Pallet wood Hydro-driver for 2018 season

[no_akira]

The Pallet wood Hydro-driver is a ‘mechanical’ way of actively driving moisture out of water-saturated ‘heavy-clay‘ soils during the critical root development stage of March, April & early May. Its is especially suited to overly-bred modern ‘woody annual vegetables‘ that require a high flow of water over their roots but do not like it soggy. Its does this through a physics principle called the ‘Stack Effect‘.

FULL design

Underside

But this isn’t all its doing…

Hydro-driver page

[Snadger]

This appears to be the opposite in principle to a keyhole garden in drought conditions. It could be reversed by watering the central portion?

[no_akira]

I also thought this originally but over 4 growing seasons of experimenting with this design, evidence indicates that plants responded to flush / drench watering around the soil surrounding them as it flushes surface layer nutrients down to the spreading root tips.

Watering into the void just left you with a saturated central zone & dry plants...

[veggiechicken]

Have you rethought https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...lds_86096.html

[no_akira]

Yes & no... Its been a case of working through the design. What was or was not working as therorised on first posting. After 4 years of trying it across multiple beds with all the main groups of veggies I feel I now understand what its doing. What its strengths & weaknesses are.

[veggiechicken]

Reading the previous thread, it seems that lots of the issues that were raised then are the ones you are addressing now.
I still don't think the effort involved justifies the outcome.

[no_akira]

That's valid reasoning...

Effectively all your doing is stealing a few weeks advance at the beginning of the growing season using the soil Hydro-driver.

But for tomatoes that could give you a crop 2 weeks earlier or aubergines fruiting earlier say late June rather than the poor specimens that turn up mid-late July.

Disclaimer: Remember the system is aimed at plot owners with 'Heavy clay' soils that struggle to grow much other than Potatoes & root veggies & cabbages (brass). My allotment site which is only half occupied and even less actually worked was famous in its heyday for cabbages. Someone once asked me "How is that site? I've heard its heavy clay..."

I'm no expert but after 4 seasons experimenting I feel I've done enough to prove an 'effect' for this specific dispiriting soil type 'Heavy-clay'.

[veggiechicken]

If it works for you, that's great.
For me, I don't grow tomatoes outdoors because of blight and aubergines are always in a GH. so I gain my early and late weeks by growing undercover.

[4Shoes]

I can see what you are getting at. Like a drain with evaporation in place of a soakaway.

My soil is sandy and stony but for allotments with colder clay corners - expect it is worth a try.

[Greenleaves]

I haven't got a clue what it's supposed to do but, if it works for you then good luck

[no_akira]

For me, I don't grow tomatoes outdoors because of blight

VC wrote

This is sort of the whole point of my post.

There seems to be some evidence of the Hydro-driver system reducing or halting the spread of blight...

Due to keeping the soil dry on the top layer of the semi-raised bed.

The idea is for people to have another go at growing those plants that failed miserably but using the Hydro-driver.

[Greenleaves]

But blight is airborne?

[Bluenowhere]

I agree VC I’m none the wiser about what this device is achieving, even having looked at the link.

My parents are on heavy Essex clay, me and my brother spent many happy hours building clay pots from the solid lumps of ‘soil’ dug out when we were younger and I’m now on Kent clay (different clay but clay never the less) the only way to solve the issue is by improvement of the soil by manure, home made compost etc. My parents have achieved this over many years but they were on completely unimproved solid clay to start with and still managed to grow a vast selection of veg, tomatoes always being a family favourite.

At my allotment it is still heavy although clearly has been improved on the past. Digging in large quantities of horse manure over the last year has improved it significantly. Other plots on our site had standing water last week while ours despite being soggy didn’t.

Others may beg to differ and perhaps I’ve missed the point but my opinion on clay is there are no shortcuts from hard work to improve the soil.

I’d personally rather be on improved clay any day than the sand or chalk alternatives that other parts of Kent face.

[veggiechicken]

Its is especially suited to overly-bred modern ‘woody annual vegetables‘

I don't even understand what vegetables are being referred to here - "woody" tomatoes???

[Bluenowhere]

Indeed VC my aim is to avoid growing anything that looks or tastes remotely woody