When the reservoir gets low, is the wicking action able to lift enough water all the way up to keep the soil moist? I thought wicking was only able to lift water about 30cm or so from the surface of the water. How deep is the soil in the planter, and have any of these benches been built and successfully used to grow vegetables?
Great point. That is exactly what we have been testing since developing this video-- there are many variables, from soil/peat/compost mix to wick design to evapotranspiration to climate... one thing we know is that the wick needs to be saturated and as long as the pull from capillary action/ drying above creates enough vacuum, water will be sucked up. We figure if trees can do it, we can find a way to emulate them.
Soil depth = 10-24in dep on varieties, not consistent
WOW, I THOUGHT OF THIS AND STARTED LOOKING AROUND TO SEE IF ANYONE HAD DONE IT, BECUASE I WAS AWARE OF THE EARTHBOXES AND WANTED SOME MORE FLEXIBILITY....THANKS A LOT FOR POSTING, I'VE THOUGHT OF ALL KINDS OF VARIATIONS ON THIS KIND OF CONCEPT, BUT YOURS IS THE FIRST ONE I'VE FOUND, THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK, ITS REALLY APPRECIATED
When the reservoir gets low, is the wicking action able to lift enough water all the way up to keep the soil moist? I thought wicking was only able to lift water about 30cm or so from the surface of the water. How deep is the soil in the planter, and have any of these benches been built and successfully used to grow vegetables?
mduffor1 3 months ago
@mduffor1
Great point. That is exactly what we have been testing since developing this video-- there are many variables, from soil/peat/compost mix to wick design to evapotranspiration to climate... one thing we know is that the wick needs to be saturated and as long as the pull from capillary action/ drying above creates enough vacuum, water will be sucked up. We figure if trees can do it, we can find a way to emulate them.
Soil depth = 10-24in dep on varieties, not consistent
2ndrain 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
WOW, I THOUGHT OF THIS AND STARTED LOOKING AROUND TO SEE IF ANYONE HAD DONE IT, BECUASE I WAS AWARE OF THE EARTHBOXES AND WANTED SOME MORE FLEXIBILITY....THANKS A LOT FOR POSTING, I'VE THOUGHT OF ALL KINDS OF VARIATIONS ON THIS KIND OF CONCEPT, BUT YOURS IS THE FIRST ONE I'VE FOUND, THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK, ITS REALLY APPRECIATED
whothehellgivesadamn 10 months ago