How to Build the Best Self Wicking Tub for Container Gardening

Gardening Book & Micro Nutrients: LDSPrepperStore.com

[@elizabethblane201]

David, I was very excited to see this video, as here in SoCal I exclusively use SIPs (sub-irrigated planters) for my balcony garden. I use both Gro-Buckets and EarthBoxes as my containers, and find that they work great. What I did not know is that SIPs and MLM can be used together! That is very exciting! I like the idea of NOT buying expensive potting mix, and only spagnum moss and sand. Wow, what a revelation! I find that my SIPs save about 90% on water.

[@LDSPrepper]

The humidity in my greenhouse with automatic watering system using pvc pipes in the grow boxes is up to 85% at night compared to an average of 37% using the wicking barrels. Talk about saving water!

[@Jewelrymaker]

I've been using wicking tubs for a couple of years now. They work great. I got the idea from "Gardening with Leon" here on KZbin. Find yourself a farmer that raises cattle and ask if he will give you any syrup tubs. They are usually glad to get rid of them for free!

[@LDSPrepper]

Thank you for the tip. I just texted a friend who has a dairy farm to see if he has any syrup tubs he wants to get rid of.

[@elizabethblane201]

Another great resource for building SIPs is AlboPepper, and specifically his video, Self-watering SIP Sub-irrigated Raised Bed Construction (How to Build), kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqGce5evo9Rsnqs, which has 1.7 million views. I am thinking that one of these would work great with the ML method. He uses pond liner.

[@The_Dougie]

Also called mineral tubs

[@helenmoore8743]

I just found out about this gardening method last night and I am excited to try this method of gardening. I'm happy I just found your channel!

[@LDSPrepper]

Welcome Helen to the easiest, highest producing gardening method on the plant.

[@helenmoore8743]

@@LDSPrepper Thanks, I just place an order for the book and nutrient mix. Can't wait for it to arrive!

[@tommynickels4570]

Well done, Prepper !

[@commonlaw5400]

Please consider a tutorial on creating a wicking system for metal raised beds that are placed on the ground, such as Birdies, vego,vegega. I have seen the Birdies wicking kit but I do want the earthworms to get into the soil the plants are in. Those beds dry out so fast even with mulch. Thank you from Pennsylvania.

[@photon434]

Great video - learned a lot. The cork on a stick water meter is slick! 🍷

[@jeffb343]

How are your fruit trees doing? Did everything winter well? Thanks for your channel. You have the most value and information on any KZbin channel.

[@bettygentry9672]

Most informative video I've. seen on the subject!

[@bjoburn7821]

Thanks so much for all the valuable information on how to do do much!

[@LDSPrepper]

You are very welcome BJ. Stay tuned more to come.

[@MrDanrn999]

Thank you, David.

[@javier0304]

Can’t wait to see the results 👍

[@LDSPrepper]

I'm planting banana plants next week. Stay tuned and subscribe.

[@davidgharrod8174]

Thanks for the video! I've been using Larry Hall's mix in my wicking containers - essentially what you use but with no sand and some manure added. I'll be trying your mix soon for my pineapples.

[@SonniesGardenPA]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@uffeibsen8872]

Great video !!!

[@LDSPrepper]

Thank you.

[@IGet2Garden]

Thank you for sharing.

[@jam7453]

Nice score with the pineapple tops. Apparently, even if you were to quarter just 1 pineapple top, you could quadruple that!!! 😉

[@dkleath8697]

This is all great, but WAY ABOVE my paygrade! God Bless you and yours ❣️

[@colleenscottcarmello5103]

** Each one of those sharp points along the skin have pineapple seeds.. would be interesting to see if you can grow the plant from those seeds.

[@MrDanrn999]

Thank you

[@kseattle79]

Thankyou for your ideas

[@LDSPrepper]

You are very welcome. Thank you for viewing and commenting.

[@kseattle79]

@@LDSPrepper you gave me lots skill thankyou

[@tyatwd]

Thanks David. Do you also do fruit trees outside of your greenhouse? Curious to see how you fertilize and manage those. I seem to recall you did a video on fruit trees when you were in Texas then moved shortly after planting the tree. Thanks again for all your videos.

[@LDSPrepper]

My wife has fruit trees here in Idaho. They are trees that are typical to this area. We water them every day and feed them the Mittleider weekly feed monthly.

[@CatholicK5357]

Thank you for sharing this. It is very inspiring. There are two concerns I have that I'm wondering if you have any insight on. The first is that I worry about bugs breeding in the water if it is open like that, such as mosquitoes. If bugs did become a problem, perhaps one renovation would be to add some bug netting overtop of the waterpipe? The second concern I have is I worry about the soil mix exiting the bucket through the water hole overtime. If that does become an issue, perhaps putting a layer of garden netting overtop of the pipes to separate the bottom area from the soil would help? Anyway, those are some possible suggestions if those concerns become a reality.

[@LDSPrepper]

Thank you for your comments and questions. This is the second year I've done this and I've had no bugs living in the water well. However, adding screen over the water hole would prevent that for sure. I don't see that as practical because it would be in the way of watering and the water gauge. My larger wicking barrels do have cloth over the perferated tubes but I haven't found that is needed.

[@bradheins3554]

I am curious about how u start your bananas & love this wicking container concept thank u LDS 😃

[@LDSPrepper]

I'll buy banana plants and transplant them into the wicking containers.

[@kseattle79]

I am getting lots of your skill

[@drewbentley5001]

Do you work about the dirt coming through the perferations and filling into the drain pipe?

[@BooYahPower]

Any good result videos of mittleider self wicking barrels

[@louisevad6091]

What are you growing

[@rosm6621]

Curious how the pineapple us doing?

[@ckgarlisch]

TNLNSL See you on the trail.

[@ethantreto4315]

How does the water wick out of the drainage pipe into the soil, shouldn’t you drill little holes in the black drainage pipe for the water to drain out of?

[@terryjean9223]

The drainage pipe is perforated with small slits in the groves of the pipe .

[@chelle7362]

Don't you need an air space between the water and the soil to help the roots?

[@guermeisterdoodlebug7980]

He believes that to be true, which is why he drilled the drain hole 1” lower than top of the pipe in Bottom.

[@nitinshah8168]

Dear Sir, Before filling sand into the barrel show how the water poured into the container is stored so that I can understand the principle

[@ramoneoliveira5851]

Like

[@LDSPrepper]

Thank you

[@troyheald77]

AAA+++Bedford, Texas

[@opcn18]

With the cost of the planters and the soil did you price out pineapples to figure out how many years it's going to take you to break even? (Though I suspect the ad revenue from this video and the extra sales at your website are going to factor in significantly for you as well).

[@CatholicK5357]

He mentioned at the end that it would take a year to get a pineapple. However, there are countless quicker crops that you could grow with the same concept. My speculation is that you have to make a distinction between experimental gardening research versus what you already know. If you grow something new successfully with a new method, at that point you could figure out the cost to benefit ration more easily, and do more of the same. I also think that some gardeners grow certain things for a hobby while they grow other things strictly for food. It all depends on what your personal strategy and goal is.

[@LDSPrepper]

Thank you for your comment. The pineapples are proof of concept with the geotherm greenhouse and gave me a chance to show how to build a wicking tub. So the return on investment was instantaneous. BTW, I earn very, very little income from ads on my channel. So little I don't even track it any longer. That is certainly not the driving force in making my videos.

[@rksg2003]

Are you the jet engine mechanic?

[@pragmatic111]

Love the self wicking idea, not a fan of the end of time prepping nonsense.

[@mangofever4681]

Your air space doesn't make sense, since there aren't any holes for the roots to air prune. Also, I think the wicking hole is too big.

[@partner348]

"The best" sounds rather arrogant don't you think? You watched Gardening With Leon just like the rest of us and used the same stuff he did to accomplish exactly the same thing. Not better at all. Many other people have virtually the same video, only difference being, they don't act like they came up with the idea. They refer to Leon as the originator of the wicking tub. Also, your drain hole has the potential to get clogged. Mine did, and now I connect a 1/2-inch pipe through the drain hole directly to the reservoir pipe. You can see that @ Gardening with Leon here on KZbin and take credit for the adjustment too.

[@rosm6621]

Wow. Gotta ask why you feel the need to be so rude. If you felt credit was being taken unfairly, stop watching. Or, ..better yet, ...spend your time helping whoever the "originator" is, to patten his idea. Social media is all about sharing ideas, and let's be honest most "ideas" originated somewhere else and the knowledge of who to credit gets lost in all the reproductions. Take some time to be kind and just enjoy another's view. Peace.