How to keep living soil

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shamrocknb

shamrocknb

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First time organic grower so sorry if this has been asked a hundred times but how do you keep living soil after harvest ? And second do you pull the root ball out or leave it ? Does it still need to be watered ?
Thanks for any help.
 
How to keep living soil
How to keep living soil 2
cannafarmer420

cannafarmer420

🐼 🚀 living soil
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First time organic grower so sorry if this has been asked a hundred times but how do you keep living soil after harvest ? And second do you pull the root ball out or leave it ? Does it still need to be watered ?
Thanks for any help.
Personally I throw it in a big tote and use it for A potted plants and or B top dress the vegetable garden. That's how I reuse it. I temove most of the roots but you do t have to really depending on what your doing with it✌️
 
Week4Bytch

Week4Bytch

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What size are your pots, and if you want to keep them going just keep the soil moist. Leave the root ball in, it will slowly get eaten by the soil. How long are you going to be from your next grow?
 
LoveGrowingIt

LoveGrowingIt

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how do you keep living soil after harvest?
I remove it from the pots, dump it in a bin and mix it up. I pull out the larger roots and throw them away.

And second do you pull the root ball out or leave it?
I chop it up with a trowel, so I leave most of it. The dead roots will compost in the soil.

Does it still need to be watered?
I let it dry while not in use. That can help kill pests. A week or two before I plan to start new seeds, I mix the soil with whatever amendments I plan to use, and that includes rehydrating it.
 
Week4Bytch

Week4Bytch

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They are 5 Gal pots ,this is my flowering soil so probably 3 or 4 months before next batch is started and ready for flower
Might have better luck and results with a 10 gallon pot if your doing organic approach. Heck maybe even a 15g. But if space is a problem 5g is doable just a little more work with keeping it up and going. I'd go ahead and just pull the root ball out, reamended the soil, top it, work that in real good top 3 inches and let it cook (breakdown) for the 3-4 months and it will be premium for ya when it's time.
 
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Natep

Natep

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Try and cut the main stem a bit higher next time. After about two weeks you can break the stem off and leave as much of the roots as possible. I put my seedling directly in the hole from the old stem. The old roots break down to silica’s. They also already have the symbiotic relationship with the mycelium in the soil. I don’t know that everyone understands the no till organic living soil. Reusing your soil for years.
 
shamrocknb

shamrocknb

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Try and cut the main stem a bit higher next time. After about two weeks you can break the stem off and leave as much of the roots as possible. I put my seedling directly in the hole from the old stem. The old roots break down to silica’s. They also already have the symbiotic relationship with the mycelium in the soil. I don’t know that everyone understands the no till organic living soil. Reusing your soil for years.

Try and cut the main stem a bit higher next time. After about two weeks you can break the stem off and leave as much of the roots as possible. I put my seedling directly in the hole from the old stem. The old roots break down to silica’s. They also already have the symbiotic relationship with the mycelium in the soil. I don’t know that everyone understands the no till organic living soil. Reusing your soil for years.
Thanks this makes sense to me I will cut higher next time !
 
3

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First time organic grower so sorry if this has been asked a hundred times but how do you keep living soil after harvest ? And second do you pull the root ball out or leave it ? Does it still need to be watered ?
Thanks for any help.
Never pull foot ball in living soil. It's all about the rhizosphere. That's the world around the roots. You feed the life in the soil. Not the plant. Nematodes, predatory mites, red wigglers, microbes, cover crop (I grow basil, cilantro, mint, lavender, parsley in between. Preying mantis, lady bugs. Lots of clean air. But mycorrhiza is crucial and it's useless in small pots. It works best in big deep pots with multiple plants. Watch fantastic fungi. The fungi acts as a middle man, it attaches to roots and connects plants. If one is short on N it will ship N from another plant in exchange for carbs. They also act as root extensions, getting into places faster than the tree. And areas too dry for cannabis roots, helping prevent roots from locking up, and if you play with dry back get it. I start dry back generally the last week, and black out 3-4 days before harvest. I want the fungi stretching and thinking the plant is dying in shock so it pumps that plant with whatever it has until the plants turn. Always keep wet. Never gave water run through it. Don't worry about PH, true living soil PHs itself. But keep water under 100 ppm. Preferably RO. I use mammoth silica, canna control, and P or you can make Mammoth P it's so expensive. I use unsulfured black molasses for carbs. And avacado treatment to bring the red wigglers up from the bottom. They aerate, and after feeding you will have a well if fresh worm casings. If you get into living you will become a soil nerd. I vermicompst, spray nematodes on everything in and outside on 1 acre. Never use neem, chrysanthemum oil kills everything, diatomaceous earth is your friend. But use correctly. It's the hardest to grow but best medicine, no salts, I can fit my nutes for 2 years in a small drawer. I let the life in the soil do it. In fact I've had to cut it because it was hot. If it dries all your bennys die. Bennys, Myko are what make living soil living soil. Careful not to dry out Bennys with diatomaceous earth




I grow craft and build commercial grows, generally hydro. Imo if you're not in at least 30 gallons forget about living soil. I'm in 300 gallons. I cut and plant next to last harvest, 4-6 plants, 1 led light.
 
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GreenNotYellow

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well, the soil - after it gave a lifetime to a plant - is a bit dried in terms of feeding materials. One of the simple ways to reuse it is mixing with compost or chicken poo
 
Natep

Natep

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well, the soil - after it gave a lifetime to a plant - is a bit dried in terms of feeding materials. One of the simple ways to reuse it is mixing with compost or chicken poo
I re amend with worm castings and build a soil craft blend. I usually do it right when I harvest. That way it gets a couple weeks to break down. Then again when I flip to flower.
 
LoveGrowingIt

LoveGrowingIt

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Try and cut the main stem a bit higher next time. After about two weeks you can break the stem off and leave as much of the roots as possible. I put my seedling directly in the hole from the old stem. The old roots break down to silica’s. They also already have the symbiotic relationship with the mycelium in the soil. I don’t know that everyone understands the no till organic living soil. Reusing your soil for years.
I don't understand why some folks believe soil couldn't or shouldn't be reused. It's constantly reused in nature. The key to reuse involves how the soil is revitalized.
 
Natep

Natep

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I don't understand why some folks believe soil couldn't or shouldn't be reused. It's constantly reused in nature. The key to reuse involves how the soil is revitalized.
I don’t get it. I have like 500 bucks in my big bed. I think I’ve had 6 or 7 runs in it so far. I think it will hold up for another 10.
 
Graham.Bagg

Graham.Bagg

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I don't understand why some folks believe soil couldn't or shouldn't be reused. It's constantly reused in nature. The key to reuse involves how the soil is revitalized.

The potential to carry diseases, bugs, toxicity, viroids, viruses, etc. from one grow to the next, is the biggest reason.

That being said, I reuse all my soil, but I have a specific system. Straight organic grow, then reuse with mega crop for a round or 2 then in to the vermicompost for a minimum of 6 months.
 
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