Mulch. Just do it.

[tuinman]

Okay, so now I've gently forked up the top crust layer, and it goes about 2" deep or so. Wasn't going for anything seriously specific here, but did want at least 1" worth of space for adding in mulch. In this case, my crusty layer was about 2" so I broke it all up with the fork, then picked or scooped pieces out with my hand and tossed them into my compost bucket. The remaining soil is all loose and crumbly, blech.

Quick shot of my 'chunks'

Just to show you how far the damage of my neglect goes, here's some more water poured into my new little basin - it's been sitting here for about 30 seconds in this picture. It should be gone!

And here it is again about 60 seconds later, this time with a ruler. 1/2" still floating around, hasn't even soaked in any appreciable amount. This is 2" down from the original surface! UUuuuuugh.

Here it is mulched in with some 'Ground cover decorative bark' by Earthgro, nice and cheap around here. This isn't ideal (and you'll see pleeeenty of better options in this thread) but I was still going for lazy and I had some of this for edging a walkway. Wish I had it when I originally planted these...

And a final shot with the ruler in place down to the actual soil surface to show you how much is in there now.

Now, since I watered all of this generously with AEM & molasses within a week this is going to be seriously run through with some white stranding and all kinna other fun stuff. The soil down below will for the most part remain damp, and roots will eventually explore their way back up and nudge around inside of the mulch. My plants will be happier over all, and when I hand water in the future it should just suck everything up without skinning over.

ALWAYS MULCH!​

 

[tuinman]

Oh whups, forgot a couple more. These were taken after the original series, I went back to fixing the rest of them (I had about 24 or so to do total) and I just baaarely tipped the fork in when this happened:

Quite the chunk! And all of this separated from the side of my plug... so again, that was a lot of root space right around the plug where nothing grew out, yet more wasted time and space and led to less vigorous plants.

Here's a shot of the plug itself, you can't see any nice roots or anything coming out really - when I pulled up the chunk I separated they were largely brown and dead. :C

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

sooo..... i shouldnt have read this in one sitting, and certainly not on 420..... but im not going anywhere haahaha

anyway, this is my first run back in soil, first run with organic amended soil, first time trying mulch (ever)

heres what i have implemented so far:
6 parts promix bx
2 parts EWC
2 parts perlite
1 cup powdered dolomite lime per cubic feet

amended with: mix per gallon soil
1/3 cup high N peruvian sea bird guano
1/2 cup high P indo bat guano
1 tbs kelp meal

water with: molasses and i was using liquid karma, but stopped because i dont know if i can use with organic living soil
i also give a compost tea made of molasses and EWC
my mulch idea
base layer of chopped up sticks and twigs
covered with grass clipping,clover,wild onion, "weeds"

i want to do this on every plant i have indoors. some are in 5gal smarties, some in 4 gal hard pots (till i repot)

 

[jrmedic]

Fascinating discussion. Many thanks to all who shared.

How does the high N cover crop affect flower, if at all?

Any noticeable difference in quality of finished medicine?

 

[mad librettist]

Clover doesn't fix n in indoor flowering situations. To fix n it needs lots of light and it has to need n. If n is around it saves its pennies.

To fix n with clover it needs to be in the light. Outside for instance.

 

[mugenbao]

What kind of mold is this?

What kind of mold is this?

Yes actually 2 of them did die, and another 2 or 3 wern't looking great. we'll have to see when I go back. There was a white fuzzy mold covering the entire surface of the soil, right up to the stems of the plants.

I'm curious about how this turned out for you in the end... I've got white fuzzy mold in my pots which is freaking me out a little. The plants actually look fine for now, but I only first noticed the mold this morning and I'm concerned that the problem has just begun.

Pic of one of the pots with only a little "mulch", easier to see the mold:

Is this similar to what you saw?

I know there are several folks quite knowledgeable about mold here, and I wonder if any of them would give me some input on what kind of mold that is? As I say, the plants look great right now but will they continue to do so? Are there any health concerns for me?


.

 

[heady blunts]

that mold is harmless IMO.

I don't really get worried by mold if it's white. green mold is a little sketchier. black mold is a problem and a health hazard.

 

[mugenbao]

Ah, that's an interesting guideline... I really appreciate the input, mold is one of those things that truly freaks me out as far as health concerns, and my wife is highly sensitive to some molds.

 

[ICMaggotMe]

that mold is harmless IMO.

I don't really get worried by mold if it's white. green mold is a little sketchier. black mold is a problem and a health hazard.

^^Word^^

 

[heady blunts]

it's kinda my technique for judging leftovers too.

option 1:
uh oh, i've opened my strawberries and one of them has white mold. i pick it out with my fingers and eat the other ones. it's probably penicillin anyway, right?

option 2:
hmm this left over lamb korma has multiple green patches, gross. i use the saran wrap over the bowl to keep my hand from coming in direct contact when wiping it into the bin.

option 3:
holy shit! i don't even know what this originally was! multiple spots of multi-colored mold. throw the whole thing away. buy new tupperware.

 

[SeaMaiden]

And so for my OD plants...? Potted, but what about those I put into the beds...? Am I mistaken to extrapolate this information about clover to other N-fixing legumes?

 

[SeaMaiden]

If the cheese has mold I cut it off. Unless it's PINK mold.

 

[rrog]

Mad, is this new info? Clover isn't the companion plant of choice for indoor plants that may have reasonable N? I have clover growing in all my pots... geez.

 

[heady blunts]

you guys are still getting other benefits from the clover even if the circumstances aren't right for n-fixation.

mine is coming up nicely in my veggie garden!

 

[jrmedic]

Clover doesn't fix n in indoor flowering situations. To fix n it needs lots of light and it has to need n. If n is around it saves its pennies.

To fix n with clover it needs to be in the light. Outside for instance.

Yes, I wonder how this particularly affects flowering plants outdoors, where the sun shines.

 

[SeaMaiden]

Ehh... bump?

Fenugreek--I haz it, will be trying it. This stuff germinates FAST! 2 days and I had seedlings. Three months and I have my first batch of home-grown seeds.

 

[John Deere]

 

[heady blunts]

yay!

 

[jammie]

i didn't notice any benefit to the clover. i grew it for the 6 weeks of veg then cut at soil level and let tops decay. if anything i think it may have sucked up some of the nitrogen from my nutes because plants showed early to mid flower N deficiency. i lost lots of leaves before blood meal kicked in. on further research, i found that it takes months for the bacteria to break them down

 

[jammie]