killertomatoes
Well-Known Member
has anyone tried using a shoelace and gallon container to keep thier plants moist when they are away from thier plants? Just wondering if this really works, and if so what are the best size laces and method to use?
Shoe Lace Watering anyone tried it?
- Thread starter killertomatoes
- Start date
killertomatoes
Well-Known Member
gotcha, thanks. ill give it a try with some cotton rope. Anyone have a special method?
killertomatoes
Well-Known Member
I agree, google IS a nice tool, but to say so is a thread killer. Id rather keep what I search for inside the site as much as I can, only reason why I ask here and not there. Plus im still a little bit of a noob.
Beaner
Well-Known Member
well i wansn't sugessting you leave this site and search google only, don't get me wrong, but this site is reletively small compared to icmag and a few others(just the way i like it!) and there are many many gardening sites for legitamite veggies that might have the answer, i was merely suggesting you search wick wattering outdoor plants or something, and if you find info, be sure to post them on this thread!
killertomatoes
Well-Known Member
its good. im just lazy and would like someone to draw me a nice paint picture like mogies LST diagram (i think it was hers) of what to do. hehe, when i find the info ill draw one myself and post it, cant wait, lole.VirginHarvester
Well-Known Member
This is very important and I would like some help on this. I am leaving next week and have some very young outdoor plants to keep wet for 6 days. I can water them before I leave enough to last around 3 days I estimate but after that....
Beaner
Well-Known Member
killertomatoes-mogie is a girl??? didn't have a clue. somone said fdd was but unless he is a lesbian i don't think he is.LOL
viginharvester, your plants are outdoors right? here is a neat tip, take a bucket and put a tiny tiny hole in the bottom. the smaller the hole and the bigger the bucket the longer it will take to drain the whole bucket. you will want a top on it also to ward off alge with a small hole to let air in. you might even want to bury it halfway into the soil so it drains slower, just be sure the hole doesn't get clogged and that it is hidden well enough to not attract attention.
viginharvester, your plants are outdoors right? here is a neat tip, take a bucket and put a tiny tiny hole in the bottom. the smaller the hole and the bigger the bucket the longer it will take to drain the whole bucket. you will want a top on it also to ward off alge with a small hole to let air in. you might even want to bury it halfway into the soil so it drains slower, just be sure the hole doesn't get clogged and that it is hidden well enough to not attract attention.
killertomatoes
Well-Known Member
Thanks to a little motivation from Beaner I ripped some GOOD info on WICK WATERING...
Keep your potted plants well-watered when you're not home.
Your buds are just starting to ripen, and you are looking forward to a great harvest. Then your friend gives you a call, inviting you to a fabulous once-in-a-lifetime long weekend gathering. You look at your garden. Your plants need to be watered once a day. You can't go! ...Or can you? Sooner or later everyone who grows marijuana will need to spend a few days away from their plants. It can be done! How? With the Wick Method, of course.
why wicks?
Some growers like to use the Wick Method because it means a minimal amount of effort when it comes to watering. The wick method allows a grower the ability to minimize the times, in say a week, that she is required to water her plants. Almost any growing container can be adapted to the wick method. All that is required is a few nylon wicks about an inch to an inch and a half wide, suitably cut to length, a container to hold water (a reservoir) which is larger than the container which your plant is growing in, and a device such as an inverted container, to stand your plant container on.
The advantage of the wick method is simple. It means more days on the beach for me. A supply of water for up to six days or more can be made to slowly release itself to any given plant. The amount of water released to each plant can be regulated by how many wicks a grower uses. Using the minimum of one or two wicks per container delivers the minimal amount of water a plant needs. Therefore the reservoir the plant is using will deliver the maximum amount of watering days. The number of days a reservoir will supply minimal watering requirements is regulated by the size of the reservoir used, and the amount of water in the reservoir.
If you are going to be away from your plants a few days, you can make a wick system in advance and test it before you leave, to see how many days it will work. This will help you to determine what size reservoir you will require, and how much water the reservoir will need.
grow container
If a grower needs to leave his or her plants for a few days, they need only to adapt their growing situation to this simple method, and their watering worries are over.
In order to adapt container plants to the wick method, the nylon wicks may be placed in the containers when the soil and plants are first put in the container. However, the wicks may also be easily added later, using a thin stick such as a ruler to push the wicks down the inside edge of the container, through the soil.
The wicks should be placed along the inside of the containers, running from about an inch from the top of the soil, along the inside of the container, and down and out the drain holes at the bottom of the container. The wick should hang down and out of the bottom of the container, and be as long as is required to reach the bottom of whatever reservoir it will be placed into.
reservoir readiness
Once the wicks have been placed in a grow container, the growing container must be placed in a reservoir of water. The container in which your plant is planted does not touch the bottom of the reservoir in which it is placed. The container must be on a stand or be wired in place, so its bottom is an inch above the top of the water line in the reservoir.
The bottom of the plant container never touches the water in the reservoir. That is what the wicks are for. Only the wicks, protruding from the bottom of the growing container, will be placed in the water. The wicks should extend out of the bottom of the grow container and go all the way to the bottom of the reservoir.
ready to go
The budding plant pictured here has been planted in a container which holds about two gallons of soil mixture, with a layer of lava rock on top. The wick method allowed this budding plant to bloom for a few more days. I picked her when I returned from a weekend at the beach, just as she reached her maximum potential.
The other two photos show the plant and its “wicked” contained inside the reservoir. There is a small cup inside which sits inverted, and is just high enough so that it keeps the bottom of the plant container an inch above the water level in the reservoir. When the water in the reservoir is filled to the water line there is about one gallon in the reservoir.
This particular plant uses three wicks. This is ample water, which will capillary to the plant, to last for about three days. If I wanted to lengthen the time of automatic watering, I could raise the plant container, add more water to the container and extend the wicks. This reservoir could hold enough water to supply a plant for a week or longer.
I love indoor growing. However, it can be very requiring, needing almost daily attention. The wick method gives me the ability to enjoy a few days away from the buds every now and then.
So the next time you need a few days away from your plants, or if you just want to make watering easier, try this unique wick method. It is simple yet effective, and can bring you peace of mind.
Keep your potted plants well-watered when you're not home.
Some growers like to use the Wick Method because it means a minimal amount of effort when it comes to watering. The wick method allows a grower the ability to minimize the times, in say a week, that she is required to water her plants. Almost any growing container can be adapted to the wick method. All that is required is a few nylon wicks about an inch to an inch and a half wide, suitably cut to length, a container to hold water (a reservoir) which is larger than the container which your plant is growing in, and a device such as an inverted container, to stand your plant container on.
The advantage of the wick method is simple. It means more days on the beach for me. A supply of water for up to six days or more can be made to slowly release itself to any given plant. The amount of water released to each plant can be regulated by how many wicks a grower uses. Using the minimum of one or two wicks per container delivers the minimal amount of water a plant needs. Therefore the reservoir the plant is using will deliver the maximum amount of watering days. The number of days a reservoir will supply minimal watering requirements is regulated by the size of the reservoir used, and the amount of water in the reservoir.
If you are going to be away from your plants a few days, you can make a wick system in advance and test it before you leave, to see how many days it will work. This will help you to determine what size reservoir you will require, and how much water the reservoir will need.
If a grower needs to leave his or her plants for a few days, they need only to adapt their growing situation to this simple method, and their watering worries are over.
In order to adapt container plants to the wick method, the nylon wicks may be placed in the containers when the soil and plants are first put in the container. However, the wicks may also be easily added later, using a thin stick such as a ruler to push the wicks down the inside edge of the container, through the soil.
The wicks should be placed along the inside of the containers, running from about an inch from the top of the soil, along the inside of the container, and down and out the drain holes at the bottom of the container. The wick should hang down and out of the bottom of the container, and be as long as is required to reach the bottom of whatever reservoir it will be placed into.
Once the wicks have been placed in a grow container, the growing container must be placed in a reservoir of water. The container in which your plant is planted does not touch the bottom of the reservoir in which it is placed. The container must be on a stand or be wired in place, so its bottom is an inch above the top of the water line in the reservoir.
The bottom of the plant container never touches the water in the reservoir. That is what the wicks are for. Only the wicks, protruding from the bottom of the growing container, will be placed in the water. The wicks should extend out of the bottom of the grow container and go all the way to the bottom of the reservoir.
ready to go
The budding plant pictured here has been planted in a container which holds about two gallons of soil mixture, with a layer of lava rock on top. The wick method allowed this budding plant to bloom for a few more days. I picked her when I returned from a weekend at the beach, just as she reached her maximum potential.
The other two photos show the plant and its “wicked” contained inside the reservoir. There is a small cup inside which sits inverted, and is just high enough so that it keeps the bottom of the plant container an inch above the water level in the reservoir. When the water in the reservoir is filled to the water line there is about one gallon in the reservoir.
This particular plant uses three wicks. This is ample water, which will capillary to the plant, to last for about three days. If I wanted to lengthen the time of automatic watering, I could raise the plant container, add more water to the container and extend the wicks. This reservoir could hold enough water to supply a plant for a week or longer.
I love indoor growing. However, it can be very requiring, needing almost daily attention. The wick method gives me the ability to enjoy a few days away from the buds every now and then.
So the next time you need a few days away from your plants, or if you just want to make watering easier, try this unique wick method. It is simple yet effective, and can bring you peace of mind.
holefiller
Active Member
The wick method does work. Use nylon rope instead of cotton. The container size will have a lot to do with the width of rope necessary and how many wicks to put in your growing medium. In a 3 inch pot you can use 3/8 inch rope and you will only need one wick. the larger the container the larger the wick and the more wicks you may need.
