The re-use of our soil

[jaykush]

ive never tried this personally but a friend of mine freezes his old soil after cleaning root mass out-he says it is just like what mother nature does in the winter freezes the ground and makes it fertile again???does that sound like a solid theory?i always wondered if its true,kinda sounds right.

some microbes, or weed seeds if your using soil from outside could go dormant. specially the seeds and pop back up when the temp is right.

 

[CT Guy]

I think freezing the soil will just cause most of the organisms to go dormant. I don't know about his theory though, because there are many places in the world where soil temps never reach freezing and they have wonderful soil (Brazil, Hawaii, etc...). Interesting idea though!

 

[jerome garcia]

i put the post in indoor soil lots of info in this thread but i am wandering wht i should add to my soil to replenish it the nutes i use are bat guano
any help would be appreciated

 

[mjcuresall]

i put the post in indoor soil lots of info in this thread but i am wandering wht i should add to my soil to replenish it the nutes i use are bat guano
any help would be appreciated

jerome garcia -
There's no simple answer to your question-- this is something you must research and ultimately decide on. To get an idea of what amendments and how much of them are needed for your situation, I suggest you read the first post in this thread along with (at least) the first post in the following thread http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792. Good luck.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Earthworms

Earthworms

Because of weather conditions and other considerations, I do not wish to compost my soil outside. I was hoping to be able to use earthworms to digest the roots, stems, branches, leaves, etc.

I use a local organic soil, all nutrient feeding is done with aerated compost teas, foliar sprays of seaweed extract & molasses, etc. Teas are adjusted by adding high 'N' organic fertilizers or high 'P' fertilizers. All are sourced from the same company as the organic soil that I use. Very good people to work with.

I am a personal use medical grower and under our state law I can have 6 adult plants and I grow in the #5 Smart Pots product. These pots create an extremely tight root ball completely criss-crossed with root structure.

So if I put these root balls into a vented 30-gallon Rubbermaid tub with a half-pound of composting earthworms, would they consume the old roots and other plant material?

And on another question, if I fortify a worm bin with specific fertilizers like say ground feather meal (high nitrogen) would the worm castings in that bin be higher in nitrogen than say another bin where high phosphorous items are fed to the worms? I hope that question makes sense.

Thanks for any help as this is something that I want to do.

 

[mjcuresall]

Clackamas Coot, a good worm bin will consume one pound of waste per pound of worms per day. That said, if you had a working worm bin, those root balls would have to be chopped up sufficiently along with the rest of the organic waste.

From what I've read, I've come to understand that castings have pretty much the same content regardless of the organic material the worms eat. (A worm's digestive system isn't that sophisticated.)

 

[Bract Doctor]

There's a number of ways that soil, or soiless can be reused in your grow. If you are all organic, it's easiest to shake the roots out, mix the old with the new in a bin, and let'r sit for a month to establish a great microherd. There have been a number of great suggestions in this forum, but one thing I would never do is use my compost in an indoor mix. Yes, it does have a superabundance of micronutrients and a fully established microherd. It can and will also bring in the nasties you don't want, and aren't set up for indoors. Why bake or microwave? This just kills everything good that organic farming needs, and you must re-establish your microherd. Most folks have room for a few 6-12 gallon totes. Just keep adding and mixing your old with your new, and let them sit for a minimum of a month to establish the herd throughout. The beauty of organics IS the microherd. The ability to utilize nutrients and micronutrients that your plants may not be able to "eat" without the herd. Protection against many of the problems associated with "chemical" ferts goes away. Stronger plants with more stress resistance, pest resistance, drought resistance, increased production, color, aroma, flavor, you name it. I started 6 years ago, and havent looked back since. You can get as creative with your mixes/or nutrients as you want, but keep them organic and establish a microherd to make them available to your plants. Your soil level goes down everytime you run again due to the uptake/absorbtion of nutrients, and the natural decay/compost of the soil/soiless matter in your mixes. I havent thrown any mix out in 4 years. It's all in the flavor, colors, and your head. Good luck

BD

 

[fishheadbob]

My 2 cents...
Corn growers are rarely organic. They add tons of nitrogen, spray atrazine at high rates; some might add manure and green manure; but there is big danger in mono- cropping. I wouldn't go by what they do.
When I was a nurseryman we would sterilize soil after each use, using chemicals which were by no means organic. The idea was to lessen the chance of soil borne pathogens. If I were reusing soil and wanted to remain organic, I'd use sunlight as a disinfectant and add some compost to retain/regain organic matter and soil tilth.

 

[hempybucquet]

Do any of you use molasses in the water to help the microbes get fat and happy while "revegging" soil for reuse?

 

[vonforne]

Do any of you use molasses in the water to help the microbes get fat and happy while "revegging" soil for reuse?

I generally use EWC, Molasses and tepid water to make a tea and add it to the bin.

Works good for me.

V

 

[Don Cotyle]

Don't know if this was mentioned but Alfalfa is also great for adding to improve soil, besides the benifit of decayed plant material there are nayural growth hormones in there that will benifit your "crop". JMHO..Don

 

[Digit]

I would like to eventually have 2 batches of soil... after my first crop I will compost the used soil and use new.. Hopefully after the second crop I will use my original soil and compost the second batch. This is easy to say and since my current plants are only 12 days old I obviously dont know what I am talking about but am fascinated with organics. I even wondered about growing clover to naturally enhance my soil with nitrogyn between grows but then how would i get rid of the clover?

sry if this has already been replied to, i'm just working my way through the thread....

cover...

i recall clover (red clover?) was the species most reccomended to grow along with your plants not for any nutrient reason, but because the pheremones and smells coming from another plant encouraged more vigourous growth from your herb plants.

...that it naturally enhances N, all the more reason to throw some clover in with your grow.

and it's likely be a welcome addition to the mulching n composting too.

 

[minds_I]

Hello all,

^^^^ I never heard that one before. Got a link to the source on that Digit?

minds_I

 

[mindlessonez]

i want to reuse my soil

i want to reuse my soil

Hello everyone, i have been reading this section a lot and have decided i want to reuse my soil. I am blessed with more room then i need so i would like to have 2 50 gallon rubber maid containers which i will turn and spray everyday and add to from other grows. i currently use a mix of FFOF, perilite, and blood meal. Aswell as mixing my own tea. I am thinking of changing to a moonshine mix
1 bag Ocean Forest
1/2 bag Light warrior
1/2 bag of Planting Mix
1/3 of a bag of the Chunky perilite
1/4 cup of lime

One thing i would like to do is add my kitchen waste and possibly goat manure(i know im not supposed to bring anything inside but its so tempting)how would this affect me? also i heard i wouldn't have to add anything to my water but i would like to, what would benefit my plants and waiting soil the most?

 

[vonforne]

Hello everyone, i have been reading this section a lot and have decided i want to reuse my soil. I am blessed with more room then i need so i would like to have 2 50 gallon rubber maid containers which i will turn and spray everyday and add to from other grows. i currently use a mix of FFOF, perilite, and blood meal. Aswell as mixing my own tea. I am thinking of changing to a moonshine mix
1 bag Ocean Forest
1/2 bag Light warrior
1/2 bag of Planting Mix
1/3 of a bag of the Chunky perilite
1/4 cup of lime

One thing i would like to do is add my kitchen waste and possibly goat manure(i know im not supposed to bring anything inside but its so tempting)how would this affect me? also i heard i wouldn't have to add anything to my water but i would like to, what would benefit my plants and waiting soil the most?

I would compost any things from out side for the proper length of time. Manures are best composted for at least a year.
Kitchen waste can be composted more quickly be adding it to a worm bin and then added to the recycle bin. It will then be full of active microbes and benefit the substrate more.

I like to brew a bacterial tea and wet the substrate with that to give it a good boost.

V

 

[indicapimp]

I have a dark secret, i never sterilize, use pest control, i even stopped neem dunking, i don't use peroxide or any pest strips either and I have never....

ever...

had a pest of bug problem.


maybe it's because i've obeyed 2 rules

i don't bring soil or plants from outdoors to MY indoor.
i have a very low RH setup wich i mist every now and again

Sub's

That is my question: Can you Compost outside and bring it inside without introducing Bugs and Mites???

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I started re-using my soil mix about 6 weeks back.

If I could I would trade a batch of new soil for used soil all day long. I'm extremely pleased with the results not to mention the monetary savings.

 

[zolar]

if you bake your outside compost and then mix it with your indoor mix that has "microherd" you shouldn't have problems w/ pests

 

[marali]

I don't see a need to sterilize compost. I don't bet my life on it cuz i don't grow indoors, but still, i got plenty of experiences with indoor windowsill plants. Without any problems i'm bringing in compost, castings, even garden soil and sand. Yea, millions of creatures in these mixes and you can see many of them with your own eyes, but to me it's all about life. Good guys need bad guys, so they will stay around and protect you from unexpected.

 

[nag-champa]

why cant you just keep worms in the bed your growing in?
cut the plants, turn the soil a bit, and replant.
add some beneficial bacteria and stuff, an occasional dousing of enzymes