What in hell is “living soil” and what it makes it so special regarding typical soil properties?
If you don’t saturate the root ball you run the risk of creating dry channels which are really hard to deal with. This results in stunting, moisture stress, nutrient deficiency…
In coco/peat/perlite 1/3 of each in 30-gallon pots. I water and feed 10% of the pots volume all times. Except if I’m doing a mini flush then 20% . So normal feed and water 3 gallons in 30-gallon pots. Depending on the cycle and heat. I could do that once a day or 3 times a day.
Yeah, you wanna saturate.
Both peat and coco get hydrophobic when dry. Means they repel instead of adsorb and absorb water. Coco is easier to rehydrate. But both will take watering twice or thrice to rehydrate.
When I rehydrate, I water in enough to cover the surface of the container. As this moves through the soil, it goes through air gaps instead of absorbing. It really only rehydrates once it hits a perched water table and can be sucked back up through capillary action. Watering again a minute or five later allows the water to actually enter and stay woth the soil. This is when I’ll hydrated til i have a steady stream coming out of the container. You dont want that much saturation more than a day or two, and this only happens maybe ince or twice a week, depending on volume. But those wet/dry cycles help weather the soil amendments as well as to swing the pH so the amendments can be better cycled and absorbed.
Sometimes I water to runoff and sometimes I don’t bother.
Life is a process and part of the process is creating more life. (Congratulations @CrunchBerries soon come!)
When I learned to ‘grow’ 20 years ago I bought bottles and bottles with the idea that I was feeding the plants. At that time life wasn’t welcome in my garden so I learned about bombs, foggers and Avid. Avid was expensive and illegal but B.I.G had it behind the counter, just had to ask. One Spider Mite outbreak and you’ll do whatever to keep em away. But I digress.
I didn’t add these Beetles, Mites or Centipedes to the soil, just Compost and Worms. Now there’s all kinds of things happening beyond my understanding, all for the benefit of the Plants.
Imo Living Soil is Plant-centered gardening. Leaning on the intelligence that was here before we harnessed fire. As opposed to me being ‘in control’ and giving them what they need in the perfect amount at the perfect time. With the Ph perfect too.
Contrary to popular belief life is all rhythm. Heart beats, blood flows, oxygen expands and deflates. Living Soil is attempting to allow the rhythm to play while I get out the way. Dope when every blue moon you catch it and dance but not a requirement.
This is the overstanding I wanna one day teach my son. Not sure if this answers your question @OldUncleBen but I apprecilove the opportunity to bloviate. You are a much better gardener than I am. I’m high and seeking a greater connection.
While this is the way I choose to skin it there’s no wrong way.
Strawberry Headband I think week 5-6
Peace
I think it’s fit that I updated this thread on the plants health…we’re now in week 7 flower still going organic the one in front is week 4. The trick as I said earlier in the thread was to follow the best practices outlined on the company’s website aside from that I give them some recharge every so often
Never had to topdress the youngest one I just been giving it a little of this since flower because the soil is supposed to run outta food week 7 in a 3 gallon pot and I didn’t plan on up potting
The only requirement for plant growth is salts. Plant doesn’t care how it gets them as long as the 13 essential elements are present in a salt form that can be taken up via the roots’ epidermis. Salts like what you find in foods in Peters, Dyna-Gro, Schultz, Miracle Grow, Osmocote, etc.
I do both - organics supplemented by synthetics.
Fine looking plants!
Good luck,
Tio
Blossom foods, those containing high amounts of P and/or K, used to “make bigger and better blooms and buds” are a myth perpetuated by marketers on newbies who don’t have a handle on plant nutrition and soil chemistry and will buy into anything a colorful label hawks backed up by internet chatter.
“We are all dreamers, and con men fulfill those dreams”.
Remember that…
Yep, I have only one female in 12/12 out of 8 seeds germed and you would know it, it’s been trashed by spider mites. I finally have them under control. They come from my greenhouse. My citrus trees are a magnet for mites.
Am really disappointed in germ rates too of some recent seed purchases. Recently out of 4 seeds sown (1 Blackberry Rocks from Mandala and 3 Deep Chunk from Kwik Seeds), I have one Deep Chunk that finally popped the soil’s surface. It’s been a week now since I potted them up after hydration.
As a contrast, my own crosses, even those that I made 22 years ago, have very good germ rates, usually 100%. in 2020 I hydrated 5 C99 original backcrosses I did 22 years ago and ALL grew well, until the borg hit them. The result was low potency and yield of C99.
Am trying to catch up and recently dropped 2 Cannacopia Choc. Chunk and 2 Hazeman Monkey Balls in a glass of water to hydrate them.
I could believe that. Honestly though as far as the living soil and the deficiency I experienced earlier on I can say I’ve been happy with the results since I uppotted according to the schedule. The front plant had a flawless veg it wasn’t until I added the “bloom booster” that I noticed a little tip burn so I agree with your stance on those but this water only living soil has truly been amazing
Now that I’m thinking again I bought the bloom booster for the older flowering plants because my last top dressing was out and I had added the mulch back to the pots and didn’t wanna remove it(it pokes my precious hands😂) Now as far as the experience with those maybe it was a coincidence but literally 24 hours after applying it I opened my tent back up like “Damn” the yellowing had STOPPED and the flowers engorged over night and as I said it could have been a coincidence but that’s what happened. then I got excited and started giving it to the little one and noticed the tip burn(I feel like I should give less pumps)
