I have used the 2 bucket wicking buckets now for 10 years. At first I would remove the potting soil every fall and save it in barrels and refill the buckets in the spring. Now I don't even remove the soil in the fall. I dump out the water reservoir pull out the root mass and let the potting soil freeze dry over the winter. In the spring they are nice and dry, I just amend the soil with my new recipe (it changes from year to year, depending on the TH-cam vids I watch over the winter). In a 5 gallon bucket I grow two Tomato plants (determinate or indeterminate no difference in the space they need or water requirements). I will also plant 4-5 cucumber plants in a 5 gallon bucket and 3 pepper plants. by using this method for these plants, my tomatoes will grow taller than my garage roof (15ft) and my cucumbers will get 12ft tall before I run out of trellis to anchor them too. Location is Saskatchewan Canada, zone 3B.
Ok I missed something here. What is the wick? Looks like osmosis, since nothing appears to wick the moisture into the soil. How does the water wick into the soil?
I am using the soil itself for the wick. In each container a small portion of soil extends to the bottom of the container to act as a wick. In my favorite 5 gal wicking tubs, either with a false bottom or with two pails stacked, I have a pencil holder filled with soil which extends to the bottom of the water reservoir. You need to moisten all the soil in the container. Then when you fill the reservoir in the bottom with water through the fill tube, the water will seep into the soil in the pencil holder, and "wick" (maybe that isn't the correct technical word) up into the soil above the water compartment. With the soda can example, the soil between the cans accomplishes the same result. As I noted in the video, the milk jug example really doesn't seem to work. Hopefully, that clarifies it for you.
Comprehensive video so far, comparing various method, love it. Thank you Sir.
Glad it was helpful!
I have used the 2 bucket wicking buckets now for 10 years. At first I would remove the potting soil every fall and save it in barrels and refill the buckets in the spring. Now I don't even remove the soil in the fall. I dump out the water reservoir pull out the root mass and let the potting soil freeze dry over the winter. In the spring they are nice and dry, I just amend the soil with my new recipe (it changes from year to year, depending on the TH-cam vids I watch over the winter). In a 5 gallon bucket I grow two Tomato plants (determinate or indeterminate no difference in the space they need or water requirements). I will also plant 4-5 cucumber plants in a 5 gallon bucket and 3 pepper plants. by using this method for these plants, my tomatoes will grow taller than my garage roof (15ft) and my cucumbers will get 12ft tall before I run out of trellis to anchor them too. Location is Saskatchewan Canada, zone 3B.
@@onepanman9852 It sounds like you have it down to a science 😀. Thanks for the input.
I spend hours and days of research to finally find this video, which summarizes the various methods. Excellent❤
@@tanr265 Thanks. Glad to be of help. 😀
I love watering my plants to much I make all my plant food and spend as much time with my plants as I can
Ok I missed something here. What is the wick? Looks like osmosis, since nothing appears to wick the moisture into the soil. How does the water wick into the soil?
I am using the soil itself for the wick. In each container a small portion of soil extends to the bottom of the container to act as a wick.
In my favorite 5 gal wicking tubs, either with a false bottom or with two pails stacked, I have a pencil holder filled with soil which extends to the bottom of the water reservoir. You need to moisten all the soil in the container. Then when you fill the reservoir in the bottom with water through the fill tube, the water will seep into the soil in the pencil holder, and "wick" (maybe that isn't the correct technical word) up into the soil above the water compartment.
With the soda can example, the soil between the cans accomplishes the same result.
As I noted in the video, the milk jug example really doesn't seem to work.
Hopefully, that clarifies it for you.