SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself

[Sorenna]

Ill take a stab at these questions.

with the res is it just for water or would you feed the plants nutrients this way also?

The reservoir is just for the water. Its purpose is to keep the perlite moist, which, in turn, will keep the soil in your pot moist. To add nutrients, you want to remove the pot from the SWICK reservoir temporarily, somewhere where the run off can run out, like the bathtub. This way they get fed but you dont get any nutrients in your water reservoir.

I dont really know if feeding from the reservoir would even work. It seems to me that they would be getting a constant stream of nutrients and all I can picture are burnt leaves. Of course, I could be entirely wrong.

Now I have a question for you, Mr. FeralA9X. Is your THC bomb an auto or a photo? Im curious because I am growing a Bomb THC Bomb, an autoflower, currently. Im gonna go have a peek at yours!

 

[FeralA9X]

Ill take a stab at these questions.

with the res is it just for water or would you feed the plants nutrients this way also?

The reservoir is just for the water. Its purpose is to keep the perlite moist, which, in turn, will keep the soil in your pot moist. To add nutrients, you want to remove the pot from the SWICK reservoir temporarily, somewhere where the run off can run out, like the bathtub. This way they get fed but you dont get any nutrients in your water reservoir.

I dont really know if feeding from the reservoir would even work. It seems to me that they would be getting a constant stream of nutrients and all I can picture are burnt leaves. Of course, I could be entirely wrong.

I see exactly what you mean and i get it now so basically if you are in a scrog setup and cant move your plants you would have to do like Sue said and make a stronger smaller batch so it doesnt contaminate the water/perlite

Now I have a question for you, Mr. FeralA9X. Is your THC bomb an auto or a photo? Im curious because I am growing a Bomb THC Bomb, an autoflower, currently. Im gonna go have a peek at yours!

Mine is a regular photo-period
She was only planted a couple of days ago now so no sprout or pics of her yet, wont be long though.

I have not had much luck with auto's in the past but i will be swinging by to check yours out, once i get my first indoor grow under my belt i will think about going with some autos again under lights this time, I have 3 Barneys Grape Muerte auto seeds and a Bloody skunk auto seed in my collection im sure will be planted at some stage in the near future hehe

 

[Sorenna]

I dont know a thing about scrog setups, except the little bit I was reading last night about it. I did go see your thread. Very cool. Your little lovelies look to be doing very well. Great start. Im looking forward to your autos, when you pop them.

 

[FeralA9X]

I dont know a thing about scrog setups, except the little bit I was reading last night about it. I did go see your thread. Very cool. Your little lovelies look to be doing very well. Great start. Im looking forward to your autos, when you pop them.

I have never used a scrog but after reading so much about them has made me seriously think about using one, not sure if im going to use a net on this grow yet or not, depends how they go with LST etc hehe, I will be setting a few scrog grows up around my property next outdoor season though, have some great spots outdoors they would thrive in but never been able to keep them low and out of sight, should be interesting
Auto's may come sooner all depends on the money situation, once i get my nutes, tent and fan setup i plan on keeping my cupboard for clones etc however there might be an auto grow in there first

 

[Sorenna]

Well, you know. I hear that autos are in particularly good outside because they are so small. Wouldnt have to worry so much about them getting too big for your great outdoor spots. Just a thought.

 

[SweetSue]

Sue, for your space, def a 10 or 15 gallon pot is enough for a first try. I think the early veg plants really need to dry out to encourage the early root system. I'd put it on the swick when you transplant up to final pot size from 1 gallon, give it a few days to hook up and flip to flower. I got crazy growth in veg, but I let it dry to near-wilt, then dunked to saturate (only had to do it twice). I planted a clone in a 1 gal airpot and vegged for under 3 weeks. The 1 gal pots needed water each day and not a speck of dirt fell off when potted up. Transplanted to 7 gallon cloth pot and vegged for 4 days and it exploded, so I flipped to flower....earlier than planned. Over the next couple days I built a small 16"x16" scrog screen over each and it filled totally by the end of the week.

I think you need to break from your comfort zone to really experience Doc's gear. I think the microbes are more resilient (wet/dry) than you give them credit for.....think about outside.

I would have to agree with you. I've been studying the theory and various applications, and am becoming more intrigued by the day. My plan at this point is to treat it exactly as Doc intended and SWICK just as he plant goes into serious flowering. I'm running 11/13 with lights so there's no definitive flip time to anticipate. Regular plants apparently act like autos under 11/13.

 

[FeralA9X]

Well, you know. I hear that autos are in particularly good outside because they are so small. Wouldnt have to worry so much about them getting too big for your great outdoor spots. Just a thought.

Thats a great point and i might have to trial a few outside and let them go nuts haha, i think though with a scrog and the vegetative time it will have in the season over here i should be able to stretch a plant over 4"-5" round before it starts flowering haha

One of my close friends that also grows outdoors has a very similar yet quite rough approach to scrogging and has been doing it for 10+ years with great results, he will grow his plant to about a foot high and then grab a sheet of reo(the steel mesh used in forming concrete slabs) and throw it directly over the plant making it level with the ground, from here the plant starts reaching up again and after a certain height will throw another sheet over the top after this the plant goes to flower and basically all you get is massive colas from the ground up lmao

Sorry to take the thread way off topic guys

 

[SweetSue]

No need to apologize Feral. That was a brilliant share. I bet no one ever thought of doing it like that.

Sorenna, excellent explanation of the SWICK. Give that woman a gold star!

 

[FeralA9X]

No need to apologize Feral. That was a brilliant share. I bet no one ever thought of doing it like that.

Sorenna, excellent explanation of the SWICK. Give that woman a gold star!

It goes to show how much punishment these babies can go through lol
Half the time we kill them with kindness more than anything

 

[Tranquilgreen]

I'm definitely trying the SWICK method on my newest babies. Have to get some more perlite first. It might even be my favorite way to grow once I have a crop under my belt. Thanks for posting this thread.

 

[SweetSue]

I'm definitely trying the SWICK method on my newest babies. Have to get some more perlite first. It might even be my favorite way to grow once I have a crop under my belt. Thanks for posting this thread.

Glad we could inspire you Tranquilgreen. If you have any questions setting up we'll be here to help out.

 

[Radogast]

Today, I assembled my first SWICK
(copied from my grow log- Return of the Clones)


I purchased perlite and a 3x4' flood tray.

4 inches of perlite fills to the first plastic 'step.'

I cut a piece of PVC as a water level sight. It is notched at the bottom for water flow.

I used about 3 cu ft of perlite and 13 gallons of water.

 

[Radogast]

SWICK ready for transplanting

Five new tenants in 10-gallon Geo pots of Clackamas Coot living soil mix

Close-up view

 

[Jamba]

Today, I assembled my first SWICK
(copied from my grow log- Return of the Clones)


I purchased perlite and a 3x4' flood tray.

4 inches of perlite fills to the first plastic 'step.'

I cut a piece of PVC as a water level sight. It is notched at the bottom for water flow.

I used about 3 cu ft of perlite and 13 gallons of water.

Nice setup! Reminds me of mine, which is working well!

 

[Radogast]

Nice setup! Reminds me of mine, which is working well!

Thanks. I needed to hear that.

I've just recently gotten back on track with helping my plants grow.
Changing up a semi-working system had me nervous.
One of my biggest problems is with watering, so this could really help me out.

 

[FeralA9X]

Awesome setup Radogast, i had a similar setup in mind for mine but on a much smaller scale lol, was thinking of using a hydro net pot as a water level gauge, simple way to stop the perlite falling into the gauge area but i like your pvc pipe idea also

 

[SweetSue]

Make me proud Rad.

Your life just got easier.

 

[OG13]

Rad, do you need to worry about how cold the concrete floor is under the swick? I would put it up on blocks or a piece of insulation under it. My floor is cold and plants don't like it, warm soil temps are one trigger for plants to sprout and grow (most warm weather garden veggies).

 

[Radogast]

Rad, do you need to worry about how cold the concrete floor is under the swick? I would put it up on blocks or a piece of insulation under it. My floor is cold and plants don't like it, warm soil temps are one trigger for plants to sprout and grow (most warm weather garden veggies).

No temperature concerns.

1) The plastic tray has a boxy bottom with air flow under at least 80% of the surface area of the tray. I have stood barefoot on these trays and it is warmer than the floor. Spilled water air dries under the tray.

2) There is 4 inches of water and perlite between the tray bottom and the fabric pots. That is a great insulation layer. There is bound to be some evaporative cooling from the SWICK and the sides of the fabric pots. This is likely to be more of a cooling effect than the floor, but the same cooling effect of any other SWICK.

_ _ _

I'll be tracking the humidity over the next few days. I was already at 70-80% humidity. I may need to remove my buckets of standing water and increase the outdoor air exchange. Or just leave the door open

 

[Radogast]

I'll be tracking the humidity over the next few days. I was already at 70-80% humidity. I may need to remove my buckets of standing water and increase the outdoor air exchange. Or just leave the door open

Humidity very nice today.

I started brewing a compost tea and have two 5-gallon buckets of water standing and warming up for future watering. Extreme humidity challenge