Ok, here is a brain storm I had last night, (yeah, I know, I'm getting dangerous now). I take one of the 5 gallon HEBs I made, fill it half way up with coconut coir and put in the tomato seedling, I then put in the gallon water reservoir, Bob's ferlizer mixed in water, then after 2 days bury the stem with coconut coir, I continue to bury the stem with coconut coir until it gets to about 2/3rd the way up the HEB, then I carefully add my lime into it add the top of the coconut coir, mixing it in carefully, and then bury the stem again. When it gets to the top of the bucket, I add my ring of fertilizer and it will probably make it through an extra planting season? I can then return to watering the reservoir with just water and the fertilizer should take over and I've got one healthy huge tomato plant. Could this work?
joy112854
A possibility for using in 5 gallon HEBs
Joy, You know how Bob likes to experiment: I am wondering if maybe he is actually doing some hydroponics in some of his containers. If all he used was the coir for a medium and his fert mix in a drip system, [not the strip fert and calcium,] then that is what it would amount to. I can see that would be clean and efficient though I might have all that wrong. Bob?
Devota, I studied Hydroponics in the 60's and 70's. As soon as I got onto Bob's method, I thought to myself that Bob was doing outdoor hydroponics, a great way to avoid soil born disease and insects. Fertigation, IMHO, definitely has its advantages over conventional dry app fertilization, i.e., plants feed at their own pace. Of course I have to be concerned with the minerals in my well water allowing plants to take up there required nutrients, but that concern remains if I were to water in dry fert.
BocoBob is definitely on to a good thing here, IMO.
Jerry
Joy,
You've got it! Keep posting your results. I'm doing the same thing in my eBuckets as Bob and (now) You are doing!
Guys, I think I will do 2 Ebuckets this way and 2 the EB way and see if there is any difference over the season, including amt of water, etc
Ya'll My gardener says that Bob is doing hydroponics. LOL He is the one making me those HEBs and HE buckets, he is almost done with about 18 HEBs and 3 HE buckets, gotta crack that whip harder I suppose. LOL
joy112854
Bob is doing just that in the grow bags, he lets it grow a little, then adds the coir around. He has been posting pictures every couple of days.
Garden Glory: Yeah, I know, I'm really impressed as I'm going to do it in my HE Buckets now. Just planted 6 lavender eggplants and 24 cukes tonight. I used the self watering seed starter kits to do that in.
joy112854