I have a pretty good sized pile of broken up rootballs from previous grows I've been stockpiling over a couple years. I've always used FFOF aside from my current grow which is FFOF/Happy Frog. There are a few in the pile which I used Botanicare soil bloom for the grow and a few where I used some free advanced nutes I got from the grow store I frequent. 90% of whats out there was fed with Age Old Organics bloom/grow/kelp/fish and seaweed. I just picked up True Living Organics by the Rev on my kindle and over the winter I will be taking the leap. Is it going to cause me a problem if I re-use soil that's seen chem nutes or should I start from scratch? The soil in question has been sitting under a horse shed and hasn't been leached or kept wet etc. It's bone dry and has been since harvest.
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Can I recycle my old FFOF that has had chemical ferts?
- Thread starter GadgetGuy
- Start date
There's a million threads on re-using soil with very strong opinions on both sides. The thing to do would be to try it and see if it works for you. Personally, I would not be afraid to reuse it. Especially if you flushed for a week or two at the end of your flower period in the last grow. Throw some enzymes in the soil and keep it moist for a few weeks and allow the roots to decompose. And go for it. I would use a little drip clean or clearex once a week or so from the beginning of veg. Everything about cannabis is open to experimentation. Some things are concrete, but others are lessons best learned from experimentation and practice. Your mileage will vary. It is a very forgiving plant and is hard to totally fuck up. Keep a careful watch and when you start to see premature yellowing, deficiencies, or leaf burn, you know you need to make some adjustments...
Thanks for the reply Mr. Bud! I just don't want any residual chem nutes in there messing with the myco life but as a base FFOF seems like it would be great. Some of this stuff is even more than 2 years old and I do always use well water for the final 2-3 weeks. I'm shooting for RO water soon as well because if I had to guess the ppm of my water is rediculous in the Colorado mountains on a well. The TLO book said this could potentially cause a problem. I just bought my first home and will have a very permanent set up and I'm ready for the organic realm. My weed already kicks ass, but if I can make it better I wouldn't complain, plus it seems that mixing my own/recycling would be less expensive than buying nutes from Age Old which already aren't that expensive. Better, healthier product is the goal, and cut back expense would be a bonus. Thank you!
From what I understand it would be salt-build up that would cause problems. Over time it would become thriving soil if nature took it's course. Were it me I would use it in an outdoor garden and start from scratch if funding was not an issue. If funds were tight I would use it but by adding it to some peat, compost, and rice hulls.
Yeaahhh...perhaps.
Microbes are pretty hardy/ Add some compost, EWC, perhaps some act, some organic ferts and let it cook. It will come back to life. How long before it will be optimal to grow weed? Can't say.
What I didn't like about recycling FFOF and similar soils, was the perlite. It tends to break down into muck diluting the soil and effecting drainage. I'd amend it with better soil until I decided I was better off just using the better soil.When you add good to mediocre, you get mediocre. I used it until I was able to afford better and until I knew enough to mix my own, then it went into the flower beds.
Microbes are pretty hardy/ Add some compost, EWC, perhaps some act, some organic ferts and let it cook. It will come back to life. How long before it will be optimal to grow weed? Can't say.
What I didn't like about recycling FFOF and similar soils, was the perlite. It tends to break down into muck diluting the soil and effecting drainage. I'd amend it with better soil until I decided I was better off just using the better soil.When you add good to mediocre, you get mediocre. I used it until I was able to afford better and until I knew enough to mix my own, then it went into the flower beds.
GadgetGuy-
You got some good common sense advise here (as is the norm at IC Mag). The only way to know for sure is to try it yourself.
For me personally, I try do do away with all the variables. If you have a problem it's easier to diagnose.
Good luck,
Burn1
You got some good common sense advise here (as is the norm at IC Mag). The only way to know for sure is to try it yourself.
For me personally, I try do do away with all the variables. If you have a problem it's easier to diagnose.
Good luck,
Burn1
K
K.O.Genetics
just need to do some good flushes.. put it this way.. after u fill ur pots up.. just do a quick flush on each pot with ph water.. and then some 1/4 strength veg nutes.. and let sit or a day or two and transplant plants into it ..depends on how much u flushed during flower.. and wat u used in ur soil.. so if flushed it great.. u should be able to just do 1/4 veg nutes.. with some cannazym or enzyme to get the rest of the roots outta there.. but honestly. ive only have a few problems with reusing soill. and as long as I flush.. and reamend with some nutes ist been GRAVY.
Gadjet,
If you did a thorough flush at the end, I don't see a problem at all. If the used soil is dessicated, you'll need to bring it back to life, but it should be a good base soil for amending. Amending and letting it cook should give you a good mix. Just be sure that it gets inoculated by using EWC, good compost, etc. After inoculation, don't let it dry out. Good luck. -granger
If you did a thorough flush at the end, I don't see a problem at all. If the used soil is dessicated, you'll need to bring it back to life, but it should be a good base soil for amending. Amending and letting it cook should give you a good mix. Just be sure that it gets inoculated by using EWC, good compost, etc. After inoculation, don't let it dry out. Good luck. -granger
Ive been saving my FFOF, i have a healthy pile of it.
most was flushed some wasn't.
wasn't sure about using it for the grow so did the garden with it this year.
i used some in 5gal pots in june, they just ran out of fertz in the last month so ive been adding miracle grow and some of the good stuff for the indoor garden and they are still rocking!
i started adding blood/bone+kelp meal and they are also kickin it.
ive been having tomatoes and bell peppers, jalapena's, basil, okra, cukes, all summer long from my used FFOF.
from what Ive seen i can work it over and use it for my undoor gro easily and it';; do the trick
next year I plan on building planter boxes and long beds and doing the farmers market thing.
I thought of amending it an reselling it posssibly
used FFOF isn't worth tossing.
just amend it and save $10-$15 a bag
most was flushed some wasn't.
wasn't sure about using it for the grow so did the garden with it this year.
i used some in 5gal pots in june, they just ran out of fertz in the last month so ive been adding miracle grow and some of the good stuff for the indoor garden and they are still rocking!
i started adding blood/bone+kelp meal and they are also kickin it.
ive been having tomatoes and bell peppers, jalapena's, basil, okra, cukes, all summer long from my used FFOF.
from what Ive seen i can work it over and use it for my undoor gro easily and it';; do the trick
next year I plan on building planter boxes and long beds and doing the farmers market thing.
I thought of amending it an reselling it posssibly
used FFOF isn't worth tossing.
just amend it and save $10-$15 a bag
I'm liking ALL of the input so far. I do plan on getting a compost pile going as well so I might just get my soil cooking and do a couple indoor test plants going while I do my normal thing. Change can be scary when what You're doing is already working well. I do have 2 flower rooms so I'll probably mix something up fresh for 1 and do a couploe recycle experiments in the other.
the rest? trying a veggie garden outdoors next year and if I lose them and they die I wont be half as disheartened if my mj crop tanks.
You are all brilliant and I appreciate the input
the rest? trying a veggie garden outdoors next year and if I lose them and they die I wont be half as disheartened if my mj crop tanks.
You are all brilliant and I appreciate the input
you can recycle just about any soil. if ya fed plants right there should be little chem ferts left. I have done it many many times. and any ferts left are prob p and k mainly and great for new plants . atleast in my garden
Unless the soil is toxic it can always be recycled. If there are excessive buildup of undesirable minerals or nutrients, you can just add some sand, cooler soil, leaf mold etc. until it gets to a good starting point and then start slowly building the soil from there to exactly what your specific growing goals are.
nike
benzo
Active member
Just do it .
Then post pics.
Not to hijack or anything...but if I use clearex on my amended organic soil that has never had any bottled nutes, with it mess it up ?
indianajones
Member
i know folks who add general hydroponics nutrients to the soil before the grow, heat the soil to get it to compost levels, then use it with
amazing results. knowing that, i would say yes.
amazing results. knowing that, i would say yes.
