Easy wicking plant bags

[willyb]

Bags are homemade 7 Gal from landscape fabric, wick is burlap

Soil mix is:

Peatmoss
pro-mix
compost
perolite
vermiculate
lime
bonemeal
Diatomaceous earth
7-7-7 fert plus added P&K

[janezee]

Wow, you sure didn't waste any time filling up that little greenhouse! Looks great!
j

[willyb]

Thanks J

I'm having too much fun! My wife teases me and tells me I will need to add on another 8' section.

I am going to put tumbeling tomatoes on the top frames and have them hanging for snacks.

Cukes along the back to grow up the supports.

[pattiann]

new to all this, as you know. What exactly is the wicking burlap for and why do you have it in the pattern you do rather than just straight across it? What did you use to stitch the landscape fabric together? Would you recommend one brand of landscape fabric over another? Christmas Tree shop has some on sale now, 3' by 50', 3 for $10, and another store has the same size at 4.99. It's hard for a newbie like me to know what to get!
Thanks for the help.

[willyb]

The grow bags sit over water containers. The burlap draws water (wicks) to the soil. I spread the burlap out through the soil to provide better water distribution to the roots.

The bags are made on a sewing machine using regular fabric thread. I would not recommend one brand of filter fabric over another. Cheap is fine. If you can blow through it, it is fine.

I have had my grow bags wicking for two weeks now and the soil is evenly moist. They are working well.

[delaware]

That's a really nice looking setup!

I'm so curious about some details.
1. How close is the water surface to the pot above it? Is the burlap exposed to the air in that gap or have you covered it with tubing or something? I wondering in my case if it was on my patio and the space was more than a few inches would drying out interfere with the capillary action?
2. Do you just have the burlap stuffed through the pot through a small hole or a rectangular slit to prevent bunching?
3. How far down into the water does the burlap extend and how far up into the planting mix?
4. What are the proportions recipe of your mix?
5. Do you think you (meaning me) could get as effective a wicking action if I used a ten gallon pot? I've read there are limits to the size of the container where this kind of wicking just can't do an adequate job.
6. Have you tested this wicking system out in the heat of the summer with a ravenously thirsty tomato plant guzzling at the burlap wick?
I have been really wanting to experiment with this painless kind of wicking with a 10 gallon container here in Delaware but I couln't find what anyone considered a good enough wick. Most suggested rayon or polypropylene mix cloth or rope but they cautioned that it would only work in a small pot.

Sure I could build an earthbox or whatever but that's way too much work for doing 20 buckets.

Thanks for your comments and please keep me posted with progress photos.

[willyb]

Originally Posted by delaware

That's a really nice looking setup!

I'm so curious about some details.
1. How close is the water surface to the pot above it? Is the burlap exposed to the air in that gap or have you covered it with tubing or something? I wondering in my case if it was on my patio and the space was more than a few inches would drying out interfere with the capillary action?
2. Do you just have the burlap stuffed through the pot through a small hole or a rectangular slit to prevent bunching?
3. How far down into the water does the burlap extend and how far up into the planting mix?
4. What are the proportions recipe of your mix?
5. Do you think you (meaning me) could get as effective a wicking action if I used a ten gallon pot? I've read there are limits to the size of the container where this kind of wicking just can't do an adequate job.
6. Have you tested this wicking system out in the heat of the summer with a ravenously thirsty tomato plant guzzling at the burlap wick?
I have been really wanting to experiment with this painless kind of wicking with a 10 gallon container here in Delaware but I couln't find what anyone considered a good enough wick. Most suggested rayon or polypropylene mix cloth or rope but they cautioned that it would only work in a small pot.

Sure I could build an earthbox or whatever but that's way too much work for doing 20 buckets.

Thanks for your comments and please keep me posted with progress photos.

Thanks for your compliment. I am not an export on wicking systems, however I am well read and opinionated.

1) My bags are about 2 inches above the water level. I considered wrapping saran warp on the gap and decided not to. Seems to be wicking fine.
2) I cut a small slit with my jackknife and forced the wick through.
3) The tail of the wick is about 14 inch long, when I first put it together it floated on the surface. I will have to stick my hand in to see if it has released it's air and sunk. I considered putting a weight on it.
4) Soil mix from memory. 2 peat moss. 2 promix. 1 compost. 1 vermiculite. 1 perlite. 1 cup granular 7-7-7. 1 cup bonemeal. 1 cup diamamatasious earth (sp) for micro nutrianents. Mixed in a big wheel barrel. I read that wicking systems are limited to 12 inches or so vertical climb. I don't know.
5) I think a 10 gal pot is great. I would drill lots of air holes. I used filter fabric as it breaths and drains well.
6) I have not tested this system in the heat of summer. I expect it would work or at least cut down your watering. I think your 10 gal plastic containers would hold water in better. Mulch the top.

Go for it.

I agree that earthbox type systems are too much work and overly complex.

We don't need to spend a lot of money to grow tomatoes. Less is better.

Cheers,

Brad

[willyb]

Delaware,

Forgot:

1 cup of dolomite lime in soil as mix is heavy to peat moss.

I used 1/5 recommended 4-10- 4 to the initial transplant water for added P. I used this in the water from the seedling stage. Plants have done well on it.

[willyb]

Delaware,

Missed a question on item 3.

The burlap wick extends about 1/3 way into the soil. The burlap is spread out through the soil mix, the roots will find a happy place of the right moisture and air environment. My bags are 12 inch square on the bottom, filled about 14 inch high. I may add more soil as they grow.

[delaware]

Hey Brad--

Thanks for your great answers. I'm pumped.

Being a chemist I LOVE experiments, plus, I love the idea of figuring out an easy, inexpensive way to do something that doesn't require power tools, 77 separately tooled parts and something a toolaphobic or another senior citizen like me could put together in an hour and plant a mater in it.

Okay, I don't count a sewing machine or a power drill as a "power tool." They are my friends.

As a seamstress I immediately thought of burlap upholstery frabic that is thicker and more wick-like than regular burlap that usually only has a thread count of 10 threads per inch plus the upholstery burlap is already cut to a roll of 3 inch burlap. So that's what I'm going to experiment with.

I'm using an 18 gallon tote as the reservoir with a metal rack in it to support the container about 3 inches above the water level. I'll cut out the lid with a utility knife to help keep the tote squarely shaped.

I'll test two types of containers: a 10 gallon smart pot (breathable felt like cloth that is thicker than landscape fabric) and a ten gallow plastic pot. Both fit nicely inside the tote and the smart pot will have enough room all the way around it to not interfere too much with the air pruning.

Naturally I'll use the same variety of tomato in each and the same potting mix. Amended promix bx. I'll be pruning to two vines and top them when they reach the top of the six foot cage.

Obviously this isn't a perfectly desgined experiment like I would conduct at the lab. This one is for FUN.

I'll post photos when I get it set up. Not that there is much to see .... a tote, a bit of fabric, a pot, some dirt.....

[janezee]

OMG, now you've both got me 'pumped!' Love it! My sewing machine and drill are my friends, too!
This looks just like one more experiment I'd love to do this year. And I have all the 'materials' on hand.
I'll just have to rig up some of pieces of 2x4 to rest the bags on. Goody!!!!

[delaware]

Wonderful! The more, the merrier. Synergy in action.

I've already changed my experiment design sine I don't have a ten gallon plastic bucket and my point is to use what I already have...plus I've decided to drop back to a 5 gallon felt grow bag since I do have that AND a 5 gallon plastic pot AND i also have a monster lomger tote that both the felt pot and the plastic pot will fit into so that they are both using exactly the same reservoir source.

Keep us posted as you too change your design as you go.

Oh yeah...know what I'm using to support the two pots over the water inside the monster tote? Two cheap dish drainers fron the dollar store that never worked out for dishes.

[baileyj]

I have a quick question about the landscape pots...Are they 1 layer of fabric ? Are they reusable after the season ? I use them for potatoes without the wicking but not tomatoes....this sounds like a great experiment...will follow your progresss and may try next year.

[willyb]

Hi Bailey,

Welcome to the form.

The bags are just one layer. I expect to be able to re-use them.

I want to try a few potatoes in bags, do you like that method?

I get spent mushroom compost cheap here will try that for a soil strata.

Brad

[willyb]

J,

Now you have me thinking. That is a good idea to use some old 2x4s on top of the container. Would be easy to add a support. (See attached) One could build 3 or 4 units, place them close and plant cukes or pole beans in between and have them vine up the same poles. Scarlet runners or Sadies horse beans would provide a good show of flowers (sweet peas?)