Need help finding 33% porous grave base for wicking raised garden bed.

[barrysumpter]

Need help finding 33% porous gravel base for wicking raised garden bed.

Anyone know where I can get 33% porous screening medium / stones / gravel?

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My lady have given the go ahead on a 2.4m x 1.2m x .6m raised garden bed.

I could only source 1.2m spotted gum (to match current planters) so will have to build 2 x 1.2 square garden beds.

Going to have another go at square foot gardening with a wicking base.

My research indicates 33% porous / 15mm(?) stones.

I've rang a couple of suppliers but they don't go by porous %.


Anyone know where I can get 33% porous screening medium / stones / gravel?

my reference

Gravel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6-6F1MRGEA
2:07

[Bucky]

I used scoria in mine seems to work well.

Cheers Bucky

[truckjohn]

Correct! Nobody will know what you are talking about if you ask for 33% porous gravel ;). And even worse - that sort of question alerts the seller to "read something on The Internet but Does not know anything about how to do this"...

It honestly sounds more like you are building a drain field for a septic tank... ;)

Here's the typical recipe:
lay down a layer of woven landscape fabric on the bottom.
Bed of pea gravel to coarse 1" gravel. Washed if you are really really concerned about drainage.
Cover over it with landscape fabric.
Lay down the next layer on top with a couple inches of clean, coarse masonry sand and then go from there with your soil and topsoil to whatever thickness you need....

If you are really worried about drainage within the top layer - mix in 10-20% perlite with the soil and topsoil mixes.

But my bigger question is this...
Is the proposed place really swampy or does it have standing water you need to drain? Are you building a drain field?

Typical soil is generally fairly well drained.. But the natural soil holds moisture which will supply the plants needs when you aren't watering frequently.. Plants are used to sending out roots looking for water.. This is already built into "nature"..

[barrysumpter]

Can anyone identify the gravel he is using here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6-6F1MRGEA
2:07

[barrysumpter]

His further update says that he gets better results from multiple (directions?)

i.e. Sometimes Using the wicking technique.
And Sometimes draining the wicking water and letting the stones dry out. And watering from above.


My thought is that the standing wicking water was turning stagnate and starting to smell.

And when the water is drained is it used on other plants or maybe even recycled on top of the same planter?



I have a thing about academics advising practical use without getting their hands dirty.

His experience is considerably academic including a lot of traveling and practical experience in the field.

Sharing a lot on youtube with recent findings.

[barrysumpter]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N31UFLD9RLA&feature=youtu.be&t=1548
Soil CO2 Respiration and Nutrient Cycle

Makes you wonder how how anyone could grow anything until academia came to the rescue. LOL

[barrysumpter]

scoria is lava rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ow7crxUfA
PERLITE vs VERMICULITE IN GARDEN SOIL | Benefits and Difference Between Perlite and Vermiculite

perlite - white - hold less water better for airation - cactus - when you need well drained soil

vermiculite - brown - sponge - hold more water - less airation - too much water retention can cause root rot

[ian]

Can anyone identify the gravel he is using here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6-6F1MRGEA
2:07Hi Barry
the gravel looks like crushed river gravel graded to 20mm (nominal) -- a suitable source would be concrete aggregate. The gravel you use doesn't need to be round

[truckjohn]

Barry,

Those fellows are not building typical raised bed planters for use in their yards.... What they are showing is an aquaponics sort of setup for use in a greenhouse... They run a stream of moving fertilized water through the LECA base. The plants then uptake as much or little water and nutrients as they need... There is a whole complicated aeration, filtration, fertilization, and purification system for the water running through this...

If you just want a good recipe for use in a typical outdoor vegetable planter:

Build your planter box.
Lay down 1 layer of newspaper on top of the existing soil
Put a few handfuls of pea gravel onto the newspaper to keep it from blowing around or shifting during filling.
Now fill the bed with high quality commercial soilless mix potting soil. Here in the USA - I like Fafard or Miracle Grow potting soil.. Use what you can get locally...

A very good home recipe if you don't have access to soilless potting mix is:
4 parts Peat
1 part Vermiculite
1 part Perlite.

You do not want to use all the gravel and sand base if you are not doing an aquaponics setup....

If you do want to pursue an aquaponics setup - look into "LECA" - Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate.. That's what this stuff is. The most common place to find it is with Cement plants.... Although Aquaponics supply places carry it....

[barrysumpter]

The wicking bed technique is not hydroponics

SIP = Sub Irrigated Planter

How to Make a Self Watering Wicking Bed / Sub Irrigated Planter - Stock Tank Build
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL7PgoTlImE

[barrysumpter]

Finally able to chat with a wicking bed expert.
Really nice and no BS or nonsense.
Knew his products very well.

Bulleen Art and Garden
Wicking Beds - Bulleen Art & Garden (http://www.baag.com.au/wicking-beds/)

Wicking bed is
2568 Long
1330 wide
537 high

lining all customers use pvc 3 x 4m - $108
7mm stone screening - .5 (?) $45
geotextile mesh - 2x4 - $15
veggie mix - 1.5 (?) - $105
overflow outlet - $11.95 - 19mm 100mm length
50mm aggie pipe - $21

+ $45 delivery

+ phone support

Surprised but happy to get it sorted from one place that quite of few websites recommended.
Including 20 wicking beds purchased by Melbourne University.

433322

[ian]

Finally able to chat with a wicking bed expert.
Really nice and no BS or nonsense.
Knew his products very well.

Bulleen Art and Garden
Wicking Beds - Bulleen Art & Garden (http://www.baag.com.au/wicking-beds/)

Wicking bed is
2568 Long
1330 wide
537 high
you might want to rationalise those dimensions somewhat.
From here they look like a hard conversion from US feet and inches. Or even a double conversion metric to rounded US and back to metric.

[barrysumpter]

Thanks Ian.
Always looking out for me.
Much appreciated.

I've allowed the golden pine posts to show thru the ends and middle.
To match the vertical planter behind.
35mm in the middle and 45 at the ends.

Planted the posts and back filled using the flat end of a 60 pound spike.

The expert said I only needed to drain it once a year and confirmed I could use that water on the wicking bed or garden bed.

[barrysumpter]

Aquaponics proven to work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h3nBlkALlU
Super interesting

[barrysumpter]

All the overflow and drainage piping I could get at Bunnings for about half the price.
I found them in the gardening section and NOT the plumbing section.

We had priced other beds for half the size at 3 times the price.
So paying a little extra for convenience wasn't an issue at the time.

I have to write that each time I've spoken to BAAG I've finished speaking to one of their people
I'm relieved and quite happy.

[Tonyz]

uaponics.com/forum/search.php?search_id=active_topics

the foremost and best aquaponic forum in the world and forum based in (West) Australia members on every continent. go to search engine take food, drink and bedding, type in wicking beds and be prepared for a mass of reading, You wont be dissapointed.

[barrysumpter]

That address not working.

Finished the both bed and planter.
Waiting for soil to settle and for the lady to choose her veggies to plant.


Left the linings a bit long in case I put an edge around it.
Otherwise will just tuck it in later.

433900

The left over veggie soil went into the three sided pyramid planter.
433901

Anyone know if plants and flowers will grow ok in veggie soil?