Reusing mycorrhiza soil...

[Tokage]

Hey all peeps. My friend and me had a heated discussion about reusing mycorrhiza soil.
He was saying that he could reuse the soil as many times he wanted too. I was saying that all soils can be reused but needed to be changed after a given time. I also don´t see why reuse mycorrhiza soil when all they want is the roots.
So if someone knows about this sort of things please tell me if you can reuse and how many times that would be?
And about how many times can you reuse normal soil. I always thought about 2 times(total 3 three uses).

Thank you so much all of you that take a intrest.

 

[Granger2]

Tokage,
If the soil has dried, there will be little, if any, viable micos. Why risk it? Just inoculate the medium at the beginning of each crop so you'll be able to count on their help. It's cheap in the scheme of things. -granger

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

The fungi in question require live plant roots to flourish. That's the idea behind a perpetual harvest no-till bed---there are always plants in various stages of done-ness to provide for symbiotic microorganisms. If your compost is of the highest grade, the beds require very little in terms of inputs (top-dressing, mulching, green manures) and can be ran for years. Ask around in the organic section about people's no-till beds-----years.

 

[Neo 420]

You mean you throw out your soil....

Recycled soil is the best. From no till to re amending. Its the bee knee's dood!!.. lol

 

[FunkBomb]

Throw more organic matter and amendments into the old soil and let it sit. It's like a battery is just needs to be charged again.

-Funk

 

[trichrider]

i don't let mine dry out completely anyway so the mycos aren't dead and a few applications of ACT seem to regenerate the masses.

same soil going two years and it gets better and better. the soiless mix i started out with smell more like soil than the freaking dirt outside in the garden....

welcome to easystreet.

 

[low_and_slow]

I always inoculate the root zone during a transplant. If you're throwing seeds into a no-till perpetual setup in a large rubbermaid tote or something, then I guess that's a little more tricky, but you want to get that stuff right up against the root ball when you pull your clones out of their 1gallon starter pots...If you use properly brewed ACTs throughout the plants' life cycle, you shouldn't need to amend all that much, especially in a no-till/no-drainage setup like a 20gallon tote. I've seen people throw in a handful of earthworms and let those buggers recycle their used soil for them...the mucus and castings they throw off will add a TON to your microherd.

 

[Enlighten]

Mycorrhizal will only help the plant make better use of the nutrient already within the soil. After a full grow nutrients will be depleted and soil amendments will need to be added. The mycorrhizae will still be alive.

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

After a full grow nutrients will be depleted and soil amendments will need to be added.

Not so much if you build a rich soil and allow it to cycle. There are plenty of grows in operation that don't need to re-amend and the quality is top-notch.

The mycorrhizae will still be alive.

"Studies have indicated that the transference of bioavailable phosphorus and potassium to the roots occur mainly as a function of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae in symbiotic relationship with the roots of the plant. The fungal hyphae (microscopic strands) grow right into the root cells and exchange nutrients."
from microbeorganics.com

If the fungus forms a symbiotic relationship with the host plant, feeding off of it's exudates and growing directly into the root system, how exactly would it survive without the plant?


To the OP, if you are serious about having mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, glomus intaradices is the most important species for cannabis. You will notice most hydro shop products are woefully low in g. intaradices. They also tend to include trichoderma, which feeds on developing fungi (like the mycos dude). Also worth noting--glomus intaradices takes at least a month to build up an effective population.

A better option would be to inoculate sprouts or cuttings with a product like Bio-Ag's VAM one time and hope for the best. Save a shit-ton of cash and have a stronger chance at growing out the fungi you're shooting for.

 

[ItsTopShelf]

i mix my used soil also.. been doing it for a while now.. i take out as much roots as possible.. and i mix my used soil half and half with brand new promix.. no problems at all.. actually have found the second round to be better then first.