What is a good basic mulch for my living soil.

[myke]

I’ve been reading and I’m getting a little overwhelmed with the terminology of all this. My clones are in 1 gallon pots. Some old peat compost mix that I added 20% compost too. Trying to keep the tops moist. To keep it simple can I just cut some cardboard to cover?
If I wanted to go one step up my outside veggie garden is finished I have a bunch of leaves some green some brown could this be used? My fear is bugs and introducing stuff I have no idea what it is lol. So be easy on me.
I understand the green for veg /bacteria. And brown for flower/ fungus to help with ph.

 

[rkmcdon]

I buy alfalfa straw from the co-op and use it. Its pretty cheap. You can also use bermuda grass hay. Also from the co-op and cheap. A third option is rice hulls, but it may be a little more difficult to get depending on your location and to me the straw/hay options are easier to work with

 

[Richard Drysift]

I’ve been reading and I’m getting a little overwhelmed with the terminology of all this. My clones are in 1 gallon pots. Some old peat compost mix that I added 20% compost too. Trying to keep the tops moist. To keep it simple can I just cut some cardboard to cover?
If I wanted to go one step up my outside veggie garden is finished I have a bunch of leaves some green some brown could this be used? My fear is bugs and introducing stuff I have no idea what it is lol. So be easy on me.
I understand the green for veg /bacteria. And brown for flower/ fungus to help with ph.

Actually cardboard or even shredded newspaper is an acceptable mulch. Problem is it will break down real fast. I prefer straw and you can usually find it easily this time of year. Don’t worry about bugs so much , a mulch with a sprinkling of diatomaceous earth will keep most egg layers like gnats at bay. Use neem seed meal as a soil amendment when you recycle the mix next time. This will deter most leaf munchers. Prevention is much easier than eradication. Btw mulch will affect ph very little if at all. I would toss whatever raw organic material you have into a composter, pile, or a worm bin. Taking stuff from your outside garden to an indoor setting is asking for trouble unless it is already fully decomposed.

 

[myke]

Actually cardboard or even shredded newspaper is an acceptable mulch. Problem is it will break down real fast. I prefer straw and you can usually find it easily this time of year. Don’t worry about bugs so much , a mulch with a sprinkling of diatomaceous earth will keep most egg layers like gnats at bay. Use neem seed meal as a soil amendment when you recycle the mix next time. This will deter most leaf munchers. Prevention is much easier than eradication. Btw mulch will affect ph very little if at all. I would toss whatever raw organic material you have into a composter, pile, or a worm bin. Taking stuff from your outside garden to an indoor setting is asking for trouble unless it is already fully decomposed.

Thanks Richard,straw it is.Plenty of that around,any fear of what the straw has been sprayed with?I assume some sort of weed killer last spring.

 

[IIReignManII]

Straw bedding or wood chips...if you can find those tree service dudes that go around and process the broken branches after storms and shit, thats the good stuff

 

[Richard Drysift]

Thanks Richard,straw it is.Plenty of that around,any fear of what the straw has been sprayed with?I assume some sort of weed killer last spring.

Have no fear.....Everything can be dangerous; so live dangerously. Source straw from a farmers market or stand; should be easy to find this time of year. Could it be sprayed with something? Maybe but I wouldn’t worry too much.

 

[myke]

Have no fear.....Everything can be dangerous; so live dangerously. Source straw from a farmers market or stand; should be easy to find this time of year. Could it be sprayed with something? Maybe but I wouldn’t worry too much.

Im on the edge of a city,20 min drive has combines in the fields.choices are barley wheat or canola.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

I use parboiled rice hulls from build a soil.

 

[Growitpondifarm]

I doubt you’d see any describable difference in using any of those for mulch. Any brown material will essentially work as mulch, good luck. I use hay currently but noticed straw breakdowns slower. My soil is pretty active I guess cause the hay gets broken down in now time. I have to re apply it every couple weeks.

 

[Bignutes]

Consider sand, straw, or rice hulls would be my top three choices for what your asking. Source rice hulls at a beer brewers store, not all carry it but a 50 lb bag was $50.

 

[Hash Hound]

Actually cardboard or even shredded newspaper is an acceptable mulch.

I'm actually experimenting with Pittmoss shredded newspaper that is supposed to replace peat, coir, perlite and vermiculite.
I have it as a top mulch working well, but mixed in with the soil I have one plant doing well and one soso.

https://pittmoss.com/

 

[Northwood]

I'm actually experimenting with Pittmoss shredded newspaper that is supposed to replace peat, coir, perlite and vermiculite.
I have it as a top mulch working well, but mixed in with the soil I have one plant doing well and one soso.

https://pittmoss.com/

I love this recycling idea. Better to replace peat moss with something more sustainable, and even replace coco coir that is processed and shipped and packaged from so far away. My only concern would be that introducing it as a mix in your soil might at least temporarily mess with nitrogen levels as the bacteria will probably want to munch on it and grab any free N they can to do so because it's mostly easy carbon. It's likely not as stable as peat moss is, but I could be wrong. Great carbon source for mulch though I bet. Hope you post an update on your experience with it and are able to solve the issues with your other plant.

 

[Canada_420]

sand and crushed egg shells

 

[Hash Hound]

@Northwood good call, I have noticed a lot of yellowing on my first experiment mixing it with my soil and the leaves are all showing signs of a nitrogen deficiency, they're not dying off but look healthy other than yellowing. Could be strain related it's my own cross I call el Gringo (Col Gold x WW)
I top dressed to try to keep her healthy the next few weeks. This was two weeks ago, shes a lot yellower now.

 

[Hash Hound]

Here is one where I have about 2 inches of the Pittmoss mulching the top

 

[SupraSPL]

I use dried up canna leaves from the previous runs, mostly the brown/yellow. The grren ones I either eat or mush them up and put them in the watering can. I did read that some "garden of eden" folks mixed mulch into their soil rather than keeping it on the surface and the mulch stole all the nutes. The "browns" are hungry you could say.