living mulch: just... live it?

[mad librettist]

Now that I've been running a living mulch for a while, I think I have learned enough to talk a bit about establishing and caring for a living mulch, which can be tricky in a low RH environment.

The system I'm about to describe also covers how to start cannabis seeds with the living mulch.

The first step involves sowing the starter mix, which should include equal parts white clover seed, azomite (or rock dust of your choosing), clay of some sort, and a mixed top dressing like bio-tone. If you have legume inoculant or mycorrhizae add that to your starter. Just before use, mix up 1 part starter and 1 part compost.

Broadcast your starter mix/compost nice and thick, then water it in, just before lights out. Water again in the morning, preferably with a mist or spray of water. Do this step right after mixing soil, or if it's no-till, 2 weeks before chopping. If you have supplemental lighting below the canopy, you can keep a perpetual version.

Once your white clover is established enough to create a moist surface, you can sow cannabis directly into it. Don't bother clearing a space, just drop it right in. You want to pop your seeds before sowing any crimson clover or chickweed, to keep them from competing. If those are already present, chop and drop them.

When your seedlings come up and you are sure you don't want more, it's time to broadcast some crimson clover and if you have it, chickweed. By now your white clover may start flowering. Remove anything shading your cannabis by pinching off its leaves (don't pull).

As the canopy fills in, your living mulch will probably start to die off, except the edges. So if you have any companion perennials, grow them as far from the cannabis as possible. If your cannabis is in the center, your yarrow should be on the edge. If you have the cannabis in a ring around the edges, keep your yarrow in the center.


In theory there may be different benefits depending on how you cycle the mulch. Flowering photoperiod for cannabis is veg for clover and vice versa. I'm currently exploring to see if the veg cycle can't be dramatically shortened by sowing cannabis seed during the end of the 12/12 period of the previous crop. By switching to a longer day after chopping, the seedlings below should veg normally, only earlier.

living mulch? INSIDE?!? why the hell not?

here are some examples from IC members:

mugenbao

Mad

Supuradam

tuinman -

This tree has been unfortunately in a container for way too long (no where to put it yet) and it was pretty much pure red throughout the leaves and putting out growth very slowly. On a lark I seeded it with clover - this is about 3 months later and I've lost track of how many times I've chopped the mulch back. It has about twice as much foliage as previously, the clover was the only change.

Let's see those living mulches, and those nice growth reports!

I am gonna try to compile what we know so far about living mulch candidates. corrections appreciated. updated jan 15 2012

microclover: this variety of dutch white clover is very hard to come by, but perfect for any size container. sow it thick. see dutch white clover for details.

dutch white clover: suitable for all but the smallest containers. White clover is a nitrogen fixer under the right conditions. It does a good job shading the soil and does not interfere with cannabis growth, rooting, or germination. Spreads by above ground stolons, and forms a mat of shallow roots. Can be used alone for increased bio-activity at soil surface, water management, and as green manure. Can host some of the same mycorhizae as cannabis. Tolerates some mowing if well established. In its first year it has a deep taproot. Expect it to behave as an annual indoors.

crimson clover: suitable for 5 gallon containers and up. tap-rooted annual. Forms a thick carpet that creates a nanoclimate from the soil surface up about 6 inches. Same compatibility with cannabis as other clovers. does not do well with mowing. Crimson clover flowers when the day becomes longer than 12 hours. Crimson clover loves warm climates and does especially well indoors.

chickweed - chickweed should be sown very sparingly in larger containers. great with crimson clover. perfect for chop and drop to feed your soil. This is my #1 non legume choice for a living mulch. Excellent partner for cannabis. Edible but bland.

chamomile - definitely harmless.

yarrow: yarrow seems to be a good companion for cannabis but does not do especially well under a full canopy. Plant it along edges where the light will get through, or consider supplemental lighting down below. Makes a great dressing if you cut yourself mowing your mulch.

purslane - harmless but does not do well under lights

squash: squash should be chopped and dropped as they shade too much soil. squash as a companion should be reserved for the very largest containers and outdoor cultivation in the ground
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