Inside Urban Green

SPI Resin Identification Codes - Guide to Correct Use

 

Read what each symbol means and about the plastic resin identified (PDFs). 

These symbols on the bottom of plastic products are often misunderstood. They are codes that identify the type of plastic resin used to make the product. For one thing they do not identify anything such as "food grade".

They are simply a code used to aid in recycling. Whether the product is recycled, however, is a business decision on the part of the recycling company.

via www.plasticsindustry.org

Summary

The SPI resin identification code has been developed to provide a

So Long Coke Bottle SIPs

The illustrious Coca Cola company has managed to screw up the ability to upcycle/recycle their new 2-liter contour bottles into soda bottle SIPs*.

Thanks Coke. We'll encourage people to just "take one sip"...from Pepsi. 

*Sub-irrigated Planters

Read comments at consumerist.com and here intouch-labels.com

SIP: An Indoor Coffee Tree Plantation

A nursery flat and juice bottle form the soil platform and soil wicks. A water bottle creates the fill tube (lower right).

Click on photos for a larger view on Flickr

The Coffee trees are planted and the capillary action in this easy to make sub-irrigated planter (SIP) is obviously working (note darker soil pattern). The internal wicking, soil platform and fill tube are all made from repurposed plastics. This is the same design as shown here and here. 

Note that this planter is for interior use only. This translucent plastic box will not stand up to harsh weather and full sun. It would likely last no more than one growing season outdoors. There is also no overflow drain hole.

The only question now is whether there is enough light from the window and overhead fluorescent shop light to produce flowers and fruit. 

Sock It To Me!

Recycled socks make excellent soda bottle SIP covers ("cloth cachepots"). This one year old Ficus benjamina cost next to nothing. The plant was propagated from cuttings rooted in the same planter about one year ago. The soda bottle SIPs are free and you help the environment. The polished pebbles cost just pennies.

There are single socks and socks with holes just waiting for a higher calling in life. This is it! It's their big chance! You can help them. 

Incidentally, the Ficus is the same houseplant shown in this prior post.

Clearly The Best Way To Grow Houseplants

The same plant (right-hand photo) converted to expanded clay pebble hydroculture.

I probably haven’t heard all of the lame reasons for growing houseplants in clay or opaque plastic pots but I’ve heard a lot of them over the years. Pretzel logic and ignorance know no bounds.

By now, you likely know that I advocate repurposed (recycled) soda/pop bottle planters as clearly (pun intended) the best way to grow houseplants. They are also the best plant science learning aid that I know of.

Nursery Flat Recycling: Upcycling is a More Productive Solution

Source (via Twitter) www.pantagraph.com

Since April 2008 the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners have been working with local garden shops and individuals to recycle used plastic garden pots. Jaci Dixon, right, and Robin VanDermay, both of Bloomington, sort the plastics for recycling at the ODC at Crossroads Center. (The Pantagraph/LORI ANNCOOK-NEISLER) (June 29,2009)

There is a much better solution than recycling these things!

It would be far better to repurpose (aka upcycle) these nursery flats and trays than to recycle them. They could be used productively to convert every raised bed vegetable garden in America to sub-irrigation.

The result would be significantly greater food production (in the range of 30-50%), conservation of water and valuable personal time. Further, it is a lot easier to learn than in the ground gardening with its exposure to uneven soil moisture and the risks of contaminated city soil.

The only thing holding us back is lack of education on the subject. Why isn't the USDA cooperative extension program, Master Gardener program, every botanic garden, every college and school teaching horticulture in America teaching these modern methods? Thanks to Google, it is well documented on the web that at this time they are not.

Sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) whether they are raised beds, boxes or buckets are the green and technologically modern way for city dwellers to grow personal, family and neighborhood food.

It is time to speak up! The Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) is planning to speak in a much louder voice in the coming year. Please join the parade! You will be most welcome!

This tote box could just as well be a raised bed lined with sheet plastic and sub-irrigated using upcycled nursery flats, water bottles and other plastic containers in the same way as shown here.

A River of Sub-irrigated Planters (SIPs)

Photo by Greenscaper

This is near where the Waterpod was berthed in the Harlem River. I wonder how many people we could feed with sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) made from the debris floating in this river?

What if we converted every planter with drain holes to efficient sub-irrigation by the method shown here and here for example? How many plastic containers would be kept out of our landfills and put to productive use instead?

Simply put, plant containers with drain holes are a bad idea. They contribute to wasted water, wasted plants and wasted time. They have no positive benefit on the environment.

We should have an organized program to "compost" our plastic trash into SIPs? We would help the environment and grow an enormous amount of fresh food in the city if we did.

This from the New York Times

   
                                                                Click to enlarge

Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations.

The movement is simple in concept if not always in execution: Produce less waste. Shun polystyrene foam containers or any other packaging that is not biodegradable. Recycle or compost whatever you can.

Universal Sub-irrigation Planter Construction Method

Update: March 3, 2010 - This post shows this type of planter made with recycled milk containers and a more clear photo-illustration. 

A very simple arrangement of recycled plastic containers emulates all sub-irrigated (aka “self-watering”) planters (SIPs) such as the EarthBox, Tomato Success Kit and Garden Patch Grow Box among others.

This method has the potential to become the most generic way to sub-irrigate plants in any watertight planter including tote boxes, utility buckets, decorative ceramic containers, wood planters and raised beds. Wood planters require the addition of a sheet plastic liner to make them watertight. 

Please understand that this is a beta test product. I am confident that it works but we need people to try it and report their results under varying conditions. I'll be glad to help anyone who has questions about making them this way.

There are basic components to all SIPs: 1. a watertight container (in this case an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote box), 2. a platform to create a water reservoir (air space) at the bottom, 3. a soil wick or wicks, 4. a fill tube. 5. overflow drain holes at the height of the reservoir. These are for outdoor use only to handle rainfall. 

This simple arrangement requires no power tools or purchased products other than the tote box. You might even find a watertight container to recycle (ex. recycling box, food shipping box, wash tub, etc.) and avoid this expense as well.

The platform is formed in a unique but simple way. All you need is a collection of recycled plastic containers. In this case, it is a combination of one milk container (1/2 gallon) and a nursery flat turned upside down. It could be any combination of recycled containers including aluminum beverage cans as well as plastics. This configuration creates a reservoir of about two and half gallons.

The objective is to fill the bottom of the watertight container with reservoir containers of a reasonably uniform height. Kids can make a game of it. It’s like a logic puzzle. You might also think of this as analogous to “composting” the containers that flow through your kitchen, many of which end up in our land fills.

There are holes poked in the tops of the reservoir containers to provide aeration and drainage in case of rainwater intrusion. The bottoms of the reservoir containers need to be open to water flow. In this case, there is a large slot cut in the underside of the milk container to allow water to enter. The nursery flat is open at its top and therefore requires no cutting to allow water access.

The fill pipe is made from two small size recycled water bottles. They could be any small size bottles such as for juice or soda. Simply cut the bottom off and sleeve them together to make any length fill tube. See this prior post.

You may be wondering where the wick is. There is no need to add a container (such as a pond basket, yogurt cup, etc.) to form a soil wick. The spaces all around the reservoir containers form the soil wicking with no need for a separate soil wicking container. 

Your comments and questions will be most helpful to other readers. There is usually some ambiguity and confusion about written instructions. Your questions will help clarify this text. There will definitely be a video as soon as I can get into YouTube mode. It is long overdue.

A Rosetta Stone of "Self-watering"

These are planters made from 1, 2 and 3-liter pop bottles. Use them and you will be reading a Rosetta stone of sub-irrigation (known incorrectly as "self-watering" in the consumer market). 

Use them and you will soon be growing superior plants while learning more about capillary action and how plants function. Use them to teach your children too. What they will learn is about science, not just gardening. 

Capillary action is the basic function behind all so called "self-watering" planters whether they be for decorative house plants or vegetable growing. Learn about capillary action by observing it at work in these clear bottle planters. What you will observe and learn is applicable when growing all terrestrial plants whether indoor or outdoor. 

Think I'm over dramatizing? You will discover that I'm not when you try them yourself. Remember that they are FREE! In fact, you get some extra points for doing some social good by keeping them out of the waste stream. 

 

I have been studying sub-irrigation watering methods for more than 30 years. It started in my interior plantscaping business back in the '70's. Sub-irrigation revolutionized the way we did business. Our quality went up along with customer satisfaction, while our replacement rate went down. It was a lot easier to train new employees too. 

Barbecue Chicken Container Seed Propagator

Here is yet another repurposing (recycling) opportunity that will help you grow your own fresh vegetables and keep some more plastic out of the waste stream. Thanks to the economic slump, all reports indicate that vegetable seed sales are booming this spring. Here is a way to start them. 

You may recognize this seed starter's former life as a barbecue chicken container. Costco sells them by the thousands. Who knows how many. It pained me to trash them until I saw a post on Apartment Therapy. 

The white seed tray is repurposed (recycled) from Chinese take-out. The wicks are made of polyester batting material (see aquapads). 

It’s very easy to poke holes with a hot metal skewer and slots with a hot knife. That's all there is to it. Insert the wicking strips and you're good to go. 

I will post the progress of the seeds in these propagators. Stay tuned.