Deep Soil Culture

[MaryjaneMenehune]

I recently read about the advantages of combining the inherent qualities of soil (micronutrients, benificial bacteria, organic composition) with a bubbler to gain the ease of use of a hydro unit. A feature that appeals to me is the fact that it becomes a self watering plant (the capillary roots wick moisture up to the root ball) so it eliminates any guesswork about how much water to give. Also, I read an excerpt from a book that states self-wwatering units stimulate growth by a great deal. I was wondering if any of you use this technique with success... Or do you have any blueprints floating around? I think the advantages of this system are inumerable, so fire away any ideas! :dance:

(included is a rough sketch of what I envision it might look like)

MaryjaneMenehune Reviewed by MaryjaneMenehune on 10-02-2006. Deep Soil Culture I recently read about the advantages of combining the inherent qualities of soil (micronutrients, benificial bacteria, organic composition) with a bubbler to gain the ease of use of a hydro unit. A feature that appeals to me is the fact that it becomes a self watering plant (the capillary roots wick moisture up to the root ball) so it eliminates any guesswork about how much water to give. Also, I read an excerpt from a book that states self-wwatering units stimulate growth by a great deal. I Rating: 5

[turtle420]

Hey,

I like the idea!
Got any interesting links and/or information about DSC?

Nice!

From your building diagram,... it looks good.
That's what I would do if I were doing the experiment.
You're not running CO2, are you?

How many air rocks will you be running?
I would think two?
Or maybe some of those nifty air wands "ropes"... the flexible air wands that look like... a worm.

Something I didn't know.... ::: The "wick" effect you mention.
So you'll be keeping the lower rez level... and it'll... wick up the pot.
Intereting!

Please keep us up-to-date... :dance:

Best to you,

-turtle420
.

[Cyclonite]

On Zandors last report there was a segment on putting a few air stones in a soil/perlite medium....its supposed to supercharge the plants....2 weeks earlier than if not.

[MaryjaneMenehune]

I read about the wicking principle from a book I skimmed through at Barnes and Noble called Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers. It had lots of information about the basics behind how plants grow and the author goes pretty in depth about ways to grow organically, soil mixes, compost, etc. The self watering containers intrigued me so I looked into it a little more...
I found a how-to on a self-watering container. http://hometown.aol.com/jmalt31/myhomepage/Earthbox.PDF
I am no expert on the topic at hand, so I am unsure if the selfwatering container from the website will adapt just as easily to growing weed or not. I would assume so considering how close pot and herbs are related, but I know pot doesn't like wet feet. Anyways, let me quit rambling and jump back to my point.
...
The modification I made to the websites plans is I put some rocks in between the water and the soil, so the water and soil are never in direct contact. Also, I placed a "bubble worm" at the bottom to deliver oxygen and water to the roots. Any gardening experts want to swoop in and provide some insightful hints or advice? (knudge-knudge zandor or the likes):thumbsup:

Any other tips for improving the setup are welcomed.
much love,
mjm
(ps, i do not currently have the space needed to experiment with something like this, but I may give it a shot come summertime I'd be happy to see someone else try it out though)

[cactusman23]

I did this on my first grow, using a soilless mix, now i'm doing it again with my current setup except, i'm using soil, with vermiculite, perlite, and some peat moss. I am using 20 oz. water bottles as the pot, I just poked a bunch of holes on the the bottom half of the bottles.

[cactusman23]

heres the link to my first grow log, its a really rough and simple setup
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=37804

[Abattoir Dream]

thats a pretty cool idea, and thanx to you im in the process of making the same kind of thing, im not planning to grow in it, more likely just put my plants in for about 10 minutes every 3 days, i reckon its a great idea and ill post up the pics when im done, thnx for the inspiration

[Abattoir Dream]

well, im pretty much done, and im happy with what ive got so far, i havent put anything in the pot yet, but i was thinking of filling it up about an inch and a half with rocks, then a thin layer of perlite, then soil, - just like mary jane wants to.
It was easy to make, i already had the green air sponge things from an old aquarium, and i found the right size aquarium lying around for it too, the hose pipe and an old innertube made sealing it up very easy, and the pot was just a 5 litre juice bottle cut in half, then the only thing left was to poke the holes in the bottom, so i used a hot poker, to make sure i didnt split the pot, if anyone has any ideas or comments your more than welcome to share them and any constructive criticism would be appreciated.
Anyway, here are the photos, tell me what you think Im now going for a well deserved cigarette...:dance:


The pot,
[attachment=o94617]

The holes in the pot,
[attachment=o94616]

The Air Sponge thing,
[attachment=o94619]

Air Sponge and Tank,
[attachment=o94618]

Air sponge in tank with the pot
[attachment=o94620]

I will test it out in a bit, for now, I need rest....

[Abattoir Dream]

I've decided to make an experimental grow log instead of posting here, as what im doing is just a little different, and its unfair to steal a thread, if you want to see it, its in advanced techniques under 'experimental grow....' so drop by sometime, thnx...