dome design for future grows. They are easier and quicker to build, seem to increase water uptake, and have a better root structure at the end of the day. As I said, it may not make all that much difference in the end, but why not try to maximize the output?
Azi out.
although I do like the non fiddling part like Azimuth said.