wood ashes are free, and contain 13 essential nutrients as it use to be plant matter. Chicken shit is very alkaline so add a bit and you fertilize and correct the acid'ness. Make you own calcium/alkaline solution by soaking sea shells for a month or more the dilute this concentrate with water and feed regularly or leaf feed.Dolomite lime is better IMO.

Was thinking about this, but not real practical hiking bags of soil in. How would one turn forest-soil (desiduous and coniferous trees) into suitable soil for such an op? Soil, perlite, peat moss, but what kind of fertilizer prep would be needed other than ph adjustment?

-ChronicalCT

I used these Swamp Tubes last year, 18 lbs(dry) from 27 idica, I checked them twice all year. I had so much weed on my first try , and now I that understand more what you are talking about, WOW! I truly thank you, good sir.

Hello. My first post since OverGrow.

Let me thank the OP for the great post, and recommend "weed cloth" opposed to plastic sheeting when using the screen method.

Pros: It is breathable (a big plus), easily carried, and more resistant to degradation by exposure to UV.

Thanks, and keep up the good work.

-TwiSteDGNX

This was very unbelieveable.

I got from you a while ago, and some out of another friend in these forums, this is my first year doing this and was doing 24 in two different reservoirs, so we have to buy a lot of lime

Long time since the last post on this thread. Anyone have any success stories?

I haven't tried swamp tubes, but I thought I'd pitch in my two pfennigs about this question.

I think forest (or garden, or yard) soil is generally SUPER dense. The reason trees, grasses thrive in these soils is that the soil is actively tunneled by worms and other subsoil creatures. If we were to scoop these soils into a swamp tube these tunneling helpers would no longer have access to the root zone, and the tube would be a dense, low-oxygen environment. Aside from pH challenges, I think deciduous or coniferous soils would need to be loosened/lightened up w/ lots of perlite, peat moss (or maybe even bark) or some other aerating agent to make them friendly to our favorite plant...

Just my opinion. I hope someone tries it out.

This seems like a very promising method for the enthusiast...built-in intrusion protection and watering. I would love to see more pictures of successful grows.

Haven't tried swamp tubes as described here but use grow bags on swampy moss and it helps when it gets dry like this summer. Eventually the moss dries up and you are working yer arse off. I was worried about Ph but it seems when the get going and with a lot of lime on board they survive very well.

wow thats an old thread ..i remember reading this when i first got here ..lol..