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So I don't look at it as trying to break down roots. In fact I feel the best thing you can do is keep live roots in the soil so carbonic acids are being dumped into the soil feeding microbes. So for me winter rye grass is my favorite. Your cover crop would depend on your weather though...whatever you can keep green the longest.
Once the soil starts warming up Pacific Grow and either Tainio or Rootwise are the way I go for soil that is heavyish. When I am depending on microbes to digest minerals for feeding the plant. Like a LOS type soil or real soil.
In a lightweight soil that you are going to feed often...even organic inputs...it is different. It is very hard to keep microbes working for more than a week. I would suggest you visit Rootwise on IG, he is putting in the work on this one. I am getting ready to test his theory in coco fed inorganic salts. I will know more in a couple of cycles cause I will tissue test.
Anyways check with Rootwise. He is way ahead of me at this point.
good thing I just planted some winter rye! a little late but I think it'll still do some good. I just remember you saying your old roots get eaten up pretty quick and I thought that was a good sign, but I see mine are still there so figured the soil needed a biological boost... but it is a lighter soil, so it may not be worth the $. I'm gonna get some worms though.
Yea, the microbes eat the roots. So keep the bacteria alive as much as possible during the winter
I like uncle Jim for worms. Ask them for a recommend on type for your weather. Balanced soil and tainio or rw and they will multiply quick. Contrary to popular opinion they cannot excrete Ca unless they take it in
PP - I think you were asking about Rejuvenate. That is what Kempf recommends after harvest to break down roots and stems. More for corn, but works the same.
What Jidoka said about lightweight soil and the microbes is exactly what I have been experiencing. Doesn't make me happy for full season approach.......... I have been having to feed a tea every third watering, with nutrients right after. I am growing in extremely lightwieght soil, and it's the same soil from my outdoor crop. Just brought it inside. I still get way better results with just composts and molasses, than buying microbes. Tiano stuff had almost zero effect for me.
Anyone else try using sucanat instead of rejuvenate? Thats what ive been using 1x weekly with tainio to replace rejuvenate. 50lb bag is pretty cheap online!
Another thing i still dont understand , is that when EC drops to .2 or so- and you want to raise it- how do you approach this when nitrates and K are already high in the sap? Last season i nailed them with triple super phosphate for a few weeks straight before trying to balance the salt feedings as best i could.
For me, AEA is no longer an option with prices plummeting the way they are, time to get costs down as much as possible!
My native soil gets ammended organically and if i had to guess i would say the summer dep run will be the only one i have to supplement with salts to raise EC - if at all since ive switched to small plants / sea of green
Yeah the high k and n from last season were after only a few salt feedings- EC was still only .2-.3 after those. Those plants were 6-7ft.....from here on out they will be around 1 1/2- 2ft tall at flip
Jidoka ill post one when i get home later- soils pretty well balanced, thanks to orechron! i think this season will go well- im hoping i can avoid fertigation all together with smaller plants but ill be watching ec.
I feel like fertigation with salts to raise EC is tough because all the sudden sap numbers are through the roof! Would love to drench holo mic an mac but its not affordable anymore. We need a DIY recipe for a balanced organic liquid feed for EC
I attached a couple images. I've got some odd coloring and growth on a few different phenos of Sunshine Daydreams that I've been running for awhile. Does anybody know what it's from? Oddly, it's only the SSDD's showing the coloring and growth. My soil is almost perfectly dialed in, but I've still been foliar feeding Cu and Mn because my organic matter is really high for plain old dirt. I've been foliar spraying Zn too just because it seems like I need to otherwise the leaf tips start curving. I think I read awhile back Jidoka said that with high Ca soils he felt the plants metabolized Zn faster. Jidoka, you're welcome to correct me if I'm mistaken. I've been foliar spraying other non-nutrient stuff too. I'm guessing maybe it's too much Cu? I don't know, but if any of you guys are familiar with this it would be cool to know what's up.
Thanks for any help
Edit: They're about two weeks into flowering and that particular plant in the picture has that coloring and growth at the end of almost all the major branches. The vegging SSDD have it going on too though. Odd stuff to me