Simplicity - Looking For The Perfect Soil

[vonforne]

Some of you are much better with your mixes than I am. I've never honestly tried a second cycle without adding something and recooking.
Again though, wouldn't this depend on veg time?

cycling is basically...´cooking´ once the plants are harvested you leave the roots and all intact along with any soil micro organisms. Now your plant will never use all of the nutrients in the soil. What you see at the end of a growth cycle is the plant ending its life.....not the soil running out of nutrients. Cannabis after all is an annual.

ML is also correct in his statement with the mulch whether it is alive or not. The entire grow cycle it is adding to the soil. And during the grow cycle you are adding compost teas and EWC slurries which add certain amounts of organic matter to the substrate.

After a cycle I like to add just compost and or EWC. I used to turn the soil but now just leave it be and add to the surface. I do top dress at times during a growth cycle. So, it all adds up in the end. A little here and a little there.

If in the beginning you have added rock powders, DE, SRF, Kelp it will remain for the most part in the soil. The benefits of rock powders for example will not be seen for 2,3 or 4 cycles because of the slower decomposition rate it requires.

And most of us here are soil builders over time. Mostly with compost in one form or another.

V

 

[h.h.]

Living in the sandy desert, I've built my share of soil, just not potting soil. I do find sand much more forgiving.
My point was teas and dressing are still of use. I mention nutes because, like me, others don't have it completely dialed in yet. Too much blood or whatever in the mix or it didn't cook long enough.and you burn your plants. Better to error on the side of too little and then add. While things are growing, you'll see what you need to tweak the next time. I've used nutes once in I think 2 months on this last grow. Out of 3 strains, the thai looked a little deficient. I didn't mix this soil. I bought it after some research here and amended it slightly.

 

[mad librettist]

some like forgiving soil.


I like soil that helps me sin.

 

[habeeb]

I would like to get some ideas on this. I am always trying to hone my skill, and I would say the ultimate in growing weed would be a soil that would need no fertilization from seedling to ripening. But also would not burn seedlings.

Can it be done?


.

short answer no. from seed to harvest no.. that's short answer

-you could 12/12 a seed then yes.
-you could add slower release nutes / or bigger particle then maybe.
-huge pots, with small tiny plants, low veg time, possible, could be.

to me there is not a big difference from watering, to adding one bottle before you water the plants. I know people go all crazy and starting adding like 7 things, but I don't really see a time consuming change adding one step ( shake bottle, measure out, pour in, stir, clean our measurement tool )


to me when you say you want simplicity, I hear.. what bottle is easiest to use, with the fewest amount of bottles

 

[mad librettist]

do you count just a bit of neptune's, molasses, and seaweed extract as "fertilization"?

Should I be doing a grow without them to see?

Do you consider my scenario small plants or big plants?

Do you consider the mulch/living mulch to be "slow release" fertilizer?

Is compost/EWC fertilizer?

 

[h.h.]

yes

 

[the_extremist]

Build a well-amended soil and grow 'em big in big containers. Though many here are not a fan of this mix, I run large plants in super soil and they finish great and yield very well without any liquid feed at all, except for some dried cane sugar, 2TBS/gal, twice during peak bloom.

I think the key to not having to do any liquid feed is good, rich soil and large container size. I'm in 7 gallon pots right now and the next run I'm going to do 10's because they started fading a bit early for my liking.

 

[mad librettist]

come on over to 15 gallon pots, it's fun!

 

[the_extremist]

Good lord, 15's? How often do you water them sumbitches?

 

[mad librettist]

blumats, baby!

zero runoff (who needs it?). You just leave them in place with something that will catch any leak.

 

[the_extremist]

Nice. They look really neat. I might have to try them out. What do they cost?

 

[mad librettist]

you can get a blumat kit with 12 sensors for about 80 bucks shipped.

try sustainable village.

 

[the_extremist]

Killer. Would you run two per pot for say, a ten gallon container?

 

[mad librettist]

sounds right

I do 3 per pot

you can also split the drip hose out of each sensor for more points. since in containers you needs a shorter distance from sensor to the drip point

 

[the_extremist]

Awesome, thanks for the advice.

 

[TanzanianMagic]

of course it can, its called building real soil. increasing soil humus levels and creating a well structured soil. rather than tossing some peat, perlite and lime together with anything you can buy at the store.

Sounds very interesting, and I'm up for it.

The question then is - what is real soil? Is it the diversity of bugs, or do you take real garden soil? Is compost soil and if not, why not?

 

[mad librettist]

Sounds very interesting, and I'm up for it.

The question then is - what is real soil? Is it the diversity of bugs, or do you take real garden soil? Is compost soil and if not, why not?

this is just like trying to define porn.

you know it when you see it is the best we've come up with in over 200 years of American jurispridence.

 

[jaykush]

The question then is - what is real soil?

real soil is the end result of the ever changing surface of the earth, from environmental, physical and biological decomposition. the stuff the earth is made of, it contains mineral matter, organic matter, air and water. It lives, it breathes and so on...

Is compost soil and if not, why not?

compost is just decomposed organic matter, which is a big part of a good soil. but not the whole picture imo.

use the sticky "a beginners study guide to soil" to help you learn the basics what real soil is about. there is very basic information out there for learning about soil, stuff they teach to high school kids or even younger. or at least they used to lol. follow the topics and by the time your done youll be able to build the best soil possible to grow the best dank possible.

 

[habeeb]

blumats, baby!

zero runoff (who needs it?). You just leave them in place with something that will catch any leak.

mad,

by this, do you mean if it rolls off the top like dry peat? or do you mean coming out the bottom of the pot?

I didn't think blumats would work well with peat, as the hydrophobic ( spelling? ) properties of dry peat ... any clarification on this?


thanks

 

[mad librettist]

mad,

by this, do you mean if it rolls off the top like dry peat? or do you mean coming out the bottom of the pot?

I didn't think blumats would work well with peat, as the hydrophobic ( spelling? ) properties of dry peat ... any clarification on this?


thanks

By no runoff I mean water goes in as liquid but only leaves as a gas. I leave my containers in place and I don't send any water to waste. If my EC or whatever is through the roof, somebody needs to tell my plants because they don't care, whether they are cuts, seedlings, or transplants.

with blumats running properly the peat never gets hydrophobic! it stays "just right". The only time you will have a problem is if they are set to water too lightly or the drip is too far from the sensor. In that case roots will come and suck the water right out of the sensor and you have to take it out, fill it up, water, then set it again. The way water normally gets back in the sensor (thus closing the valve) is through the soil. Osmosis is stronger than suction though, so if you get too dry you lose your sensor water and your vacuum.


Sick of peat's hydrophobic properties? Switch from perlite to calcined DE or turface (screen it).