soil wicking question for second year EB's

[MaryB]

I think the trash bags were 55-gallon, 3 mil bags. I can't lift the EBs without hurting my back but I can lift one side at a time and slip the bag underneath without a problem. We tip them over and dump the water first which makes them considerably lighter. Most of our EBs have casters but not the EB staking system. These bags easily fit over the casters too.

[mjb8743]

Mickie:  Drinking alcohol or rubbing alcohol or both?

Since it will be Fall, and I'll be freezing me arse off, probably both 

Mickie

[LavendulaFleur]

Mickie:  Drinking alcohol or rubbing alcohol or both?

I was wondering about that myself!

[davejung]

I was just at the Earthbox research center this afternoon and spoke to Mr. Wislet as well as there other people. They said its very possable to get as many as 10 crops from the same original box of mix simply by  removing the old plant roots, scooping out the used fertilizer strip and topping off the box with new mix, than replanting the box. They also spoke of a newer way of laying the fertilizer strip depending on what your planting (running the strip vertical instead of horizontally when planing just two plants) They say this has prov en to provide a slightly better growth for the two plants. Mr. Winslet also commented that too much has been made of trying to find the perfect fertilizer, that just about any good fertilizer will work, he stressed the biggest mistake he sees people make is laying the strip and planting the plants so that the two are too close togeather, he said the fertilizer strip should be as far away from the plants as possable. Had a great visit and picked up everyting I needed to get going again. He also has great deals on plants ready to be planed, nice and small roots so a very small "X" need only be cut in the cover instead of trying to get a bigger root ball through the cover. 

[BRC]

If it was the older gentleman you spoke with his name is Blake Whisenant...!!

[dancing lemons]

davejung,

Thanks for the report on your visit.  I planted many of my boxes this year with the fertilizer strip in the middle across the box vertically and not down the long side.  My tomatoes are very vigorous.  I can't remember who posted (last year) that Blake puts his fertilizer strip this way for tomato plants but I got the idea from this forum and it worked great!!

DL

[joy112854]

Maybe someone can help me answer this question I have about wicking devices here?  I made some self watering containers utilizing 5 gallon buckets and 3 1/2 gallon buckets, one fits into the other leaving a nice size reservoir, I used pond basket for the wicking devices, problem is the pond basket bottom does not touch the bottom of the outter bucket, there is about an inch or so below the bottom of the pond basket to the bottom of the outer bucket, will that be a problem for me?  I'm planting tomatoes in them this Spring?
joy

[gardendoc]

That will not be a problem until the water in the reservoir drops below the basket.  That is why the EB is so brilliant. 

[weedbreeder]

Would it be effective to cut a hole in the bottom of the pond basket large enough to take a plastic drinking cup? Cut off the bottom so the lip of the cup sits in the hole and the cut portion rests on the bottom of the bucket. Cut slits in the cup vertically at 0, 45. 180, and 315 degrees (this idea stolen from the internet). Stuff the mix all the way to the bottom.

Jim

[joy112854]

Jim:  The reason I used the pond basket is it looked a little more sturdy than the plastic cup. LOL  I will be watering them at least once or twice a day with them holding my toms in them.   I just noticed though, that the EBs wicking device and the GP's both go all the way to the bottom and mine missed it by just an inch.  The pond basket is five incher and it's about six inches from the top of the bottom bucket to the bottom of the bottom bucket for the reservoir.  It gave me a bigger reservoir using a 3 1/2 gallon bucket and a 5 gallon bucket than using two 5 gallon buckets with the same pond basket, as that time the pond basket came up out of the it rested in about 1/2 an inch or so.

I did notice that people said the wicking device had to touch the bottom of the bottom bucket for good wicking and it kind of worried me?  I got 50 of these things made.


joy     

[weedbreeder]

     I'm confused. Didn't you say the pond basket doesn't touch the bottom? If so, what structural support could it be providing the screen?

     Also, if the screen is an inner  bucket, it probably doesn't need any support. It's only about 10" or so diameter at the bottom and stiffened by the bottom rim. The plastic cup is just to provide a "chute" to the bottom so's to have medium all the way to the bottom of the outer bucket and not dissipate (re-read gardendoc's reply below).

     However way you decide to go, good luck. Fifty buckets! Wow. Don't forget to post some pictures when things get rolling.

Jim

[joy112854]

Jim:  I wish I could figure out the way to post pics, I have a lot of them to share; but, it's so time consuming trying to figure it out.  I've never been good with computers unfortunately, and have tried many times.  I'm planning on building a staking system around the buckets and self watering drip system hooked up to a timer also.  I'm retired so have the time to spend hours dreaming up these ideas and then trying to put them on paper.  I was trying to figure out how far apart to space the buckets from one another.  Most of the tomatoes I'm putting in them will be beefsteak types, and spreaders.  I was thinking about pinching some of them at the top to encourage them to spread out instead of up, that being the case I've not decided the spacing between the buckets yet.  I figure it should be at least 1 1/2 ft away from each other if not 3.  Any ideas?
joy

[weedbreeder]

Joy, I can't help you there. Sorry. There's a ton of experience on this site, and I'm sure you'll get your question answered.
Jim

[joy112854]

Jim:  That's ok, will have the answer before the time comes.  Today my shed is getting shelves and I'll be able to hook up some T-5 lighting in there, a heater or window a/c when I'm done complete with a potting bench.  Who says you can only grow tomatoes in the Spring/Summer?   Right? LOL
joy

[joy112854]

   What is gif?  MWS?  What?  Confused here; but that shouldn't surprise anyone right? 

My shed is complete; but my potting stand and other stuff isn't, I chose to get green fiberglass instead to build a greenhouse with out of wood, green fiberglass sides, a glass and aluminum door, and clear fiberglass top with air vents.  Just waiting for my friend to find the time to build it for me, hopefully this weekend?  I have to seriously think about repotting up my tomato plants they are getting rather tall and all I have are flourescent lights right now.  Keeping them under the flourescents for 16-19 hours a day to assure they are getting a little light anyways and have the lights almost on top of them.  The T-5 lights are much better, they will come next year I hope.
joy