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dre86
For my indoor garden I never re-use soil...But for the outdoors I use the soil from my indoor plants for the next growing season
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Ok to reuse soil?
- Thread starter ducktales
- Start date
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Guest
SKELETOR what doesn't make sense is throwing your organic soil out, if you've taken the time to use only organic amendments and organic ferts and teas during your grow.
I don't know what the big deal is, it's clearly outlined in the 3LB's post. I've been following that method ever since I read it, at least a year ago when it was on CW. I've never had problems with bugs, keeping the soil alive with beneficial bacteria and fungi actually give you a lot of resistance to most bugs that live in the soil.
Never had any problems with salt build up as I use all organic amendments and ferts, and not at rediculous doses (this is the key). You don't have to cram ferts into your plants if the soil is alive, it actually helps the uptake of nutrients.
I get better results usually from my 2nd and 3rd running of a batch of mix than the first time, maybe that's just me.
You can't cram a shitload of nutrients into a soil mix then overfertilize the shit out of your plants with chems and reuse your soil. If you take care of it, put back into it what it needs like perlite to prevent compaction, nutrients used during the last grow, and dolimite lime for PH stability there's no reason you can't reuse you soil mixes for many grows.
Just like everything in growing and life it comes down to time and effort, if you're willing to invest the time and the effort to keep your soil reusable you'll have great results. If you just try to throw it in a tub for a few weeks and then reuse it, you'll get half assed results.
I don't know what the big deal is, it's clearly outlined in the 3LB's post. I've been following that method ever since I read it, at least a year ago when it was on CW. I've never had problems with bugs, keeping the soil alive with beneficial bacteria and fungi actually give you a lot of resistance to most bugs that live in the soil.
Never had any problems with salt build up as I use all organic amendments and ferts, and not at rediculous doses (this is the key). You don't have to cram ferts into your plants if the soil is alive, it actually helps the uptake of nutrients.
I get better results usually from my 2nd and 3rd running of a batch of mix than the first time, maybe that's just me.
You can't cram a shitload of nutrients into a soil mix then overfertilize the shit out of your plants with chems and reuse your soil. If you take care of it, put back into it what it needs like perlite to prevent compaction, nutrients used during the last grow, and dolimite lime for PH stability there's no reason you can't reuse you soil mixes for many grows.
Just like everything in growing and life it comes down to time and effort, if you're willing to invest the time and the effort to keep your soil reusable you'll have great results. If you just try to throw it in a tub for a few weeks and then reuse it, you'll get half assed results.
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vonforne
I have recently been doing the same thing. I stopped using anything not OMRI or 100% organic. I ordered all the ingredents in the OF and added rock phosphate and greensand, just as in 3LB's post. Watered it with LK and Molasses and let it cook for a few weeks. I put some clones in it and they took off really fast. Faster than the previous set had. I have not flowered in re-used soil yet but its coming.
Closet Hack, how does it do in flowering? Bigger yeilds as 3lb. stated in their post?
Closet Hack, how does it do in flowering? Bigger yeilds as 3lb. stated in their post?
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Guest
Said in a similar post:
I bloom in 1 gallon pots. I recycle my used bloom soil for my mothers and vegging clones. I break up the rootballs and use a compost screen to make sure I've gotten the larger chunks out. I usually end up short, so I make new batches of soil for my blooming plants. I try to make sure they have plenty of readily available nutrients via fertigation while in bloom. I compost my old root balls and use the compost in my veggie garden. 5 years of compost has lead to the most delicious tomatoes I've ever tasted. Ever.
Oh and I never have to fertilize the plants in veg. There are plenty of nutrients in the reused soil to carry them all the way till they get turned over.
I bloom in 1 gallon pots. I recycle my used bloom soil for my mothers and vegging clones. I break up the rootballs and use a compost screen to make sure I've gotten the larger chunks out. I usually end up short, so I make new batches of soil for my blooming plants. I try to make sure they have plenty of readily available nutrients via fertigation while in bloom. I compost my old root balls and use the compost in my veggie garden. 5 years of compost has lead to the most delicious tomatoes I've ever tasted. Ever.
Oh and I never have to fertilize the plants in veg. There are plenty of nutrients in the reused soil to carry them all the way till they get turned over.
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Guest
I dont see how you all have anything left to use,I transplant 3 times normally starting in a 4 inch container and when I check my rootball in the 3 gallon container it totally fills the pot.There is very little soil even if you shake the hell out of the rootball which is too much hassle for me lol.Support your local growshop!
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Guest
Generally I pull my plants when the soil is still a little wet. Then I let the pots sit for about a week before I break them up, to let them dry out a little bit and let the microbes in the soil eat the dead roots. Then when I break them up, there is just enough composted soil left to use for my clones.SKELETOR said:
treehuggers
Active member
I will be dealing with large amounts of soil soon and I am very interested in this reusing thingy...
For start, is it important what kind of soil you start with?
I will research more
Thanks, TH
For start, is it important what kind of soil you start with?
I will research more
Thanks, TH
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vonforne
Here is a addie for you to check out. I too will have large amounts of soil to recycle. I have been putting the soil in 30 and 50 gallon rubbermaid containers.treehuggers said:I will be dealing with large amounts of soil soon and I am very interested in this reusing thingy...
For start, is it important what kind of soil you start with?
I will research more
Thanks, TH
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=34060
check out this post. It made me look differently at soil recycling. I only use ferts in the soil and that are 100% organic or are OMRI approved. Leaves no salt build up and the microherd is intact.
And I start with Fox farms Ocean Forest with some added peat and perlite (Big and Chunky) I add guanos everytime I trans plant with some Dolomite lime. Molasses, Liquid Karma, and Liquid Seaweed.
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Guest
vonforne said:
It does great in flowering, actually I only use the reused and re-amended soil in flowering because so much more is needed. During veg I sometimes use it, sometimes it's easier to just mix up a new batch for veg and clones. It just depends on where I'm at as far as the plants and the re-mixed soil is concerned. I just used some when I trimmed my moms roots and they kept on growing like nothing ever happened. I'm trying the remixed stuff out on my clones this time around and they seem to love the stuff. I'm getting better growth rates than last time when I only used 50/50 peat and perlite and top watered organic nutes.
If you're using coco you'll find that your second run will be better than your first. By the second run the coco has absorbed all the nutrients that it does and they are more readily available to the plants the second time around.
A good "cooking" period is needed between grows, I usuall let it sit for at least 3 weeks after re-mixing. I keep it moist and mix it up on a daily basis for the most part.
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vonforne
No I'm not using coco. I stick to good old peat. After the second run I plan on adding some more at a lesser rate. was also thinking of mushroom compost or something along those lines. How often do you add compost or at what recycle stage...2nd, 3d ? This time I thought there was enough left in the texture of the soil not to add any. Just added the admendments. I run my remix about that long. With clones maybe a little longer but I did not keep day to day records. About seems to work in organics. The only nutes I water in now is Big Bloom and not very often any more. Maybe twice Maybe. Top dressing is what works best for me it seems. A little every time.
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Guest
I usually add some every time and add extra perlite at a 1:1 ratio of compost to perlite. Usually I'll add twice as much every other time, it works out pretty well for me. I'll also add more peat about every 3rd time or when it looks like it needs it.
