The Everything SWICK Club: 2023 And Beyond

Hey I’ve got a couple of questions for you swickers!

setup 2 swicks in 7 gallon fabric pots, using a cut up hydro net pot in the bottom of each bag to create an air chamber inside, lined the edges with #4 course perlite and then filled with my soil mixed with 40% perlite.

bought some shallow drip pans and filled them with about 2 inches of same #4 course perlite… I did not use a swick pad but I did jack up top of perlite with mycos where the bag will sit.… also sprayed low sides and bottom of my grow bags with mycos before placement on the swick

is this puppy gonna be alright?

does the smart pot need to be nestled deep into the perlite?

does it sound like will I need to buy a drip pan with more than 2 inches of depth?

will the #4 course perlite wick ok?

the 7 gallon bag is pretty big but my other circular trays are huge in comparison - so much so that I’m afraid the water would constantly funk up with algae, so even tho these 2 inch pans might be shallow think I’m ok with filling them more often

thanks for your help!!!
 
Hey I’ve got a couple of questions for you swickers!
Hi 013,
setup 2 swicks in 7 gallon fabric pots, using a cut up hydro net pot in the bottom of each bag to create an air chamber inside, lined the edges with #4 course perlite and then filled with my soil mixed with 40% perlite.
I don't know the answer to this one. What would be your rationale for making an air chamber? I would have thought that a fabric pot is it's own air chamber and there should be a decent gap between the water level and your pot for breathing.
bought some shallow drip pans and filled them with about 2 inches of same #4 course perlite… I did not use a swick pad but I did jack up top of perlite with mycos where the bag will sit.… also sprayed low sides and bottom of my grow bags with mycos before placement on the swick
The perlite is the swick "pad", so you don't need anything extra, unless you want to experiment with modifications that could improve the wicking process or be more user friendly? I didn't like the perlite because it was messy. However I was using a finer perlite, not the course one.
Mycos for sure an excellent idea.
is this puppy gonna be alright?

does the smart pot need to be nestled deep into the perlite?
yes, not deep but squidge it in so that it is held properly by the perlite. The water should be at an optimal level in relation to your pot, so that there is an "air chamber" in the actual perlite. Try 1/3 to 2/3 of the way up your tray.
does it sound like will I need to buy a drip pan with more than 2 inches of depth?
I would say yes, unless you want to be filling the res frequently. Maybe show us some pics? What are the dimensions in relation to your 7 gal pots?
will the #4 course perlite wick ok?
I haven't tried it but I can't see why not.
the 7 gallon bag is pretty big but my other circular trays are huge in comparison - so much so that I’m afraid the water would constantly funk up with algae, so even tho these 2 inch pans might be shallow think I’m ok with filling them more often
Ah, you've answered your own question. Nothing about the swick is set in stone. In the beginning it is a little fiddly while you get the wicking going.
thanks for your help!!!
Please show us some pics of your variation and give us some updates of how it progresses. You're welcome.
I have a question, if I put my solos in say 4-5” of watered perlite would that be enough to feed/water my girls? CL🍀 :thanks: :420::morenutes::Namaste:
You'll have to fiddle with the water levels. Make sure you leave enough of a gap in the perlite between the water level in your res, and the solo cups. Exactly the same principle as the bigger pots on swicks. I fed a cloth wick quite deep in the soil and had that trailing in the perlite, to draw the water up. I found that worked well for me.
Cap, please share your process and results here too.
 
looks like elephant on a tricycle...quite shallow but will have to do for a minute, might have some dark tubs that can be repurposed but I’m low on perlite too.

will bank up remaining perlite around edges but bag has visible waterline from swicking, still need to prime the pump but watching my wood skewers for moisture level

dark stains on perlite from real growers recharge & dynamyco. plants were transplanted 8 days ago so kinda ragged / not yet hooked up. since they were hempy previously wanted air chamber just because, was thinking it can’t hurt and it’s not easy to add one later so why not?

 
looks like elephant on a tricycle...quite shallow but will have to do for a minute, might have some dark tubs that can be repurposed but I’m low on perlite too.

will bank up remaining perlite around edges but bag has visible waterline from swicking, still need to prime the pump but watching my wood skewers for moisture level

dark stains on perlite from real growers recharge & dynamyco. plants were transplanted 8 days ago so kinda ragged / not yet hooked up. since they were hempy previously wanted air chamber just because, was thinking it can’t hurt and it’s not easy to add one later so why not?

How about oil change pans from the dollar store?
 
Flipped these Kratky method plants 2 days ago. ( 36 hours darkness, first light this morning)
47 days from seed. Took airstone out of the 1, it seemed to dry out the roots. So both buckets are just 2 liters of nutes water each, till harvest.

day 47-f1-1.png


day 47-f1-3.png
 
looks like elephant on a tricycle...quite shallow but will have to do for a minute, might have some dark tubs that can be repurposed but I’m low on perlite too.

will bank up remaining perlite around edges but bag has visible waterline from swicking, still need to prime the pump but watching my wood skewers for moisture level

dark stains on perlite from real growers recharge & dynamyco. plants were transplanted 8 days ago so kinda ragged / not yet hooked up. since they were hempy previously wanted air chamber just because, was thinking it can’t hurt and it’s not easy to add one later so why not?


Heres another elephant on a tryke.

Its a 10gal on a perlite bed.

The top black line on the tub is the bottom of the pot, the bottom line is where I fill it to. It wicks really well. The clone never even flinched.

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I used a paper towel tube to hold the hole as I filled the pot and let it soak up overnight.

20230215_095249.jpg

Then I pulled the tube and dropped the clone in.

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Hey, Wow Gee64 that’s a treat for the eyes, yeah that puppy is ready for liftoff. Kick the tires and light the fires!

don’t ya just hate staggered node clones??… such a pain in the arse to train but you’ve got nice symmetrical clones. What’s not to love?

love those 10 gallon grow bags!

by the by.. I’ve been examining your G spot for a minute :laugh::laugh::laugh: think I will read it again… slowly this time.

all right I appreciate you and the contributions you’ve made here to pass the 411

Peace out!
 
Howdy Carmen✌️👊.

I thought I would stop by and share my findings so far about swicking. Its all babies, clones, and veg so far but I will start some into flower fairly soon.

I found that starting seeds straight into soil in solo cups with wicks into jars of water worked really well.

Initially on day 1 they all looked very over watered, but by day 2 they were on a tear, and by day 14 they were all some of the best sprouts I have seen in awhile.

However, after day 14 the over watering showed again and got worse daily regardless of where i lowered the reservoirs to, so I recomend uppotting by day 14.

The two that I uppotted at day 13 both immediately took right off, zero transplant shock.

One into a 10gal smart pot with wicks (the plant with all the myco in the knitted pad at the roots) and the other is The Mutant who got a 7gal smart pot and a perlite bed.

Both styles of wicking appear to veg the uppotted plant beautifully, but the perlite bed is both easier and shorter in height, but I will continue to play with wicks also.

Now here is the part of swicking that has blown my mind, literally...

When you use bubble cloning and bubble up a really nice rootball, then drop it into a premade hole in a pot that has already been swicking for 24-48 hours to properly hydrate it, the bare root clone not only refuses to need an adjustment period to transition to soil, it immediately starts growing with the only stress being a brief nitrogen toxicity (clawed leaves) but thats to be expected as its never had any food until its roots hit my flower soil.

It also has very robust preflowers coming in.

I will do all my cloning this way now, and for any Sippers, you should try this too.

Build your pot with a paper towel tube down the middle, hydrate it, then pull the tube and drop the bubble clone in so its long tap root goes in deep.

Then backfill the hole and water carefully from the top around the hole to settle the soil to the roots.

Go very slow and get a full litre down around the stock. Then top up the hole and your done.

20230215_095249.jpg

Feb 15/2023.

20230225_062622.jpg

Yesterday, Feb 25/2023.

I did put the pot in the shadier corner down low for those 10 days to nurture her but otherwise no clone-hardening techniques other than a light misting at uppotting, just plant and water and on day 3 some mild fish ferts.

I hope this helps someone out.

I chronicled it almost daily in The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

❤️👊
 
Howdy Carmen✌️👊.

I thought I would stop by and share my findings so far about swicking. Its all babies, clones, and veg so far but I will start some into flower fairly soon.

I found that starting seeds straight into soil in solo cups with wicks into jars of water worked really well.

Initially on day 1 they all looked very over watered, but by day 2 they were on a tear, and by day 14 they were all some of the best sprouts I have seen in awhile.

However, after day 14 the over watering showed again and got worse daily regardless of where i lowered the reservoirs to, so I recomend uppotting by day 14.

The two that I uppotted at day 13 both immediately took right off, zero transplant shock.

One into a 10gal smart pot with wicks (the plant with all the myco in the knitted pad at the roots) and the other is The Mutant who got a 7gal smart pot and a perlite bed.

Both styles of wicking appear to veg the uppotted plant beautifully, but the perlite bed is both easier and shorter in height, but I will continue to play with wicks also.

Now here is the part of swicking that has blown my mind, literally...

When you use bubble cloning and bubble up a really nice rootball, then drop it into a premade hole in a pot that has already been swicking for 24-48 hours to properly hydrate it, the bare root clone not only refuses to need an adjustment period to transition to soil, it immediately starts growing with the only stress being a brief nitrogen toxicity (clawed leaves) but thats to be expected as its never had any food until its roots hit my flower soil.

It also has very robust preflowers coming in.

I will do all my cloning this way now, and for any Sippers, you should try this too.

Build your pot with a paper towel tube down the middle, hydrate it, then pull the tube and drop the bubble clone in so its long tap root goes in deep.

Then backfill the hole and water carefully from the top around the hole to settle the soil to the roots.

Go very slow and get a full litre down around the stock. Then top up the hole and your done.

20230215_095249.jpg

Feb 15/2023.

20230225_062622.jpg

Yesterday, Feb 25/2023.

I did put the pot in the shadier corner down low for those 10 days to nurture her but otherwise no clone-hardening techniques other than a light misting at uppotting, just plant and water and on day 3 some mild fish ferts.

I hope this helps someone out.

I chronicled it almost daily in The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

❤️👊
Thank you very much Gee. This is a whole lot of very useful information for others to compare with. My plants did not experience any visible stress from seedling to up-pot on the swick. I'd like to see more swicking seedlings for comparison in that regard. My own findings suggest to me that swicking from day one is beneficial to the plant as there was no adjustment period on up-potting. You've gone a step further in developing a root ball in a bubble cloner before swicking. That looks super impressive.
 
Thank you very much Gee. This is a whole lot of very useful information for others to compare with. My plants did not experience any visible stress from seedling to up-pot on the swick. I'd like to see more swicking seedlings for comparison in that regard. My own findings suggest to me that swicking from day one is beneficial to the plant as there was no adjustment period on up-potting. You've gone a step further in developing a root ball in a bubble cloner before swicking. That looks super impressive.
I think the timing from one uppot to the next is crucial, you don't want the roots to stall out on their downward journey or they immediately become water roots and the pot gets too wet.

Once in the final pot then they can become water roots.

If you wait longer than about 14 days in solo's the roots may start to run down the wick. Some of mine did.

I think bubble clones are better suited for sip/swick than seeds, to be honest, but only time will tell.

I have 3 clones in perlite beds at the moment so I will keep you posted.
 
I think the timing from one uppot to the next is crucial, you don't want the roots to stall out on their downward journey or they immediately become water roots and the pot gets too wet.

Once in the final pot then they can become water roots.

If you wait longer than about 14 days in solo's the roots may start to run down the wick. Some of mine did.

I think bubble clones are better suited for sip/swick than seeds, to be honest, but only time will tell.

I have 3 clones in perlite beds at the moment so I will keep you posted.
When you say "water roots" are you referring to "feeder roots"?
I am going to do a root autopsy on my harvested plant on Tuesday when I have my camera back in action.
 
When you say "water roots" are you referring to "feeder roots"?
I am going to do a root autopsy on my harvested plant on Tuesday when I have my camera back in action.
No, around the bottoms of the solos that I didn't uppot until day 21, the roots started circling the bottom and got thick and smooth. Some got into the wick and broke off.

Above that layer was where the feeder roots were.
 
This is a report back on my RR XXL Auto roots. I did a root autopsy this morning and this is what I found. The feeder roots had colonized the soil and were binding it together and to the pot. There was a grub infestation in the roots, so I think they are pretty impressive given that nasty fact.
DSC_2153.jpg
DSC_2156.jpg
DSC_2158.jpg
DSC_2159.jpg
DSC_2162.jpg
DSC_2163.jpg
DSC_2172.jpg
 
Howdy Carmen✌️👊.

I thought I would stop by and share my findings so far about swicking. Its all babies, clones, and veg so far but I will start some into flower fairly soon.

I found that starting seeds straight into soil in solo cups with wicks into jars of water worked really well.

Initially on day 1 they all looked very over watered, but by day 2 they were on a tear, and by day 14 they were all some of the best sprouts I have seen in awhile.

However, after day 14 the over watering showed again and got worse daily regardless of where i lowered the reservoirs to, so I recomend uppotting by day 14.

The two that I uppotted at day 13 both immediately took right off, zero transplant shock.

One into a 10gal smart pot with wicks (the plant with all the myco in the knitted pad at the roots) and the other is The Mutant who got a 7gal smart pot and a perlite bed.

Both styles of wicking appear to veg the uppotted plant beautifully, but the perlite bed is both easier and shorter in height, but I will continue to play with wicks also.

Now here is the part of swicking that has blown my mind, literally...

When you use bubble cloning and bubble up a really nice rootball, then drop it into a premade hole in a pot that has already been swicking for 24-48 hours to properly hydrate it, the bare root clone not only refuses to need an adjustment period to transition to soil, it immediately starts growing with the only stress being a brief nitrogen toxicity (clawed leaves) but thats to be expected as its never had any food until its roots hit my flower soil.

It also has very robust preflowers coming in.

I will do all my cloning this way now, and for any Sippers, you should try this too.

Build your pot with a paper towel tube down the middle, hydrate it, then pull the tube and drop the bubble clone in so its long tap root goes in deep.

Then backfill the hole and water carefully from the top around the hole to settle the soil to the roots.

Go very slow and get a full litre down around the stock. Then top up the hole and your done.

20230215_095249.jpg

Feb 15/2023.

20230225_062622.jpg

Yesterday, Feb 25/2023.

I did put the pot in the shadier corner down low for those 10 days to nurture her but otherwise no clone-hardening techniques other than a light misting at uppotting, just plant and water and on day 3 some mild fish ferts.

I hope this helps someone out.

I chronicled it almost daily in The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

❤️👊
Brilliant
 
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