What type of compost for a water only no till?

[kevinfever]

it looks good , you mean they got it hot enough that it killed all the weeds and seeds

its from a nursery or bag

 

[chuey316]

it looks good , you mean they got it hot enough that it killed all the weeds and seeds

Yes. They said that they process it at 135f to kill everything. Don't know if that only kills the seeds and pathogens, or if it would harm anything beneficial though.

 

[kevinfever]

No thats good , i would use it .

 

[chuey316]

Ok thanks. Now if I'm tilling the compost in with grass, leaves, and perlite, do I need to use topsoil as well, or am I good without it?

 

[Oldchucky]

Compost is an amendment. You have to evaluate your native soil and then amend it with compost if you think it is subpar. Topsoil is just dirt amended with compost and allowed to age, and the aging is important.If you are growing in sand or clay you might want to bring in some topsoil to mix with your compost and the native soil. If you’re starting with good loamy Soil you probably don’t need it. One of the things with compost is that it takes a while to break down. So It is usually tilled in in the fall after your harvest so it has all winter to break down. One of the things I have experienced, because I have to hammer my holes in Rocky, hard, dirt with poor drainage, is that the roots will be happy just staying in the hole and not migrating into the surrounding medium. The plants will grow tall but in the fall when you get a windy rain storm you can come out to find your Plants have topple over or have started to topple over because the roots don’t have a solid foundation to anchor in. So returning at least 50% of the dirt you’ve dug out of the hole and throwing in your amendments and stirring it all up helps too mitigate So returning at least 50% of the dirt you’ve dug out of the hole and throwing in your amendments and stirring it all up helps too mitigate that problem but it can still happen. But if you have good draining soft substrate that the roots grow into then you’re probably golden. But if you are looking up at the Colas in September I would stake them just to be safe. It’s no fun Being out in the middle of the night, in a Gale, With rain pounding, trying to keep your girls from going over or falling apart. Done that too.

 

[kevinfever]

Ok thanks. Now if I'm tilling the compost in with grass, leaves, and perlite, do I need to use topsoil as well, or am I good without it?

You can layer and add as you see fit if you got hard dead soil i would . if you want to transplant right away dont put to much freah greens on. I would add what u could and mix it up wait 3 weeks then plant

 

[chuey316]

Soil here is fairly soft and loamy under the surface. I planted direct in the ground last year to see how it would do. The plants got to 5-6ft, but they just didn't really beef up, and the buds didn't really stack and swell all that much. Got about 2oz of airy buds per plant.

 

[kevinfever]

sounds like you just need to recharge your soil with your compost mix . Then check out gaia green or what ever products you get to boost the soil 444 and 284 should get you going

 

[Oldchucky]

Yeah sounds like you’re deficient somewhere. I know it’s not in your budget, but the starting point of a blank canvas like your garden should probably be a soil analysis. At least then you know what you are dealing with and which direction to proceed. Without that baseline it just turns into a big guessing game and you wind up throwing the kitchen sink at it sometimes with good results and sometimes not. Even one of those cheapo home slurry test are probably better than nothing. I think I’m going to send Mine out in three or four weeks and see what they say. The idea of working in the hot sun all summer for a subpar harvest doesn’t sit well with me.I want to hedge my bet! And don’t discount your sunlight. That may be your problem. Hang in there.

 

[Oldchucky]

And your genetics!

 

[Oldchucky]

Looks like Kevin fever had good results. Might want to give that a whirl!

 

[chuey316]

sounds like you just need to recharge your soil with your compost mix . Then check out gaia green or what ever products you get to boost the soil 444 and 284 should get you going

Sounds like a plan. Now would I mix the 4-4-4 in when I till in the compost, and top dress later on with the 2-8-4, or just top dress with both?

 

[kevinfever]

you could just hold on to it until after you transplant see how it goes then give 444 in veg stage 284 in bloom

 

[chuey316]

Well, I was about to leave to pick up a yard of the compost, and the rototiller I had lined up fell through. So far I haven't been able to find another. If I still got a yard and just laid it on top of the ground, would that be good, or is that too much compost without being tilled in?

 

[kevinfever]

sounds like your yard is good for a no till , just loosen up a nice size hole when you plant

 

[chuey316]

Got a yard spread out on my plot today. It's pretty thick and soft. Should I pack it down a bit by walking around on it or something? Mainly thinking about erosion from rain, and the plants having a firm footing.

I was thinking about placing 5 gallon buckets in the spots where my transplants will go, and walking around on everything else. Then pulling the buckets and gently patting down the transplant spots by hand, leaving a soft mound to plant in.

Figure it'll get packed down from me walking around during the grow anyhow.

 

[kevinfever]

Soft is good it will compact on its own

 

[chuey316]

Thanks. Sorry for so many questions, but I was just offered a tiller at a very good price. Now that I have the option, would I be better off, both for this season, and future seasons, to just leave the compost as is and top dress with more each year, or to go ahead and till it in this year, and top dress moving forward?

 

[kevinfever]

Thanks. Sorry for so many questions, but I was just offered a tiller at a very good price. Now that I have the option, would I be better off, both for this season, and future seasons, to just leave the compost as is and top dress with more each year, or to go ahead and till it in this year, and top dress moving forward?

You don't have to but I would . Don't forget to give your plants room when you plant . My 10x20 garden seem like lots of space but my plants started to grow in to each other i only had 4 plants

 

[Homesteader]

Manure sources are generally really high in sodium salts and often up to 10% for cow. This is okay outdoors due to the constant rain but indoors you wont leach them the same and they accumulate. I assume you are growing outdoors on this but just wanted to throw this out there for people trying to use manure in a greenhouse or indoors.