Inside Urban Green

Revolutionizing Urban Agriculture, One Sub-Irrigated Planter At A Time on Ecocentric | Food, Water and Energy Issues

It was oh so nice to see this very supportive piece by the forward looking folks at Ecocentric. There will be many more Slippery Slopes in the future.

via www.ecocentrism.org

As you may have noticed, Ecocentric bloggers have a soft spot for cool stuff on roofs. I’m certainly no exception. Since visiting Brooklyn Grange during its momentous transformation from tar beach to productive urban farm, I’ve been obsessed with excited to see additional examples of successful rooftop agriculture. So when a coworker forwarded an invitation to an event at Slippery Slope Farm, I cut out of the office, hopped on the bicycle and pedaled over to Brooklyn at a pace best characterized as maniacal. After ascending sweat-soaked from the sweltering sun-baked streets, I was graciously welcomed to the rooftop oasis featured in the slideshow above. Read more...

110 Year Old Sub-irrigated Planter (SIP)

1182. Sub-irrigation with two runs of tile

1183. Sub-irrigation with two tiers of tile.

Thanks to Google, we have these photos of a sub-irrigation planter (SIP, aka “self-watering planter”) that is about 110 years old. When a vendor touts their "new self-watering planter" invention, just smile.

The photos are from the Cyclopedia of American Horticulture, by Liberty Hyde Bailey and Wilhelm Miller (1900). Many consider Liberty Hyde Bailey as one of the founding fathers of American Horticulture. He was also co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS).

We can also thank our reactionary consumer horticultural education led primarily by the USDA extension program, for the fact that a hundred years later sub-irrigation is not more widely known in mainstream America.

Due mostly to our backward looking education, we are stuck in an outdated age of clay pots and drain holes. If we have a problem feeding people living in densely populated urban areas, we can trace much of the fault to this broken education system.

The planter designed by Professor W.J. Green of the then Ohio Experiment Station, in Wooster, Ohio works essentially the same as an EarthBox, Tomato Success Kit, Garden Patch Grow Box and all the other homemade sub-irrigation planters (SIPs, aka “self-watering”) including utility bucket SIPs. All use the simple principle of capillary action. Green's sub-irrigation work dates back to 1890-1891. What have we been doing since then?

Professor Green made his SIP with materials available in his day. There was no sheet plastic, no plastic pipe in those days. Instead, he used concrete and clay tiles to create the planter using a greenhouse bed.

Read the entire section from the Cyclopedia of American Horticulture.

Download Sub-irrigation - Cyclopedia of American Horticulture – 1904

These are some of the proven benefits of sub-irrigation that Professor Green cited. They are the same as those for present day SIPs.

Campbell's Greenhouses: Earthboxes

Max Fortres uploaded this most impressive photo of EarthBoxes in Campbell’s greenhouse to Photobucket. It is the only photo in the album and the location is unknown. I left a comment for Max and perhaps he will reply. It would be interesting to know more about the photo.

What is significant about it is the obvious professional organization and the lush, productive growth in the EarthBoxes. Who knows how many there are in this facility but it obviously represents serious business. Who knows also how many commercial growing facilities across the country are using EarthBoxes or other sub-irrigation planters (SIPs).

The point I make, once again, is that it unconscionable how our cooperative extension program agents, botanical institutions, gardening publications, gardening organizations, and other horticulturists continue to ignore the rapidly increasing growth in the use of sub-irrigation planters (SIPs) like the EarthBox. In my professional opinion, it is a "firing offense".

This is not about a subjective opinion or personal preference. It is now well documented that SIPs will out produce both top watered planters and in-ground plantings while conserving water and precious time. Sub-irrigation is not a new technique. Its use is documented more than one hundred years ago. 

We have much rhetoric in the media about our national obesity problem and the need for local urban agriculture and yet our media is essentially dumb on the subject of using very simple technology like SIPs. Capillary action is not rocket science.

If you're in the New York metro area, come out to the Waterpod this weekend and see for yourself how SIPs do their thing in a very impressive way. Seeing is believing.

Capillary Mats are a Labor-saving, Economical Alternative to Hand-watering

Retail nurseries can recoup investment in one year is the headline of an American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) research report about the benefits of capillary mat watering (i.e. sub-irrigation) for retailers. 

It is worth reading the abstract of this report. Even without reading the full report, the abstract tells you what you need to know. It should convince you to stop watering your container plants by drench and drain watering. 

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science in Alexandria, Virginia is "the largest, most visible organization dedicated to advancing all facets of research, education, and application”. 

TUCSON, AZ—Capillary mats are popular in the retail nursery industry and with many home gardeners. The uniquely designed mats provide automated irrigation to a variety of plants, conserve water, and reduce the need for labor-intensive hand-watering. Read more...

If sub-irrigation (i.e. capillary matting) is a good idea for greenhouse growers and retailers, why isn’t it a good idea for consumers? The answer, of course, is that it is a good idea for everyone including producers, retailers and consumers. 

It is one thing for out of date plant care advice to be pervasive in the houseplant market but another when it affects personal food production. Widespread publication of sub-irrigation benefits would significantly increase the production of homegrown vegetables. 

Cornell U. » Why is Sub-irrigation Good in the Greenhouse but not in Your House or Yard?

  

  

Various methods of greenhouse sub-irrigation 

The photos above came from a PowerPoint presentation entitled Financial and Practical Considerations of Selecting Zero Runoff Subirrigation Systems. The source of the information is Cornell University. 

You can download it as a PowerPoint presentation or view it in HTML in your browser without the photos. 

Following are the reasons and benefits cited in the presentation for greenhouse growers adopting sub-irrigation over top watering. They are of obvious benefit to consumers growing houseplants and vegetables as well.