Welcome to the Probiotic SIP thread everyone! Let’s use this space to share what works, what doesn’t, and learn from each other in the process. I’ve been apprehensive to start this thread as I don’t know everything and wanted to do the thread justice. What I do know is, this is the easiest method I have come across and grows exceptionally healthy and tasty plants! Also, I thought it would be cool to have a repository of everything I have found and learned in one place.
OK just a brief over view, this method is using probiotics and sips, 100% true living organics, but it’s a lot more that just a sip pot, and takes organics to an entirely new level! Once it’s set up, it’s literally the least amount of work out of any and all methods of growing! And super cheap! Also one the best parts, is the growth rate is twice as fast as any other organic soil methods ive ever seen. Hydro growth with organic taste! Its all about letting Mother Nature take control, and you getting out of the way!
I would like to first pay homage and give respect to those who have blazed the Probiotic SIP trail and provided the community so much great information. They are, in no particular order, Alan Adkisson, Hyroot, Shulby, Projectinfo, HumanRob, @OkieWormFarmer, @nube, Headtreep, and the dude that changed my view on growing plants and offered up his time and energy to creating a fairly comprehensive breakdown of the process Greenthumbs256. Also, to @BeagleZ for nagging me into doing this thread. Ha!
Link Farm:
*Green’s Probiotic Method: GREEN'S PROBIOTIC METHOD | Rollitup
*Shulby’s Garden: ShLUbY's Garden | Rollitup
*Hyroot’s Garden Organic no till, probiotic, knf, jadam, vermicomposting, soil mixes, sips etc... Q & A | Rollitup
*ProjectInfo’s Thread: Info's Probiotic - No Till - Sips 2018 | Rollitup
*HumanRob’s SIP thread: SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter) | Rollitup
*Headtreep’s ROLS and No Till Thread Recycled Organic Living Soil (ROLS) and No Till Thread | Rollitup
*Alan Adkisson on Shaping Fire
*Probiotic Farmers Alliance: Probiotic Farmers Alliance / Probiotic Products Beta Testing Community | Facebook
*27 Gallon DIY Worm Bin
*DIY 7.5 gallon SIP
*Effective Microorganisms Resources
http://sam.vmicrobial.info
https://web.archive.org/web/20051211033109/http://www.eminfo.info/index.html
Brewing SAM PNSB.pdf (1.4 MB)
*DIY Photosynthesis Plus(PSB/PNSB) & Cyanobacteria recipes. -
*Expanding EM1
*Grokashi Recipe
Organic IPM Spray
*LABS Videos:
*Grokashi website
*Food Grade Buckets
*Setting up an EB
*Garden Patch SIP
*EB Dimensions
*Kevin Jodrey talks SIPs
*5 gal bucket sip
*Sip designs: micros, 30 gal
*Maddawg’s DIY SIP Sermon
Grokashi-Probiotic Farming
*Growing With Fishes Podcast Episode 61 w Alan of Gro-Kashi
@iamyou_youareme ’s Kashi Tutorial
@Stankonia ’s 17gal Tutorial
What are probiotics and why should I care?
Probiotics - for plants
Date: July 8, 2015
Source:American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)
Summary:
In plants, beneficial bacteria and fungi are endophytes. Scientists have known for decades that plants like legumes (peas, beans, and lentils) have beneficial bacteria in nodules attached to their roots. These bacteria “fix” vital nitrogen, turning it into a form the plant can easily use. However, researchers have recently found some nitrogen-fixing bacteria actually live inside plant tissue–in the leaves, stems, and roots – with impressive results.
This endophyte-plant relationship is partly a matter of speed in adaptation. “Plants have a limited ability to genetically adapt to rapid environmental changes (heat, drought, toxins, or limited nutrients) and so they may use microbes that do have this capacity to rapidly evolve due to their vastly shorter life cycles,” she explained. “By having the right microbes for the conditions, the plants are healthier. That is how it is similar to humans taking probiotics to improve their health.”
Sub Irrigated Planters:
Sub-irrigated planter (SIP ) is a generic name for a special type of planting box used in container gardening and commercial landscaping. A SIP is any method of watering plants where the water is introduced from the bottom, allowing the water to soak upwards to the plant through capillary action.[1] It is possible to automate the watering and thus SIPs are popular with professional landscapers in buildings or urban settings. Commercialized versions of a Sub-irrigated planter condenses humidity from the environment and feed it directly into the plants’ roots. SIPs are available as commercial products or as do-it-yourselfprojects made from plastic buckets,[2] boxes or storage totes.[[3]
Some examples:
(Sub-irrigated planter - Wikipedia)
http://albopepper.com/30-gallon-tote.php
Why Probiotic SIPs?
Most soil growers have the main issue of over or under watering! SIPs solves that and perfects it, allowing the soil to drink as much as it wants when ever it wants!
The top is fungal dominate from using Grokashi/Kashi and is more alkaline. The Grokashi breaks down the top and makes nutrients more available in a plant friendly way. The black cover, creates an environment very similar to the rain forest! At any time if you peel back the black bag, you can see water dripping from the top of the bag! Soil stays super moist 24/7! So moist, any plant grown in a regular method would likely kill the plant, but not with this method, and the magic starts here!
The bottom is bacterially dominant by using either LABS, Em-1, Photosynthesis+, or some combination. You are adding effective microorganisms and a rich, diverse, array of life. The bottom becomes more acidic from using a microbial inoculate. This where I believe most of the magic happens! Microbial inoculates are the gas that makes the car run! It fills the soil with tons and tons of life! With out it none of this works!
The more neutral middle is the party! When filling my SIPs I add 1 cup Oyster Shell per cubic foot to act as a ph buffer. Nutrients are more available at varying Ph levels, so the plant takes what it wants when it wants.
My Process
EB setup: CrunchBerries’Probiotic SIP Thread - #271 by CrunchBerries
-
I have been using new organic bagged soil (Mother Earth Groundswell, Coast of Maine Stoningtons, BAS 3.0, or a mix of the three) at the start of each run. Any organic bagged soil or living soil recipe will work wonders. One major thing to keep in mind when running new soil, is to not veg too long. You don’t want your engine to run out of fuel too early. Recycled living soils will give you more staying power to veg longer and grow larger plants. When running new soil, I would flip as soon as the plant becomes comfortable in their new home and shows signs of growth. Once the roots hit the reservoir they take off, so be prepared.
-
In earthboxes I would pack the wicks tight all the way to the brim of the planter, watering as I go to ensure compaction. Earthboxes are known for drying out, so pack that wick! No need to pack a wick in the 27gal DIY SIPs, as the whole floor is a corrugated drain pipe/vermiculite wick.
-
Next I add a place holder pot and fill the planter 1/2 way with soil, then add 1 cup of Oyster shell per cubic foot.
-
Add more soil. You can fill the planter pretty full as you can really mound up the soil and topdressings.
-
Next up, topdressings! I only top dress three-ish times during a run. Once a couple weeks before planting, when I set up the SIP. The second lasagna layer at planting and one more at flip. I top dress in this order: Malted Barley, crustacean meal, Insect Frass, home made EWC, Bu’s Blend compost, and lastly Grokashi.
After a couple days with the top on.
-
On planting day, i lift the place holder pot out and add mycorrhizal fungi in it’s place. In the past I have used Mykos and Azos, but received a couple samples of BioAg’s VAM- Endo Mix that I love. After giving the hole a good mycorrhizal dusting; I plant, backfilling with the soil from the pot i just removed. After the plant is tucked in, this is when I add my second top dress.
-
Like I said earlier; If you are using virgin soil ,then once the plant shows signs of new growth then I would flip to flower. On flip day is when I add my last top dress in the same order specified above.
-
Watering: I use 3/4 tsp LABS per gallon every time I fill the reservoir and keep the reservoir topped off from initial set up to harvest. I also top water a gallon twice a week. Lately I’ve been doing one Aloe, Coconut, AgSil 16H silicate and the second an SST and FulPower. Some times throwing in a Comfrey extract.
-
After harvest I always dumped, reamended, and saved the soil. I would then start anew with fresh bags of soil and repeat the process. I have enough recycled soil and am using this in the new 27gals, where I will try my hand at no-tilling and see how far I can get before dumping and starting fresh.
-
My initial re-amend recipe per 4 cubic feet of used soil from two Earthboxes.
*4 cups Oyster Shell
*3 cups Azomite
*4 cups Gaia Green Rock Dust
*6 cups Basalt
*3 cups Gypsum
*1 cup Langbeinite
*1 cup Greensand
*1 cup Insect Frass
*1 cup Alfalfa
*1 cup Crustacean Meal
*1 cup Fish Meal
*2 cups Kelp Meal
*1 cup Neem and Karanja
*Bunch of Rice Hulls and Pumice for aeration. -
That’s pretty much it! Crack a brewski, keep your reservoir filled with your favorite microbial inoculate and watch the magic unfold before your very eyes!
.
not growing trees.
thanks for the heads up 
