How to water living soil

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SC69

SC69

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Your over thinking it. pretty easy mate with the right stuff


check this thread out and chill, theres also a great one with a cool cat doing earth boxes from Jeremy over at Build a soil going right now.


grab up a few cool books, build a bed if you cant buy one. pvc and shade cloth are always in stock. pallets easily found for free... the whole key with this organic thing is tapping into the environment around you and harvesting what is cost effective and accessible.

to answer your two questions most folk will let their soil "cook" in trash cans or similar for up to two months before use, also in living soil beds growing cover crop and cutting and chocking out before planting are a viable option. Sourcing local compost ideally homemade and utilizing the woods and rivers close by to you as microbial resources, harvesting them. Using compost teas made from the best of imputes will provide the needed remaining microbial imputes, but if your feeling excitable you can purchase over the counter inocs that you use at the time of transplant. I dont really support or knock these options(great white, mykos, azos, etc etc) in the ream of creating bio diversity its usually all good if not better than all good.
I just don’t want to, shouldn’t, can’t buy anything else to make up for bad choices right now and want to get through this the best I can. For the soil and the plants. I did see the grow box video and liked it a lot. I think it solves my problems the best way. Size and volume and it’s easily movable. (Maybe not by me). I can do a 15-20gal (shouldn’t) but I’m pushing it. I can use the 30’s once because I know they won’t have to me moved far and on rollers. But have 7 plants etc.

I have some build a soil cover crop and going to use rice hull instead of the barley. I did not mix this all and let it cook, although I did see all those videos. This is supposed to be ready and activated with warm water if within 12 months. Could be bs. Reputable joint in VT though. If I decide it’s best to just leave it alone and get through now, knowing it will take extra to take care of the soil and I may even have to liquid nute, I may just do that and leave it all alone. I’m not really trying to overthink. Just got in and then confused. I keep changing my mind.

by next run I’d be over the wasted spending and get the boxes. These 30’s will grow me some nice plants outside. They’re here. But as it’s legal, why not just a nice big bed? Of course plant count rules says just regular small bed. I’m getting there. I’ll likely leave it. Maybe up to 7’s because they’re a better product with keeping moisture at sides. I’ll let the soil cook starting like ASAP (does that mean activate by watering) it’s been mixed and according to them, it’s ready. I can’t argue though. You all know from hands on. I do not. This soil if left in these size pots will have to be re-amended and cooked for the few months to bring it back. Then I can use it outside or whatever as I’ll obviously have something else going by then inside. Likely the box. Why start a set of 30’s I know I’m not keeping inside. I can’t move them down and out. See my dilemma? Haha. I think I’m just looking for permission (🤣) to get through it with the 7’s and do it right next time. Thank you for the advice. I know you’re 100%. I’ve been watching them, and you have grow exp. It helps me to stop overthinking. It’s laid out. Hahaha.

My buddy who turned me onto the soil co is starting a tree farm. I don’t remember how many yards but a lot were delivered. He has a great pile and is helping me start one here. I know enough to be dangerous but am trying to do the things I did learn. I can buy the bed etc. be easier for me. I just don’t want to have too. I do think the boxes are best. Found too late of course.
✌️
 
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Treecutter

Treecutter

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I use 20 and 30 gallon totes to build it up. For moisture I drill holes 1/4 up from the bottom and stick moisture meters in. Not my idea, seen it on a thread here and works great.

I use it the same way on cloth bags and plastic pots.

The only time the soil is disturbed is when I put it in pots. Once its in the pot it gets top dressed with neem cake and 2 inches of sand.

Useualy with in the fist week you can see the microbiology doing its work all over the top of the soil in the totes. It usually in the totes 4-6 weeks. Stuff i keep longer ill top dress the totes. I like to keep the coco coir brewing by its self with mycorrhizae, worm castings azomite and fish emulsion for 2 months and mix it with the rest of the soil a week before planting.

Compost with mycorrhizae, fish emulsion, oyster shell powder, kelp meal, alfalfa meal and perlite #4 or medium lava rock for 4 weeks.

Thats what works for me.
 
Treecutter

Treecutter

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Hello fellow growers,

I have been doing lots of research on growing in living soil. Two things I cannot find much about on the internet is inoculating living soil before use and how to water afterwards. Is it always good to keep your living soil moist and covered, letting it break down and colonize before use? And how can you tell if it’s beneficial bacteria colonizing or something not so beneficial? And I understand having to keep living soil moist for the microbes but how do you avoid overwatering while continuously keeping the soil moist? These might be some noob questions but I wanna get the discussion going online.
If its not so beneficial bacteria your microbiology will take care of it to a point as long as your ph is on. Once it gets off it will get anaerobic and you'll smell the nasty rotting sewer smell. If your at that point, your plants will have told you long before.

Soils like your body, good and bad bacteria. What you feed it is what determines what takes over. To much of one thing with over wattering in higher temp oxygenated soil can cause your bacteria to go on a breading frenzy, especially if you soil is full of broken down starches.
 
Gaharvest

Gaharvest

28
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This is my second grow so I am still a newbie and learning. My first grow I used foxfarms ocean forest and the liquid nutrients. I was always measuring and mixing. Pain in the ass.
Thankfully I found https://thegreensunshineco.com/ for my second grow. So much easier. I filter my water and only use 2 powder nutrients https://thegreensunshineco.com/product/earth-dust-all-natural-plant-nutrients/
1. Earthdust Base
2. Earthdust Boost
Using the Base I pre-cooked the soil before transplanting and wow at the difference. I also water with a Base Tea that I mix every few days.
With this method pretty much all you need to do is adjust lights, monitor your VPD and water.
So far I highly recommend them.
 
m4s73r

m4s73r

89
33
I use 20 and 30 gallon totes to build it up. For moisture I drill holes 1/4 up from the bottom and stick moisture meters in. Not my idea, seen it on a thread here and works great.

I use it the same way on cloth bags and plastic pots.

The only time the soil is disturbed is when I put it in pots. Once its in the pot it gets top dressed with neem cake and 2 inches of sand.

Useualy with in the fist week you can see the microbiology doing its work all over the top of the soil in the totes. It usually in the totes 4-6 weeks. Stuff i keep longer ill top dress the totes. I like to keep the coco coir brewing by its self with mycorrhizae, worm castings azomite and fish emulsion for 2 months and mix it with the rest of the soil a week before planting.

Compost with mycorrhizae, fish emulsion, oyster shell powder, kelp meal, alfalfa meal and perlite #4 or medium lava rock for 4 weeks.

Thats what works for me.
Inserting the moisture meters into the totes is a badass idea. Ive always preached the 5% water to soil rule to prevent overwatering.
 
SC69

SC69

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Inserting the moisture meters into the totes is a badass idea. Ive always preached the 5% water to soil rule to prevent overwatering.
It’s working great for me and although I did change my method of being too nervous and slow, I kept to 5%. It seems to be what’s needed. My youngins’ got 5% both times. Just much slower the first. Hahaha. ✌️
 
ezenzyme

ezenzyme

625
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you got this man! best of luck let us know how it goes down in the end
 
SC69

SC69

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you got this man! best of luck let us know how it goes down in the end
Especially now, since your post made me start to think about the grow boxes, which lead to me talking about them, which led to the other half of my family getting an idea, which they of course had to let me in on because of planning times etc, and they’ve chipped in (a bunch of them) and I’ve got 5 earth boxes on the way.

they’re the best option for a bunch of reasons, ability to move them and weight being just one of the advantages for me personally. I’d be doing it etc because I’d have too. I shouldn’t etc etc.

Feeling kind of lucky today. 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you!
 

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