The Everything SWICK Club: 2023 And Beyond

I'd like to invite some people to contribute to the development of this thread. Please feel free to contribute and invite others too: @el gringuito @Hash Hound @ReservoirDog @bluter @Azimuth @lazylathe @Pondwater Who else, people?


:cheer:WELCOME TO THE SWICK CLUB:cheer:
First off, I am a beginner and there is a lot I don’t know. I am hoping that some of the more experienced Swickers will join this discussion. There is a sister thread called the SIP Club which looks a Sub-Irrigation Planters as a method for delivering water directly to the roots. @Pondwater has a thread intended to compare SIP and Swick.

I don’t know what the origin is of the word Swick nor why it is called a Swick. It is a form of sub-irrigation that works by wicking fluid via capillary action through the medium. It is a form of self-watering. Essentially, the wick is kept moist by liquid from a reservoir, which is topped up from time to time. The wick is applied directly to the grow medium.

The theory behind the Swick is that wicking will deliver the desired amount of water to the plants roots so that the plants can concentrate on building plant and bud structure. Some of the benefits of sub-irrigation are improved plant structure and increased yields.

This may be a new thread but there are many who have gone before me. This method of growing has been around since grandpa fell of the bus. There is an old now dormant thread started by SweetSue; and there are others. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel, just trying to start an active thread on Swick methodology where anyone can contribute to an ongoing discussion and compare notes with SIPpers.

To start the ball rolling, these two photos show my setup. For the starter pots I threaded a strip of absorbent cloth into the soil and squashed the pots into the wet perlite. I left them like this for a week when I went away. In the second setup I have soil in cloth pots sitting squashed directly into the damp perlite.


 
You go Carmen! More things for this girl to learn! I'll be hanging out in the back taking more notes!

:thanks:
Awesome Krissi, thank you :)
I'd like to know if SIP methods like the Swick are a form of hydro?
I was reading a blog earlier about sustainability of grow media. The claim is that soil is the most sustainable method of growing. I think combining soil with sub-irrigation would have a result similar to hydro?
 
Awesome Krissi, thank you :)
I'd like to know if SIP methods like the Swick are a form of hydro?
I was reading a blog earlier about sustainability of grow media. The claim is that soil is the most sustainable method of growing. I think combining soil with sub-irrigation would have a result similar to hydro?
Breezing through some of Sue's comments in her thread, I'm definitely just as curious as you. I did see that even LOS is the best of the best for this practice somewhere I think, but regardless, I'm looking forward to learning along with you. I'm so naive to anything other than soil, I need to listen to others and take notes in order for me to even begin to try to formulate any ideas on my own!
 
Thanks for the invite! I am always strapped for time, but I will try to follow! What is @Hashhound 's comparison thread?

@cbdhemp808 , @InTheShed , @bluter , @CaptainLucky , @Bill284 , @Buds Buddy ,
Thank you el gringuito. This is the link to Hash Hound's thread. There is another one by someone called Pondwater.
Useful threads that discuss Swicking.

I want to add some links here:

@lazylathe organic soil and swick

@SweetSue plants self-watering

@Hash Hound SIP or Swick
Oh the link I have inserted here for Hash Hound is actually Pondwater's thread. I will have to look for the one by Hash Hound. I can't find it. Perhaps I mistook the Pondwater thread for a HH thread.
 
(Wow, is this going to be another runaway thread!)
In a good way I hope!
There are people like yourselves who have a stack of experience running SIPS and Swicks. There is not a whole lot of information on Google, so with some helpful tags, this thread could potentially become a go to Swick thread :)
I'm looking forward to learning along with you. I'm so naive to anything other than soil, I need to listen to others and take notes in order for me to even begin to try to formulate any ideas on my own!
Great stuff. I am doing los with my Swick and the plants love the moisture level in the soil.
 
Thank you el gringuito. This is the link to Hash Hound's thread. There is another one by someone called Pondwater.

Oh the link I have inserted here for Hash Hound is actually Pondwater's thread. I will have to look for the one by Hash Hound. I can't find it. Perhaps I mistook the Pondwater thread for a HH thread.
Oops!!
I thought I had it, but I guess not!
@Hashhound , may we please have the URL of your SIP SWICK side-by-side?
Thanks!
 
In a good way I hope!
There are people like yourselves who have a stack of experience running SIPS and Swicks. There is not a whole lot of information on Google, so with some helpful tags, this thread could potentially become a go to Swick thread :)

Great stuff. I am doing los with my Swick and the plants love the moisture level in the soil.
Yeah, in a great way, and very timely!
Yeah, how do we get some tags??
I want to read up on LOS and the Rev but have not had time yet (long story! Lol!)
I am on my first SIP grow.
I am a noob.
I am so glad you started the thread! I think the SWICK-babies-and-uppot-to-SIP should work great! (I can't wait to try.)
 
Yeah, in a great way, and very timely!
Yeah, how do we get some tags??
I want to read up on LOS and the Rev but have not had time yet (long story! Lol!)
I am on my first SIP grow.
I am a noob.
I am so glad you started the thread! I think the SWICK-babies and uppot things should work great! (I can't wait to try.)
I think we can tag any posts we make. I should upload the photos to the library because that is where to tag those.



#Swick #SIP #wick #wicking #sub-irrigation
 
I think we can tag any posts we make. I should upload the photos to the library because that is where to tag those.



#Swick #SIP #wick #wicking #sub-irrigation
:passitleft:
 
I see that I managed to add some tags to the top of the thread. The more people engage here, the more the SEO will improve on Google etc.
 
To start the ball rolling, these two photos show my setup. For the starter pots I threaded a strip of absorbent cloth into the soil and squashed the pots into the wet perlite.
How big a strip of cloth for each?
In the threads I was reading before, they were having a hard time dialing in the width of the cloth.
They said to regulate dampness by the length and breadth of the wick.
I left them like this for a week when I went away. In the second setup I have soil in cloth pots sitting squashed directly into the damp perlite.


 
How big a strip of cloth for each?
In the threads I was reading before, they were having a hard time dialing in the width of the cloth.
They said to regulate dampness by the length and breadth of the wick.



Have you seen hash Hound's setup? He has the wicks dialed in. He has multiple wicks which he can raise or drop depending on the wicking speed. Someone suggested felt for crafting as wicks.
 


Have you seen hash Hound's setup? He has the wicks dialed in. He has multiple wicks which he can raise or drop depending on the wicking speed. Someone suggested felt for crafting as wicks.
Yeah, sorry, I messed up.
You said you put Pondwater's link, and I mistook that for @Hashhound 's link.
I tried doing a search for Hashhound Sip Swick but got nothing.
So I am hoping that Hashhound will give us a URL (unless you have a bookmark and can send me please?)

The wicks look good!
 
Yeah, sorry, I messed up.
You said you put Pondwater's link, and I mistook that for @Hashhound 's link.
I tried doing a search for Hashhound Sip Swick but got nothing.
So I am hoping that Hashhound will give us a URL (unless you have a bookmark and can send me please?)

The wicks look good!
Yes, that may be a problem for future reference. I should ask 420 to change it for me to Pondwater. The edit feature is off on previous posts.
This is a pic of Hash Hounds plant riser that he uses with wicks attached and draped in the res.
 
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