SWICK Watering Systems: Letting The Plant Water Itself

[HaremMasterOG]

Looks like you’re headed for a great harvest, HM. Congrats. Looking forward to the harvest results.

Update @ F48 - nearing end of week 7 - holy, schmoly! never thought the plants would develop this much in small 1gal bags, with practically zero training, other than the few supercrop bends needed to keep the upper budsites under the lights with the rest.. overall, looking better than I imagined, with still 1-3wks to go

!! some pretty chunky main colas, with plenty of plump secondaries, too!!!

 

[Bucudinkydow]

Just HOLY SHIT, HM. Looking super good.

Using coco, I’ve found bag size irrelevant to plant size. Another discovery is the insanely disproportionately small root to plant size.

 

[HaremMasterOG]

Just HOLY SHIT, HM. Looking super good.

Using coco, I’ve found bag size irrelevant to plant size. Another discovery is the insanely disproportionately small root to plant size.

Thanks, BC! Yah, and all that production/dankness with only the dry organic nutrients base, with pH6.0~6.5 tapwater refilling the SWICK bed once/week

: initial 4tbsp/gal potting amendment from V14 through F17, with liquid transplanter solution and mycorhizzae innoculation at transplant, each transplant watered-in with root enzyme/silica/kelp/soapberry solution; followed by two successive 2tbsp/gal top-dressings, first @ F17, second @F36, both watered in with root enzyme/kelp/silica/soapberry solution, the former with added micro PK boost, the latter with macro PK boost. All under VPD environment conditions up to F28, then [<80F/45%RHday~60-65F/40%RHnite] to finish

 

[lazylathe]

@HaremMasterOG

I concur with @Bucudinkydow HOLY SHIT!!!!
And you were skeptical at the start...LOL!
Those ladies look absolutely amazing and massive for 1G pots!!!

Just...WOW!

 

[HaremMasterOG]

@HaremMasterOG

I concur with @Bucudinkydow HOLY SHIT!!!!
And you were skeptical at the start...LOL!
Those ladies look absolutely amazing and massive for 1G pots!!!

Just...WOW!

Thanks, man! Appreciating the tips from everyone in this thread.. so far, so good.. comin around the backstretch.. headin for the finish!!

 

[lazylathe]

Thanks, man! Appreciating the tips from everyone in this thread.. so far, so good.. comin around the backstretch.. headin for the finish!!

Looking forward to you finishing this one STRONG!!!
Also very interested to hear your thoughts once it is cured what the smoke is like.

I am trying again but only on week 2 of seedling...lamo...

 

[RealLifeAussie]

Well hello everyone!
So I'm a total noob as u guys call it, been searching the web on how to go about my first grow and stumbled across this enormous amount of information.
Haven't read that much since I was in school lol
I was thinking of going the whole coco setup, my issue is with my work I'm away 9 nights home for 5, so need a lot of water set up and cant see my space allowing it, plus anything happens and I end up with a cupboard full of water, then I came across this whole swick method.
#1 Do u guys/girls think it could work being away so much.
#2 If I get a good organic soil from my local garden store (we have great garden stores) do I need a weed specific top feed/tea (Hard to get in Aus) or will something they suggest work fine.

I'm sure ill have way more questions just trying to get an idea on how to first begin.

cheers for any and all advice

 

[lazylathe]

Well hello everyone!
So I'm a total noob as u guys call it, been searching the web on how to go about my first grow and stumbled across this enormous amount of information.
Haven't read that much since I was in school lol
I was thinking of going the whole coco setup, my issue is with my work I'm away 9 nights home for 5, so need a lot of water set up and cant see my space allowing it, plus anything happens and I end up with a cupboard full of water, then I came across this whole swick method.
#1 Do u guys/girls think it could work being away so much.
#2 If I get a good organic soil from my local garden store (we have great garden stores) do I need a weed specific top feed/tea (Hard to get in Aus) or will something they suggest work fine.

I'm sure ill have way more questions just trying to get an idea on how to first begin.

cheers for any and all advice

It will definitely work for your work schedule!
Give the pots a good water before you leave and fill the SWICK up and walk away.
Mine takes a good 2 weeks to dry out and even then the top is slightly damp.

A good organic soil is key and ad some more perlite to it to make it nice and airy. This also helps with the wicking action.
Tomato or vegetable ferts will work well, just remember to flush them for 2 weeks with just fresh water.

The only issue would be for veg as you don't want to use the SWICK then.
You want a good, healthy root system developed before you give them access to ample water.
Maybe those water globes for this time?

 

[RealLifeAussie]

It will definitely work for your work schedule!
Give the pots a good water before you leave and fill the SWICK up and walk away.
Mine takes a good 2 weeks to dry out and even then the top is slightly damp.

A good organic soil is key and ad some more perlite to it to make it nice and airy. This also helps with the wicking action.
Tomato or vegetable ferts will work well, just remember to flush them for 2 weeks with just fresh water.

The only issue would be for veg as you don't want to use the SWICK then.
You want a good, healthy root system developed before you give them access to ample water.
Maybe those water globes for this time?

Ok, so it will work that's awesome!! from everything I've read I'd hoped/thought it could.
When u say flush for 2 weeks do u mean at the end before harvest?
With the seedling to veg I was thinking just a small automatic drip timer as they shouldn't need to much water??
What is this water globe u speak of?
Also can I put them straight on the swick after transferring from seedling into grow pot? I'm thinking 5 Gallon pots will be the size I go for.
I've found some plastic containers measuring W 33cm L 45cm H 20 cm do u think these will be sufficient for my time away? I plan on having each plant have its own swick so if anything goes wrong hopefully they all wont suffer.

 

[lazylathe]

Ok, so it will work that's awesome!! from everything I've read I'd hoped/thought it could.
When u say flush for 2 weeks do u mean at the end before harvest?
With the seedling to veg I was thinking just a small automatic drip timer as they shouldn't need to much water??
What is this water globe u speak of?
Also can I put them straight on the swick after transferring from seedling into grow pot? I'm thinking 5 Gallon pots will be the size I go for.
I've found some plastic containers measuring W 33cm L 45cm H 20 cm do u think these will be sufficient for my time away? I plan on having each plant have its own swick so if anything goes wrong hopefully they all wont suffer.

Yes, flushing is the last 2 weeks of a plants life.
Just to get rid of anything unwanted in the plants system.

A dripper system would work perfectly for the seedling to veg state.
I would wait about 2 to 3 weeks before placing the final pots on the SWICK.
Again you want to establish a good root system, so you need to wait for that to be ready before they have access to 24/7 water.

A water globe is a glass globe with a long hollow glass rod, usually very colorful!
Fill the globe with water and shove into your pot and it will keep the soil moist till the globe runs dry.

A deeper pot would be nicer but you have a fairly large pot, just don't expect to grow giants! LO!L

I prefer a large SWICK as the water reservoir is larger and all plants drink at different rates.
So long as your individual SWICK's are reasonably large and hold what you think the plant will drink while you are away, you should be good to go!

My method is:
Seedlings in SOLO cups till the have some nice leaf development.
Transplanted into 1 gallon containers and allowed to grow until they look too big for the pots.
Transplanted into final fabric pots, either 5 or 7 gallon and allowed to grow for 3 weeks.
After 3 weeks the SWICK is filled and the plants added.
I will still water the pots with the odd compost tea and organic cal/mag and kelp.

 

[RealLifeAussie]

Yes, flushing is the last 2 weeks of a plants life.
Just to get rid of anything unwanted in the plants system.

A dripper system would work perfectly for the seedling to veg state.
I would wait about 2 to 3 weeks before placing the final pots on the SWICK.
Again you want to establish a good root system, so you need to wait for that to be ready before they have access to 24/7 water.

A water globe is a glass globe with a long hollow glass rod, usually very colorful!
Fill the globe with water and shove into your pot and it will keep the soil moist till the globe runs dry.

A deeper pot would be nicer but you have a fairly large pot, just don't expect to grow giants! LO!L

I prefer a large SWICK as the water reservoir is larger and all plants drink at different rates.
So long as your individual SWICK's are reasonably large and hold what you think the plant will drink while you are away, you should be good to go!

My method is:
Seedlings in SOLO cups till the have some nice leaf development.
Transplanted into 1 gallon containers and allowed to grow until they look too big for the pots.
Transplanted into final fabric pots, either 5 or 7 gallon and allowed to grow for 3 weeks.
After 3 weeks the SWICK is filled and the plants added.
I will still water the pots with the odd compost tea and organic cal/mag and kelp.

Appreciate all the advice, I'm starting to get excited!!!
The plastic containers were for the swick, they are 25 L tubs would u recommend larger and if so how large? I just read through this forum that 8 inches/20cm is as deep as the swick will suck the water from so 20cm is the depth I was thinking to aim for.
Will be potting them into a 5 gallon fabric pot to put on top of the swick but if u think 7 is better ill go that way instead.
Sorry for all the questions, really appreciate u taking the time to answer them

 

[multiVortex]

Yes, flushing is the last 2 weeks of a plants life.
Just to get rid of anything unwanted in the plants system.

No. No no no no no. See:

A critical look at preharvest flushing

Pre harvest flushing is a controversial topic. Flushing is supposed to improve taste of the final bud by either giving only pure water, clearing solutions or extensive flushing for the last 7-14 days of flowering. While many growers claim a positive effect, others deny any positive influence or...

www.420magazine.com

InTheShed Grows Inside & Out: Jump In Any Time

Hey Shed :high-five: There’s some helpful information on nutrient interactions HERE Howdy Felipe! Excellent link... :thanks:

www.420magazine.com

You can't "flush" nutes from the plant. That's a myth, and "bro" science. It's bunk, has been debunked, and the only thing you do is end up starving your plants right when your buds are swelling.


There is a flush, but it ain't that. A flush is something used to, get this... flush the medium and reset it to a neutral position. This rids the medium of things like salt build up, or in case of over fertilization.




Back on topic, coco is hydro. You may know this, but you'll have to pH your water, and you never, never, ever let coco dry out.

You may find something like Promix HP or Sunshine Mix #4 a little more beginner friendly. They work much more like traditional soil, and have buffering medium in the mix which allows you to not worry about having to pH your water/feed.

Stay away from Miracle Gro.

 

[RealLifeAussie]

Cheers for the info.
I’m actually going to go with organic soil not coco, that’s why I’m so stoked to come across the swick method!

 

[lazylathe]

Appreciate all the advice, I'm starting to get excited!!!
The plastic containers were for the swick, they are 25 L tubs would u recommend larger and if so how large? I just read through this forum that 8 inches/20cm is as deep as the swick will suck the water from so 20cm is the depth I was thinking to aim for.
Will be potting them into a 5 gallon fabric pot to put on top of the swick but if u think 7 is better ill go that way instead.
Sorry for all the questions, really appreciate u taking the time to answer them

You may want to recheck your info as I think you may have a mistake but I cannot quite remember...LOL!
The SWICK cannot be too deep otherwise it will not work and I think 8 inches was way too deep.
I read that 5 inches is ideal and that is how deep my SWICK is filled with perlite and it works well.
You have 4 inches of water and an inch air gap that is essential.

5 gallons should be good and they will fit on your SWICK containers.

Sorry for adding the plain water phase...forgot we are doing Organic so no need for a flush!

@multiVortex
Some growers swear by a flush while others call it "bro science"!
Whatever it does do, positively or negatively, growers will do as growers do.
Not quite sure why I added that comment as this is an ORGANIC grow...LOL

Also not quite sure why coco was brought up?
I know it is hydro, have grown in it drip to waste before and it was great!
Decided to go organic for a while!

 

[Hash Hound]

I was considering SWICK in the near future and I was thinking about how to do it without perlite.
I thought of draping a wick over some sort of frame and setting the bag on top of it and wondering if it would work and I stumbled upon this which uses the same principal.

Anyone ever try something like this?

self watering bag planter.jpg

• Hash Hound
• May 19, 2020

self watering wick.jpg

• Hash Hound
• May 19, 2020

 

[Hash Hound]

ok apparently no one has used or has an opinion about the above post so lets try another one.

I have a few of these Eco Grow pots and was wondering about using it for a SWICK.
I can put perlite in the bottom wicking chambers and about another inch above the plate then just set the grow bag on top of it and maybe some holes on the side. Should work right?

 

[lazylathe]

@Hash Hound

Sorry bro! I totally forgot to reply...
Those would work amazingly well, however not how you want to use them.

For a SWICK to work, you need a very light and airy mix and this is why we add perlite to the soil. It also helps with water retention and release.

If you just place perlite on the bottom, you will end up with soil compaction and a not very happy plant.

If you modify your plan you will have grew success!

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks, BC.. ya, I'm getting anxious to see how the 'tale of the scale' goes on this 1gal bucket, dry-amended, plus bennies, sub-irrigated, untrained SWICK grow compares to my previous, 7gal bucket, top-watered, CannaBio plus bennies, trained grow (15.5oz dry-trimmed bud from 4-plants)

I’m looking forward to that comparison of yields too. Under the right conditions I think SWICK holds the upper hand.

Appreciate all the advice, I'm starting to get excited!!!
The plastic containers were for the swick, they are 25 L tubs would u recommend larger and if so how large? I just read through this forum that 8 inches/20cm is as deep as the swick will suck the water from so 20cm is the depth I was thinking to aim for.
Will be potting them into a 5 gallon fabric pot to put on top of the swick but if u think 7 is better ill go that way instead.
Sorry for all the questions, really appreciate u taking the time to answer them

We had a member who worked up a beautiful system with his father, and in that process they discovered that 8-12” was the maximum distance the perlite would wick efficiently, something we’ve confirmed over at Hempy Headquarters where the grows are all perlite medium. In our hempy grows we stay in that range, although BrixNewb pulled some of our largest hempy harvests out of a much deeper load in a five-gallon bucket.

For SWICK, as stated earlier, around 5” seems to be the sweet spot.

@Hash Hound, SWICK works because the medium has at least 25% more perlite mixed in and relies on the fabrics pots to help keep the wicking action running smoothly. Those self-wicking pots don’t do the same job at all, IMHO.

@Jgrowlove may have some fabric pots to share, if you need them. I left all of mine with him when I moved. I’m sure he isn’t using all of them.

 

[Hash Hound]

@Jgrowlove may have some fabric pots to share, if you need them. I left all of mine with him when I moved. I’m sure he isn’t using all of them.

Thanks for the offer but I just ordered a 5 pack of new 7g two weeks ago. I like the Viagrow brand they are only 12" wide and most other 7g's I bought were 14"

 

[multiVortex]

I’m looking forward to that comparison of yields too. Under the right conditions I think SWICK holds the upper hand.



We had a member who worked up a beautiful system with his father, and in that process they discovered that 8-12” was the maximum distance the perlite would wick efficiently, something we’ve confirmed over at Hempy Headquarters where the grows are all perlite medium. In our hempy grows we stay in that range, although BrixNewb pulled some of our largest hempy harvests out of a much deeper load in a five-gallon bucket.

For SWICK, as stated earlier, around 5” seems to be the sweet spot.

@Hash Hound, SWICK works because the medium has at least 25% more perlite mixed in and relies on the fabrics pots to help keep the wicking action running smoothly. Those self-wicking pots don’t do the same job at all, IMHO.

@Jgrowlove may have some fabric pots to share, if you need them. I left all of mine with him when I moved. I’m sure he isn’t using all of them.

I build my own out of buckets and run tomatoes outdoors. They work extremely well as a stand-alone setup, but the downside is that they are about 1.5x-1.75x the height of a single bucket. Cheap as heck to build though. 2 buckets, 1 lid, some pvc pipe, an old t-shirt/rag/towel, and that’s that.