ttystikk
Well-Known Member
The aeration needs to be in the same reservoir as the plant, unless the water is continuously recirculated.
SIP thread -- (Sub-Irrigated Planter)
- Thread starter Humanrob
- Start date
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
Water roots: wouldnt it depend on the wicking material aswell? I did a sip for tomatos, no aeration thru bubbles only some holes in the res, but using hydroton for wick (not really absorbent) and i got water roots after very little time. Roots look for water,as long as it needs more?
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
Some pics, I'm about 5 weeks into flower, so I have 4-5 weeks to go (I've read that Cannatonic can be a 10 week strain). It's wall-to-wall roots in the res's, and so far I'm happy with how the plants are doing. I hope this is my last summer indoor, in a non-climate controlled detached garage it's day to day adjustments to keep the temps within range and I'm not on target a lot of the time. Luckily the plants seem to be OK.
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Humanrob
Well-Known Member
It seems to work a lot of different ways, but some ways may work better than others. I've had good results with air stones, and so far the more air the better.
I'm going for more aeration on this run than previous ones -- I have air pumps rated for 40 gallon fish tanks going through a foot long air stone in each of my 10 gallon res's. It's hit or miss with the pictures, but this one caught the water bubbling up. If a large quantity of water roots is a sign that the plant likes the environment, then I would say this is working.
PDX Joe
Well-Known Member
They look nice and green and happy.
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
Thanks, so far the system is working.
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greg nr
Well-Known Member
Isn't that dwc at this point? You have so many roots living in the water, you have to aerate them.
I haven't looked at mine, but I'm curious if there are a lot of water roots. I let the res dry out before refilling it, so I'm hoping that works for oxy transfer. I have at least a 2 day buffer between a dry res and any plant drooping (haven't seen drooping in the time the res has been dry before).
So far, nothing anaerobic and no deficiencies. fingers crossed.
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
I've never done (or really researched) DWC so I have no reference there, but from what I've heard the difference is that I don't fertilize through the water, only the soil. I randomly checked my pH the other day and it was off the charts alkali in the res... but that doesn't seem to be hurting anything. If towards the end of the grow I see deficiencies, I have put some GH bloom in the water, but that opens a can of worms because apparently as soon as I do that the water pH becomes relevant.
I've never let my res dry out, but I've heard other people do. When there's only an inch of water left I refill.
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
I definitely won't be using SIPs and a scrog in my 3x3 again. My arms are not long enough to reach the back of the tent. At this point in the grow (6 weeks into flower, 3-4 weeks remaining) the girls are stinky and sticky in that great way -- but they are flopping over leaving big holes in the canopy, while other parts are leaning heavily on each other. I had to tie a string across the front so that when I open the tent the ones up front don't fall out. This grow really needs a second screen, but since I can't reach the back there is no way I can weave one in mid-run. I'll probably end out doing a staggered harvest, where I take the main (top of the pile) buds first and then give the lower/crushed ones another week or two (or three?) to fatten up.
PDX Joe
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I had similar issues with trying to reach in and maintain my 3x3 SCROG. I can see if I went with four plants then I wouldn't be able to maintain them very well. I was thinking about coming up with a staking system or maybe a tomato cage system that latches on to the outside edge of the container but still have access for topping off the soil with nutrients. I need to think about that a bit more.
Jp.the.pope
Well-Known Member
Check out the newer pdf for the earthtainer. Has a great built in tomatoe cage system
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
I have used tomato cages with a piece of that green outdoor wire fencing attached horizontally to the top -- it created a cage and a support screen that was connected to the pot not the walls. Made it possible to remove plants as needed. It might be a bit awkward to try 4 like that in a 3x3, they'd probably crash into each other. But one in a 2x2 or two in a 2x4 works nicely.
PDX Joe
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have some of those for my outdoor SIPs. I was thinking about adapting that design a bit for my particular space and pots.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry, but complaints like those won't gain you a bit of sympathy.
sandhill larry
Well-Known Member
My buds are toooooo heavy.I'm sorry, but complaints like those won't gain you a bit of sympathy.
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
Not even some sympathy for my unusually short arms?I'm sorry, but complaints like those won't gain you a bit of sympathy.
This does come back to my observation that my SIP runs seem to have thin weak branches. So my buds might be too heavy, or my branches might be too thin to hold them? I'm pretty sure there's a valid complaint in here somewhere!
I think this winter I'm going to have to do a side-by-side -- same strain, one in a SIP, one just in a regular pot. See if that gives me any clarity.
Evil-Mobo
Well-Known Member
Let me know what you find as I am of the same opinion myself........Not even some sympathy for my unusually short arms?
This does come back to my observation that my SIP runs seem to have thin weak branches. So my buds might be too heavy, or my branches might be too thin to hold them? I'm pretty sure there's a valid complaint in here somewhere!
I think this winter I'm going to have to do a side-by-side -- same strain, one in a SIP, one just in a regular pot. See if that gives me any clarity.
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
A two plant comparison is far from conclusive, but that's all I have room for. I've been trying to push my grow style towards fewer larger colas, and I'm not sure if SIPs massive foliage growth lends itself to that. I will have to choose between trying to treat the two comparison plants the same and seeing what they do, or trying to do my best to optimize each grow medium to see which has more potential. I guess in the end since my primary goal is to see what works best for me, I'll grow them the way I grow, and see what the result is. Hopefully along the way there will be some info that is useful to others. Well... since we're talking next winter's indoor, those results will be... about seven months from now.
sandhill larry
Well-Known Member
@Humanrob Maybe there is a trace mineral or something you could add to your soil or ferts to get stronger branches. Do you shake them, or use fans to keep them moving in veg? That is supposed to help with branch strength. Never grown indoors, so no experience with that sort of thing. My stem related losses were splits at the first topping site. This year I'm not topping anything. {although the bugs did top a few for me}
Humanrob
Well-Known Member
I've thought about that. The SIPs I've been using have a large footprint and take up petty much the entire floor space of the tent. With standard fabric pots I would have a good sized fan on the floor blowing up into the lower canopy, and others blowing down into it from above to keep things moving and deter PM. The SIPs limit the room for fans on the floor, so that could be part of the issue.
Also, growing through a scrog supports the plants in ways that I sometimes wonder if it causes them not to support themselves as much. Everything a plant does is on a "need basis" and if they are fully supported as they are growing, they might put less effort into thickening their branches since it would appear to be unnecessary. Then as the stretch comes on and the buds fatten, those branches turn out to be under-developed.