Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Toplef10Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? 1zd3ho10

Hello Guest!
Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? I22gcj10Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Toplef10Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? 1zd3ho10

Hello Guest!
Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? I22gcj10Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]
Square Foot Gardening Forum
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Search
 
 

Display results as :
 

 


Rechercher Advanced Search

Latest topics
» Teaming with Microbes Kindle Sale (Mem. Day weekend 2023)
by sanderson Yesterday at 3:14 pm

» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by sanderson Yesterday at 1:33 pm

» Why Letting Weeds Run Wild Can Actually Help Your Garden
by OhioGardener Yesterday at 11:27 am

» N&C Midwest: May 2023
by OhioGardener Yesterday at 11:22 am

» Mid-Atlantic New Host Intro & Info
by JAM23 Yesterday at 8:38 am

» Paul's First SFGs
by pkadare 5/28/2023, 11:06 am

» Poppy seeds - Hungarian Blue Breadseed
by AtlantaMarie 5/28/2023, 6:12 am

» Sluggo Plus
by sanderson 5/27/2023, 3:23 pm

» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by OhioGardener 5/25/2023, 6:25 pm

» Centpedes
by OhioGardener 5/25/2023, 6:19 pm

» beneficial nematodes
by OhioGardener 5/24/2023, 9:18 pm

» Senseless Banter...
by markqz 5/24/2023, 5:39 pm

» Pre-Filling a 30" Raised Bed
by toledobend 5/24/2023, 1:10 pm

» Happy Birthday!!
by AtlantaMarie 5/24/2023, 7:03 am

» Aphids & Their Predators
by MrBooker 5/24/2023, 6:01 am

» Hello from Bobcaygeon, Ontario
by Scorpio Rising 5/20/2023, 1:52 pm

» What are you eating from your garden today?
by OhioGardener 5/18/2023, 6:29 pm

» Spring Flowers
by OhioGardener 5/18/2023, 6:23 pm

» My Solar Dehydrator at Work
by sanderson 5/18/2023, 3:10 pm

» French Tarragon
by sanderson 5/18/2023, 12:41 pm

» Famous Gardening Quotes
by sanderson 5/15/2023, 8:50 pm

» Birds of the Garden
by sanderson 5/15/2023, 8:49 pm

» New Compost PIle, 2nd attempt
by Chuck d'Argy 5/13/2023, 11:43 am

» Ohio Gardener's Greenhouse
by OhioGardener 5/11/2023, 6:44 pm

» Asparagus
by sanderson 5/11/2023, 4:11 pm

» Plan needed for 4’x4’ irrigation grid
by OhioGardener 5/11/2023, 12:47 pm

» TD's 2023 Garden
by trolleydriver 5/10/2023, 3:16 pm

» Spring Gardening - Parsnips and Garlic
by OhioGardener 5/10/2023, 2:59 pm

» Seedlings Sticker Shock
by sanderson 5/7/2023, 9:44 pm

» From a Year 2 Novice to All the New SFGers or "How to Get Past the Fear Factor! :)"
by sanderson 5/7/2023, 3:13 pm

Google

Search SFG Forum

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

3 posters

Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  mlomeli 2/11/2012, 9:35 pm

Hey all,

This may be my first post, but my wife has got me into this forum! Good stuff.

Anyway, I just built a cinder block 4x4 bed (stacked 2 blocks high). I was doin' some youtube and come across this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBocAJWGR_k

Would this work for a box like mine? This sounds like an awesome idea and my new box is empty and nothing committed to it yet. We have ideas, but nothing like our two other boxes from last year.

Any thoughts on this?

thanks,
matt
mlomeli
mlomeli

Posts : 2
Join date : 2012-01-15
Location : Murray, Utah - Zone 7

Back to top Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Re: Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  Unmutual 2/11/2012, 10:13 pm

Wicking technology lends itself rather well to Mel's Mix. I've tried it using a tabletop design and the soil stayed moist even during the hot summers. Mulching will help with evaporation(I didn't use mulch because it was an experiment and I wanted to see what was going on).

Instead of using a medium to go in the reservoir, I just used Mel's Mix without the compost in hardware cloth cylinders to do the wicking(Boffer has a thread somewhere around here on wicking beds).

My ONLY concern with wicking beds is the accumulation of salts. If you don't have a good way to drain and flush the reservoir completely, you may be asking for trouble in a few years. Since that design has an overflow pipe, it may take longer for salting issues especially if you have periods of heavy, constant rain which will not completely get rid of any salts, but should, at the very least, dilute them.

IMO wicking beds are the best of most worlds: self watering(plants take what they need), rain water storage and any nutrients leached from the MM should leach back up if they are soluble.
avatar
Unmutual

Certified SFG Instructor

Male Posts : 396
Join date : 2011-04-23
Age : 51
Location : Greater New Orleans Area Westbank(Zone 9b)

Back to top Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Re: Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  mlomeli 2/11/2012, 10:36 pm

So, beside the salt issue, this should be ok? I thought I read wicking and Mels don't mix, due to not soaking enough water to the plant. Maybe I was wrong.
mlomeli
mlomeli

Posts : 2
Join date : 2012-01-15
Location : Murray, Utah - Zone 7

Back to top Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Re: Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  walshevak 2/12/2012, 7:12 am

wicking works see my son's

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t5716-experiment-to-deal-with-pure-sand-and-high-water-bills

we made sure there was a 1" space between the bottom of the bed and the top water level.

Kay

____________________________

A WEED IS A FLOWER GROWING IN THE WRONG PLACE
Elizabeth City, NC
Find more about Weather in Elizabeth City, NC
Click for weather forecast
avatar
walshevak

Certified SFG Instructor

Female Posts : 4374
Join date : 2010-10-17
Age : 80
Location : wilmington, nc zone 8

Back to top Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Re: Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  Unmutual 2/12/2012, 8:05 am

mlomeli wrote:So, beside the salt issue, this should be ok? I thought I read wicking and Mels don't mix, due to not soaking enough water to the plant. Maybe I was wrong.

I've found that mel's mix and wicking work very well. Even the top of the Mel's Mix stayed moist. So yes, besides salting issues, it should be okay. I wouldn't convert all of my beds over to wicking, but experiment on a single 4'x4' bed and realize that you may have to adjust depending on your weather and the resources available to you.

I currently use drip irrigation because in the end, it would be cheaper for me. Especially if I run the irrigation from rain barrels(which will eventually happen).
avatar
Unmutual

Certified SFG Instructor

Male Posts : 396
Join date : 2011-04-23
Age : 51
Location : Greater New Orleans Area Westbank(Zone 9b)

Back to top Go down

Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix? Empty Re: Cinder Block Wicking Bed using Mel's Mix?

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum