Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

kewl

Dale on most wicking beds that small you dont need the sand layer just dirt better still poting mix

I substitute whatever mulch material I have on hand for the "gravel" layer and I skip the weed fabric.

I've also so far also skipped the water distrobution pipes. I just have one vertical pipe so I can see if there is water in the bottom or not.

They can be really simple. The concept is really just to store up a bit of water for the plants. Like moving the drain holes on a plant pot part way up the side instead of on the bottom.

Just quickly I used sand because I have a lot of it and no potting mix.
I have to pull it apart as it appears to have a leak unfortunately.
Dale

Wicking bed update
The same spuds were planted in the blue wicking barrel and normal black pot at the same time.


My two newer beds that I have just topped up with compost

Decided I needed to sow some carrots in a wicking bed so I got the Kiphlers out of it. Got the lot below and that was after already eating about 30 of them.


Topped up with potting mix and carrots sown

Couple of quick questions guys.

Whats the difference between dirt and potting mix?

Do you have to water the plants from the top as well or is filling up the bottom reservoir sufficient?

You can fill up the bed with just plain dirt? Pure compost I take it would be best so that the plant has plenty of nutrients yes?

TCL says she does without the weed mat at the bottom, what exactly is the point of that? If its to keep the reservoir from becoming clogged, won't the matting too become clogged over time?

Is it a problem if there is water in the reservoir at all times?

The depths listed here are quite varying, so for small rooted plants like herbs even a 60 cm deep bed, with a 20 cm reservoir will be sufficient as F&F points out, on the the other hand something deeper, like 12 inches or so would be needed for larger plants like tomatoes or sweet corn, yes?

How tall a container can you rig up this way?

Can you put seeds straight into a tall wicking bed, or do you have to start them in a shallow one?

Can a wicking bed be as simple as hanging a coconut coir planter above my pond and pulling one piece of it down till it touches the water?

I don't think a coir planter hanging above water with only a small wick touching the water will actually stay wet enough. Now if the bottom of the planter itself was actually touching the water, perhaps that would work but then you have to worry about the wire and the water.

Even rayon wicks and capillary matting will only lift water a small distance and even then only slowly.

Ok lets have a crack at this

dirt potting mix.. potting mix is usually compost and course sand with added neutriants
dirt not much grow in it without adding lots of extras
water top bottom .. i do eather depending on my mood every 6 weeks give it a good flush top watering
No water cycles in the res let it nearly dry occasionaly
Deps of container ..i find 400 best other depths will work mind you water will only wick so far and that depends on your media
Yep seeds straight in
As for hanging the basket over the ft havent tried this you be a pioneer and try it and report your findings
hope this helps

Thanks guys [:

I'll try out the coconut coir basket and report. Will try and use a basket that doesn't use wire, and will set up two, one with the bottom wet and one with some wicking material just dipping in the water.

I also read in a number of places that you can use organic matter/mulch on the bottom layer but that it collapses and gets used up, I think gravel would be the best option, it would even keep the dirt in check. Do your beds ever give issues with clogging TCL? and how often do you dig them up and replace the soil, bottom layer and all that?

I read somewhere online that the max height the water will wick is 300 mm.

So just checking my understanding, you put a resevoir in the bottom, line it with gravel/dirt/mulch, cover that with a permeable matting like mosquito netting, shade cloth, newspaper, hay, etc., then cover with dirt/compost ( i read on the earthbox forum, easy gardening I think its called, that the best mix they found was 40% clay, 40% soil, and 20% compost/worm castings), you plant in this dirt and cover it with mulch like straw, a plastic bag, shadecloth, compost, etc.

You don't need to add a wick up from the reservoir to the top of the container, and the dirt must be pushed down in one or two corners so it can reach the water and wick it up, the overflow hole must be just below the top of the bottom wicking layer so that the water doesn't soak the bottom layer of the dirt/compost/growing media.

Water shouldn't be allowed to pool and stand in the bottom so let it dry occasionally. I have an idea here though, what would happen if we chucked in an air stone in there and kept it aerated, no need to let it dry then as water won't get stagnant...?

The ones I've seen (like the Earth Box) make an air plenum at the bottom. Some people do this with milk jugs with little holes in them. This inserts a layer of air between the soil and the water.

My wicking beds in the greenhouse that I have used for many years have an air layer between the water and soil. Its easy to do when using a tub within a tub, or pot within a pot. Doing this you or course need a wicking source which is another small pot that connects the dirt to the water





There is a drain hole in the water holding tub just below the level of the bottom of the soil holding tub
They work really well and being in the greenhouse have lasted. I had one outside in the sun a few years ago and it fell to bits in one season. I now use heavier black tubs

Would love a picture to demonstrate.
I have an old bath tub I was going to put an empty pre drilled at 100mm silicone tube in the hole as it fits and a 50 mm PVC is a little to big.
I was thinking of either burrying it and covering with shade clothe to stop dirt blocking the holes or putting a 90 mm pipe over it and using that to water
Any ideas(drawings photos) would be appreciated.

Loves this thread

I probably wouldn't recommend the gravel in the hanging coir matting basket, too heavy and the gravel won't wick up water. The gravel or coarse layer in the bottom of such "self watering planters" is really just to help hold the compost/potting soil up out of the water a bit to allow the water to flow more freely in the bottom but for the planting soil to wick up water, something absorbent must be touching the planting soil and the water or the soil has to be touching the water.

My wicking beds are not nearly so complex and I've not had them long enough to know if I'll need to ever dig them up to replace the coarse materials at the bottom or if I'll just need to top up the compost on top. I think part of the coarse materials in the bottom is because one never has as much compost as one wants so we use some coarse stuff in the bottom to help fill up the container more without necessarily needing to buy more compost.

Nice work with the potatoes Mantis, I assume the crop from the wicking bed exceeded the other pot?