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5 gallon SIP
- Thread starter bparanoid
- Start date
sorry, but what is the SIP method of growing?
Self Irrigating Pots. I think
Self-irrigating? Never heard of it. I'm growing in 5 gallon buckets with drip irrigation. Next year I'll install a timer and fertigation, but I'm not sure about "self-irrigation."
I'm not too familiar with it myself, but from what I understand the pot with your medium sits inside a bucket, kind of like a net pot would in a hydro system. To bucket is filled with water or nutrients and the plant wicks to liquid up as needed. I think it may be a little more complicated than that though.
Hi there, sorry I should have been more specific in my post, I somewhat assumed this method was more widely used. SIP is an accronym for Sub-Irrigated Planter. It encompasses the water at the bottom of the planter and the soil will draw moisture as needed via a wick. Yes it is the same concept as the earth trainer. Details, design and advantages can be found here http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/urban-gardening-the-sip-way.htm
In the past I have grown Tomatoes and some Scotch Bonnets with great success so I decided to try them with my super hots and they seem to love it.
Peppers in the Photo's are Trinidad Scorpion (left) and Ghost (right). I fertilized the planter with a ring of hen manure. Now its simply fill up bucket with water when needed. No weeding, no pests
Some photos when first planted
May/15/12
June/1/12
In the past I have grown Tomatoes and some Scotch Bonnets with great success so I decided to try them with my super hots and they seem to love it.
Peppers in the Photo's are Trinidad Scorpion (left) and Ghost (right). I fertilized the planter with a ring of hen manure. Now its simply fill up bucket with water when needed. No weeding, no pests
Some photos when first planted
May/15/12
June/1/12
I just have 2 buckets stacked per planter. I also used a solo cup for the wick and rather than slits I used an old soldering iron and poked a whole bunch of holes through it. I never had the roots break through the landscape paper. I used the thickest type I could find.
I've switched to "SIP" method exclusively for peppers after trying a few on the my 3rd floor patio. Initially I was looking for a way to water less since I use water from my fish tank on the 1rst floor and carry up stairs to the 3rd floor. I also wanted to avoid a lot of water dripping down on my smoker on the lower patio.
I found that the plants grew a LOT bigger, much faster, and had a lot more fruit.
I now use 30 gallon containers and put 2 per container. I found that the larger containers give more room for root groth and take up about the same amount of space as 2 5 gallon buckets placed next to each other.
I found that the plants grew a LOT bigger, much faster, and had a lot more fruit.
I now use 30 gallon containers and put 2 per container. I found that the larger containers give more room for root groth and take up about the same amount of space as 2 5 gallon buckets placed next to each other.
I think it depends on your own personal schedule. Some people have an opportunity to water more often and some don't. For those that don't, it's a good way to keep a plant hydrated. For those that do, that second pot could be growing another plant... space allowing.
So it is a matter of space vs buckets. It'll work for some people better than others.
So it is a matter of space vs buckets. It'll work for some people better than others.
Though the second bucket provides a few more advantages --- by using it you are bottom watering which helps keep the soil at a more consistent level of moisture and avoids under\over watering and also prevents the soil from compacting since the water is being wicked up into the soil as needed rather than being poured on top of the soil causing it to compact and losing air flow.
^ Sure but in some cases the advantages are more of an idealized or hypothetical nature, many environments will end up with more fruit from two plants in the two pots instead of one. I see it more as a how often can you or must you water situation, as once a plant is large enough that the watering schedule is frequent in a 5+ gallon pot, its roots have established themselves enough that the soil isn't going to compact much more as the roots keep it suspended provided the soil still has a fair amount of fiberous organic matter in it.
I would not say it prevents underwatering though, you have to have some kind of drainage for the outer pot still and while it can extend the period between waterings, when it's out of water it's out. Your watering schedule still has to correspond the usage rate versus water capacity.
I would not say it prevents underwatering though, you have to have some kind of drainage for the outer pot still and while it can extend the period between waterings, when it's out of water it's out. Your watering schedule still has to correspond the usage rate versus water capacity.
This looks very interesting. I may have to try this out. Currently my plants in 5 gal buckets dry out during the heat of the day and are wilted and stressed by the time I get home from work in the afternoon. This could be the remedy for future plantings.
Man I love this place, I learn something new everyday.
Man I love this place, I learn something new everyday.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
The SIP system is great but if you want a watering system that is a "set up and forget it", use a drip system with a timer...if you have 10 or less plants, you can set a system up with a timer for less than $50....about 30 for an inline timer and about 20 for a "10 drip kit"....I know this is not bottom watering but using 1 gph drippers and a timer you can set the amount of water the plants get down to ~ 2 ounce increments (128/60)...this is the way I am set up and it is completely worry free...the older I get, the less work I want to do...
everyone has to figure out what system works best for them and their needs whether it's hand watering with a hose on up to full automation of the system...
no thread hijack intended, just trying to suggest an alternative...
everyone has to figure out what system works best for them and their needs whether it's hand watering with a hose on up to full automation of the system...
no thread hijack intended, just trying to suggest an alternative...
AJ -- with the drip system how hot does your water get in the middle of the day in those little black plastic drip lines between waterings ? I've thought about setting up a drip system but in the middle of the afternoon even using a garden hose that has been sitting in the sun I have to run water through the hose to clear out what has been inside the hose before getting it close to the plants as the water temp is pretty high so was wondering if that would be a problem with the drip lines or is the output low enough that it is not a factor to worry about ?