The great 2024 wicking bucket/pot experiments

[21hens-incharge]

I am signing on to this thread because it's something that I have been thinking about for a while as well.

There are a few things that I can add to the discussion that might be helpful to others thinking about 5-gallon self-wicking buckets/pots.

First of all, Harbor Freight has free 5-gallon (food-safe) bucket sales every few months. For none-members, you can get a free bucket for a purchase of around $29.00. For Inside Track Club (ITC) members, HF will give you a free bucket with ANY purchase. I happen to be an ITC member, so when they have the 5-gallon bucket sale weekends, I will go in every day and make a small purchase of things I have on my restocking list.

Regular price of a HF 5-gallon bucket is $4.98. This weekend, everyone can buy up to 5 items in store for less than $10.00 each and get a 30% off discount with their coupon. That would bring the price per bucket down to $3.50. Not a bad price if you don't have other options.

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Personally, I just wait for the free bucket weekend sales. I have about 15 of those "free" HF buckets from the last 2 years. Which is why I am interested in this thread...

Another thing I would like to mention is your fill tube...

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Certainly, a 1/2 inch PVC pipe will work to fill the bucket with water. That's what I did with my first sub-irrigated planter. But I soon discovered that I needed a funnel to refill my planter with my garden hose because the garden hose end would not fit into the 1/2-inch PVC pipe.

That was a big deal for me because my sub-irrigated planter holds about 15 gallons of water. In short time, I replaced the 1/2-inch pipe with something like a 1-1/2-inch pipe, big enough to put my garden hose down into the pipe and let it refill on it's own.

Probably not a big deal for only one or two 5-gallon wicking buckets, but if you end up with lots of buckets somewhere in the future, refilling them with a small 1/2-inch pipe might take a lot of time. I recommend going bigger on the fill tube so you can use a garden hose for faster refills.

Also, I figured out how to make a very nice, low cost water level indicator to monitor my water level using swimming noodles.

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I bought a swimming noodle from the Dollar Tree and cut strips the full length of my fill pipe. Then I put the strip into the pipe. When full, my swimming noodle indicator floats and rises about 3 inches over the top of the fill pipe. When the indicator drops down close to the top of the fill pipe, I refill my planter's reservoir.

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Having the swimming noodle water level indicator takes the guess work out when a planter needs to be refilled. As we all know, some plants - like tomatoes - are heavy drinkers whereas other plants do not need near as much water. If you have all kinds of different plants growing in different 5-gallon buckets, you will have some that need water and others that don't. I can easily see which planters need watering.

That swimming pool indicator cost me only pennies, does not need batteries or other power, and just works. I just look out my deck window and can see the status of my water reservoir in my planters.

Finally, a word about the lids. If your bucket does not come with a lid, you have to pay extra for them at our big box stores. Usually $2-$3 per lid.

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That is a good time to use a broken bucket lid that you saved for some project. Use it for this self-wicking bucket. It does not have to be perfect, and a few cracks won't matter.

I would love to hear alternatives to using a bucket lid for the bottom of the self-wicking planter setup because I think that is one area where a person could cut costs using something less expensive. Just a thought.

Anyways, now that I am signed up to this thread, I am looking forward to your updates and thoughts on what worked for you in your experiment.

Thanks for joining the adventure!

I agree a 1" diameter minimum for the fill pipe would be better. I had the 1/2 inch already so will do the funnel filling for now.

I did see several videos where instead of a net pot and cut lid they used a simple milk jug with holes drilled in it. It looked like it would work to me. Others used 4" french drain pipe as the reservoir... I think those were bigger pots though.
The thinking is most anything that holds a gallon of water and won't crush under the weight of the soil should work.

I have a cheesy little plastic wheelbarrow that I dislike as a wheelbarrow so plan to use it for squash.

The weekend is fast approaching and I plan on getting my buckets all set up for the peppers. They still need hardened off so won't go in immediately.

 

[gtaus]

If you have your 5-gallon self-wicking planter outside, you need some kind of overflow hole in the side of the bucket. I don't remember you mentioning that, so forgive me if you did. Anyways, if you don't have that overflow hole in the planter, then you risk drowning the plants in your bucket after a heavy rain.

Most setups I am familiar with, and have used, have a 1-inch air gap between the level of the water reservoir and the bucket lid separator that you used. From what I understand, that air gap is the difference between a self-wicking bucket and a self-drowning planter!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes!! Those are very important!

Mine are 1" below the cut up lid so 3" from the bottom of the bucket when using the 4" net pot.

 

[gtaus]

I agree a 1" diameter minimum for the fill pipe would be better. I had the 1/2 inch already so will do the funnel filling for now.

I understand the importance of using what you already have. For those who have to go out and buy a PVC pipe for a fill tube, they might as well buy a larger pipe which would make refills easier and faster with a garden hose. Especially if they end up making lots of these self-wicking buckets!

I did see several videos where instead of a net pot and cut lid they used a simple milk jug with holes drilled in it. It looked like it would work to me. Others used 4" french drain pipe as the reservoir... I think those were bigger pots though.

Yes, the Gardening with Leon YouTube channel uses lots of milk jug type of containers in his planters. I have been saving up lots of small plastic peanut butter jars and such to use in a 5-gallon bucket. I think that might work, too.

I have the 4-inch serrated drainpipes in my elevated sub-irrigated planter that holds 15 gallons of water.

Yes!! Those [overflow holes] are very important!

Mine are 1" below the cut up lid so 3" from the bottom of the bucket when using the 4" net pot.

Sounds perfect.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I understand the importance of using what you already have. For those who have to go out and buy a PVC pipe for a fill tube, they might as well buy a larger pipe which would make refills easier and faster with a garden hose. Especially if they end up making lots of these self-wicking buckets!

Since this is a 100% experiment for me I tried to buy only what I had to.
I am definitely going to recommend bigger pipe to anyone also doing this.

I have the 4-inch serrated drainpipes in my elevated sub-irrigated planter that holds 15 gallons of water.

I am planning on doing the drain pipe for a water trough I want to make into a self watering planter.

I may have to pick your brain when that starts being prepped. I think for that it will be worth it to get a piece of bigger PVC.

 

[LTAY1946]

I have some leftover 1 1/4" PVC pipe. I'm watching so I can do this in the fall for some winter squash and tomatoes in a large cold frame hoop house.