frankslan
Well-Known Member
Okay thanks i was thinking that it might clog those slits ill probably wrap it in the weed fabric. Running out of money for this build.Yes, sand wicks well. The smaller the particles the better capillary action. But, wet sand will slide right through those perf pipe slits, so you need to wrap your pipes with a drain sleeve. Of course soil absorbs and holds water better than sand. So basically soil absorbs and wicks and sand only wicks. So you're right that soil sitting in water will be more damp, but sand will do a better job of pulling water up into the soil. But, if you find the soil gets too dry then you might want to use a plastic sheet on the top of the container (a mulch layer). Consistent moisture from the top to bottom of the container will help the microbiology grow. If the top of the soil dries out too much, then you won't have microbiology at the top of the pot to break down organic fertilizer. That's if you are top dressing with organic nutes. If you are feeding from the reservoir then this is less of an issue.
Also make sure the sand is washed an clean. You don't want any silt in the sand or the water won't wick properly. Usually the agricultural sand from a nursery is already washed. It's a little bit more expensive than sand box sand from the big box store, but the sand box sand has a ton of dust, silt and extra crap. You know, all the crap you don't mind your kid playing in, but isn't good enough for your plants.
How does that look for spacing between the pipe. Too much too little?
Thanks for the tip on washing it too i was not gonna do that. Maybe i can find some of that nicer sand.
Im trying to do a no till so there will be some top dressing might try living mulch layer
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