Earthbox/S.I.P.S

bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
I'm new to roll it up and I don't see much about Earthbox grows or sub-irrigation planting systems in general. I got the idea from watching Pedro's Grow Room on YouTube. I had a successful grow last summer outdoors, so I got another one. I have two under a 600w air cooled tube light with a metal halide for veg and I'll switch to a HPS for flower. I just added some nematodes for gnats.
Does anyone else use Earthbox?
Does any use a homemade S.I.P.S?
Any problems and the solution?
I want this thread to help other S.I.P.S growers
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
S.I.P.S soil medium.
I used Promix organic
Added some perlite that I had
Ammended the soil with some blood meal,bone meal, kelp meal, dolomite lime,and I have liquid kelp and fish emulsion. And lots of earth worm castings.

I used the Promix because it uses peat moss as a base and from what I read it is best to help wick the water up.

What do you guys use?
Sub's super soil
Clackamas Coot's recipe

I wanted to use gro-kashi like the pro-biotic garden Alan Adkins promotes on the earth box website. But they wouldn't ship to Canada.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
I am growing with Pro-Mix HP and I have had good success with that. It is composed primarily of the peat moss, dolomite lime, perlite and mycorrhizae. The theory is that the mycorrhizal fungus aid in nutrient uptake for the plant and the plant aid in the survival of the mycorrhizal fungus by providing them with carbs. The plant's root ball and the mycorrhizae have a nice symbiosis between them.

My nutrients were mixed at the lowest recommended dosage on the bottles directions and nutes were given every other watering. Plain distilled water on those non nutrient days. In my environment, I found the girls needed hydration every 3 days so they received nutes roughly once every week.

Truth be told - the only downside that I have found with the Pro-Mix - where to store that 1 cubic metre bail during different grows.
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
@StareCase yeah that big bale is a pain. I have one out in my back shed. Do you buy distilled water?
I have hard water so my house uses a water softener. I killed some of my veggie garden using softened water. So I got a reverse osmosis filter for drinking water and for my plants. The tds is still like 30ppm out the r.o. tap so I put it through a Zero water filter container, just like a Brita but more expensive.
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
bearded.beaver said:
@StareCase yeah that big bale is a pain. I have one out in my back shed. Do you buy distilled water?
I have hard water so my house uses a water softener. I killed some of my veggie garden using softened water. So I got a reverse osmosis filter for drinking water and for my plants. The tds is still like 30ppm out the r.o. tap so I put it through a Zero water filter container, just like a Brita but more expensive.
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I use my well water which is 200 ppm with no issues. How hard is your water? If it’s not too bad I’d simply run a bypass line before the water softener ( what I did) I build my own soil and use pro mix bx as a base. I’d suggest feeding the microbes in the soil every so often. I generally give them worm casting tea with recharge every other watering and always water with recharge to slam pack my soil with mycorrhiza of all sorts.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
I do buy distilled water - now. The large 20 L jugs and a water dispenser.

I used water softened water for a while until I noticed a white build-up on the surface of the substrate. Not good for the girls. We did have our water tested and it's good for the trace minerals, pH was measured at 6.8 - but it was a bit too high in lime which made our sinks, tubs and crappers turn brown - hence the softener.

I found the softener bypass a couple of days ago and I am probably going to run a hose from the bypass. While the distilled water works, it can get pricey over time and occasionally, those 20 L jugs start to crack along their seams and you suddenly have water leaking.

I would prefer to use the water right from the well if the trace minerals are good. Straight from the well would probably eliminate the need to use Cal/Mag since it's part of the well waters trace minerals?
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
I do buy distilled water - now. The large 20 L jugs and a water dispenser.

I used water softened water for a while until I noticed a white build-up on the surface of the substrate. Not good for the girls. We did have our water tested and it's good for the trace minerals, pH was measured at 6.8 - but it was a bit too high in lime which made our sinks, tubs and crappers turn brown - hence the softener.

I found the softener bypass a couple of days ago and I am probably going to run a hose from the bypass. While the distilled water works, it can get pricey over time and occasionally, those 20 L jugs start to crack along their seams and you suddenly have water leaking.

I would prefer to use the water right from the well if the trace minerals are good. Straight from the well would probably eliminate the need to use Cal/Mag since it's part of the well waters trace minerals?
Click to expand...
Yah never use water from a water softener it will kill plants. How hard is your water? It’s real easy to tap the line before the softener shark bites are your friend. The bypass valve is nice however you need to allow the water to run for a min to get all the softened water out. As for the need for cal mag I’ve never needed any extra just what’s in my well and the nutrient I use.
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
I used to have a bypass before the softer going to my garden hose but I had the softer replaced last year and the plumber replumbed it after the water softer. and said it would cost me to come back to fix it. I just haven't had the time to fix it myself. And those shark bite fitting are awesome. I have everything I need to do the job just not enough time or motivation. I will redo it by spring for my veggies. I can by pass the softer on the softner itself but I always forget to switch back.
But I do have really hard water it was up around 650ppm. Last time I forgot to switch it back to soft water and my glass kettle got so white you couldn't see through it after 5 uses. Shower was the same.
I've been running my water through a r.o. filter and then through the zero water filter. But I read somewhere here that water that pure can sick nutrients out of the plant. And I also read that r.o. water is the only thing you should use.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Shark bites - not heard of that. I'll give shark bites "The Google!". Although the piping around the area of my water related equipment is a little cramped and could inhibit installing anything. Might be stuck with the old garden hose.

Reverse Osmosis and distilled water lack those micro nutrients and trace minerals still present in other water systems. R/O water can still have very low levels of some of those goodies. Distilled water has none. But they are still good water supplies for plants.

I can speak highly of distilled from recent experience. The majority of the flower phase has been using only distilled water and the same doses of nutes.

Augment the feeding with the boron and copper and manganese and zinc and cal/mag ... the stuff that's stripped out of both R/O and distilled. Most of the good fert vendors sell veg and bloom shit with all of those nummy nums. Give a little dose of Cal/Mag frequently too if growing with a good mid-level LED's.
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
Shark bites - not heard of that. I'll give shark bites "The Google!". Although the piping around the area of my water related equipment is a little cramped and could inhibit installing anything. Might be stuck with the old garden hose.

Reverse Osmosis and distilled water lack those micro nutrients and trace minerals still present in other water systems. R/O water can still have very low levels of some of those goodies. Distilled water has none. But they are still good water supplies for plants.

I can speak highly of distilled from recent experience. The majority of the flower phase has been using only distilled water and the same doses of nutes.

Augment the feeding with the boron and copper and manganese and zinc and cal/mag ... the stuff that's stripped out of both R/O and distilled. Most of the good fert vendors sell veg and bloom shit with all of those nummy nums. Give a little dose of Cal/Mag frequently too if growing with a good mid-level LED's.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's all good if your yous salt based nutes. I am sticking to all organic methods and inputs. Just because it's far cheaper. And just gets better over time
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
@Tim Fox --- you in the building buddy? (<--- Earthbox user)


I used SIPs for a bunch of grows, and at some point if I go back to growing fewer larger plants I will probably return to them, but for now I'm growing more smaller plants and I need more access to move them around, remove them from the tents to trim them etc., so big heavy immobile res's are not the thing for me these days. They are awesome, but everything has pros and cons.
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
@Humanrob and @Lightgreen2k
Good to hear from other sips growers
What did you guys do about fungus gnats. I just put in some nematodes and sticky paper two days ago. I don't want to use any chemicals I only want organic. I just got the nematodes in the mail so I hope the cold didn't kill them.
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
I am also using the shower cap thing from the earth box. But a lot of other growers are using a straw mulch or cover crop. I'm think of taking the shower cap off so the top of my soil dries a little
 
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