is it bad to use soil with old roots in it?

[Guest 168361]

just wondering if i should remove old roots when reusing soil or if i should just chop em up and leave them in there????

 

[mr cheese]

try n get the main rootball out if you can.. few roots wont hurt, run a enzym thru the soil n they will break dwn anyway.. im currently at my 3rd crop with same soil n alls good.. c

 

[pearlemae]

Roots will decomposed and just add nutes to your soil. I reuse my medium(soilless mix), just add to whats there.

 

[bigwity]

when do you add the enzyme mr cheese and how much.

 

[NachoConQueso]

Why not try the soil forum a few doors down?

 

[mg75]

Why not try the soil forum a few doors down?

this thread applies to coco as well.

 

[growingcrazy]

When a run is over, I pull the cut stem out with as much root ball as possible. Break up the rest of the soil, pull the larger chunks of roots, and leave what is left. Takes 30 seconds, and causes 0 issues. I run coco castings and perlite.

 

[Harinama]

personally i had serious issues reusing soil in past grows due to salts i think. Presently i reuse coir constantly, but i use dripclean and hygrozyme to help with salt and root breakdown.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Coco will often be ok with just a shake out of the roots. I get it as dry as I can and put it through a large garden sieve. It's definitely not desirable to have (old) roots in your coco though, as they are magnets for fungus gnats, root aphids, and fungal problems.

 

[mg75]

Coco will often be ok with just a shake out of the roots. I get it as dry as I can and put it through a large garden sieve. It's definitely not desirable to have (old) roots in your coco though, as they are magnets for fungus gnats, root aphids, and fungal problems.

i agree.

you must ask yourself if the extra work of cleaning/sterilizing/leaching the coco worth more than buying new.

 

[Sam87]

Coco will often be ok with just a shake out of the roots. I get it as dry as I can and put it through a large garden sieve. It's definitely not desirable to have (old) roots in your coco though, as they are magnets for fungus gnats, root aphids, and fungal problems.

Excessive dead root matter will also make for some PH swings, and general funniness.

Best to screen it as well as you can. Hit it with some beneficials, and let it cook for a week or so. I particularly like using the BIM innoculations that the organic heads use. Easy to make, and you can't beat the price. Check out the Organic board for details.

 

[Justin_Credible]

when do you add the enzyme mr cheese and how much.

am using cannazyme for the 2nd run now. it supposedly takes dead roots and turns them into food. with canna's it is
10 ml per gallon in coco I think? seems to work.
only add it when they are ready for it. For instance on 1st up pot when roots have not filled in the pot am not using it because the plant is making roots. But when they have been in a pot for 2-3+wks is when I start using it at full str.
But using soil/coco that have roots in it, get main roots out and use whatever zyme you want @ full recc str from get go on one or two plants and see what happens. Could make for a nice side by side comparison thread.