Why talking about SIP Containers? One of the main worries when decided to grow cannabis is water consumption needed by this plant. Besides a spending, water is the most essential natural resource for life and, growers or not, we have the must of preserving it, and use it with conscience.
There are many way to a responsible water consumption, and some opinions to regulate and optimize irrigation. Today we will talk about virtues of SIP containers (Sub-Irrigated Planters), an irrigation method which will help reducing the spending in water up to 80% but also makes it easier and practical to be done.
What is a SIP Container?
A SIP is a container designed in a form that sources an irrigation from the bottom. It consists in a water tank placed under the bottom, filled manually from the surface, through a tube that goes through the substrate. So, water and substrate are placed in separated compartments, and are in contact through small slots that allow humidity to ascend so the roots can access water within capilarity.
Advantages of SIP containers
Bye Bye to hydric stress: Plants use water depending on their needings, so the hydric stress is removed, and also all those problems about over water watering and lack of watering (unless we forget about filling the tank, obviously).
Increased gap between waterings: Water tank should only be filled when it is empty. This allows us to save time watering plants, to invest it taking care of them, to don't mention that finally we will be able to take those days off for vacations, without the fear of plants getting dry.
Water consumption savings: With a SIP Container we are ensuring to don't waste any drop of water. Plants will take the needed amount, not more, not less.
In addition if we assemble a funnel (or the top from a bottle) to the tank's filling tube, we can store raining water (in cases where growing outdoors), or optimize to the max the watering of our plants.
Recycling: Build your own SIP at home is a way of giving a second life to those buckets, tanks or containers you were going to throw away. From a single yogurt up to a plastic bottle or a trash can; you only need the attitude and some imagination.
Less leaf illness: The fact that watering comes from the bottom decreases the humidity in the top part of the plants, making them less likely to these type of illness.
Nutrient conserving: While tradition watering, where water goes from the surface all the way to the bottom, makes the nutrients to be flushed away: SUB-Irrigated watering favours its conservation.
Easy and comfortable: Everyone can do it. If kids at elementary school can create a SIP container, with two yogurts and a straw, in science class, probably you can too. With a little invest , you can build high quality sub-irrigated pots or containers. Then you'll only need to fill the tank once in a while, nothing more comfortable.
As always, nothing is perfect, and this method also presents some issues. Lets take a look:
Disadvantages of SIP container
Not too practical for large scaled gardens: This is only a question of monetary means. SIPs are perfect for urban gardening (to place them in your balcony, terrace, or small indoor gardens), because we can build them with home-found materials; but when it comes to large scale operations we pretend to irrigate is way more difficult to design and build them, what actually will need a higher investment.
More attention to the substrate: Plastic containers keep a lot the humidity, and make it difficult the drainage. This causes humidity problems, and with those the feared appearance of pests, molds, bacteria and insects. This will require an initial cost and work, but no need to be scared. All these problems can be easily solved with a good substrate, and doing a good aeration system doing some holes.
Atention with salts. In closed systems, soluble salts can not be flushed. To avoid those salts to accumulate with the pass of time it will be very important that your SIP container has some holes in the low part of your ceiling comparment, as well as a good drainage system to your water tank, Besides, it will be convenient to use low amounts of fertilizers.
Do you think is complex? Do think so, Sips are easier than they look like. Are suitable for indoor and outdoor growing, and can be done in different sizes, with recycled materials you have at home, and with almost every container you have in your fridge.
How to build a SIP
The list of materials can vary a lot, everything will depend on the size of the contaienr you pretend to construct. We will use as a reference a 3 gallon pot (12 Liters). If you prefer smaller containers, use your imagination, and reduce the scale, you can use an icecream can instead of a bucket, a straw instead of a tube, etc (at this point it doesn't matter how it looks like...)
To proceed you'll need:
1 Bucket with tape
1 Grid pot
1Plastic tube
It can be plastic, pvc, or a piece of hose... What is important is that it must be longer than bucket's height.
recycle the bottom of a bottle, a yogurt... Whatever you think could serve.
Plastic elbow
Plastic joint
Plastic bridle
Black plastic bag
Drill
Cutter
Scisors
Marker pen
Steps to follow:
Take off the lid from the bucket and, within a cutter, cut the center of the lid.
Place the grid pot on the center of the lid, draw the edge with a marker and cut it. Try to cut the hole slightly smaller than the edge, so when you put the plastic container in it sits perfect. This will be the bottom of the floor compartment. You can also do some holes on the lid and hold it within flanges.
Following do the same with the tube: In a low lateral of the smaller cube draw the edge of the tube and cut it. This time it doesn't need to be smaller. We'll use this hole for the irrigation tube, that will pass through the substrate and floor, down to the water tank.
With the drill and a 6mm bit (it doesn't matter if is bit bigger or smaller) proceed to do some holes to the bottom of the smaller container (about 20 or so). These holes are a must for a proper drainage.
Take the irrigation tube and cut one of its sides in diagonal, this way you'll avoid it to be blocked by the bottom of the water tank.
Within the cutter do 4 vertical cuts (thin) to the plastic container. Do not cut the way up to the top, nor to the bottom!
Place the grid pot next to the bucket one, so the height of their tops match. What height is the grid pot compared with the bucket? Mark it with the marker. This will be the limit of the water tank.
Within the drill do two holes (one on each side) of the bucket (just under the limit marked in the previous step). These holes will remove any possibility of the tank to be overfilled.
Place the lid with the grid pot in the bucket, and assemble the irrigation tube.
Assemble the funnel to the irrigation tube, and stick it with tape. This will make it easier when needing to fill the tank.
Your SIP is ready! Now you only need to add substrate, You know you can plant whatever, from seeds to clones. Once you put your seedlings or cuttings just water the surface from up to the bottom (only for this time) and compact the substrate.
Best substrate to grow cannabis in SIP Containers?
Substrate takes an important part in the process to work properly. You should ensure that it won't get too compact, nor dense, because wate r should be uptaken from the bottom. What you need is a substrate that enhances capilarity action, so a good aerated substrate.
To get a good aerated substrate you can add a good amount of coco coir to the soil you were planning to use, as well as perlite or vermiculite. This way you will ease the ascent of water and the nutrient uptake.
Maybe this is a good moment to create your own organic substrate, because an organic substrate is homogenous and delivers a uniform humidity (if you want to know more about how to mix a good organic soil read our post about No-Till cannabis.
Now you don't have any more excuses: you know how to do it, you have materials. Bet for a responsible water consumption is a task of all of us.
I usually fertilize within the filling tube, but every once in a while i top water the whole substrate (you don't have to, but I have the intuition that plants like it). Any fertilizer in special, use the one you can get easily and that's all (I usually use Canna, but no matter the brand). Most of the companies sell good products nowadays.