SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself

We probably should have a discussion about SWICK for veg vs SWICK for flower.

Doc Bud has very specific ideas about how to raise the perfect cannabis buds.
One thing he stresses is the importance of wet/dry cycles in building root balls.
Doc Bud states that without dry intervals, the roots will not grow large enough fill the pots and support larger, healthier, danker plants.

From my personal exprience, he may be on to something.

I have plants in flower that were raised without a SWICK in 1 gallon plastic pots, transplanted into 10 gallon pots on a SWICK and moved to the flower room on a SWICK. These plants have roots coming out of the bottom of the pots as they leave the veg room, but don't appear to have root balls much larger than the 1 gallon pots they were transferred from.

The small plant (24" by 15") is flowering magnificently. The large plant (44" by 44") is agressively scavenging leaves for nutrients after 6 weeks in flower. This may be strain dependant and unrelated to a SWICK. It may also be insufficient mycorrhizal community size due to smaller root networks - and thus can't harvest enough nutrients from the soil. One plant of unknown genetics doesn't prove anything. I have more plants in flower, so may have a better feel for things in a month or two.

I am just starting to have plants raised from seed and clone always grown on a SWICK. They have had roots coming out of the bottom of pots and tiny root balls upon transplant from 1 gallon to 7-10 gallon. One of these plants has wimpy branches (it might be genetics, it's an unknow breeder seed.)

I am starting to let my Early Veg SWICK and my Late Veg SWICK dry out between filling. I'm hoping this will build more robust roots.

- - -

I don't know much more than what I said above - I just thought we should think about the impact on roots from continuous moisture. Doc Bud seems to think it is very important to have wet /dry cycles during root building phases of growth. I respect his knowledge and experimentation as a grower.
 
I respect the pictures of the root balls the HB kit growers end up with. That evidence, coupled with my own experience has convinced me to take Doc's advice and master the wet/dry cycle with my HB kit plants. My own LOS no-till appears to do well with the SWICK and root growth doesn't appear to be a problem at all. It's running in it's third cycle now, so we can assume a healthy myco population is established. I also don't transplant into it (no-till), so the seeds get dropped and she grows from there.

It's too early to tell for sure, but my gut feeling is that a healthy LOS no-till will perform well from beginning to harvest sitting on an active SWICK. I know my personal experience has been positive. Here's how someone described it to me:

Perfectly moist is, of course, best ... and perfect wet/dry cycling is perfect.

The SWICK creates perfectly moist. The difference between the SWICK and mastery of the wet/dry cycle can be marginal in the hands of a thoughtful and attentive gardener. On the other hand, mastery of wet/dry cycling can result in explosive growth. My biggest concern with wet/dry cycling is the damage caused by the extremes. When life gets in the way and you miss that window of opportunity or overwater because you're rushed. Yeah, life. My SWICK eliminates that concern entirely.

Regardless of how you manage hydration during veg, there is no doubt that offering the plants continuous water on demand during bloom is a very good thing.
 
Vacation SWICK report:

I went away on vacation for 8 days. No watering was done for 10 days. Pots all stayed moist.

All plants were healthy when I returned.

My shallowest SWICK, the 1.5 inch deep early veg SWICK, turned green on top.

My largest SWICK, the 4 inch deep flowering SWICK, whose plants drink about 4 gallons per day, went bone dry.
The pots stayed moist to the surface, but were lighter than usual.
In defense of the SWICK, I only had about 8 of 25+ gallons of water in there when I left.
 
Radogast said:
Vacation SWICK report:

I went away on vacation for 8 days. No watering was done for 10 days. Pots all stayed moist.

All plants were healthy when I returned.

My shallowest SWICK, the 1.5 inch deep early veg SWICK, turned green on top.

My largest SWICK, the 4 inch deep flowering SWICK, whose plants drink about 4 gallons per day, went bone dry.
The pots stayed moist to the surface, but were lighter than usual.
In defense of the SWICK, I only had about 8 of 25+ gallons of water in there when I left.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that update Rad. Valuable data.
 
thought id share my latest pic:

IMG_320711.jpg


5 gallon bags
 
Looking good HealingKronic.
 
Hey there fellow SWICK'ers, thought i would just drop in and give a bit of an update!! For all you new comers, if you are up in the air about this idea, just jump and do it. Seriously has made my grow so much easier, and i feel it is much healthier and happier. Proof is in the puddin, that is for sure lol!!!!


Magnum Auto Feminized
P1070712.JPG


Awesome water roots!!!
P10707091.JPG


That oo so lovely algae Sweet Sue was talking about. I try and keep the perlite covered but enough light gets through to start growing. Oo well!!! If its not hurting anything than im not worried about it.
P10707101.JPG


And here is where i have a question?? The white residue on the fabric?? Good or bad?? It does wipe off and comes and goes. Also spot on the fabric in the previous picture. Good or bad? Kinda of a yellowy white residue. My thoughts were just nutrient build up on the fabric, but im not sure.
P10707111.JPG


And one more question, I know that this has been mentioned before, but those white water roots, it will not harm or stress the plant by occasionally brushing some off correct??? I only ask because im growing an auto and i know how they get picky with stress. Just trying to not stress her out!!

Well thanks again to all who have support and help this thread, it really taught me a lot and i know it can teach others too!!!
 
Outragedpluto said:
Hey there fellow SWICK'ers, thought i would just drop in and give a bit of an update!! For all you new comers, if you are up in the air about this idea, just jump and do it. Seriously has made my grow so much easier, and i feel it is much healthier and happier. Proof is in the puddin, that is for sure lol!!!!


Magnum Auto Feminized
P1070712.JPG


Awesome water roots!!!
P10707091.JPG


That oo so lovely algae Sweet Sue was talking about. I try and keep the perlite covered but enough light gets through to start growing. Oo well!!! If its not hurting anything than im not worried about it.
P10707101.JPG


And here is where i have a question?? The white residue on the fabric?? Good or bad?? It does wipe off and comes and goes. Also spot on the fabric in the previous picture. Good or bad? Kinda of a yellowy white residue. My thoughts were just nutrient build up on the fabric, but im not sure.
P10707111.JPG


And one more question, I know that this has been mentioned before, but those white water roots, it will not harm or stress the plant by occasionally brushing some off correct??? I only ask because im growing an auto and i know how they get picky with stress. Just trying to not stress her out!!

Well thanks again to all who have support and help this thread, it really taught me a lot and i know it can teach others too!!!
Click to expand...

Looking good Outragedpluto. I think the residue is simply stuff leeching through. It actually looks like salts from water. I know it has no detrimental effects and I just leave it alone. It's just an aesthetic thing, like the algae on the perlite.

You can brush the roots off or leave them there. I never lift mine off the perlite until I'm harvested, but it's a matter of personal preference. These are water seeking roots. The first two plants I used the SWICK with were autos. They loved the SWICK.
 
Those troughs are beautiful HealingKronic.
 
Yesterday in Sue's perpetual thread there was some discusion about SWICK and I am a SWICK skeptic. I'd like to see some quality side-by-sides. Coincidentally I have a project going on that will lend itself well to a side by side so...

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What we have here is 8 regular seeds of two different strains in the same well aerated seedling soil - Sunshine 4, perlite, a little Ocean Forest, some worm castings, Yum Yum Mix, and lots of mycos. This isn't a production run, really. I want to do some crosses. The plants will get up-canned in about three weeks into 3 gallon pots of a richer more mineralized soil with an emphasis on phosphate over nitrate. Large plants typically go into flower here about the 25th of July. These guys will probably start a little later than that but will go when they hit sexual maturity. Anyway, we can look at the roots and such when they get potted up. I hope to cut the number down to eight after sexing. I'm hoping for one female I can hit with colloidal sliver for female pollen, one male for regular pollen, and two different females I can pollinate with both regular and feminized pollen from each strain. The unwanted and weak will be composted. If fate is in my favor we will have a mix of SWICK and unSWICKED plants for the long haul.

The two strains are a landracy 100% indica, and a landracy 100% sativa. I'm expecting they will have significantly different personalities.

Breeder info:

Ace Seeds Panama: Panama combines different red and green sativas from Panama. It’s a uniform hybrid with strong vegetative vigour that produces beautiful huge reddish and pinkish buds. This well-proportioned marijuana plant allows the development of a large plant with an aroma which flows inside like sweet fresh strawberry. It produces good vibrations and a happy feeling and its low tolerance produces a constant increasing high. Recommended for outdoor growing, Panama cannabis seeds produce marijuana plants with a typical sativa look, smell and effect. Panama produces more clear headed energetic type of high. These cannabis seeds are NOT for impatient or amateur cannabis growers.

Genetics: Panama '74, Green Panama and Colombian
Flowering time: 70 - 78 days, 3rd week of October outdoors.

Pakistan Chitral Kush is widely known in the cannabis world as being producer of one of Pakistan’s best hashes. The Pakistan Chitral cannabis seeds offer you an excellent pure indica, bred in the Iberian Peninsula since mid 90’s. It has been picked and reproduced by Cannabiogen for more than 5 generations in order to get the best hash plant expressions and to keep a wide genetic diversity in the population. Pakistan Chitral cannabis seeds are an indica with a surprisingly resistance against fungus and rain, and also an exceptional breeding tool used to develop great hybrids. Its high is relaxing and the red and purple plants smell of wild strawberries and blackberries. Cannabiogen Seeds Pakistan Chitral Kush is a genuine treasure for cannabis indica lover’s and enthusiasts and marijuana seeds breeders.

*Note, I wanted to get the Chitral from Ace Seeds since I've been impressed with what I've seen of them here on the forum but it was sold out everywhere. Then I discovered on the Ace Seeds website that they got their Pakistan Chitral from their buddies at Cannabiogen so it's all good.

The growing season is long here but it will start getting chilly in the evenings in October. They will be shaded quite a bit by the big plants in the greenhouse which will only get bigger.

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I'm using these transparent plastic trays I scored at the dollar store. It's hard to see the water level in the picture but I think I may be pushing it a little with the depth?

20150704_151835.jpg


The pots the seeds are in are 1 liter.

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I have two additional SWICK trays ready to go so we'll be good for four plants in SWICK after up-potting to 3 gallons. I am going to make some holes in the bottom of the 3 gallon pots since the drains are more on the side than the bottom.

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The peaceful solitary gardening part of the holiday is over. I need to wash myself and get to a gathering for the three B's - Barbecue, Blunts, and Beer. LOL the three B's. When I was I was a youngin' the three B's were Bugs Bunny and Bongs. Should we go to class or is it a 3 B's day?

Not sure how often I will post here in the SWICK thread but at least I'll post a link here when I make SWICK observations in the other journal.

Hopefully I have all my fingers and both eyes tomorrow. We have a wealth of dangerous fireworks to shoot off. Happy 4th if it's relative to you!

:party:
 
PeeJay, if we we're in the same space I'd have squealed with delight and wrapped you up in my happy arms. Exactly what I was trying to figure out how to pull off. We need to see the roots. I was growing in no-tills so that wasn't possible. How fortuitous that you had this need. I like your teaching mode. You inspire me.

Come home as complete as you were when you set off for the celebration. Enjoy!
 
PeeJay, the deeper the perlite the longer in between refilling. You can fill them to the very top. The perlite won't blow away.
 
PeeJay,

No need to add holes to the plastic pots - roots will grow into the swick from the standard holes.

My predition for seeds in a SWICK is they will under perform in developing roots. Awaiting results.

- - -

I'm interested in a comparison where you upcan non-swick seedlings into SWICK and non-SWICK pots.

If you can squeak in that variation, it would be great. :)

- - -

Sounds like you are sacrificing some great genetics to scientific research. May you make some good seeds !
 
Radogast said:
PeeJay,

No need to add holes to the plastic pots - roots will grow into the swick from the standard holes.

My predition for seeds in a SWICK is they will under perform in developing roots. Awaiting results.

- - -

I'm interested in a comparison where you upcan non-swick seedlings into SWICK and non-SWICK pots.

If you can squeak in that variation, it would be great. :)

- - -

Sounds like you are sacrificing some great genetics to scientific research. May you make some good seeds !
Click to expand...


I like the idea of checking out the flipflop from regular to SWICK... Not sure if that will happen since the more variables the harder it is to keep track of what is going on.
 
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