a tip for cutting IBCs if your not confident using an angle grinder, a sawzall reciprocating saw will cut through everything with the correct blade and not make sparks.
I’m from Louisiana and I think you rock!! I’ve sent the video to my husband. We’re looking at making me some beds. I hope he likes it. Those totes won’t cost us nearly as much. Like $50 for one food grade. But I’ll have to drive and hour. God bless you, your family and all the seeds you sow may you reap 60x to 100xs the harvest.
Carlee-- It's Sophie from the TV gardening show, Gardening Australia. It's a great organic gardening show. I watch it online. Watching the show is like sitting in a horticulture classroom. All the presenters have horticulture background. Happy gardening!!
I use a small piece of foam, round and thick. Then find the straightest/longest/lightweight stick that i can and push into middle of the foam. Pop it into the pvc and mark on the stick where empty is with electrical tape. Start filling with water and add other markers along the way in diff colours. That way i can guage full, 3/4, 1/2 etc. Takes guess work out.
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
I just made two of these ,remember when you turn the top half over you need to check if the lid will leak .It took a few goes at tightening the lid to stop it leaking.its easier to fix before you add the rocks and soil ,my soil is resting now with worms in it and carpet on top ,ready for spring planting ,
I was thinking if you cut the IBC in half vertically instead of horizontally (if that makes sense) and be sure to cut through the drain spigot, you wouldn't need to worry about leaks, the lid "half hole" and drain would then be on the top edge, shouldn't worry the plants. I don't know if that will affect the steel cage, that may need to be done slightly different than this method.
Nice, i usually throw away IBC tanks at work, which has contained Ad-blue(water and Urea which can be rinsed out with warm water). Now i know how to use them instead ;) cheers!
Hey Sophie I found this video very helpful, in fact Iwill be buying 2 ibc's in the near future. Can you estimate how much scoria I'm going to need to put into the 4 halves please. I'm getting so excited that I'm finally going to be able to have some veggie gardens and a flower garden again. I've figured out all up I'm going to probably need 4 cubic metres of soil as well as having some left over for the dwarf fruit trees I'm going to grow in pots. I really hope you can help me. Im really enjoy G.A. so much Thank You for so much.
May i ask what size scoria you use in this video as some sites say less than 10mm is ideal for wicking but greater sizes are detrimental to the wicking process. A lot of landscape supply centres only sell 20mm?
Thanks for the video. I am having trouble understanding how the water will wick from the aggregate reservoir without a wick (say sand or geofabric) inserted in the reservoir. Would the spaces between the aggregate be sufficiently small for capillary action? I am building one this weekend and trying to decide if I should use more formal wick points.
Good question. I don't really see the point of using ag pipe to 'disperse water evenly' . Doesn't water naturally level ? Ag pipe may be one way of saving money on scoria or pea gravel and might also help stop soil clogging the down pipe. As for 'organic loaded soil' , I agree with your point ; the capillary action of wicking works best through a fine and symmetrical medium. Builders sand will help 'pull' water in the reservoir up through the soil, closer to plant roots that have not yet grown. I work in a community garden and have made numerous errors trying to perfect a wicking bed. I'd go with 2 or 3 sand wicks, anchored in pot plants, that travel half way (at least) to the top of the bed.
@@andibenson6834 The Survival Podcast #3095 goes into finer detail about wicking bed tech. For example you can put more pipes and less scoria which will provide a bigger reservoir of water. You can adjust the height of the overflow to accomplish different things, such as killing weeds, or growing starts. You can install automatic systems to refill the bed. etc.
Dont set that hot angle grinder down on your plastic IBC! Thanks for the demo. The Survival Podcast #3095 has a great in-depth discussion of the technology of wicking beds, but this is a good primer.
Really enjoyed watching the video. I have purchased the containers and now am ready build a wicking bed . I would love to know the size required for the ag pipe how many meters are needed to cover the base, the size PVC i pipe to go into the ag pipe and what size it the outlet nozzle to gauge the water level My local Bunnings said they could assist with supplies if I have these details. Thank you in advance for support.
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
I am from South Morang, Victoria and I am having trouble finding the parts that let the water out or to a certain level. I have tried Bunnings and I have tried Reece but both couldn’t help me with those items. Can you please suggest any establishments where I can get what you have shown in the video? Thank you.
Do you need food grade plastic for non-food, ornamental plants? I just created one for some water-hungry impatiens from a $6 waste-paper bin and now I'm wondering if I did the right thing.
What are the metal, hook-ended bars running under the bottom of the bin that was already levelled? It doesn't look like part of the frame container frame but is helping to stabilise the bin.
I have made a few of these in smaller containers. I was curious why you used scoria and not just hose in the bottom. It seems like the scoria would reduce the volume of water in the bottom so that you would have to water more often. Thank you!
The scoria or lava rock as we call it in the us has lots of air space so it holds lots of water. It also moves water by capillary action. It will also release some minerals over time which is a good thing. Personally, i would use a lot more perforated drain hose and just a just enough rock to fill in the spaces between the hose and a couple of inches over the top of the hose. A good video though.
I would use clear plastic hose on the elbow that can be turned down to drain the tank. By using clear plastic hose instead of the black pipe i can see at a glance how much water is in the tank.
Hello - thanks for the video - would have been great to see the materials used and process for the drainage hole. How is it fixed onto the inside other than just with silicon ? Also - is the scoria porous enough to act as the wicking agent ? I'm keen to try this.
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
Great video. Just when you talk about safety, you should get it right. Proper PPE for grinding is face shield AND safety glasses. Sorry to be a pain, but there are thousands of people watching ...
Maybe where you’re from it is, but safety glasses without a shield tends to meet most PPE standards. Nothing wrong with being more safety conscious, but the gear she used in the video was up to standard.
I have made a few of these in smaller containers. I was curious why you used scoria and not just hose in the bottom. It seems like the scoria would reduce the volume of water in the bottom so that you would have to water more often. Thank you!
The water needs to sit in the scoria underneath the soil so the soil doesn't turn anaerobic and it doesn't let the soil would leach into the pipe. Thanks
You are a hard working lady. Awesome job
a tip for cutting IBCs if your not confident using an angle grinder, a sawzall reciprocating saw will cut through everything with the correct blade and not make sparks.
I’m from Louisiana and I think you rock!! I’ve sent the video to my husband. We’re looking at making me some beds. I hope he likes it. Those totes won’t cost us nearly as much. Like $50 for one food grade. But I’ll have to drive and hour. God bless you, your family and all the seeds you sow may you reap 60x to 100xs the harvest.
Carlee-- It's Sophie from the TV gardening show, Gardening Australia. It's a great organic gardening show. I watch it online. Watching the show is like sitting in a horticulture classroom. All the presenters have horticulture background. Happy gardening!!
@@DE2borknot2b can you provide us with a link please?
I use a small piece of foam, round and thick. Then find the straightest/longest/lightweight stick that i can and push into middle of the foam. Pop it into the pvc and mark on the stick where empty is with electrical tape. Start filling with water and add other markers along the way in diff colours. That way i can guage full, 3/4, 1/2 etc. Takes guess work out.
Very illustrative and clear instructions. I like best the finishing. Timber surrounds provides insulation and aesthetics. 👏👏
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
I just made two of these ,remember when you turn the top half over you need to check if the lid will leak .It took a few goes at tightening the lid to stop it leaking.its easier to fix before you add the rocks and soil ,my soil is resting now with worms in it and carpet on top ,ready for spring planting ,
I was thinking if you cut the IBC in half vertically instead of horizontally (if that makes sense) and be sure to cut through the drain spigot, you wouldn't need to worry about leaks, the lid "half hole" and drain would then be on the top edge, shouldn't worry the plants. I don't know if that will affect the steel cage, that may need to be done slightly different than this method.
@@epineh tanks are not square, so I'm not sure that would work
How far up is the drainage hole please. I love watching gardening Australia. Happy gardening
Fantastic Video. It's rare I come across a great new idea and I'm going to defiantly build one of these and do a video on it. Thank you so much!
So impressed! So easy! Can't wait to grow some vegetables
Have you built them?
Wish you would show us the wooden cladding process too.
nice idea ,good job
Thanks for sharing this inspirational piece of work 😊
I'm so going to do this my raised veggie beds are full of couch grass with the wicking beds no weeds
I just made 6 over Easter, can't wait to plant them out!
What happened? Did they work alright?
@@alukuhito they're the best veggie garden beds I have ever used. My vegies look like they could be on Gardening Australia!
@@sandraholden9066 Cool! Thanks for responding. I'm glad it worked out for you.
Great informative video. Just one gripe, use a softer rain head for watering!
Great vid
Nice, i usually throw away IBC tanks at work, which has contained Ad-blue(water and Urea which can be rinsed out with warm water). Now i know how to use them instead ;)
cheers!
Hi Henrik - are you in Adelaide? If so I'd love a IBC tank :)
@@360underwater5 hehe sorry, Sweden, so long drive mate ;)
@@henriklarsson5221 I can't leave my postcode let alone country at mo :( Stay safe!
Hey Sophie I found this video very helpful, in fact Iwill be buying 2 ibc's in the near future. Can you estimate how much scoria I'm going to need to put into the 4 halves please. I'm getting so excited that I'm finally going to be able to have some veggie gardens and a flower garden again. I've figured out all up I'm going to probably need 4 cubic metres of soil as well as having some left over for the dwarf fruit trees I'm going to grow in pots. I really hope you can help me. Im really enjoy G.A. so much Thank You for so much.
May i ask what size scoria you use in this video as some sites say less than 10mm is ideal for wicking but greater sizes are detrimental to the wicking process. A lot of landscape supply centres only sell 20mm?
Hello, I have made some similar IBC beds and am wondering how you built the wooden panelling and bench top on your beds?
Thanks for the video. I am having trouble understanding how the water will wick from the aggregate reservoir without a wick (say sand or geofabric) inserted in the reservoir. Would the spaces between the aggregate be sufficiently small for capillary action? I am building one this weekend and trying to decide if I should use more formal wick points.
Good question. I don't really see the point of using ag pipe to 'disperse water evenly' . Doesn't water naturally level ? Ag pipe may be one way of saving money on scoria or pea gravel and might also help stop soil clogging the down pipe. As for 'organic loaded soil' , I agree with your point ; the capillary action of wicking works best through a fine and symmetrical medium. Builders sand will help 'pull' water in the reservoir up through the soil, closer to plant roots that have not yet grown. I work in a community garden and have made numerous errors trying to perfect a wicking bed. I'd go with 2 or 3 sand wicks, anchored in pot plants, that travel half way (at least) to the top of the bed.
@@andibenson6834 The Survival Podcast #3095 goes into finer detail about wicking bed tech. For example you can put more pipes and less scoria which will provide a bigger reservoir of water. You can adjust the height of the overflow to accomplish different things, such as killing weeds, or growing starts. You can install automatic systems to refill the bed. etc.
Dont set that hot angle grinder down on your plastic IBC! Thanks for the demo. The Survival Podcast #3095 has a great in-depth discussion of the technology of wicking beds, but this is a good primer.
so cool lady
Question - Wouldn't the plastic in the IBC break down in the UV light. How do you stop this from happening?
This is amazing
thats amazing informative vid
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant!!!
An old sheet will rot quickly, perhaps weed matting would last longer. Would the wicking work from plastic?
The wooden surround, can you demonstrate how that was constructed please.
Brilliant
Really enjoyed watching the video. I have purchased the containers and now am ready build a wicking bed . I would love to know the size required for the ag pipe how many meters are needed to cover the base, the size PVC i pipe to go into the ag pipe and what size it the outlet nozzle to gauge the water level My local Bunnings said they could assist with supplies if I have these details. Thank you in advance for support.
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
$150 each is alot. You can recycle old totes from salvage yards, tip shops, transfer stations for free or I've paid $40
can this method be used in full garden beds with flowers, shrubs and trees/palms?
I am from South Morang, Victoria and I am having trouble finding the parts that let the water out or to a certain level. I have tried Bunnings and I have tried Reece but both couldn’t help me with those items. Can you please suggest any establishments where I can get what you have shown in the video? Thank you.
Show the video to the Bunnings store. The irrigation parts are stock standard at bunnings.
Alfred. You can get all the parts you need at Bunnings and any other hardware store. It is just poly pipe fittings.
Do you need food grade plastic for non-food, ornamental plants? I just created one for some water-hungry impatiens from a $6 waste-paper bin and now I'm wondering if I did the right thing.
Scoria is also known as lava rock. Is there an advantage to using this instead of regular creek gravel?
What are the metal, hook-ended bars running under the bottom of the bin that was already levelled? It doesn't look like part of the frame container frame but is helping to stabilise the bin.
I think that is from 'top' of container and put down the bottom as support. An IBC has less support on top as weight is normally on bottom/pallet).
How long does the potting mix last before needing to be replaced (nutrient wise) - thanks
I have made a few of these in smaller containers. I was curious why you used scoria and not just hose in the bottom. It seems like the scoria would reduce the volume of water in the bottom so that you would have to water more often. Thank you!
Maybe the scoria holds quite a bit of water, too, since there is a lot of airspace.....Also, maybe it's cheaper than hose?
The scoria or lava rock as we call it in the us has lots of air space so it holds lots of water. It also moves water by capillary action.
It will also release some minerals over time which is a good thing.
Personally, i would use a lot more perforated drain hose and just a just enough rock to fill in the spaces between the hose and a couple of inches over the top of the hose.
A good video though.
I would use clear plastic hose on the elbow that can be turned down to drain the tank. By using clear plastic hose instead of the black pipe i can see at a glance how much water is in the tank.
Could you use inch gravel in place of scoria?
Do NOT use SCORIA, it wicks most horribly. Use sand since it wicks great and holds a good volume of water.
Awesome!
Hello - thanks for the video - would have been great to see the materials used and process for the drainage hole. How is it fixed onto the inside other than just with silicon ? Also - is the scoria porous enough to act as the wicking agent ? I'm keen to try this.
What is a wicked bed ?
Did you say what size IbC??
Hi why dont my carrots grow in my wicking bed they have high leaves with no bottoms ( carrot)
Waw
How will I know the roots have reached the layer and no longer need to water from the top?
After 4 weeks you can be sure, that the plants have established. That is with temps around 15 Celsius. My tomatoes are growing roots in no time
you need a column of soil that goes to the bottom of the reservoir otherwise you loose the wicking effect after the water drops below the soil contact. Also the roots do not wick the water up it is the medium just like a piece of T shirt will wick up water. Please look at other that are doing this. If you do this way you will be disappointed
Should the slotted ag pipe have a sock?
No, you don't put anything over it other than either the scoria or the small pebbles/blue chip to stop dirt entering the pipe
Great video. Just when you talk about safety, you should get it right. Proper PPE for grinding is face shield AND safety glasses. Sorry to be a pain, but there are thousands of people watching ...
Maybe where you’re from it is, but safety glasses without a shield tends to meet most PPE standards. Nothing wrong with being more safety conscious, but the gear she used in the video was up to standard.
Belarus 2020 Zabudova
Google degloved...never wear loose clothing or gloves with rotary tools.
terrible advice... ALWAYS wear hand protection when using a cutting tool.
locker gloves won't save you from a grinder
Yeah right, IBCs otherwise known as unobtainium. Dear me can't you be more ubiquitous?
I have made a few of these in smaller containers. I was curious why you used scoria and not just hose in the bottom. It seems like the scoria would reduce the volume of water in the bottom so that you would have to water more often. Thank you!
The water needs to sit in the scoria underneath the soil so the soil doesn't turn anaerobic and it doesn't let the soil would leach into the pipe. Thanks