The Everything SWICK Club: 2023 And Beyond

[Gee64]

If I want to change to feeding or calcium I simply swap out buckets.

I still top water fish ferts in, very slowly and gently, and I topwater EWC in as well.

In nature both the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle have tolerances for surface inputs.

Dead vegetation, animal carcasses, etc, that get rinsed into the system by rain.

The feeder roots have developed to thrive in this, as its the major supplier of organic matter.

Myself I think top watering food in is what the plant wants and expects, not to mention it gets calcium back up top from the ewc.

The bottom roots are for water. You can see in the solo rootball there are 2 different kinds of roots.

Mixed greens like a Spring Mix of lettuce, which are really shallow rooters, seem to entice worms right to the surface and I can see ewc laying all over the tops of those cups so I'm thinking it may be a better cover crop than nitrogen fixers but thats just a guess.

You can get nitro from the air if calcium is good but you can't get calcium from the air so....

Worm poop at the top of the lettuce solos.

 

[Gee64]

And Good Morning Everyone️

 

[StoneOtter]

Good morning GEE

 

[Gee64]

The level is a couple millimeters below the top....the pump is working again. Those wicks are sucking hard, I hope 9 can get through flower ok.

 

[InTheShed]

Myself I think top watering food in is what the plant wants and expects, not to mention it gets calcium back up top from the ewc.

The bottom roots are for water. You can see in the solo rootball there are 2 different kinds of roots.

Would this be true whether using organic top dress or watering with synthetic nutes?

 

[Gee64]

Would this be true whether using organic top dress or watering with synthetic nutes?

I'm not sure about synthetics sorry.

In living soil gently watering in pretty much any ammendment that isn't nitrogen heavy, is always a good thing. Good organic matter and calcium is best, so I use ewc as its both.

I don't see why you couldn't figure that out for synthetics.

If you add calmag type stuff alot, or anything mixed with cal in the solution could in theory work from the top but I have no experience with them.

I think top feeding and bottom watering makes the most sense, with calcium and magnesium coming in both but low dose in the water and slow release in the soil.

The soil by nature is built to take inputs from the surface. It how solid nitrogen and solid carbon are returned to atmosphere...thru a microbe. Its the Carbon and Nitrogen cycles at work.

Mimic that and tell us what happened.
What could go wrong??!!??

I'm trying really hard lately to learn synthetic basics, I appreciate the answers you have given me to a couple newbie questions I have had lately

 

[InTheShed]

Mimic that and tell us what happened.
What could go wrong??!!??

I've been watching @farside05's SIP grow, which is synthetic nutes bottom fed, and so far they look great.

So I was wondering if you thought there would be an added benefit to top watering the nutrients. I guess we'll have to wait for someone to run clones side by side to test that theory!

 

[Carmen Ray]

I'm going to think the wick start in solo's is the way to cheat the two week adjustmen

That's my thinking, and that is what I did, only from swick to swick, not swick to sip. It worked for me. I'd givee it a bash if I were you.

I am currently testing a used fabric pot to see how well that wicks, as I may replace my system with those as Hash Hound does, if my textile is as successful as his at wicking.

 

[Gee64]

I've been watching @farside05's SIP grow, which is synthetic nutes bottom fed, and so far they look great.

So I was wondering if you thought there would be an added benefit to top watering the nutrients. I guess we'll have to wait for someone to run clones side by side to test that theory!

any volunteers? Im curious.

 

[Gee64]

Its called Everything Swick Club so this is some other stuff I have going on. It sits around the edges of my flower and veg tents.

Right now the flower tent has no flowers so they are all in there until flowering begins again. Hopefully 2-3 weeks.

Pak Choi, lettuce, and a red currant clone in back.

Carrots

Tomatoes.

kale.

Romaine.

Pak Choi

It works well. Just fill the jar, plant a seed, and refill the jars. They all have 1 thick synthetic wool wick hanging into the canning jar below.

 

[Carmen Ray]

If you add calmag type stuff alot, or anything mixed with cal in the solution could in theory work from the top but I have no experience with them.

I had a minor calmag issue in my current grow and I gave them a dose of calmag solution directly around the stem as they were still little and they hadn't yet spread roots. It was from the top deliberately and it worked for me.

I think top feeding and bottom watering makes the most sense, with calcium and magnesium coming in both but low dose in the water and slow release in the soil.

Makes sense to me and that is what I have done too.

The soil by nature is built to take inputs from the surface. It how solid nitrogen and solid carbon are returned to atmosphere...thru a microbe. Its the Carbon and Nitrogen cycles at work.

Interesting. I didn't know that.

I've been watching @farside05's SIP grow, which is synthetic nutes bottom fed, and so far they look great.

So I was wondering if you thought there would be an added benefit to top watering the nutrients. I guess we'll have to wait for someone to run clones side by side to test that theory!

Ummmmm.... I can think of a science guy who might be persuaded

 

[Gee64]

That's my thinking, and that is what I did, only from swick to swick, not swick to sip. It worked for me. I'd givee it a bash if I were you.

I am currently testing a used fabric pot to see how well that wicks, as I may replace my system with those as Hash Hound does, if my textile is as successful as his at wicking.

Azi told me polypropolene rope wicks the best so I am going to try it next. Having to prime the pot sucks.

 

[InTheShed]

any volunteers? Im curious.

Ummmmm.... I can think of a science guy who might be persuaded

Not me, at least not for a few years anyway. It should be someone with a few SIP/SWICK grows under their belt to eliminate that as a variable.

Also, there are a lot of other comp grows I'd like to run before I get to that anyway!

 

[Gee64]

Not me, at least not for a few years anyway. It should be someone with a few SIP/SWICK grows under their belt to eliminate that as a variable.

Also, there are a lot of other comp grows I'd like to run before I get to that anyway!

I hear you there! Not me. Sorry. I have enough on the go and some cloning is coming my way soon too. If its a girl. Day 49 and still no sex showing.

 

[Gee64]

Ok so Wednesday I switched tents with my 10gal swickypad plant and broke the wicking in the process so I poured 9 litres of RO water thru the pot from the top.

Underneath I had an 8 litre pail with 7 litres of RO water in it. It is all in a flood tray.

The 9 litres overflowed the 8 litre pail but established wicking once again.

Today my soil is ph 6.2 at 63 degrees, and the reservoir is a whopping 1018 ppm and 70 degrees PH 6.6.

Should I leave it?

 

[StoneOtter]

Ok so Wednesday I switched tents with my 10gal swickypad plant and broke the wicking in the process so I poured 9 litres of RO water thru the pot from the top.

Underneath I had an 8 litre pail with 7 litres of RO water in it. It is all in a flood tray.

The 9 litres overflowed the 8 litre pail but established wicking once again.

Today my soil is ph 6.2 at 63 degrees, and the reservoir is a whopping 1018 ppm and 70 degrees PH 6.6.

Should I leave it?

Good question! First thought is yes. It's LOS the microbes will do their jobs and no more. One opinion for ya.

 

[StoneOtter]

Or...all that ppm may get bunched up on the wicks and impede the flow over time.

 

[Gee64]

should I aereate it in case it wants to go anaerobic?

 

[Azimuth]

should I aereate it in case it wants to go anaerobic?

That's a pretty big reservoir. How long does it take for the plant to empty it?

 

[Gee64]

That's a pretty big reservoir. How long does it take for the plant to empty it?

Over a week right now. Hopefully its enough in full bloom.