-
ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
Mulch. Just do it.
- Thread starter Dignan
- Start date
I was up in the air between Perlite, Hydroton and Wood Chips.
I have decided on Perlite. Here's my logic... maybe it is relevant here but my logic usually rarely is.
Wood Chips: No, because to many unknowns / variables. I feel that not only do different chips contain different things but even from batch (bag) to batch they could be different. Of the above i think (my logic) that wood chips have the highest chance of seeping something into my soil. I like to be the only one to do that.
Although a Pro would be that in my mind that also would have the highest capacity for water retention.
Hydroton: No seeping anything into my soil. Basically inert after a good washing. But - reusing it is a pain and its more expensive and heavy and than perlite. The other thing is that unless you use a few inches of it (which can be a lot depending on pot size) i doubt that it holds that much moisture for long.
Perlite: No seeping. Inert. Cheap Cheap Cheap. Throw it away with the soil (compost ect) A few inches should do that same or better then the Hydroton for water retention and you can get different grades. I assume that the finer the grade the better the water retention. I will be using coarse b/c thats what i use in my soil mix but i can just add a thinker layer.
Maybe that helps, maybe it doesn't. Thankfully it helped me, b/c i came up with it out of thin air.
Next time i will mulch my grow from start to finish so that the roots can have an opportunity to use the soil closer to the top of the pot.
More root mass = more good.
I have decided on Perlite. Here's my logic... maybe it is relevant here but my logic usually rarely is.
Wood Chips: No, because to many unknowns / variables. I feel that not only do different chips contain different things but even from batch (bag) to batch they could be different. Of the above i think (my logic) that wood chips have the highest chance of seeping something into my soil. I like to be the only one to do that.
Although a Pro would be that in my mind that also would have the highest capacity for water retention.
Hydroton: No seeping anything into my soil. Basically inert after a good washing. But - reusing it is a pain and its more expensive and heavy and than perlite. The other thing is that unless you use a few inches of it (which can be a lot depending on pot size) i doubt that it holds that much moisture for long.
Perlite: No seeping. Inert. Cheap Cheap Cheap. Throw it away with the soil (compost ect) A few inches should do that same or better then the Hydroton for water retention and you can get different grades. I assume that the finer the grade the better the water retention. I will be using coarse b/c thats what i use in my soil mix but i can just add a thinker layer.
Maybe that helps, maybe it doesn't. Thankfully it helped me, b/c i came up with it out of thin air.
Next time i will mulch my grow from start to finish so that the roots can have an opportunity to use the soil closer to the top of the pot.
More root mass = more good.
don't use fresh wood chips people!!!! if you are determined to use them the best way to utilize wood chips is: dig a small pit( you might get away with using a bucket but soil contact helps A LOT), fill with chips and keep moist for at least a year to get the fungi eating it. then you can add it to your soil and not "rob" your soil of nitrogen to break down those wood chips.
Perlite is good cos it also reflects light indoors and helps keep fungus gnats down a little.
Gonna take those pics but to be honest not much to be gleaned in the way of comparison... no clones just seedlings which are all bit different. I did have to leave my girls for a few days and the moisture loss in the smaller pots with no mulch was at least double.
I did notice last night that one of my pots has an outbreak of green algae on a patch of perlite... no biggy but does look bit wierd.
I am a big fan of top dressing with a quality organic dry fert around the sides of pot and then covering with 3-4cm of perlite...
Reusing the medium is then a breeze and i just mix it all together.
How would bio-char go as a mulch i wonder...? Soaked in high N ferts so as not to steal from the medium of course.
Gonna take those pics but to be honest not much to be gleaned in the way of comparison... no clones just seedlings which are all bit different. I did have to leave my girls for a few days and the moisture loss in the smaller pots with no mulch was at least double.
I did notice last night that one of my pots has an outbreak of green algae on a patch of perlite... no biggy but does look bit wierd.
I am a big fan of top dressing with a quality organic dry fert around the sides of pot and then covering with 3-4cm of perlite...
Reusing the medium is then a breeze and i just mix it all together.
How would bio-char go as a mulch i wonder...? Soaked in high N ferts so as not to steal from the medium of course.
Yay they are flying in their own way 
I really like those pots. In built res and wick, large enough to accomodate a 4oz plant and can be placed on floor or hung on a chain! Great for efficient use of space in a vert set up.
But i digress...
One thing in favour of no mulch. Sometimes i find seedlings/clones may appreciate a faster drying medium when newly transplanted into larger pot. This allows the roots to spread faster, they feed more and growth is abundant. I have had issues with water-logged coco/ lc's#1 with the mulch. This is only an issue if plants are bit slow to get going. Happens sometimes... might be an idea to add the mulch on 2nd or 3rd feed/water if have lower temps/low lighting/slow growth in veg/stressed plants.
I really like those pots. In built res and wick, large enough to accomodate a 4oz plant and can be placed on floor or hung on a chain! Great for efficient use of space in a vert set up.
But i digress...
One thing in favour of no mulch. Sometimes i find seedlings/clones may appreciate a faster drying medium when newly transplanted into larger pot. This allows the roots to spread faster, they feed more and growth is abundant. I have had issues with water-logged coco/ lc's#1 with the mulch. This is only an issue if plants are bit slow to get going. Happens sometimes... might be an idea to add the mulch on 2nd or 3rd feed/water if have lower temps/low lighting/slow growth in veg/stressed plants.
Nuggsy Bogues
New member
I have a large supply of rice hulls sitting around and was going to use them as a mulch, but then got paranoid about the possibility of adding pesticides or antibacterial agents that were possibly used on the rice.
Any thoughts? Has anyone used rice hulls as a mulch before?
Any thoughts? Has anyone used rice hulls as a mulch before?
I agree with that, brother. I don't mulch my seedlings' soil.
You have to be reasonable. If you have a known pathogen, don't act like it isn't there. Likewise, when things are healthy, allow yourself to relax and trust nature, lest you get in her way and fuck up her work. Remember PM loves moisture but drowns in water. Look to increase airflow so you leaves go from wet to dry with not much time spent being moist. Follow IPM for best results.
The thing about letting seedlings dry out is that the roots won't colonize the top layer of soil, which i believe sets you back after transplant, especially if you plant them deep like I do. I try to compensate with twice daily misting of the soil, which reduces the problem and increases root colonization (and the roots actually wick water up) while still giving me a gnat deterrent upper layer. Once an area is colonized it becomes easier to manage.
The slowdown when the pot is "too big for the seedling" is just the perched water table doing its thing. You can eliminate the problem without changing your mix by burying a strip of old t-shirt (preferably synthetic) to use as a wick. Also tilting the pot helps, as does having a taller container.
Hybrid Whooa
New member
Green mulches such as grass clippings promote a bacteria dominated soil whish is best for annuals, fruits and vegetables. Brown mulches such as leaves promote a fungal dominated soil. Cannabis prefers a bacteria dominated soil to my knowledge. So it would seem best to use green mulches and only a couple of inches or else your mulch will go anaerobic and we dont want that.
Mulch. Just do it.
the best way to get the right fungal to bacterial ratio is to mulch using the plant you are growing or something similar. you'll notice cannabis does make some woody growth.
so I'd say the soil you want most of the time for cannabis is only slightly more bacterial. on esssence though, you will do fine if you go for a 1:1 ratio.
the best way to get the right fungal to bacterial ratio is to mulch using the plant you are growing or something similar. you'll notice cannabis does make some woody growth.
so I'd say the soil you want most of the time for cannabis is only slightly more bacterial. on esssence though, you will do fine if you go for a 1:1 ratio.
SativaHybrid
Member
I agree with Jay about leaf mold, it's the best mulch. Have used it for years outdoors on the veggies and the girls. It's completely different than just using leves as mulch. Learned about it in a movie called "Yardening", i think, great movie for learning all about sustainable gardening especially composting. I was always nervous about using it inside though. However for the past 2 cycles i have used perlite indoors. Works wonders, best of all if you soak the perlite in a neem solution before using seems to keep any bugs from using your soil as a breeding ground. Not sure if i have seen any more yield but definitley alot less work and healthier plants. By the way get some blumats and then mulch with perlite never seen such healthy plants with such little work AMAZING.
heya sativahybrid,
If you want a good inert layer up top, lose the perlite and get yourself some calcined DE like napa #8822, Axis, or Playball. You'll need to sift to get particles about 1/8th inch. If you don't rinse it, there will be lots of DE dust in there that will trash the gnats. The DE holds more water and more air than perlite, and it gives up that water easier than perlite. It will change color as it dries. It is also much more durable.
If you want a good inert layer up top, lose the perlite and get yourself some calcined DE like napa #8822, Axis, or Playball. You'll need to sift to get particles about 1/8th inch. If you don't rinse it, there will be lots of DE dust in there that will trash the gnats. The DE holds more water and more air than perlite, and it gives up that water easier than perlite. It will change color as it dries. It is also much more durable.
SativaHybrid
Member
Thanks mad librettist have used Diatomaceous Earth outdoors as a pest management but never even thought about it as a mulch i just might have to give this a try.
I keep my big firewood stack on top of concrete slab and use it throughout the winter. When spring arrives I shovel out the big collection of decomposing bark, leaves, grass clippings, and sawdust and use it for mulch. When I shovel it up there is usually a few thousands worms in with it.
i was wondering about mulching with blumats. do you install the blumat first, then mulch up around the plastic bit?
Remember I am talking about calcined DE in chunks, not powder. I would use the powder sparingly, just dusting it on for mites, gnats, etc... use an empty squeezable mustard bottle. Shake it up and just puff out some dust. It should be very hard or impossible to see once applied.
here is an idea of desired particle size, from someone I don't know. There may be more sources out there. Look for "EP minerals" on the bag, and "Diatomaceous", "DE", or "calcined DE". The napa 8822 I got withstood soaking in water and in 25% acetic acid for a week with no foaming, brittleness, or any change I could perceive. This is the opposite of perlite in physical properties - durable stuff that aerates and drains for years to come, with pores that encourage greater microbial populations than you can develop when perlite is used. It doesn't look like much but it is really amazing.
