Recycled Organic Living Soil (ROLS) and No Till Thread

Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
I think you might have problems with only 3 gallons, gotta remember that a three gallon fabric pot doesn't actually hold three gallons (I know, it's stupid)
I'd go at LEAST a five gallon, no-tills need a lil extra room.
Ideally a ten gallon would be perfect or better yet a fifteen
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I'd like to use bigger planters, but I think the 5 gal ones may be the biggest ones I can fit in my tent 2x4x6 without severely limiting my plant count (I like running multiple strains at once).
I've got a batch of Scotts og ladies that I'm running 12 12 from seed, 6 to be exact, that I'm going going to try in the 3 gallon planters as no till. I'll probably do three or four cycles of 12 12 in them to see if they work like I need.
 
Chronikool

Chronikool

Well-Known Member
Im running a 3 gallon pot... working well..the only thing is that you'll probably have to water/feed a bit more then your bigger ROLs setups....
 
Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
Chronikool said:
Im running a 3 gallon pot... working well..the only thing is that you'll probably have to water/feed a bit more then your bigger ROLs setups....
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What's your watering schedule like? I'm completely new to no till and have been wondering how watering would work for pots like mine
 
Chronikool

Chronikool

Well-Known Member
Midwest Weedist said:
What's your watering schedule like? I'm completely new to no till and have been wondering how watering would work for pots like mine
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i water everyday....not a lot...about a litre or so...im of the mindset of not letting my soil dryout and keep those microbes active...

it also keepz me motivated..in that i check my plantz everyday...so any potential problems can be remedied then...
 
Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
Chronikool said:
i water everyday....not a lot...about a litre or so...im of the mindset of not letting my soil dryout and keep those microbes active...

it also keepz me motivated..in that i check my plantz everyday...so any potential problems can be remedied then...
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A liter per day in a 3 gallon? What kind of lights and temp/rh do you have?
 
Chronikool

Chronikool

Well-Known Member
Midwest Weedist said:
Interesting. It's probably my history of just using bagged soil and not recycling, but that sounds like it would be inviting root rot.


Anyone else water like this?
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I arent talking about saturating the soil...and i like to think i have proper aeration practices in place (coco and zeolite) so that there is alwayz adequate oxygen present in the root zone.., :)
 
DonPetro

DonPetro

Well-Known Member
Chronikool said:
I arent talking about saturating the soil...and i like to think i have proper aeration practices in place (coco and zeolite) so that there is alwayz adequate oxygen present in the root zone.., :)
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How do you like the zeolite and what size particle? I recently incorporated it into my mix but have yet to run anything through it.

@DonTesla are you into the new batch with the zeolite yet or is it still mellowing?
 
Chronikool

Chronikool

Well-Known Member
DonPetro said:
How do you like the zeolite and what size particle? I recently incorporated it into my mix but have yet to run anything through it.
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Ummmm....Well i initially got into using it because it was left over kitty litter and that was all i had....hahaha...i've used it for over a year and a half now and i find it really good. The particle fluctuates between around 5mm to 1mm size...doesnt float either.

I havent re-amended it at all as i use coco to half my base....probably could give a topup soon.. :)
 
smokey the cat

smokey the cat

Well-Known Member
Midwest Weedist said:
Interesting. It's probably my history of just using bagged soil and not recycling, but that sounds like it would be inviting root rot.


Anyone else water like this?
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Different approach to managing moisture levels:

A plant in good compost has soil life which acts as a water buffer. Water is held within the micro life - and plant shares their water.

Bagged mix dries out really really light, and when it does the plant shows stress faster cause there are much lower numbers of water holding organisms.

Blew my mind when the difference between bagged mix and alive soil was made clear to me.
 
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Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
smokey the cat said:
Different approach to managing moisture levels:

A plant in good compost has soil life which acts as a water buffer. Water is held within the micro life - and plant shares their water.

Bagged mix dries out really really light, and when it does the plant shows stress faster cause there are much lower numbers of water holding organisms.

Blew my mind when the difference between bagged mix and alive soil was made clear to me.
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Thank you for this, wow! This completely relieved everything I was stressing over.
I can't wait to post my results now
 
Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
Chronikool said:
I arent talking about saturating the soil...and i like to think i have proper aeration practices in place (coco and zeolite) so that there is alwayz adequate oxygen present in the root zone.., :)
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I wasn't doubting you, more so myself actually. But I'm going g to take your advice. Everyone else agrees more or sell (=
 
smokey the cat

smokey the cat

Well-Known Member
It's weird yeah.

Compost holds heaps of water, so when I started adding decent homemade compost to my bagged grow mix things did stay wetter than I had expected. I was lazy and had got in the habit of using fuck all aeration media, cause the bagged mix was so fast draining it didn't really need it.

That guide of 1/3 aereation is a good one.


What influenced me originally to eschew aeration was Mike from Mandela seeds - who has been preaching simple soil growing for years. He has always talked about aeration as "dead space" cause it denies space to growing media and plant roots. I think he's right when looking at potting mixes sold in Europe where he is based - more average soil is better than less average soil as far as the plant is concerned.

Different to a ROLS setup for sure. Wish Mike would post more - it'd be interesting to get his perspective on this style of growing.
 
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greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
smokey the cat said:
It's weird yeah.

Compost holds heaps of water, so when I started adding decent homemade compost to my bagged grow mix things did stay wetter than I had expected. I was lazy and had got in the habit of using fuck all aeration media, cause the bagged mix was so fast draining it didn't really need it.

That guide of 1/3 aereation is a good one.


What influenced me originally to eschew aeration was Mike from Mandela seeds - who has been preaching simple soil growing for years. He has always talked about aeration as "dead space" cause it denies space to growing media and plant roots. I think he's right when looking at potting mixes sold in Europe where he is based - more average soil is better than less average soil as far as the plant is concerned.

Different to a ROLS setup for sure. Wish Mike would post more - it'd be interesting to get his perspective on this style of growing.
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cannabis likes a lot of drainage, more than most plants, and them being a fast-growing and relatively high-feeder and you can see why it's sorta challenging to grow them indoors in pots.
Check out biochar, and either pumice or the red volcanic rock, those work nicely for aeration, and it's not "dead space" especially the biochar, its full of little places for microbial life, which in turn helps the soil-health
 
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