Soil plus DWC?? WHat do you think?

onefishtwofish

Active Member
Hi everyone,

I posted this several days ago in the bubbleponics forum with 0 replies, perhaps you all are better to ask.

I have the large net pots that fit into a bucket and are often used for bucket DWC applications. I am a organic soil guy and I usually add all of my amendments at transplant and flower in these pots running a water only (just add water) system and I like primarily because there is very little that can go wrong and I can easily leave it for many days at a time without concerns about ph, ppm, etc.


I have been looking into self irrigating planters and wick systems to make my job even easier, and I am considering what would happen if I put a lighter soil mix in the pot and threw it in a bucket with an airstone and some water possibly with a low ppm of some organic nutes.

I could dump out the water weekly, and water by hand or run a drip system for the soil if/when the roots can't wick the water up out of the res yet, but the fizz of water from the bubbles could wet the soil just enough to not have to do anything, and that is the goal. Healthy plants with low maintenance.

My reasoning is based in experience with no drain beds, DWC and that in nature the taproots extend to the water table while the roots in topsoil do most of the feeding.

I have been trying to poke a hole in the theory of my hybrid design and also find someone who has done this before or something similar, because I can't.

No haters,
Thank you,
one fish
 

st0wandgrow

Well-Known Member
Hmmm. Interesting idea.

The only issue I can see is that you kind of need the soil to stay evenly moist when growing organically so the microbes in your soil don't go dormant. I'm having a tough time envisioning how this would be accomplished from a mist below the plant.

Only one way to find out though ....
 

onefishtwofish

Active Member
I think that could be accomplished with a regular drip on a timer, excess water dripping into the bucket etc. one of my thoughts was that more oxygen would get to the roots, allowing for a hybrid organic/hydro-ish grow.
 

TheOrganic

Well-Known Member
I know a couple guys that have used the wick method with solo cups. But like above main thing is to keep soil evenly moist and not to dry out at all with organics. If you have perlite in mix your roots will get o2. And also not to saturate everyday is also important keep it even steven. IF you could get it down it would work.
Also ive seen peeps using fabric pots with a tub of perlite below to wick up water but some weren't watered good enough and they were fucked up cause topsoil was always bone dry with half the pot soaking up water. They didn't turn out as good as the first run of same clone.
 
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