Yes, we do.  And the reason is that not all of the tutorials available will work for everyone.  After searching, I couldn't find anything that would work for me right now and created something that would.

So here it is everyone.  I've been fighting gnats for some time now and feel like I'm losing the battle and my mind.  A few weeks ago I didn't even know what an 'SIP' was and now I have 3 of them in my kitchen.  We all know about the benefits of an SIP, including gnat control.  The Alaska Grow Bucket or Global Bucket systems are fantastic.  But the double 5 gal. buckets are not really practical for indoors this time of year.  Franks (FMD) $2 SIP is brilliant and would work, if only the local Dollar Tree stores had the correct size buckets.  After losing sleep, I took a trip to Home Depot and decided to build my own SIP's with parts that are readily available in any Home Depot.  Here is how I built my rookie SIP's.  Let's go the mattresses...

Parts:

• 2 2-gal. Leaktite buckets  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-2-gal-Bucket-2GL-WHITE-PAIL/202264039#
• 1 2-gal. Leaktite bucket lids http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-2-Gal-White-Plastic-Bucket-Lid-Pack-of-3-209323/203925538#
• 1 pack 8 in. cable ties http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-8-in-Double-Lock-Cable-Ties-100-Pack-295648/202520054#
• 1 1-qt. all-pupose mixing container http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-1-qt-Multi-Mix-Pail-2M3/202264024#
• 1 18"x18" piece of landscape fabric http://www.homedepot.com/p/Easy-Gardener-WeedBlock-3-ft-x-50-ft-Polypropylene-Landscape-Fabric-1042R/202043542?N=bx4q#
• 1 18" section of 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC pipe http://www.homedepot.com/p/VPC-3-4-in-x-2-ft-PVC-Sch-40-Pipe-22075/202300505?N=buf5Z1z0x2cw#

• Drill
• 1/4" Drill Bit
• 1 1/8" Hole Saw (Not necessary; you can use a utility knife)
• Utility Knife
• Black Marker
• Tin Snips (Regular scissors will do just fine)
• Hacksaw
• Ruler
• Straight soldering iron (Not shown and is not necessary; you can use a utility knife or drill)

 

Very professional tutorial !

Thank you.

Danny,
Thanks for posting your SIP build.
What's your potting mix recipe? And how is it wicking? Thanks.

Pete,

Good question!  Potting mix is simply 50/50, MG Potting soil/Perlite.  2 Tablespoons MG Tomato, Fruits & Vegetables Shake 'n' Feed added (UPC 073561008563).  Soil is wicking perfectly.  I can see the waterline through the bottom of the SIP's and they're all about the same now.  A little more than half of the initially added water has been wicked up.

Very nice. 

When I used 50/50 MG Potting Mix/Perlite,  The wicking didn't seem to work well.  But adding a little bit cow manure (about 10-15%) helped a lot.

Hey, what brand/product are you using for Perlite and are you screening it? I ask because I bought a bag of MG perlite and losing about 40% of the product in screening process. Not sure what I should be doing to keep from so much waste...

Just finished using up my last bag of MG Perlite and won't buy it any more.  It's not bad, but I found that Coarse Grade Thermorock perlite supplied by Home Depot in 2 c.f. bags is better.  I don't screen the perlite.  Ordered 4 bags right to the house with free shipping.

Thanks for sharing your results and methods!

Thanks for that very detailed presentation.  I am under the impression that the enhanced gas exchange that hole on the side provides would be good for the roots.  It would be an entry point for gnats but one could tape a patch of landscape fabric over it.  It's something to consider but you have to do a side by side comparison to know if it really matters.  By the way, how will you prevent gnats from entering the hole in the top?

Rewton, Thanks for bringing that up.  I did give the drain hole on the side some thought and was a little concerned that the hole might provide some beneficial exchange of air for the roots.  This SIP is built using the same concepts as any other, only a little smaller (It is by no means a "mini" SIP).  As such, and following the same basic principals as any others, I did not find any mention of drain holes providing needed air/gases for the roots in any of the tutorials that I looked at.  That doesn't mean the drain holes are not necessary.  They just don't work for me right now.  I am watering with Gnatrol water and I don't want it to spill out in the house.  When the plants are moved outside in the spring, I will definitely drill the holes.  If you happen to find any articles relating, please let me know.

As for the gnats getting in the top; I'm hoping that any gnats left over will shy away from the dry soil on top.  If not, I am still using yellow sticky traps, carnivorous plants, Gnatrol and a bevy of really bad curses.  The option to easily close the hole in the top with a small piece of plastic is always available too.

Very nice presentation.  You said you used Shake n Feed.  According to the label it is for new and existing flower and vegetable garden beds,trees and shrubs.  I contacted Miracle Grow and asked them why not potted plants and they said use Osmocote for potted plants.  Can anyone give me a reason why Shake n Feed would not work for container plants?

Chapman, I should have specified which MG Shake 'n Feed.  Using the Tomato, Fruits & Vegetables Shake 'n Feed (UPC 073561008563).  Made the correction in the post above.  Thanks.

Danny,

Nice presentation!

What would be a difference between yours and those ones:

http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-48314-Watering-14-4-Inch-Chocolate/dp/B007WQBDH4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1387833813&sr=8-5&keywords=self+watering+planter

http://www.amazon.com/Misco-1654-4-072-Watering-16-85-Inch/dp/B0053NKIVA/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_text_z

The price is almost the same.

Greenfig, I read your post and started looking at self-watering planters again.  An hour later I shook my head and realized why I decided to build my own SIP's in the first place.  Unfortunately, none of the local stores had any self-watering planters in stock and I needed them now.  My build is not exactly the cheapest, but all the parts required are available pretty much all the time in almost any big box store.  To me, readily available parts and ease of construction/use is everything.  

Differences?  Don't really know without having the planter in front of me.  Other than the Fiskars being more aesthetically pleasing, I'll guess the SIP's that I constructed:

• might hold a little more water than the Fiskars.
• are probably a little neater for indoor use.
• are easier to work into an automated self-watering system.
• have parts that are easily replaced and available from any of the big box stores.
• might be a little more stable.

and it's more fun to make your own :)

Danny,

Thanks for your detailed response. I bought my SIPs at a local Target, they are very similar to the Misco ones. I got the largest pots and the figs seem to like them. The growth was quite substantial. I cannot say it was much better than from the black nursery pots since we have plenty of sun in the SoCal and the plants grow like crazy given enough air and water.
The price I paid was about 30% cheaper than on Amazon.

Let me know how you like the Fiskars planters.

Pete, if you make one or two or three, it is fun. I needed more than that, making more than a dozen is not fun ... Also, I needed some that look good since they were visible from the street.

Greenfig,
Homemade SIPs can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them. Any container can be converted into a SIP., and most can be done simply and inexpensively. note the attached link with the modifications that were done to standard Fiskar planters. A PVC fill pipe and spun landscape fabric (to cover the bottle reservoir) could be added for aesthetics.

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/sub-irrigation-aka-self-watering/

Click image to enlarge

This is what it looked like right after the installation.

Another link with explanations...
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/balcony-gardening/

And scroll through this Flickr picture file...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenscaper/4005397507/in/set-72157604071874390/

 
I personally purchased a few of the smaller 9 inch MISCO planters to test their use for fig cuttings because they are only $2.97 at Walmart. The 7 inch is $2.49 and the larger sizer are usually stock items in spring and summer.

Very professional tutorial......... Bravo....... And the pics is say it all......
Thanks for the sharing


Ong

Jakarta ,Indonesia

Danny,
  I can't wait to get some free time to read your tutorial thoroughly.
Regarding Frank's (FMD) use of buckets from the Dollar Store -- I believe the merchandise at the Dollar Store is somewhat seasonal.  When I first read FMD's tutorial, I went to the $ store and bought 2 sets of buckets...with the intent to go back and get more after I worked out some details.  When I went back weeks later there were still some stacks of the generic outer pails around, but the "summery" inner pails were all gone, along with other things that had that summertime feel. 
Cheers,
Jim

Jim,

That's exactly what I found, and that's what really prompted me to construct my own. I have a dozen of my own "outer" buckets now. Going to have to wait until summer to get the inners.

Great build.  You can call it 'the one trip SIP'

Danny,

Do you keep your figs to the size that will fit these SIPs, or do you transplant to a larger container later?

Another great question.  My plan is to eventually have a field of mobile fig trees.  The field behind the apple tree in the center of the picture below is the one that I'll be using.  

 

During the growing months it gets at least 12 hours of sun per day.  There is a year round spring (cleanest and best tasting water that you've ever had in your life) that breaks the surface close by; water is not a problem.

So to answer your question, 3 years.  That is the time when I'm guessing the trees will be large enough to transplant into a larger SIP's (Like Bill's Figs in NJ).  This is based on nothing more than what I've read and not in practice.

Still waiting for my self-watering pots from Amazon.  Have been reading these 2 threads in anticipation.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/my-partial-container-garden-6188278

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/nh-drivewayfarm-shots-5965155