Hello, I viewed Bills SIPS slide presentation on Figs4Fun. It seems pretty straightforward, but I'm left with a couple questions. 1) does water fill inside each 4" section of pipe at the bottom of the pot? If so, do you need to perforate the pieces of pipe so water can flow between them to fill all of them? 2) does it matter where in the pot you run your fill tube? I know it has to get to the bottom, but should it be inserted into one of the soil reservoirs or into one of the 4" pipe pieces? I'm not very handy so I'm just trying to understand as thoroughly as possible before I build it. Thank you for your help in understanding these details.

The fill tube should definitely go into the empty spaces, putting it into the soil reservoirs would clog it up pretty quick... Since I'm still pretty new to this hobby I don't have any trees big enough to fill a huge pot like Bill's so I started small with 4gal buckets to practice... SWP's do make a difference I've noticed... Thought I had a better pic, you can see a couple here, not the prettiest things but very functional... Hopefully in a couple years these could be moved into something the size of Bill's pots...
 

The water does fill inside each 4" section of pipe and the last time that I was out at Bills I noticed that he cuts the pipe sections out of perforated drainage pipe.  The fill pipe goes into any area that is not filled with soil for wicking and when I build mine I usually drill the overflow hole on the oposite side of the container.  I also noticed the Bill doesn't put the plastic cover over his established trees anymore. Good Luck with your build.  
                                                                                           Joe

Thank you both for your helpful responses!!!! I think I'm ready to build!!

Oh wait! One more question! What are you using for planting soil? I was going to use MG Organic potting soil with moisture control. Do you think that will wick effectively? I noticed Bill didn't recommend MG. Thank you again!!!!!!!

If I recall correctly, following Bill's model (Thank You Bill), I used the following to construct my SIP


http://www.homedepot.com/p/22-1-2-in-Dia-Rustic-Oak-Resin-Whiskey-Barrel-Planter-with-Iron-Band-HDR-023395/205626595

http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-PVC-DWV-Coupling-C4801HD4/100342850

http://www.homedepot.com/p/27-in-x-8-ft-Steel-Lath-2-5-METAL-LATH/202093395

http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-1-2-in-x-10-ft-PVC-Sch-40-DWV-Plain-End-Pipe-531111/100135041

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-50-Qt-Moisture-Control-Potting-Mix-70190430/206553444

Don't forget to drill a drainage hole about 4 " high (check your measurements) high in the barrel.

You will need a wire cutter to cut the steel lath. And several 4" couplings to support the lath and soil. Could be 4 or 5 sitting flat next to each other.
I believe that I had a weed barrier to prevent the soil from going through the metal sheet also. The PVC pipe is inserted all the way to the bottom of Barrel before you add the soil. There has to be a submerged area where the wicking will take place.

This thing will be heavy by the time you're done.

Super helpful Sas. Thank you! Instead of lathe could I use hardware cloth?

I don't see why not. It's the concept that matters. As long as you can support the weight of soil and have the wicking action then you're on your way. These might be easier to work with.

Right on! Thank you!!!

Bill uses mushroom compost as medium and I do recommend that over promix or any 5-1-1 mix. The fill tube goes to the bottom, the cutoff pipe rounds are below wire lath and a layer of burlap, so while some soil mix can get in them, it is generally not much. The fill tube definitely does not go down into one of the pipe circles. The water you send down the fill tube flows into the soil around the pipe rounds, which is the wicking for the SIP.

The mushroom compost works like magic. I also use it. Works great in superoot pots too.

Here's one of my largest trees, Smith, in one of Bill's design using a half 55g barrel. My pots hold around 5g of water..

The base of this tree is the diameter as this can of WD-40. This tree is 8 feet tall and gives me loads of figs yearly. I fill the tree every 4 days.

I also use the mushroom compost for all of my sips but be careful because it may need slow release lime to make it better for the figs.  This is also what Bill does.

Where do you find bills Sips directions. ?

Here, but this is his old way. He uses a little smaller pot today by 2 inches and he doesn't use the PVC drain pipe. Today, he just drills the hole. I know...Bill told me all this on the phone .

http://figs4fun.com/bills_figs.html

Since bill is using a 2 inch shallower pot did he change the height of his reservoir to compensate? So instead of 3.5" high pipe sections on the bottom did he he decrease the height to say 2.5 to 3 inches?

my next build will be 3 inches, good question and it makes sense.

Is it just straight mushroom compost and lime or do you cut it with perlite or bark?

It is straight mushroom compost, osmocote and pelletized lime. I've been using this combination for many years now. I root prune every 3 years. Works better than any other containerized potting I have ever used. It is however a very very heavy pot to deal with and put away
in the winter

Thanks for the info everyone! I appreciate it! Do you mix the osmocote and Pelletized line into the compost or do you apply as a top dressing?

These are slow release pellets, I've done it both ways and saw no difference in the results. If I sprinkle it on top I hit it with a hose just to help it dissolve a little. If you get some rain it will also help it dissolve. Rafael's description is more accurate than mine. I did mine over two years ago and forgot about the burlap. it should be burlap not weed barrier.

I should also add that the fill tube can be made superfluous by adding a drip line over the top into your SIP, which Bill does and as of last year, I am also doing.

Coop is very correct! These pots are very heavy! Look close at my pic. All of mine are supported with a small movers dolly. Expensive? Yes but well worth it when you have to move it. If I ever have to transport it, the wheels roll insid the slots of my lage 600lb hand truck. But I prefer these pots because the tree is maintenance free for 3 years. Once you try growing figs in them, you will love it!

Dennis: When using a 55gal barrel, are you cutting it in half to make 2 or do you think it would be better leaving it taller???

Cut it in half to make 2 27g pots. I get mine $10 a barrel.