The Any Container SWC

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by RinTinTin

I also suggest at least 2 overflow holes. Unless you are building to Space Shuttle tolerances, you will get some debris into the water chamber. If the one hole does get plugged, your plants will get wet feet

If you really wanted to get fancy, you could add an aquarium heater to extend your growing season.

Was thinking maybe along the lines of an air stone. but yes do not see why you could not incorporate various aquarium parts.

[RinTinTin]

Yes, we are only dealing with a small water volume here. a cheap (under $10) little 7-10 watt heater would maintain the water at 5, 10 or 15 degrees above what it would otherwise be. This heated water would lose its heat upwards into the soil. Depending on where you lived, that could add a month or two to both the beginning, and end of your season, especially if you only added warm/hot water.

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Stephen,

To hold the potting mix in the wicking tube, you may want to experiment with a women's ankle panty-hose (OK, I am a GUY and don't know what they are called) section around the outside of the 4 inch pipe section. This will keep the potting mix from leaking into the water reservoir, yet allow the water to enter the wicking tube section. Paint stores also sell strainers that function like this as well, so that may be a better option.

How do you plan to support the tomato cage units?

Raybo

OK - I found the right thread. Any suggestions on how to do the peat-stocking wick? As I said in another thread by error, he's decided to look for the easier softer route... And will be using a piece of rigid perforated drain (peripheral line) pipe for the supports and the wick 'tainer. My question is how to handle the stocking full of medium??? Does it need to extend up from the tube onto the water table? Or just overfill it and tie it shut to take care of the cupcake top and tube-filling all in one neatly tied nylon stocking???

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by BSue54

OK - I found the right thread. Any suggestions on how to do the peat-stocking wick? As I said in another thread by error, he's decided to look for the easier softer route... And will be using a piece of rigid perforated drain (peripheral line) pipe for the supports and the wick 'tainer. My question is how to handle the stocking full of medium??? Does it need to extend up from the tube onto the water table? Or just overfill it and tie it shut to take care of the cupcake top and tube-filling all in one neatly tied nylon stocking???

The ideal I was having was to just use the sock material that is made to cover the pipe, (thick stocking or pantyhose might work) but the way it would work is that the wick media would be placed inside one of the rigid perforated drain pipe that would act as a raiser. The sock would be placed inside from the bottom of the water res and up into the growing media. the sock would be sown on both ends. You might could even use polly fil or some other type wicking material as well.

As long as water can transfer from the sock to the growing media.

Just wanted to note that I have kinda switched focus from this project to a solar drip hydroponics system so while the ideals are there for this its not a project I am actively building out.

[rwsacto]

Originally Posted by BSue54

OK - I found the right thread. Any suggestions on how to do the peat-stocking wick? As I said in another thread by error, he's decided to look for the easier softer route... And will be using a piece of rigid perforated drain (peripheral line) pipe for the supports and the wick 'tainer. My question is how to handle the stocking full of medium??? Does it need to extend up from the tube onto the water table? Or just overfill it and tie it shut to take care of the cupcake top and tube-filling all in one neatly tied nylon stocking???

For 18 gallon SWC's I use 5 short pieces (4-6 inches each) of 3 inch PVC drain pipe to support the aeration bench. Two pipes are used as wicking chambers. Take a length of drain sleeve, close one end with a zip tie and zip tie the open end to the top of the pipe to form the wicking chamber. Zip tie the pipes to the aeartion bench. Overfill the sleeve with potting mix, wet it and form a cupcake top. Cover the cupcake top and aeration bench (and sides) with high quality landscape fabric. Insert the fill tube, fill the SWC with a course media such as pine bark and peat, plant and enjoy.


Hope this helps,
Rick

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rwsacto

For 18 gallon SWC's I use 5 short pieces (4-6 inches each) of 3 inch PVC drain pipe to support the aeration bench. Two pipes are used as wicking chambers. Take a length of drain sleeve, close one end with a zip tie and zip tie the open end to the top of the pipe to form the wicking chamber. Zip tie the pipes to the aeartion bench. Overfill the sleeve with potting mix, wet it and form a cupcake top. Cover the cupcake top and aeration bench (and sides) with high quality landscape fabric. Insert the fill tube, fill the SWC with a course media such as pine bark and peat, plant and enjoy.


Hope this helps,
Rick

Thanks Rick,
Since I only have 5 Yoplait containers, and 10 totes, I will try your method with at least one. Well, in a fashion - we don't have the sleeve material for the drain pipe stuff.

So far, DH has cut the perf pipe stuff to fit horizontally, with 2 sections the length of the tote, and is going to cut a short piece to fit either side of the wicking 'chamber', and support the water table. The water table will be the center of the lids, with a 4" hole cut with a hole saw (he finally found the drill that fits the arbor of the holesaw he got), and lots and lots of holes drilled. Then the double layer of landscape fabric. Our front porch looks like an any-tainer factory with piles, stacks, and totes full of parts.

I think the only thing left to buy is the planting medium, dolomite, and fertilizer. Any suggestions for fertilizers for the strips, if we're unable to find tomato tone locally? Or any of you in the Houston area that know where I can buy it without ordering it online?

Thanx for the ideas, assistance, and moral support.
And Raybo, I promise I won't call it an Earth-tainer. After the adaptations my DH has made, it won't bear much resemblence to your excellent design... but I'm sure it'll work. And he's already talking about ways to tweak the design when we re-assemble next spring.

[rnewste]

Bobbie,

I do hope you are going to use the "3:2:1 Combo Mix", or something close to it. You will get far better results with this aerated Combo Mix than with Potting Mix alone. See the EarthTainer III Construction Guide for the specific recipe.

Regarding naming your design, you could call it The "BobbiTainer" - - oops, didn't she do something really bad to her husband a few years ago?

Raybo

p.s. If you can't get Tomato-tone in Point-N-Shoot Texas, you can get it on Amazon for $9.99 per 4 lb. bag. Shipping free when you make a total purchase of $25.00

http://www.amazon.com/Tomato-Tone-4-...0034960&sr=8-1

p.p.s. Also just found another link for the 20 lb. bag of Tomato-tone for $26.50 including shipping, which is a much better deal if you need that much.

http://www.amazon.com/Espoma-Company...0037795&sr=8-1

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Bobbie,

I do hope you are going to use the "3:2:1 Combo Mix", or something close to it. You will get far better results with this aerated Combo Mix than with Potting Mix alone. See the EarthTainer III Construction Guide for the specific recipe.

Regarding naming your design, you could call it The "BobbiTainer" - - oops, didn't she do something really bad to her husband a few years ago?

Raybo

p.s. If you can't get Tomato-tone in Point-N-Shoot Texas, you can get it on Amazon for $9.99 per 4 lb. bag. Shipping free when you make a total purchase of $25.00

http://www.amazon.com/Tomato-Tone-4-...0034960&sr=8-1

p.p.s. Also just found another link for the 20 lb. bag of Tomato-tone for $26.50 including shipping, which is a much better deal if you need that much.

http://www.amazon.com/Espoma-Company...0037795&sr=8-1

Ray,
Thanx for the links - I guess I need to come into the 21st century and admit that, quite often, I could find things online, order them and have them shipped here to the sticks faster than I can drive to Houston, fight traffic, and not find them.

As for the planting medium, I have every intention of finding a good soil-less potting mix, bark fines, and vermiculite and using them in the recommended ratios. If I needed a semi-load, I could even get the bark mulch place up the road to mix it for me, but I fear that would be a bit more than I need - for this year, at least If all else fails, I'll go inside one of the "big box" garden centers that I pass twice a day on my commute, and use my coupon - and read the packages for myself, because I have yet to find anyone in there with a red&yellow umbrella nametag that had a clue what I was asking for.

Looks like it'll be next weekend before these things get planted out because I'm not the swiftest driller in the world, although it did start going faster when my DH handed me a drill with a cord, instead of the half-charged cordless I usually use.

Back to the production line
Bobbie

PS - I think that was Bobbit - not BobbIE.... In some of the hospitals where I worked at the time, that act was called "getting Bobbited"

[rnewste]

Bobbie,

When you blend your Combo Mix, it should look something like this:



While you can see the white Perlite, the Decorative Groundcover Bark is hard to see.

p.s. I still like the moniker "BobbiT-ainer" for your design. It is a memorable name!

Raybo

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Bobbie,

When you blend your Combo Mix, it should look something like this:



While you can see the white Perlite, the Decorative Groundcover Bark is hard to see.

p.s. I still like the moniker "BobbiT-ainer" for your design. It is a memorable name!

Raybo

You have no idea how accurate the BobbiT-ainer name almost became when I decided to trim some mis-cuts with a box cutter, so I fear that will definitely be the name of at least ONE of these, just as soon as I get the blood off... Suffice it to say that I won't be planting or playing with sharp objects for a few days, but did NOT require stitches.

Thanx for the pictorial of the mix - I'll just remember "dirt cake" (the one made with oreo cookies and pudding )...

[rnewste]

Bobbie,

You are braver than I - - I would NEVER use box-cutters when constructing an EarthTainer!

I do use heavy duty kitchen shears that cut through chicken bones, to do trimming on the container material, etc. I've never bled on an EarthTainer yet.

Raybo

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Bobbie,

You are braver than I - - I would NEVER use box-cutters when constructing an EarthTainer!

I do use heavy duty kitchen shears that cut through chicken bones, to do trimming on the container material, etc. I've never bled on an EarthTainer yet.

Raybo

Well, you see, I started out trimming with a pair of those paramedic super-shears, that are suppose to cut through a penny and they just weren't doing the job So, my trusty box cutter came out, and I was peacefully whittling off the errant edges, when my DH stopped me and insisted that I NEVER cut towards myself... I'd made it through 4 and, I suppose was feeling like a "pro" - thinking I now knew exactly how much needed to be trimmed off all the way round the edges I was working on... when - Pop.... it cut through the corner and skittered across the other edge to where I KNEW my other hand was. It just kinda half-peeled the top of one knuckle. It could have been much worse. And the box cutter is officially retired.

The best news is that I didn't get any blood on the tomato plants, and as a paramedic, I remembered lesson #1 from EMT school - "if it looks bad, cover it up.... if you think it's going to look bad and it's on YOU.... don't look, just control bleeding and make sure you are sitting down when you do look..." So I walked calmly next door where my DH and in-laws were, and let Mom look....

So the lesson is... "kids, this can be dangerous - never try this at home!"
The errant edges will get hit with a sander, maybe - and maybe, they'll just get buried

But the tomatoes will be going in the BobbiTainers next weekend, come heck or high water, and I don't think another week in the 16oz solo cups will hurt them a bit.

[rwsacto]

Originally Posted by BSue54

...As for the planting medium, I have every intention of finding a good soil-less potting mix, bark fines, and vermiculite and using them in the recommended ratios.

Bobbie,
Did you intend vermiculite or perlite? They are often confused with each other and come in big bags but are very different. Course Perlite is recommended for the container mix.

Vermiculite is used in square foot garden mix and for seed starting. It holds a lot of water and breaks down quickly.

Good Luck,

Rick

[rnewste]

PLEASE do NOT use Vermiculite in a SWC system. Perlite will provide the necessary aeration.

Raybo

[BSue54]

Originally Posted by rnewste

PLEASE do NOT use Vermiculite in a SWC system. Perlite will provide the necessary aeration.

Raybo

Thanx a million - I didn't realize they were different beasts.