Recent Posts

11

Questions and Answers / Re: AWS Leaking

« Last post by CathyM on June 14, 2023, 12:40:38 pm »

I can't address the AWS because I don't use one.  But as far as the fill tube goes, there are little slanted ridges under where the fill tube sits, so there isn't a way to make it sit vertically even if you wanted to.  You're good on that.

Edited to add:  The reason you wouldn't want the fill tube sitting flat on the bottom of the box is it would prevent water from flowing from the tube into the reservoir.  But the plastic ridges built into the bottom of the box won't let the tube sit flat on the bottom anyway, so you don't have to do anything in that regard.

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Questions and Answers / Re: Tips on how to “train” tomatoes after they’ve reached the top of cages??

« Last post by robstur on June 13, 2023, 11:35:10 am »

If you haven't switched to determinate tomatoes this year, yes, you can gently train a main stem back down the trellis. Depending on the plant's structure and how you have pruned it, sometimes there is a sucker that is pretty well formed/mature that could take over as the main stem if you cut the top of the main stem. You might also look into how greenhouse growers train cucumbers and tomatoes to be single-stem plants on a string that they can lengthen and slide along an overhead support bar such that the plants get shifted from vertical to an angle.

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Questions and Answers / AWS Leaking

« Last post by samstk on June 12, 2023, 06:48:49 pm »

Can someone explain exactly how to or send a picture showing how to lean the Earthbox watering tube. Under the FAQ regarding leaks, it says that the watering tube should not be place completely vertical. Exactly how am I supposed to do this and what exactly is the reason for doing this?

There seems to be some debate about the difficulty of setting up an AWS without leaks. I can say that it is definitely challenging! I am guessing that those who do not notice leaks have their Earthboxes on the ground and so are not noticing how much they leak. Ours are on the outside edge of a deck and drip they do. These drips vary throughout the day so are hard to catch, but the puddles on ground definitely tell the story.

Sam

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Questions and Answers / Re: Mounding potting mix on top of fertilizer... is 5 inches too much?

« Last post by gardendoc on June 12, 2023, 03:15:43 pm »

I don't bury the ag grade granular fertilizer, just make a small trench for the fertilizer.

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Questions and Answers / Re: Mounding potting mix on top of fertilizer... is 5 inches too much?

« Last post by robstur on June 11, 2023, 09:02:03 am »

Thank you so much.  I studied lots of videos and instructional blogs the past couple of days, and, although it's hard to tell from the viewing angle, it looks to me like most people only mound the potting mix up a couple of inches rather than the 4-6 in the instructions.

I also found your YouTube channel and watched a lot of your videos... thank you for all the instruction you provide.

I read that organic fertilizer should be buried several inches to keep animals from digging it, and it looks like most of the instructional videos bury any fertilizer an inch or two.

Is it important to bury the fertilizer at all if it's synthetic?

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Questions and Answers / Re: Mounding potting mix on top of fertilizer... is 5 inches too much?

« Last post by gardendoc on June 11, 2023, 06:24:30 am »

I had the good fortune to meet and talk with Blake before he passed away. He always told me to make that mound and put the fertilizer strip on top of the mound. If you're using organic fertilizer then burying into the mound as you describe would be fine. If inorganic like 10-10-10, I believe burying will cause the fertilizer to release the nutrients too quickly. In this case I would redo the EB.

Here's a video I shot a couple of years ago putting the mix in and then discuss the fertilizer strip placement, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NYiXr98w_Y

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Questions and Answers / Mounding potting mix on top of fertilizer... is 5 inches too much?

« Last post by robstur on June 09, 2023, 06:43:38 pm »

I'm just setting up some new EB's, and following the instructions that came with it to mound up the potting mix 5 inches above the fertilizer. Someone commented on Youtube under the official set up video, that such a mound over the fertilizer would result in the fertilizer being too low in the system and burning the plants, and suggested watching the videos by Blake and Dorothy.

I watched those old videos and Blake said fertilizer salts rise to the top and so you want the fertilizer near the top of the surface. He didn't appear to mound the soil up much ... a little, but nothing that looked like the 4-6 inches recommended currently in EB's current instructions.

Of course, I just finished making beautiful 5 inch mounds over top of my fertilizer (synthetic) bands, and now I'm wondering if I need to re-do things before I plant.

What do you experienced growers think about the 4-6 inch mounds? Are they of benefit? Do they create problems with the salts from fertilizers?

Thanks.

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Questions and Answers / Re: EB is leaking

« Last post by LuvTomatoes on June 05, 2023, 12:32:36 pm »

I do have the wheel kit for the staking system but the leaks are not coming from that area.  I removed the wheel system yesterday so the box is flat against the cement patio, thinking this would slow the leak a bit.  I'll post more after seeing the results over a few days.

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Questions and Answers / Re: EB is leaking

« Last post by gardendoc on June 04, 2023, 05:54:02 pm »

Do you have the wheel kit? I read posts about leaks at the places where the wheels attach.

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Questions and Answers / Re: EB is leaking

« Last post by LuvTomatoes on June 01, 2023, 03:46:52 pm »

It's not the overflow.  After adding water in the morning, there was still a large puddle later in the afternoon.  I cannot see the bottom of the box but I put a mirror underneath, as best I could.  Small drips seem to be coming out in at least 3 different areas, right down the middle of the length of the box.
I purchased a new EB kit and will set it up and then move my 4 pepper plants.  They are still small enough that I'll be able to do so, without much harm!!! (I hope)