Re-Use FFOF soil?
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DR. i dont run soil anymore, use coco and chem nutes, i have been using the same coco for 1 year now, roots are strained out on a screen and right back into beer cups and pots for clones, veg plants and flower plants, no problems. this is one about 2 weeks from chop. healthy and producing
looking good there joesy in coco you flush weekly do to over abundance of P in coco ???? adding tons of cal mag always wanted to try coco we sell the stuff in our store lol just never got around to it
as for re - using all i do is put used soils into my outdoor garden break it up it makes huge tomatoes lol
well for starters i give my clones full strength nutes the day they root, and the day they root they go 12 inches under my hid, rooted clones are just as strong as the moms they came from...nutrient and light wise...
secondly, you run full strength nutrients all the way to harvest?! my ladies get plain water for the last 2 weeks, and after that point the soil is essentially npk 0-0-0, then it sits for a month just because i have 3 beds and only 2 spots under my light, by the time it's dry i'm re-moistening/saturating it with FULL STRENGTH lucas formula in prep for my clones...thanks to lucas my nutrients would be the same whether they were vegging or flowering, though i don't believe in vegging, my soil is kept at the same strength at all times except for flush...if i ever had a need to have clean soil it only takes 1 to 2 weeks for my plants to eat all that's in there, or i stick my grow bed in the shower for and flush it out in an hour...but i can't imagine ever having to do that...
i too am lost...is this what you think flushing is?!?!soaking the soil once and then drying it out?! huh?! where do you get these ideas? for starters the traditional way to do it is to just give plain water for the last few weeks of budding, so the plant eats all the leftover salts in a few days or a week, then it starts to eat its own nutrient stores, that's why the leaves yellow! because there is no more nutrients at all in the soil for the plant to eat, so it must cannibalize itself! secondly...WHY ON EARTH would you dry it out before you use it again?!?! how would spending a month drying out soil fit into any recycling scenario?! i just don't get why you would mention it like this is something people actually do...when you are out buying bags of soil every month or two, do you put the dirt on an elevated screen like you described and let it dry for a month with a dehumidifier? then use it? would you also recommend we cook our soil in an oven at 170 degrees? doesn't all fox farm soil come with live beneficial bacteria in it? meaning it hasn't been sterilized like that...and it wouldn't be something you would want to do to your own soil either...when pasteurizing horse poop for mushrooms i specifically never heat it over 140 because you don't want to kill those beneficial bacterias...yea some will say i will flush the soil to rid it of all its nutrients again you ever soak soil
Yea just go fill up a 5 gallon pail of soil soak it see how long it takes hahaha before you can re use it ????? what a month
how long you think it would actually dry up what yea going to do place it on a room with tons of heat and a dehumidifier it would take for ever for that soil to dry out unless it was suspended and dripping away screened etc but not in a pile in a corner of your house
i guess i just don't get your attitude dr. fever...you are acting like everybody in the past 3 pages are all just lying to try and dupe people or something...scoffing and basically calling big name growers like superman liars...it's one thing to disagree, but if you are going to be cocky and close minded about a subject when you are surrounded by people who are telling you that it works...well i just don't see the point? do you already know everything about growing? there is no reason at all to question the things you know? everybody is wrong now and then but you will never progress as a grower or a person if you can't keep an open mind about things...
honestly in the chem world he isn't correct either...because LOTS of people, myself included use hydroponic chemical ferts in fox farm soil...after just a few weeks the organic ferts (a small amount of worm and bat guano)are completely eaten by your plants, and if you aren't growing organic, your fox farm is essentially soilless and lends itself to chemical ferts much better than full on topsoil...as long as you aren't pounding them with way more chemical nutrients than they need, the salts wont build up, and as long as you feed only plain water the last 2 weeks your soil will be essentially soilless once again, a blank slate, ready for whatever kind of nutrient regime you want...i have only bought soil twice in the past 2 years, and next year it will be twice in 3 years...it would have only been the one time except some d bag breeder who i wont name sold me seeds with mosaic virus and it was spreading to my whole garden.
Senor sloth whats your full strength 1150 ppm ????? is that what you give your rooted clones wow you mention traditional way ????is to give it just water last 2 weeks Hmmm isn;t last 2 weeks when plant needs all the nutrients as it can get as that is when buds pack on the weight one would think the actual traditional way is to back off nutrients not starve it again your being mis lead into believing plants need to die off or use up its nutrients yup yellow leafs again your mistaken for out door were growing indoor as most of the leaf discloration is due to colder temps
Yes hydro guys flush last week or so but then again there around 1800 ppm
With peat soils, the soil breakdown is even faster. I won't risk a mediocre container display because of structureless soil. I want everything to look good with a minimum of effort, so I don't want to stand & scratch my head wondering if I should water or wait another day. I can water my soils freely without worry of soggy soil, & that's just what I happen to prefer to grow in. fresh soil 2 stages VEG then flower transplant Your choice may be different,
I buy soil components in big quantities, so it's very inexpensive to replace the soil, like 2 super B trailers of soil a year and 4 trailers not including other products
Good luck & good growing, whatever you decide.
PS: i never came on here to start any BS Soil is cheap compared to chasing a grow i also mentioned i re use soil yes on products i didn't sell but all soil gets sterilized for following years products mixed into new soils one thing is growing out of your basement other is doing it for a living ??? 20 + years ty i am in business to have repeat customers not having customers screaming cause of bug or disease infested plants
Yes hydro guys flush last week or so but then again there around 1800 ppm
With peat soils, the soil breakdown is even faster. I won't risk a mediocre container display because of structureless soil. I want everything to look good with a minimum of effort, so I don't want to stand & scratch my head wondering if I should water or wait another day. I can water my soils freely without worry of soggy soil, & that's just what I happen to prefer to grow in. fresh soil 2 stages VEG then flower transplant Your choice may be different,
I buy soil components in big quantities, so it's very inexpensive to replace the soil, like 2 super B trailers of soil a year and 4 trailers not including other products
Good luck & good growing, whatever you decide.
PS: i never came on here to start any BS Soil is cheap compared to chasing a grow i also mentioned i re use soil yes on products i didn't sell but all soil gets sterilized for following years products mixed into new soils one thing is growing out of your basement other is doing it for a living ??? 20 + years ty i am in business to have repeat customers not having customers screaming cause of bug or disease infested plants
i feed water last few weeks. no salt build up ever with organics. and ppm is useless in organics. even with pure blend i dont get any buildup. i found feeding up till chop didnt add much extra weight and didnt give a superior finished product. with organics i aint throwing nuthin out . hell i dont even take out all the roots from last plants. just the stem and biggest roots.got several 40 gal tubs and a few barrels so i can cycle the soil.before this i had a farm and 4 greenhouses. i mixed and recycled my soil then too but at a larger scale and with machinery.. and i sold alot to friends and customers. no complaints and lots of happy folks.i agree it could go wrong quick but not if ya got skillz bro.
They have found its better to re use your soil. The soil is way better the second and third time around. I personally dont do it but have seen lots of farmers do it and it works for sure. Especially when you use beneficcials that innoculate the roots. Using that soil mix again will be filled with colonies of beneficial bacterias ready to work. Dont get much better than that. Just sift the old roots add some hygrozyme or sensyzime and your all set. I can almost guarantee your plants will turn out better. Make sure to flush the soil out of existing bloom nutrients from prior cycle. After that you and your ladies are ready to rock. Good luck and give it a try for sure 
i only flush about 5days at very end of flower, basicly there done before i start flushing, dont add any cal mag in veg or flower, i use maxi grow for veg and duthmaster gold for flower with a boost of pk 13 /14 week 4 through
week 6 to 7.
really would like to get back to soil and will someday , but for what im doing now coco works the best. if i was just growning for personal use it would be soil.
I dont do it simply because there is no soil to speak of,a ton of roots to dig through it thats your thing.I let my rootball basically fill the container before I transplant up a size,I get 4-6 oz off three gallon containers and believe me I dont want to chase soil through a mound of root.Just ask root boy slim
Can you reuse soil? Of course--it's soil--IMO you'd be stupid not to. It's ridiculous to see how detached from reality some cannabis growers are, almost as if somehow growing cannabis is completely different from growing corn, or tobacco, or peppers. It's a fucking plant growing in dirt -- not exactly rocket science.
In my garden I use a 50/50 mix of coco and Pro-Mix with big chunky perlite. My grow is a continuous system with plants in 3 gallon buckets always going into or coming out of flower. The only special thing I do after harvesting a plant is make sure the soil is watered, then leave the bucket in a corner for a month or two. When I empty out the bucket the roots will have rotted out and break apart easily.
I have a Rubbermaid tub I empty out a few buckets in and mix the soil up, maybe add some water if it's too dry. Then I use this soil to pot up whatever; seedlings, clones, bigger plants. Doesn't matter, I've never burned a plant, and yes I water with chemical nutes 300-1000 ppm. If you are feeding the soil correctly i.e. not burning the shit out of everything, and flushing/tapering nutes properly, the soil will never be too hot. It's a non-issue. I have reused this soil for years now and my plants are growing better than ever; largely due to improvement in my overall setup and growing skill, but no doubt the soil improves as time goes on. My next step is to get set earthworms setup so I can recycle all these piles of dead leaves I've collected and further enrich the soil.
In my garden I use a 50/50 mix of coco and Pro-Mix with big chunky perlite. My grow is a continuous system with plants in 3 gallon buckets always going into or coming out of flower. The only special thing I do after harvesting a plant is make sure the soil is watered, then leave the bucket in a corner for a month or two. When I empty out the bucket the roots will have rotted out and break apart easily.
I have a Rubbermaid tub I empty out a few buckets in and mix the soil up, maybe add some water if it's too dry. Then I use this soil to pot up whatever; seedlings, clones, bigger plants. Doesn't matter, I've never burned a plant, and yes I water with chemical nutes 300-1000 ppm. If you are feeding the soil correctly i.e. not burning the shit out of everything, and flushing/tapering nutes properly, the soil will never be too hot. It's a non-issue. I have reused this soil for years now and my plants are growing better than ever; largely due to improvement in my overall setup and growing skill, but no doubt the soil improves as time goes on. My next step is to get set earthworms setup so I can recycle all these piles of dead leaves I've collected and further enrich the soil.
Dr Fever I think your confused buddy,
Plants don't need to be fed up to the day of harvest. In fact there is plenty of nutrients in the soil and in the plant to finish perfectly. Most if not all of the plants I grow have already put on all there weight by that time. I stop feeding 2 weeks before I harvest my plants as well. That does not mean there not getting food. The final product is obviously much better. I will keep harvesting my Yellow plants..
In veg I never go past 1ec/500ppm in flower I never go past 2ec/1100ppm. This is all Organic...I see more problems when people go past these levels. There are many different ways to grow. I would never give my just rooted clones full strength. if someone is not having issues by doing it more power to them..
Plants don't need to be fed up to the day of harvest. In fact there is plenty of nutrients in the soil and in the plant to finish perfectly. Most if not all of the plants I grow have already put on all there weight by that time. I stop feeding 2 weeks before I harvest my plants as well. That does not mean there not getting food. The final product is obviously much better. I will keep harvesting my Yellow plants..
In veg I never go past 1ec/500ppm in flower I never go past 2ec/1100ppm. This is all Organic...I see more problems when people go past these levels. There are many different ways to grow. I would never give my just rooted clones full strength. if someone is not having issues by doing it more power to them..
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Funny how you just contradicted your self
thing I do after harvesting a plant is make sure the soil is watered, then leave the bucket in a corner for a month or two. When I empty out the bucket the roots will have rotted out and break apart easily.
hmm month or 2 so you are not actually after harvest grabbing the soil and throwing it into a new cutting ???? or seed
more or less fermentating it quite possibly composting it and that is fine
Again nothing wrong with re using your soils if you can't afford new soil but it takes time to amend organic soil more or less composting it
But wait what do all organic soils carry as well Aren't there also "bad" bacteria? Yes, there are, but some soil bacteria suppress root-disease in plants by competing with pathenogenic organisms. The key is in maintaining a healthy system so that the good guys can do their work
So this is where sterilizing your soil comes into play pretty easy to bring in new Good micro biology rather then have them Bad guys tag along
but again its a fad like Rock wool was da bomb , to organic soils to COCO same shit different story
one thing i learned long ago is cheap out and you suffer like comparing a corvette to a honda civic
Bottom line do what you think is right have fun and stay high
No I didn't.
Yes. That's exactly what I'm doing and have done numerous times. No problems, ever.
Wrong. Where in my post did you see any mention of "amendments"? I don't amend shit. I dump the soil out of the old pot, and put it in the new one. How complicated is that?
It's not about "not being able to afford" soil. I can afford whatever it takes. Buying new soil is simply stupid and unnecessary. If you enjoy wasting money, then I hope you enjoy being poor, because that's what you'll always be if you do stupid shit like buy "new" soil every grow.
You're wasting your time.
You basically don't have a clue, and are working from guesswork, fear, uncertainty, and disbelief, whereas I'm telling you straight up what actually works in practice.
I don't think we need to resort to name calling. You do it different. If it works for you great. We all have our opinions none are stupid or unnecessary. Agree to disagree and move on. I don't just use my old soil I add some new soil to it that does not make me stupid that's what works best for my garden..
Hammerhead when was the last corn farmer you saw who replaced all the soil on his farm every time he planted a crop? Never, because that would be ridiculous. The soil is just the medium that holds the plant, nutes, and water. The nutes can be added or subtracted with ease. There is nothing wrong with adding new soil to your grow from time to time but "buying new soil" every crop like DrFever and others are talking about is the textbook definition of pointless, unnecessary, stupid, and wasteful. This is one of those crazy stoner myths that 98% of knowledgeable horticulturists (or really, anyone but a pothead) would roll their eyes and laugh at as being obviously stupid, but somehow manages to get traction on pot forums, due to paranoia combined with ignorance. I'm actually surprised to see this nonsense being spouted here; normally this is the type of shit you read on Grasscity or Rollitup. lol
indoor in not farming outdoor completely different. You cant compare apples to oranges.. The amount of soil in my indoor cant sustain a crop multiple times without amending it..You will have deficiency's I can guarantee that. This is the indoor soil forum or did you miss that
If all your referring to is outdoor farming then I agree but you still don't need to call anyone stupid..Just disagree and move on..
If all your referring to is outdoor farming then I agree but you still don't need to call anyone stupid..Just disagree and move on..
what hammerhead said is what i have said and several others, but even farmers have to ammend there soil in one way or another, if they use chem nutes they dont but some will plant alfalfa for 3 or 4 years just to add the nitrogen to the soil, then plant cotton and it is a pretty crop, others will plant grass on it and let it lay follow for a year and plow it under . AMENDED SOIL. indoor aint no different, you have to rebuild it or feed it what it needs , either way it works.
Sure I can.
In this garden (like others before) I've reused the same soil for 2+ years now and never had the first problem. I don't use amendments; I just water with fertilizer. Works fine. Always has, always will. Why wouldn't it?
When you carry a bucket of soil indoors, does that somehow magically change its properties?
You are correct, this is the indoor soil forum, not the "organic gardening" forum. If you want to garden organically then by all means, amend your soil between runs and just water with plain water, or whatever you do. If you burn your plants though or something else goes wrong then you need to blame your methods, not the soil. I use chem nutes with every watering except when flushing a plant, and it works perfectly fine, always, without exception.
I didn't call anyone stupid. I said wasting soil is stupid. And it is. If someone wants to get butthurt and upset over it, that's not my problem. Folks should try growing thicker skin. Wastefulness is STUPID.
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