SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself

mostarda said:
Hi Radogast...

i'm still here.

If i use a plate of 40x40x6 cm as SWICK container,
i only have a space of 3cm for watering in it.
Do you think is enough for four skinny plants?
I have read to not go above 15cm, maybe i'm wrong.
Is also difficult to find a square container, LOL!
And,
no,
i don't use autoflowering seeds but feminised and regular seeds.
I have also purchased texpot of 3L.
p.s.
thank you,
maybe i have seen you on ICmag on the SIP's thread...
i am a bit confused.

Dazed and confused!
Click to expand...

A square 40cm x 40cm plastic container is the size I might have under my sink for dishwashing or scrubbing floors. I would look in a store that sells home cleaners and plastic kitchen gloves.

6 cm is not very deep. The first 1-2 cm below the top of the tray is empty to keep perlite from spilling out. Keeping a water level 2.5cm below the pots only leaves 1-2cm for water. This means you would need to check the water level every 1-2 days. 12-15 cm walls of container would be better.

I don't understand which measurement would not be over 15cm. I have used up to 125 x 250 cm with 20 cm deep. I am currently using 80 x120 x 15 cm. I liked the bigger one, but it was too large to move and I don't need so much space anymore :) The fabric pots that sit on my SWICK are about 40 CM tall. They keep the soil moist, but not to the top. I need to top water to moisten the top 6 cm. When I used 30-35% perlite mixed into the soil, the water from the bottom reached to the top of the soil.

3L is a good sized pot to start a seed. No need to start in a smaller pot :) It is best if it taller than it is wide, because the top of soil dries and is not as well used by the roots as the deeper soil. After 3-4 weeks, it matters to the plant.

I don't think I have posted about cannabis on any other forum. ICmag has some good information but I don't look there very often.
I started at :420: and stayed here :)



p.s.

I was just down in the basement taking pictures - my 80 x 120cm (4 x 2.6') SWICK

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Thank you very much Radogast,
you are always ready to give me more insights;
i apologise for the misunderstanding of forums, LOL!
I will try to find a better container,
more deep,
then i'll start my thread as you said.
:cheertwo:

p.s.
maybe will be the chance to improve my grow method and my skills in english ahahahahahahah
better the first, no?
:high-five:
 
I understand that the evaporation/plant usage rate is going to depend on a laundry list of variables, but I am looking at an outdoor grow in sunny (and hot) So. Cal. If I decide to go out of town, I would like to set up a SWICK with an autofill from a reservoir. Mulling over some ideas for a completely mechanical version using a 5 gal. camping shower (hanging bag) and a mechanical float valve. In the interest of not reinventing the wheel, has anyone else done this?
 
greenSeeker said:
I understand that the evaporation/plant usage rate is going to depend on a laundry list of variables, but I am looking at an outdoor grow in sunny (and hot) So. Cal. If I decide to go out of town, I would like to set up a SWICK with an autofill from a reservoir. Mulling over some ideas for a completely mechanical version using a 5 gal. camping shower (hanging bag) and a mechanical float valve. In the interest of not reinventing the wheel, has anyone else done this?
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5 gallon isn't very much for autofill - you could just make a deeper SWICK that holds 5 more gallons.

For mechanical float valve, when I had a swimming pool in Arizona, it used the float valve from a toilet for refilling. Simply locate the float valve in the swick or permanently connected to the SWICK and you will be good. Connected below the water level is good, but a siphon is also good. A toilet tank buried to almost the same level as your SWICK water (1" below pot level) connected by a well anchored siphon tube would work to refill from a permanently attached, pressurized water supply. As long as the siphon is smaller/slower than the refill, it will stay full :)

P.S> If it's in the sun, any PVC or clear tubing may need be painted so the sun doesn't destroy it in a few months.
 
Im a beginner can someone dumb down the SWICK method for me. I travel from time to time i have lost a lady or 2

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brjjb said:
Im a beginner can someone dumb down the SWICK method for me. I travel from time to time i have lost a lady or 2

Sent from my SM-N920P using 420 Magazine Mobile App
Click to expand...

See post #1

A tray a few inches deep

perlite in the tray

plant in pot on top of the perlite

water in the perlite up to 1" below the bottom of the pot

- - -

What does it do? Keep the soil moist in your pot until the water in the perlite dries out.
 
brjjb said:
Thank you
I had it wrong

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If you're traveling and trying to keep a garden going the SWICK arrangement can be very helpful. We've learned not to go any deeper than 8" on the perlite and you need to respect that 1" gap between the bottom of the pots and the water level. Fabric pots work best, and it's also a system designed to be used in a soil mix heavy in aeration components, although we've had many different soils using the SWICK in a pinch. When one travels you have to take the chance, eh?

However, if you're leaving for an extended time (days on end) you can fill the reservoirs higher and that'll buy you another day or two. We've had a number of members leave their gardens for up to a week and return to plants that were either still plodding along, or ones that immediately responded positively to watering. In either case they didn't die.
 
SweetSue said:
If you're traveling and trying to keep a garden going the SWICK arrangement can be very helpful. We've learned not to go any deeper than 8" on the perlite and you need to respect that 1" gap between the bottom of the pots and the water level. Fabric pots work best, and it's also a system designed to be used in a soil mix heavy in aeration components, although we've had many different soils using the SWICK in a pinch. When one travels you have to take the chance, eh?

However, if you're leaving for an extended time (days on end) you can fill the reservoirs higher and that'll buy you another day or two. We've had a number of members leave their gardens for up to a week and return to plants that were either still plodding along, or ones that immediately responded positively to watering. In either case they didn't die.
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Having to travel for a week at a time is why I decided on using a swick for my first grow. Now I wouldn't imagine growing without one. Watering isn't something I need to worry about very often. Let the swick go dry, then give the pot some water from the top and finish up by filling the swick to about an inch below the surface. I use a dixie cup with the bottom cut out to monitor the water level. Another benefit is the added room for roots when the pot is too small.

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MrGreene said:
Having to travel for a week at a time is why I decided on using a swick for my first grow. Now I wouldn't imagine growing without one. Watering isn't something I need to worry about very often. Let the swick go dry, then give the pot some water from the top and finish up by filling the swick to about an inch below the surface. I use a dixie cup with the bottom cut out to monitor the water level. Another benefit is the added room for roots when the pot is too small.

20171225_135807.jpg


20171225_225611.jpg
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It warms my heart, dear friend, to know that this lovely method I scavenged from another cannabis site has done so well for you. :hugs: Someday I'll have to stroll over to the original source and thank her again.

I'm starting up a new batch of soil plants. I might just toss a SWICK under one for the thrill of the ride. :laughtwo:
 
anybody try this with the plastic airpots (dimple holes and open bottom). I have 7gal pots with los that I would like to use with a bed of perlite.
 
direless said:
anybody try this with the plastic airpots (dimple holes and open bottom). I have 7gal pots with los that I would like to use with a bed of perlite.
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I don't know of anyone who has tried it. If the soil/mix in the pot is able to suck water up from the bottom (say 30%+ perlite,) it should work just fine - the soil/mix wicks up the moisture, not the pot.
 
Ive just about got everything I need to start my first no-till grow following the recipe from the no till revisited thread. My worm bin has been doing its thing for 3 or so weeks now and I have 5 cu ft of base soil mixed up and while waiting on a few extra amendments I'm trying to take care of a few other things so I'm well prepared come time. Is a 20 gal smart pot and a giant saucer full of slightly crushed lava rock going to do the trick for this SWICK method? I know this thread is kind of old but I've read through all 35 pages and couldnt come up with a for sure answer. My mix contains approx. 40-45% aeration consisting of pumice and rice hulls with a small amount of crushed lava rock. Thanks for everything!
 
LaquerHead said:
Ive just about got everything I need to start my first no-till grow following the recipe from the no till revisited thread. My worm bin has been doing its thing for 3 or so weeks now and I have 5 cu ft of base soil mixed up and while waiting on a few extra amendments I'm trying to take care of a few other things so I'm well prepared come time. Is a 20 gal smart pot and a giant saucer full of slightly crushed lava rock going to do the trick for this SWICK method? I know this thread is kind of old but I've read through all 35 pages and couldnt come up with a for sure answer. My mix contains approx. 40-45% aeration consisting of pumice and rice hulls with a small amount of crushed lava rock. Thanks for everything!
Click to expand...

A giant saucer holds only as much as the DEPTH of the lava rock. A 2" deep saucer holds almost nothing. Think more in terms of a 5-8" deep feed store tray.

A 20 gal smart pot is A LOT of soil. Indoors, it's hard to grow a plant large enough to drink that pot dry in under 2 weeks, so you might not need a SWICK. Unless you regularly grow plants taller and wider than you, 10 gallons is a lot of soil. The main benefit of the 20 gallon indoors is your soil won't run out of nutrients.


40-45% aeration will suck up from the bottom to the top of the pot in minutes. A great blend for bottom watering.



LaquerHead said:
Also, I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for some more informative journals/grows. Preferably following a no till method! Now off to read some more!
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You can't go wrong following bobrown14. He does organic, no-till, homemade teas indoor. Since he switched to 1200 watts of COB he is pulling some VERY impressive harvests. Good quality, forest gathered integrated pest management and worm castings. The man knows organic soils :)

Cottage 420's Organic Perpetual Indoor Garden


P.S. Welcome to 420 magazine! Starting a grow journal is a great way to get free advice in one place :)
 
What he said. :battingeyelashes:

I was getting ready to send you to BB's yard, but I see Rad beat me to it. He's our resident no-till guru and LOS genius. You'll love his yard LaquerHead. :welcome: to the community. :hugs: Good to meet a new no-till gardener. If there's another one in our neighborhood BB will know who it is.

Good luck with your soil-building. LOS no-till was my first run, and still one of my favorites. :battingeyelashes:
 
LaquerHead said:
Thanks for the warm welcomes! Ill also be using COB's as my source of light so that should be fun to follow! I might just try to master watering before attempting SWICK. Thanks for the advice. 20 gal is definitely a lot if soil. Hopefully enough for 1 plant to fill a 3x3 space :thanks:
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Do you have a 5 to 10 gallon pot?

I could see vegging in 1 gallon, transplanting to a 5-10 gallon for late vegging, then potting to a 20 gallon when the lights flip to flowering times.

That would be a long veg time, but might be worth it if you can afford to wait long enough to grow a monster :)
 
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