How to re-amend?

Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Just about to finish up my first run in organics. To me growing multiple plants in large pots or beds totally makes sense.... picking up pots grown with salts to check how heavy each pot is annoying AF. I am growing in a 4x8 bed with bio live from down to earth with a peat and fish compost and oyster shell flour. I was wondering how I should re amend the bed? My thoughts were pulling the old plants out and mixing in some extra aeration while omitting the oyster shell flour and half the amount of bio-live. What do you guys think? And when should I re amend the OSF?
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
How often do I have to re amend the oyster shell flour?
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Are you using ro water or tap water? If you're doing no til beds with tap water I don't know if I would reamend with oyster shell flour that often. In my experience the beds are more likely to go alkaline than acidic, I've had to add sulfur to counteract the oyster flour in my no til beds before I learned this. Now I stick with gypsum or bone meals (fish mostly) if I need a calcium boost. I reamend with a couple of cups of gypsum at the start of each round in my 100 gallon soil beds.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
@Rasta Roy I use tap water that is 5-10ppm. Also for my bio live would you suggest re amending with half the amendments? I don't know if I will do a no till this next run I might take out all the soil from the bed and add more aeration.
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
@Rasta Roy I use tap water that is 5-10ppm. Also for my bio live would you suggest re amending with half the amendments? I don't know if I will do a no till this next run I might take out all the soil from the bed and add more aeration.
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I would do a quarter to half strength reamend at the beginning of planting and then do another half amend when you switch into flower.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Rasta Roy said:
No problem, the Bio-Live is pretty quick to green things up too so if for some reason your plants look they need a boost, you can throw some down and you'll see a difference in a few days.
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Good to know. If I keep recycling my soil and doing half and quarter amendments do you think there will ever be a lock out of any sort? Or do you think at the end of flower the soil will be pretty depleted of all nutes
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
Good to know. If I keep recycling my soil and doing half and quarter amendments do you think there will ever be a lock out of any sort? Or do you think at the end of flower the soil will be pretty depleted of all nutes
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As long as you just use plain water I wouldn't expect any lockout, you'll be pretty depleted. If you do experience any lockout the first thing I would check is your soil pH. You would prolly just need to add some sulfur but you might never need to.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Rasta Roy said:
As long as you just use plain water I wouldn't expect any lockout, you'll be pretty depleted. If you do experience any lockout the first thing I would check is your soil pH. You would prolly just need to add some sulfur but you might never need to.
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Best way to check soil ph?
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
What about if I'm doing a no till?
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With a peat based mix, perhaps every second or third grow. It's best to take soil core samples from root level and check the pH.

HOWEVER ... You will need to add calcium and RR is spot on with the gypsum. It doesn't screw with the pH and is a great source of Ca and sulfur (terpenes/flavor).
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
With a peat based mix, perhaps every second or third grow. It's best to take soil core samples from root level and check the pH.

HOWEVER ... You will need to add calcium and RR is spot on with the gypsum. It doesn't screw with the pH and is a great source of Ca and sulfur (terpenes/flavor).
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Few cups of gypsum per 100 gal of soil along with the OSF
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
@Rasta Roy I use tap water that is 5-10ppm. Also for my bio live would you suggest re amending with half the amendments? I don't know if I will do a no till this next run I might take out all the soil from the bed and add more aeration.
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That, I would HIGHLY recc. I remember you saying that you ran out of aeration and poor aeration/drainage is, if not the #1 cause of problems in no till, is in the top 2. 40% aeration is my starting point and usually ends up closer to 50%.

I use perlite myself, but if you like rocks, graded pumice is excellent. Lava rocks ... IDK, but have gotten reports of it migrating to the bottom over time. It IS way heavier than lave rocks.

That's all your call, just make sure to have at least 40% of whatever floats yer boat.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
That, I would HIGHLY recc. I remember you saying that you ran out of aeration and poor aeration/drainage is, if not the #1 cause of problems in no till, is in the top 2. 40% aeration is my starting point and usually ends up closer to 50%.

I use perlite myself, but if you like rocks, graded pumice is excellent. Lava rocks ... IDK, but have gotten reports of it migrating to the bottom over time. It IS way heavier than lave rocks.

That's all your call, just make sure to have at least 40% of whatever floats yer boat.
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Thanks wetdog for the reply and help. I'll definitely take my soil out and mix in more aeration. I'm gonna have to make a 2 hour ride to pick up perlite this winter. In Canada shipping costs the same amount as whatever your buying....
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
Thanks wetdog for the reply and help. I'll definitely take my soil out and mix in more aeration. I'm gonna have to make a 2 hour ride to pick up perlite this winter. In Canada shipping costs the same amount as whatever your buying....
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Find a source for 4cf bags then and buy several. A 4cf bag will do for ~ 10 cf of mix (~75 gallons), so buy accordingly.

It's also used as insulation, so checking contractor/building supply places could be worthwhile. Vermiculite is also used for insulation, but do NOT get it, it retains water & fucks with your pH. Bad JuJu. What I've gotten there is identical to the horticultural grade perlite I compared it to, just labeled simply, PERLITE.

HTH
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
There's a grow store 2 hours from me that's where I source the 4cu ft bags of perlite for 35 bucks cdn a bag. I'll check some building supply stores and see what if any is available. What so you mean one bag will do 10 cuft of mix?
 
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