[BACKCOUNTRY]

Yeah, its handy for crystallizing stoner thoughts, heheh. Kinda like crayons for a little kid.

[Rare Groove]

Looks like some great ideas here...hopefully we can see them in action once the weather warms up. I actually tried the swamp wick system a few years ago. Took one 5-gal bucket and cut openings along the bottom sides to let water in. Took a second 5-gal bucket & cut holes in the bottom and shoved wick material through. Put screws in from the outside of this bucket and let it sit inside the first bucket. This way it sits up a bit and doesn't get flooded out. I used hydroton, wood chips, and anything else I could find that would fill that bucket and wick water. Long story short, this system worked GREAT. The only problem was that I chose a cotton material for the wicks, they were almost non-existant by the end of the season. With a better material and some fine-tuning, the outdoor wick setup could probably do wonders.

Also like the floating planter idea! It might be hard to pull off in spots where stealth is a major concern, but I guess in those areas going out and hitting a big-ass pipe with a sledge hammer might not be too stealthy either.

Thanks folks

[Swamp Thang]

This idea is identical to one described by Breeder Brad at Cannabis Culture, under the topic " Swamp Tubes " in the Outdoor Grow section, except that instead of PVC tubes, Brad's idea called for a more complicated and time consuming construction of a cylinder using wire mesh lined with plastic.

Rare Groove's idea looks far easier to set up, and to those worried about flooding, the location would best be someplace in the swamp where at least 3 feet of PVC tubing rises above the water line, and where the marsh/mud below the water line is dense enough to support the weight of the PVC pipe's contents of wick material and soil that will be poured in. Definitely that PVC pipe will need to driven as deep into the muck as possible so that it does not later tip over from the weight of its contents. Three long poles can be driven into the mud beside the PVC pipe and tied to it to keep it upright in really soft terrain.

The inner pipe used to expell water from the planter seems redundant to me since most of the PVC pipe contents will be sitting above the water line. This idea works as I know someone who achieved the same result with stacks of 3 dirt-filled tires, and yes, the plants never again needed to be watered after the very first time. PVC piping certainly is far lighter and easier to transport that car tires, and far less complicated than Breeder Brad's labor-intensive tube construction from wire mesh.

Rare Groove, you are The Man. Dubya would be proud.

very very interesting... i really want to see a grow documented this way

Respectfully, I think this is making swamp growing too complicated. I will stick with my bucket method in the bog...five gallon buckets hold 3-5 plants for me. To avoid root rot Wamen, I settle my buckets down into about two inches of wet peat bog muck--no further. I don't note much wicking up; the plant roots go down to near where the water is, then swirl...when I pull my buckets, the bottom two inches are jet black soil, and then there is the swirl of the roots, round and round so it is mostly white!

I like to be able to move my buckets; I also like the drainage I get in big thunderstorms; I also like to be able to pick up my bucket and dump the soil into the lake after I chop. I say again, rich potting soil does not belong in bogs; you have to haul it out, and this pipe business seems to lessen the chance that a grower will do this.

Maybe I care about my bog because I own it...each year, it is the perfect place for my buds, and I am not about to disrespect it...invasive plants are drawn to that rich soil.

[Swamp Thang]

Oldsterone the only drawback I can imagine with your setup would be if the technique was used in a swamp where the water level rises a couple of feet seasonally. Taller PVC pipes would stay above the water-line in such places, but 5 gallon buckets might become totally submerged in swamps where annual rains swell the river more than a few inches.

[motaco]

I agree with oldsterone. to make it work you'd have to do just what swamp thing said. build it 3 ft high out of the water. and I don't think a weed plant on a flag pole is all that stealthy

I mean all this work for each plant? doesn't seem realistic.


I still just don't see the advantage of this over regular swamp growing methods. and I see quite a few disadvantages.

I mean I'm not trying to be a hater, I'd love to see this work. it just doesn't seem practical though.

[BACKCOUNTRY]

For most applications I would use Oldsterone's super basic method, for applications where water levels could rise or fall, or where you are planting in a pond or lake, thats where it has to get more complicated.

[smokeymacpot]

lol at the floating on a tyre one. it would probably work tho
i would say just to plant near water or where the roots can reach the water table.

[Rare Groove]

Interesting discussion here. I agree that this isn't the simplest method or suited for all locations. I do think that it's got potential up here though. Lots of different elevations and micro-climates... If I can grow some low/no maintenance 10-12' plants in remote swamp locations where most people wouldn't even think to go, then I wouldn't even mind only being able to run one plant per setup.

As for the soil, oldsterone, I do have to agree with you that ditching potting soil in swamps is not a very conservation-minded approach. If I do attempt this method I plan to carry-in/carry-out as much as possible. I think that's one of the most important aspects of growing outdoors anywhere. How big have you been able to get 3-5 plants in a 5 gallon bucket? And what type of soil/medium do you fill the buckets with?

I'm interested in any sort of effective swamp growing as I think it solves a lot of outdoor issues. If I get ambitious enough in the spring, I'd like to try the swamp wick-method again. Any suggestions on good materials to use for wicks? I'm also interested in hearing about any more methods that have been successful in swamps.