So is this kinda like a homemade grow bucket setup.
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Exactly right. It goes by a few different terms but SIP covers it. SIP stands for sub-irrigation planters. I figured autopots, flood & drain systems work on that principle. Feed only from the bottom. And, the planter (5-gallon bucket in my case) has a reservoir capacity of a gallon or so. So when the plant needs a drink it is available and therefore decreases manual water / feed. It produced very well up to around the 6th week of flower. The medium’s (peat & perlite) pH went wack on me and started causing issues. I abandoned the SIP by drilling holes in the reservoir bucket, flushed the b-jeepers out of the peat, reset the medium with new 5.8 jacks mix and top fed normally thereafter. I made it to harvest in good shape.
Each row of the rack pictured above is one plant.
I am glad the pH issue got fixed.
I may give the concept another try. I need to buy some new buckets though since some of them have holes in them. I think they would work great outside with autos.
Google 5 gallon SIP and you will find lots of examples. Some a bad and some are good.
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I have the grow buckets. Seem to be same concept. Holds aboit a gallon of fluids. For the first cpl few weeks is recommended to top feed as normal once toots established u can just fill the res and let it work. So far so good with the gro buckets. They do drink the water fast in flower. Not as fast in veg.
Have used them before?
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I ask because I did run into what ended up being a low pH issue. Which of course led to nutrient lockout. At first I thought it was calcium deficiency so upped the calmag and epsom salt. this compounded the issue. After thoroughly flushing the coir and resetting pH I did bring them successfully to harvest.
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Well so far ive been just top feeding and throwing about half gallon in the rez and she drinks it up fairly well. Ive been trying to avoid nutes sitting in there just for tge fact the ph jumps up like .2 everyday
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Out of curiosity, why recommend staying away from DWC in buckets?
Buckets hold around 3.5 gallons. In mid flower plants can drink over a gallon a day so refilling daily is necessary as well as adjusting nutrient load constantly. PH is almost impossible to stabilize.
Adding a standing rez eliminates all of that.
DWC in a large tote also solves some of that as well.
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I like tgat hmmmm very nice self wicking , now if you add the air injection method to the core of your dirt as well , crazy growth and tremendous size buds ?
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