Quick tutorial on a scalable way to make sub irrigation planters.
This is my own variation without drain holes since SOG are packed tightly, I don’t want overflow. Water in open air in catch trays are a pain to empty and push the RH up significantly. I avoid that drainage. Check out traditional earthboxes or SIP for other versions that have drain holes.
I like to use 2.5L buckets for SOG but you can use anything that is watertight, really
You’ll need:
Tape measure,
Buckets of choice,
Drill and some small woodworking bits (3-5mm)
Hacksaw or pipe cutter
Plastic pipe (I use 25mm water pipe)
Expanded clay “hydroton”
Basically cut one piece of pipe slightly longer than the height of the bucket using the hacksaw or pipe cutter.
My buckets are around 18cm tall so I cut my pipe to circa 19cm, no need to be too precise
Using the drill bit and drill, make a series of holes in one end of each pipe section about 40mm (1.5 inch) from the end
This will be our feed tube later, again no need to be too precise as long as there are enough holes to minimise blockages later it will be fine
I like to bleach soak the water/feed pipe at this point to remove any unwanted guests that might impact the grow later, and rinse very well with water, before moving onto the next step.
Place the pipe into the corner of the bucket with the drilled holes towards the bottom.
Fill the bucket with expanded clay/hydroton until the level is just above the 40mm deep.
One done, fill up to the top with soil or coir or any media of your choice
Watering is done with a funnel placed into the fill tube.
If you like you can make a float level sensor/indicator to reside in the fill pipe with a wine cork and a bamboo chopstick or wooden skewer (not shown here) alternatively, just use a piece of thin wood as a dipstick to check fluid levels. That’s it, super simple, effective and really cheap. Five buckets like this costs under 20 quid all in.
SIP is well known but haven’t seen anyone share this simple version with expanded clay so thought I would share it here (my own tweak) the capillary action of the clay will keep the media moist just as any other SIP style system. Plants love it.
