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Best/Most Efficient way to til last years smart pots
- Thread starter Meds215
- Start date
eighty9concentr
Member
you can use a small hand tiller, but you have to be careful around the edges not to rip the side of the pot. We have a bobcat and just dump all our 200's and 100's in a pile, flatten it out with the cat so that its about 18" deep and run our craftsman tiller over the pile a bunch of times to break the root mass up. I feel like if you do it in the pot, you won't break it up as efficiently. The craftsman tiller works great, it really breaks the soil up so its like new again. We got it at sears for around $1000. Well worth the investment. This is the 4th season we've had it with no problems
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Oakhills
You can use a Honda GX25 tiller, as 89 said take care around the sides and bottom. That breaks everything up good. Then shovel up the bottoms and re-till it. Dividing the pots into 1/3's helps too, as you can stack the dirt your working on top of the other 2/3's.
MountZionCollec
Active member
Manually till/break up top 8-12".
Then add organic nutrients evenly on top and gently hand mix in the top few inches.
Use double auger to mix in the top 12 inches and fertilizers evenly. Water.
double auger (http://m.northerntool.com/shop/tool...i_sku=999011&gclid=CODvrez_psUCFRSUfgodfhwAtA)
Then add organic nutrients evenly on top and gently hand mix in the top few inches.
Use double auger to mix in the top 12 inches and fertilizers evenly. Water.
double auger (http://m.northerntool.com/shop/tool...i_sku=999011&gclid=CODvrez_psUCFRSUfgodfhwAtA)
Cut the sides off and turn them in to mounds or shovel half out mix half your ferts in and refill add the other half and hit it with a rototiller
Do you break those mounds down and rebuild them every yr??
Just turned under.
mossyoakle
Member
Depends on how many you have to do, but here is the best way we've cone across...
Get yourself a gas powered auger. The only modification that you have to do is weld a washer to the end of the blade so it doesn't rip your pots. Any metal shop will do it for you in 5 minutes. This is way faster and simplier than scooping out all the dirt.
Get yourself a gas powered auger. The only modification that you have to do is weld a washer to the end of the blade so it doesn't rip your pots. Any metal shop will do it for you in 5 minutes. This is way faster and simplier than scooping out all the dirt.
It will be interesting after a few yrs to take samples at various depths and see if any stratification occurs. I got a bad feeling based on top dressing cal carb.
Worms are not active in winter here outdoors so that doesn't help. Indoors yep
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XxCaptiankushxX
Get a tractor or bobcat, pick up the pots and flip them over in a big pile, amend, and refill with bobcat . Works good with 300's. Did 60 yards in one day, greenhouse was ready to go!
MountZionCollec
Active member
Captain Kush: this is my plan after a few years running the soil, can you more clearly describe how you did this? No problems with pots falling out?
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XxCaptiankushxX
Is kinda an art. a skilled operator can scoop about half the pot in the bucket, lifting half and drag the back half of the smart pot, is easy then once you get to dump pile just drop and flip over, almost a one man job. Helps with another person. Then I made wire cage with wire animals fencing cut to size. I placed in the pot and held open the saggy empty smart pots for me. I had a helper move the cage from pot to pot, so I didn't have to get in and out of bobcat. And half to 3/4 bobcat scoops used to fill to pots so no spillage.
I don't top dress with cal carb
Yea...theoretically you turn it under, microbes consume it and move it around the pot. It may be true...but I wanna confirm it for myself is all I am saying.
We are 3 grows in indoors using that theory. It appears to work...and save a lot of physical labor. Another grow or two I will measure that soil every 6 inches deep. I will see if nute levels are the same near the bottom of the pot as the top.
I won't need to take a leap of faith...I will know for myownself
We are 3 grows in indoors using that theory. It appears to work...and save a lot of physical labor. Another grow or two I will measure that soil every 6 inches deep. I will see if nute levels are the same near the bottom of the pot as the top.
I won't need to take a leap of faith...I will know for myownself
Cool ; no need to have faith. You'll see..Just like all the other stuff I told ya...Just works...
I do the same outside. Apply biology/pepzyme all the time
