SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter)

[Tim Fox]

I took the first SIPs I built (39 pages ago on this thread...) and recommissioned them for outdoor use. They were a bit tall and bulky for my tent, they are 14 gallon bins sitting in 18 gallon bins. Now they have tomatoes in them, and I'm wondering how many of you outdoor SIP users cover the soil on your SIPs? I think its Earthbox (?) that does that, just wondering it its beneficial?

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I threw together a couple of fresh SIPs for an unplanned indoor summer grow, simple #7 fabric pots over 10 gallon bins. They were root bound and going through some sort of shock, so I'm hoping the mix of fresh soil, warmer weather, and SIP goodness will turn them around.

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Yup i am with those dudes,, i cover,,, last year my outdoor sip got really soaked by oregon rains,, and i watched as the water ran off the sip an donto the ground,, knowing just how the soil mix is controlled with the wicks, the extra water would have surely water logged the sip

 

[ttystikk]

its been 25 years since i grew with bulbs,, back then i never added cal mag to my flood drain,,, but now that i grow with cobs,, the plants are always cal mag hungry children,, and cant seem to get enough of it,,,
on my next grow i am going to water down my sip with cal mag already in the inital mix,, and every watering till about mid flower

You've been growing with LED for 25 years??

 

[Tim Fox]

You've been growing with LED for 25 years??

oh that would be epic,,
lol no sorry,, i was under prohibition and under the spell of big booze coprorations

Edit,,,, 25 years of my life i will never get back,, sadly

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

i would guess he was getting pretty shitty results, leds from even 5 years ago were pretty much shit compared to what you can get now

 

[Tim Fox]

i would guess he was getting pretty shitty results, leds from even 5 years ago were pretty much shit compared to what you can get now

me?,,, lol,, i have yet to match the stuff i grew under a 400 watt metal halide back in the day,, i feel like an old man playing catch up to my 21 year old self

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

we were just hypothesizing what you were using if it wasn't bulbs or leds (ignoring the possibility you weren't using anything)....a lot of candles...mass breeding fireflies....lots of light sticks....you gene-spliced them with bio-luminescent
fish and they light themselves....moonlight and many magnifying glasses

 

[Tim Fox]

we were just hypothesizing what you were using if it wasn't bulbs or leds (ignoring the possibility you weren't using anything)....a lot of candles...mass breeding fireflies....lots of light sticks....you gene-spliced them with bio-luminescent
fish and they light themselves....moonlight and many magnifying glasses

I love it to fun thanks for thebig smile this morning

 

[Tim Fox]

alright, got my outdoor sip planted yesterday,, this is my summer tomato grow, a single plant this time,, also switched sips,, now using the "grow box",,, the old earthbox is in the barn, i may yet put some peppers or something in it, But like last year i can shake down the new sip,, and make improvements before going into my grow cab for MJ in the fall/winter,,, , i love the double size Res,, holds over 4 gallons compared to the 2 gallon earthbox,, also i can see the water level,, the perlite actually makes it easier to see the level in the res,, the old earthbox had a fill tube,, so no clue as to res level until it over flowed,, with this new sip there will be no water mess or leaks in the Grow wardrobe becuase i can just fill till near the top and stop before over flow occurs,,,
i am going to grow some outdoor MJ this year,, but i am just doing autos in the ground over by my bedroom window,, so i may just do a grow thread for them over in the auto section,, the reason for autos outdoors ,, is i am going to try and be harvested before the fall rains come here in Oregon

 

[Tim Fox]

Afternoon sip growers hello from Oregon i tried to get mybullet pipe in the pic hahahaha

 

[ttystikk]

Afternoon sip growers hello from Oregon i tried to get mybullet pipe in the pic hahahahaView attachment 3945551

Wuss. My hot tub is under the stars.

 

[greg nr]

Like the rubber ducky tho.......

 

[Tim Fox]

Like the rubber ducky tho.......

I tried to find a palm tree chlorine floater,, seems the pool shop is more interested in childrens themes,, hahaha,,,,
oh man the hot tub felt fantastic last night, I put a digital control panel and digital control box underneath last summer,, working so good,, I tried to open the swimming pool yesterday but i needed a new hose clamp,, but i was already to stoned to drive to the hardware store,, hahaha,,,, we have some 90 degree days coming this week,, so gotta get it running,,,
speaking of gettting things running,, with these warm temps,, i think its time to start popping some auto seeds for the outdoor run this week

 

[Tim Fox]

Two outdoor sips up and running ,i planted 2 bell pepper varieties in the old earthbox

 

[PDX Joe]

I noticed a bunch of springtails floating around and jumping around in the water res. at the bottom of my pots. Has anyone run into this in their SIPs?

 

[Humanrob]

I noticed a bunch of springtails floating around and jumping around in the water res. at the bottom of my pots. Has anyone run into this in their SIPs?

No, but I did sample the res water in my first SIP run and look at it under my 30x loop and I saw what I imagine were ameba swimming around in there. Where there is soil, there will be life.

 

[Tim Fox]

i had worms come out of my res last year

 

[Humanrob]

SIP growers, I have an observation and I'm wondering if I'm imagining things or if others have seen this: I've noticed that with SIPs overall growth comes significantly more quickly, but at a cost -- it seems to me that my plants produce much more mass but that the branches are thinner and weaker. With some strains (in my small grow spaces) even after pretty severe trimming, the mass of quickly produced foliage forces me to flip to flower earlier than I would normally, leaving me with a younger less woody plant than I prefer to have.

With fabric pots I would veg for 6-8 weeks, trimming and shaping, and I would have a sturdy little bush with a strong woody main trunk when I went to 12/12. With SIPs forcing me to flip early, and the resulting thinner branches lead to smaller buds.

Anyone else notice this?

Afterthought... I've read a few people on RIU say that using COBs can speed things up also, so maybe this is a SIP/COB phenomenon?

 

[ttystikk]

SIP growers, I have an observation and I'm wondering if I'm imagining things or if others have seen this: I've noticed that with SIPs overall growth comes significantly more quickly, but at a cost -- it seems to me that my plants produce much more mass but that the branches are thinner and weaker. With some strains (in my small grow spaces) even after pretty severe trimming, the mass of quickly produced foliage forces me to flip to flower earlier than I would normally, leaving me with a younger less woody plant than I prefer to have.

With fabric pots I would veg for 6-8 weeks, trimming and shaping, and I would have a sturdy little bush with a strong woody main trunk when I went to 12/12. With SIPs forcing me to flip early, and the resulting thinner branches lead to smaller buds.

Anyone else notice this?

Afterthought... I've read a few people on RIU say that using COBs can speed things up also, so maybe this is a SIP/COB phenomenon?

Is your goal to grow stems or bud?

 

[Humanrob]

Is your goal to grow stems or bud?

Uh... bud?

The stems are thinner, the buds are smaller, that's part of what's bothering me. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

 

[ttystikk]

Uh... bud?

The stems are thinner, the buds are smaller, that's part of what's bothering me. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

They need topped once or twice.