ShedsAndTents
Active Member
So I've had this come up in threads before and recently it's been a debate topic amongst my fellow local growers.
Have you ever had some damn good soil that just drained so well, but retained water for a perfect amount of time? Chopped a plant down and found roots have encompassed the entire mass of your soil?
I have but only twice. Even when purchasing the same brand twice it only gave me desired results twice. So I kept that last batch of "Perfect soil" and I'm on my 3rd cycle with it.
This is not with the faint of heart, strictly organic or no-tillers.
The idea is simple, flush the soil so that a seedling doesn't get either a bad nutrient ratio or salty soil. I've used florakleen but I hear flawless finish is superior using empty chelates however I haven't even went through half my florakleen so I have low incentive to replace it.
And here is the scary (for most) part,
After about 2-3 cycles of florakleen - Water - Water flushing, soak your pre potted soil in about 300-600ppm nutrients. Seems a lot for seedlings but without nutrients previously present, it's not. I like to start with an organic based nutrient like iguana juice or fox farm soil line. These are more slow release but the idea is to build soil structure. Innoculating soil will not only help build the soil structure but create a bio available form of those nutrients. Rhizophagus intracides is the soldier here but anything helps.
After a few days of drying out, the topsoil is dried, is my prime transplanting time. Introducing a mycorhizae directly to the seed/taproom will ensure the seedlings exposure and generate a mycorrhizal symbiosis.
Re-using potting soil was for the longest time considered taboo but it makes sense to me.
If you believe you had pathogens, consider a longer inoculation period with high cfu/propogules/spore concentration.
Unbalanced nutrient profile was the next obstacle but remedied with a (thorough) flush and reset.
Finally, if you have found your soil has taken a muddy texture or has ceased draining so well, add at least 10% perlite and mix thoroughly, when reseting your nutrient profile, add a full strength dose of long&short chain humic acids and powdered kelp at a 5/2 ratio with kelp @ 2.
Maybe it sounds like a lot of work, but I've grown fond of my roughly 2cu ft of (Natures living soil)supersoil/peat moss/perlite mix as it had given me consistent results with this method. Even when comparing to a fresh Fox farm mix, my soil had a consistent drain/tecture.
HYPOTHETICAL BENEFITS:
Residual exudates.
Colony of beneficial bacteria present.
Pathogens/invaders are potentially erradicated.
Nutrient profiles are known, levels are regulated.
Using previous cycle, results are predictable in terms of root growth, drainage and retention.
Have you ever had some damn good soil that just drained so well, but retained water for a perfect amount of time? Chopped a plant down and found roots have encompassed the entire mass of your soil?
I have but only twice. Even when purchasing the same brand twice it only gave me desired results twice. So I kept that last batch of "Perfect soil" and I'm on my 3rd cycle with it.
This is not with the faint of heart, strictly organic or no-tillers.
The idea is simple, flush the soil so that a seedling doesn't get either a bad nutrient ratio or salty soil. I've used florakleen but I hear flawless finish is superior using empty chelates however I haven't even went through half my florakleen so I have low incentive to replace it.
And here is the scary (for most) part,
After about 2-3 cycles of florakleen - Water - Water flushing, soak your pre potted soil in about 300-600ppm nutrients. Seems a lot for seedlings but without nutrients previously present, it's not. I like to start with an organic based nutrient like iguana juice or fox farm soil line. These are more slow release but the idea is to build soil structure. Innoculating soil will not only help build the soil structure but create a bio available form of those nutrients. Rhizophagus intracides is the soldier here but anything helps.
After a few days of drying out, the topsoil is dried, is my prime transplanting time. Introducing a mycorhizae directly to the seed/taproom will ensure the seedlings exposure and generate a mycorrhizal symbiosis.
Re-using potting soil was for the longest time considered taboo but it makes sense to me.
If you believe you had pathogens, consider a longer inoculation period with high cfu/propogules/spore concentration.
Unbalanced nutrient profile was the next obstacle but remedied with a (thorough) flush and reset.
Finally, if you have found your soil has taken a muddy texture or has ceased draining so well, add at least 10% perlite and mix thoroughly, when reseting your nutrient profile, add a full strength dose of long&short chain humic acids and powdered kelp at a 5/2 ratio with kelp @ 2.
Maybe it sounds like a lot of work, but I've grown fond of my roughly 2cu ft of (Natures living soil)supersoil/peat moss/perlite mix as it had given me consistent results with this method. Even when comparing to a fresh Fox farm mix, my soil had a consistent drain/tecture.
HYPOTHETICAL BENEFITS:
Residual exudates.
Colony of beneficial bacteria present.
Pathogens/invaders are potentially erradicated.
Nutrient profiles are known, levels are regulated.
Using previous cycle, results are predictable in terms of root growth, drainage and retention.