Yes but a very slow rate so that the moisture content of the wicking bed is at an optimal percent. Too much water and the water will not drain fast enough creating a water logged soil which would kill the plants. I can almost let the water run at it's slow rate for a few days until the optimum moisture content is reached and then turn off the water and let the plants dry out the soil and then turn the water back on to repeat that cycle. I don't do that because I have it hooked up to my aquaponics system so I let the wicking bed filter my aquaponics water.
It's 20 ft down horizontally. My aquaponics setup here is an inline setup. The top of the setup is the wicking bed, then the dual root zone flood and drain grow bed, then the sump, then the fish tank, and then the radial flow settling tank. The water elevation difference in the whole setup is roughly 4 feet with the greatest water elevation difference being between the sump water level and the fish tank water level. Someday I'll make a hydraulic gradient line video for this system.
Awesome 😎
Thank you! Cheers!
Absolutely amazing. Uncle Bob
😮 Impressed
🔥 🔥🔥🔥
So does the water flow into the bed continuously?
Yes but a very slow rate so that the moisture content of the wicking bed is at an optimal percent. Too much water and the water will not drain fast enough creating a water logged soil which would kill the plants. I can almost let the water run at it's slow rate for a few days until the optimum moisture content is reached and then turn off the water and let the plants dry out the soil and then turn the water back on to repeat that cycle. I don't do that because I have it hooked up to my aquaponics system so I let the wicking bed filter my aquaponics water.
Why is the sump 20 feet down (vertically ?) from the grow bed? How long have you been using this sand/soil grow bed? thanks
It's 20 ft down horizontally. My aquaponics setup here is an inline setup. The top of the setup is the wicking bed, then the dual root zone flood and drain grow bed, then the sump, then the fish tank, and then the radial flow settling tank. The water elevation difference in the whole setup is roughly 4 feet with the greatest water elevation difference being between the sump water level and the fish tank water level. Someday I'll make a hydraulic gradient line video for this system.
Been using this sand/soil grow bed for three summers now (2022 to 2024).