That âOctopotâ is pretty close to the SWICK system. I use 10 gallon bags of soil on a perlite bed, with 4 tubs in a 4 x 4 tent. The watering is automatic by pumping into the outside ring of my control box, where the taps to the tubs are. There is an inner tub with a pump/float valve to return the overflow to the reservoir. This works great.
I call it a âwaterfallâ control box, because the water that is pumped to the outer ring, where the taps to the tubs are, will waterfall into the return tub. The level of the water in the tubs is kept very even. If a stopper is put in a hole at the bottom of the inner tub side wall, the whole system can be drained when the pump empties it out back to the reservoir.
This is scalable to more pots.
Below is the system after a year in use (better waterfall tub), opened up after cleaning. Click the pic a few times to zoom and see the water level.
As for growing in soil, it is all I know and I just started. This worked for me, and is getting better. Sorry about the off-site links modsâŚ
A couple more posts down is the bags in the soil. You have to top water until there are enough roots to suck up water. The cover crop helps get surface root activity and makes the top moister. Later, the top will be dry between top watering⌠Also the young plant is drinking mostly from the leaves, so have a wet VPD. I start at T5 levels of umoles (90ish) with such a small plant, and increase as the roots can handle more LED power. A good top soak once the leaves are well over the pot edge is about 10% of the soil volume - 1 gallon. They will drink that much a day in mid-late veg. More drainage aids in the soil wicking up moisture, and making a wetter soil gradient. Vermeculite works well also, and rice hulls, and volcano rocks, andâŚ
Run #5, Grimm situation in the big tent | Page 2 | International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums
I top water when I feed and add microbes. Otherwise the reservoir is pH to 6.3ish, and cal-mag added, sometimes a tad of epsom salts - depending.
This system of soil and watering is like cheating. Microbes make the system work. I visualize it like a Walmart, where the shelves are all stocked with amendments, and the microbes are stuffing the carts as people go by, with just what they ask for. I keep the shelves stockes and the microbes happy.
I will stick my neck out a little further with another ICMag link to soil. I use this 3 way (compost, drainage, fluff) base with a bunch of amendments from Build-a-soil. I use a lot of their top dress also. I have two 100 gallon tubs to support 8 10gallon bags, and amend/âcookâ while the other half is growing. The soil is recycled and re-used.
One thing I do is pH my soil to almost 8 with lime and some oyster, and use 6.3 acidic water. When the microbes are really doing their thing, the same pH probe that read almost 8 in the tub, will read under 4 with good root activity. I call that âsparkingâ, and to me is is a sign that ions are transferring.
While I am pissing off mods already⌠this is a good hobby to have too.
I need to find who uses this phrase,
