Nope, I boil it between runs cause I’m a cheap Bastard. I try to knock most of the old media, but I still end up with a coco tea after boiling them. That tea just gets tossed into the lawn.
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I’ve used it for multiple cycles. For me, the initial purpose is for moisture retention. The top of the soil doesn’t dry out as fast, and I notice that the roots will use the upper part of the soil more than without any cover. I get it at the arts and crafts store where they have supplies for making quilts. I started using it about a year ago after I saw anither users post on a different forum.
I still apply other stuff to prevent pest activity in the soil. I sprinkle mosquito bits on the soil, under the covering. When I apply sprays of azamax/BT/GFF/spinosad I saturate the covering enough so that some will pass through to the soil underneath.
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Damn i love your work brother!
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No need for apologies here, I like the back and forth of sharing opposing ideas personally. It’s not likely to change my behavior in this instance, but I did ask you to elaborate, so thanks for doing so.
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Ola, can you explain a bit more about it?
Step by step, please.
How does it work with the cover?
How do you cover ?
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Okay thats what I was thinking the thick batting for quilts, I gotta say it makes sense. Gonna take an old blanket and go to town see if it helps any, always seem to get gnats after adding any kind of organic amendments.
I wonder what difference this would give say versus a thin felt pad like the material for fabric pots…okay now you’ve got me wanting to do a test with various materials!
Love that dappled sun shot! Whose she?
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Aquire poly fill batting from local big box store(Walmart) or arts and crafts store(Hobby Lobby), lay it out. Take the desired planter, turn it upside down on the batting and mark the circumference with a marker. Cut the circle out and cut the circle approximately half way in half. Place batting circle onto the top of the container with the plant in the cut. And tuck the edges. For my fabric bags I use a 5 gallon bucket to measure and cut their tops
Water and feed straight through it, do be careful, the batting can give you an incorrect sense of saturation, so take your time watering.
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Thank you much. Will try it soon.
Thx 
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DON’T USE THE COTTON BATTING! I know it says all natural and I’m sure it qualifies for that claim but don’t use it for this. It is hydrophobic, water won’t soak through, it just runs off. The cotton also breaks down and grows algae.
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It’s not what’s labelled to be in it, it’s what they leave off the label that is the real poison. Don’t be fooled by an OMRI certification that’s easily bought. The product has been banned in Oregan since 2018.
BTW @catapult loving the repo mate following along closely 
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true, thats valuable to know about the brand Azamax.
the ban is on the product specifically (Azamax) for adultering with bifenthrin and other stuff - not on Azadirachtin. so the info on Azadirachtin alone should still be valid… right?
im looking to move to spinosad, it seems to be the middleground in these pesticide debates. whatya think? @catapult and @FattyRoots
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That is a male Destination Wedding from Heart & Soil Seeds
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Yeah, my current methodology is to use the least toxic and still effective methods as my first and foremost, ipm routine. For me that’s soaps and oils.
I’ve used spinosad and also pyrethrins in the past, as a stronger middle ground if you will. I still will on occasion if something persists through the oil treatments, but that honestly hasn’t happened in a while. I do keep some on hand jic tho
From what I recall it’s mainly the bees that don’t do well with Spinosad
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Cheers fatty, great to have you along for the ride!!
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I’m sure there’s other brands flying under the radar still so testing is the only way to really know.
I use JADAM wetting agent which is basically an insecticidal soap, pretty easy to make. @Tinytuttle has a good step by step write up how to make it if you or anyone wants it I can post the link. You grow indoors @the_bot so Spinosad shouldn’t be an issue with bees or pollinators but saying that I don’t know much about the product
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Spinnosad kills bees, fish, and a bunch more of things.
I used it on NorCal thrips that were resistant to essential oils.
But i use essential oils first, since its so devastating.
Plus, there are no studies on human health from smoking plants treated with spinosad - its only evaluated for eating it.
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Yes I have seen this before, but if you happened to look up the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture’ suggestions for insecticide use on cannabis for 2022 you will find that https://www.oregon.gov/oda/shared/Documents/Publications/PesticidesPARC/GuidelistPesticideCannabis.pdf Azamax remains on the list.
I looked into the story at the time and even now, and you are right to bring it up in this regard, but simply there is not much information to be found on the situation other than this letter, the ODA and Parry America really knows what happened I presume. It says to contact the ODA for further questions about the matter (Azamax being put back on the recommended list) if you feel so inclined.
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You could use something like this. It treated my spider mite and gnat issue. It primary ingredient is Rosemary oil and extract. You can soil drench or apply as a foliar. I reuse my soil and add this as part of my regimen. No issues since.
https://www.planetnatural.com/product/sns-209/
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They are coming along nicely Cat!
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