Wick system: Water consumption vs. supply

[Bowl Destroyer]

Hello hello. I've a feeling this forum needs a discussion on the WICK SYSTEM!! Yaay...The wick system is a very easy, low-maintenance garden setup that supplies water 24/7. The trick to it supply the right amount of water...which is what I aim to discuss.



This is my current setup:

Two 5 gallon buckets stacked on each other. I cut out a 1" hole on the bottom of the top bucket. I squeezed a bunch of cotton lantern wicks into the hole, snugly fit. The wicks go up through the medium (seed starter lol, it's soilless) about 1/3 to 1/2 the way up. I spread the wicks out so they cover a little more area. The medium is moist everywhere but the first top inch. Next time I'll put more wicks in.



What're your experiences with wicks?

 

[mrniceguy]

i have no personal expierience with the wick system, but i do remember reading an article a few years back in ht about it....it sounds very simple and effective:aok: thanks for bringing it up

 

[That crazy vancouver guy]

I use a wicking system to do my clones... cuttings inserted in soil in a small pot, sitting in a drip pan that has a solution in it always...

eliminates the possibility of the medium drying out giving the best success rate for clones I've had so far.... :hubba:

 

[BagSeed]

Would this work without the wicks? Like if you just put the bucket on top of some other container that sealed well and put a few inches of water in the bottom container. Would the evaporating water make the soil too wet and cause root rot? I wanted to do something similar with my guerrilla grow...

 

[Bowl Destroyer]

Would this work without the wicks? Like if you just put the bucket on top of some other container that sealed well and put a few inches of water in the bottom container. Would the evaporating water make the soil too wet and cause root rot? I wanted to do something similar with my guerrilla grow...

I don't think that would make the soil wet at all big baller. I heard you can take strips of 100% cotton t shirts and that would have the same effect, but you gotta have something to bring the water up.

 

[BuddyLuv]

I had a few emily's gardens from hydrofarm a few years back. They were very low maintenance and very good results.

 

[LowRider]

ostpicsworthless:

FOR US NOOBS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SativaWeed]

I used the wick-system for my last grow and am going to use it again on my recent restart. It worked VERY well for me at keeping the soil evenly damp and as a no-hassle watering system. I used 1 gallon milk cartons with two holes cut into opposite bottom-sides and ran a length of butchers twine through both holes with the middle turn up into the medium (own mix). The ends of the twine were simply laid in the resevoir (cat pan, lol) and allowed to naturally absorb the nutrient/water. The soil never becomes compacted the way top-down waterings tend to do as the plant takes up only what it needs and through capillary action the wicks replace only that much. It's a good, cheap, easy method, great if you need to leave for a few days or more as long as the resevoir is large enough.
As for putting the bucket INTO the water instead of wicks, it won't work as the medium will just get drenched and the top will become bone dry in a few days. The soil/mix doesn't move the water, the wick does and the plant takes it away from the soil and pulls more up throught the wick material. Almost anything can be used for wicks, including plastic braided cord, clothesline, whatever! Easy!

 

[massproducer]

Wick systems are great but you have to worry about the actual wick, IMHO if you are interested in passive systems then a reservoir system is a lot more efficient. It gives a similar growth rate, maybe even faster and there is basically no maintaince

 

[Bowl Destroyer]

I tried looking up water diffusion rate in cotton, nothing.

Sativaweed: How thick was that butchers twine? And what was your lighting setup?