asaph
Well-Known Member
what are the effects of flushing on compost soil? does it lower its EC? can flushing actually empty it from nutrients?
a guy checked in the RIU ( https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/434214-problems-problems.html ) with what seemed to be perhaps an overfeeding problem. I advised to flush. he did and it seems to have helped. but now he's getting what seems to be maybe a deficiency. I really don't know much about compost, but I told him this:
thanks!
a guy checked in the RIU ( https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/434214-problems-problems.html ) with what seemed to be perhaps an overfeeding problem. I advised to flush. he did and it seems to have helped. but now he's getting what seems to be maybe a deficiency. I really don't know much about compost, but I told him this:
i'd like your expert opinion on this. i'm interested in figuring out how soil nutrition works.so i don't know too much about compost, and would like to hear what someone who knows about it thinks - but it is possible that the thorough flushing you gave it flushed the nutrients (at least, the ones that had been processed by microbes and were made ready for plant to take up) out and left it hungry. This makes sense in my mind. Also it is not unlikely that it's a calmag issue, esp magnesium def is one of the more common deficiencies.
Then again, I doubt if flushing actually made your compost soil lacking in nutes - my wild guess (and really I don't know much about it) is that perhaps the compost needs to be "processed" now into nutrients (chemical elements) by bacteria and fungii, and if your plant is hungry now, then perhaps adding some soil life to it will overcome this deficiency. The best way to do that, I recommend making aerated compost tea - it's a very good thing to do in organics regardless, and people report excellent results. It's also quite easy and cheap - all you need is some fresh compost and an airpump. and molasses or honey or brown sugar. real easy
then again, research before you do it, and be careful. I think it's quite strong and could even burn your plants. Test it on your oldest plants first at low dilution rate, if you think it will be beneficial. if it works, use it wisely on other plants as well.
another easier option (and perhaps less drastic) is just feeding molasses or honey into the soil. It will arouse life in your soil that helps to decompose the compost and feed the plant. I'm pretty sure they will love it.
what do you, other people, think? also worth asking in the 'organics' section of these forums.
thanks!
