Wicking bed growers

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This group is dedicated to those who are interested and growing in wicking beds. Wicking beds in conjunction with aquaponics can enable us to grow just about every crop that cannot be grown in standard aquaponics. Lets discuss deign, operation and whatever aspect of wicking bed growing you can think of.

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Perlite as wicking media

by JRComito

Sep 25, 2012

I have been using straight perlite in plastic totes as a wicking media for about a year now, and have had some success with root crops, such as beets, radishes, carrots, and we even grew celery, all from seed. I use them now for propagation of seed and cuttings. The cuttings I put in generally have roots within a week. I then transplant some of them into containers with my organic quasi-soil mix, consisting of peat moss, perlite, and organic compost. I recently have put some of the new seedlings into my AP gravel bed. I have bak choy, arugula, swiss chard, tomato clones, tomatillos, chocolate habaneros, garlic, ginger, and lemon cukes on the way. 

Has anyone else tried straight perlite? It works.

This is ginger from the grocery store that had sprouted.

Garlic at 1 week.

Squash.

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    TCLynx

    Garlic likes cooler weather.

    Sep 28, 2012

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    JRComito

    Ahhh! Learning things all the time. Thanks again, TC!

    Sep 29, 2012

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    Robert J

    TCLynx, I use perlite in my hydro dutch bucket system.  Bottom of the bucket, I use rock or gravel, then a 5 gal paint strainer, and put the perlite in the strainer.  I followed instructions from MHPGardener on youtube.  No problem with it getting out of the bucket so far and it cleans up pretty good when you pull out the root mass. 

    I've been toying with the idea of replacing one of my grow beds (its in a tight spot) with dutch buckets configured the same way.  I use shale and hydroton in my horizontal beds.  The bed i'm looking to replace is just too shallow for its purpose (a briliant, not so much, idea I had).  I'm thinking if I use the shale from the bed, and add more, then setup the strainer and perlite I can get a series of small but deep grow beds and save my bacteria that's already grown on the shale.

    I'd love your thoughts on this idea...

    TCLynx said:

    Trick is keeping the small bits of perlite from escaping into the rest of the system.  If you can figure that part out then you are set.

    Always handle it wet.  The dust from the dry stuff is really bad for the lungs.

    Oct 19, 2013