Oxygen levels in soil

[jojajico]

hey guys got a question. we all know how important oxygen to the roots is. are there any micro organisms which give off oxygen as a by product. something you could add to your soil. i know that you can supplement the water with hydrogen peroxide but i would like to go a more all natural route if possible. so anyproducts which have microorganisms which give of O2 to benefit the root structure?

 

[mtnjohn]

good topic..
i used to frequent a medsite and there was a certain member there that swore
by aerating his soil.

he used an air pump and 1/4" vinyl line burried in his pots ...just like peeps do with DWC....except he did it with soil

i dont know if it worked, but in theory it sounds good
mj

 

[jojajico]

anyone?

 

[Guest]

I saw someone on Overgrow do a small side-by-side experiment with and without injecting air directly into the soil. The injected plant was significantly better in size and lushness of growth. I've never heard of people talking about microorganisms in the soil producing oxygen. If in soil using H2O2 would negatively affect the micro population so it's counter indicated IMO. All you really need is soil with adequate drainage.

 

[jojajico]

maybe a simple air pump with that nozzles at the bottom of your pots...

 

[Nifty]

a

 

[Guest]

Sounds like something to try if you grow a couple plants but if you have many good old perlite provides enough drainage and aeration for the soil IMO.

 

[Dan42nepa]

there is a thread in the organic section about using an airstone to add oxigen to the water you use to feed your plants. Its sort of the same principle if you leave a glass of water on the night stand overnight and it goes flat. I always bubble my water for 24 hours anyway so I can dissipate any residual chlorine and the side benefit of adding oxigen to the water. The reason i would personally stay away from H2O2 is it possibly killing any benefitual micro organisms in the soil. (its hydrogen peroxide) I use organic soil so if you are not organic its probably ok. Someone in that other thread did an experiment with somehow putting an airstone among his roots.. not sure how he accomplished that without it getting clogged up but he had good results.

 

[jojajico]

thanks for all the responses guys alot of good ideas here. i think i may run a little experiment with clones in a grow cab hal,f with airstones/tubes in the soil half without both with oxygenated water. see if the yeild is any better and if its even worth doing.

 

[Nifty]

a

 

[Guest]

Always bubble water before use?Thats a new one lol

 

[mtnjohn]

Always bubble water before use?Thats a new one lol

thats right....now everybody break out their straws and blow...hahahah

 

[Guest]

Bury the airstone in a layer of perlite within the soil in the pot.
Also, always bubble your water before use..! Never use H2O2 with organics.

I've talked to some growers about bubbling water and the effect is supposedly negligible at best. Whenever I've grown in soil I'm always using fresh water anyway which is naturally highly oxygenated. I can see if you distill or use old bottled water maybe. Good aeration goes hand in hand with good drainage. Use a good soil mix.

Seems like directly aerating the soil with a pump would provide the greatest benefit. Although expensive and you need a strong pump to drive it properly, take a look at Alita's... www.alita.com ...silicone diffuser tubing at the bottom of the container as you can create a ring with it. It's designed to stay clog free.

 

[jojajico]

i think you would actualyl only need a weak pump if you have the right soil. you dont want to oxygen pushing out but kinda leaking out so as to not to disturb the roots. i was thinking a small air pump connected to a tube at the bottom of the soil with some holes in it.

 

[Guest]

i think you would actualyl only need a weak pump if you have the right soil. you dont want to oxygen pushing out but kinda leaking out so as to not to disturb the roots. i was thinking a small air pump connected to a tube at the bottom of the soil with some holes in it.

You need a weak pump if the diffuser you're running won't accomodate small/fine bubbles. The Alita diffuser tubing needs more pressure to function properly. This does not nececcesarily mean more air coming out as there is more resistance. Alita said their AL-6A will support approximately 3' of their diffuser tubing. This is considering the tubing is under the pressure of about 20" (?) of water. If in soil the external pressure will be less. Part of the process is dialing in your particular setup. I always like to overengineer as you can always dial it down. Do what you want. Weak pump to me ='s cheap ='s weak ='s problems or lack of stamina.