Recycled Organic Living Soil (ROLS) and No Till Thread

[st0wandgrow]

I've always been one to use fabric pots (5 gallon is the largest I've used), but I have these 27 gallon heavy duty plastic containers that I'm thinking about making into No-Til planters. I plan on drilling several drainage holes on the bottom.

My question... is there any major advantage to using fabric pots vs. containers like these? Should I just spend the money on a large fabric pot or would these 27 gallon storage containers work just fine? They would fit my growing area perfectly and are super sturdy. And on another thought... I am kind of getting a bit tired of how flimsy the fabric pots can be.

I'm a proponent of using what you have on hand. You could absolutely use those containers, maybe slightly modified, and kick some serious ass.

I think you'd be better off if you drilled multiple holes (say 2") at the bottom of that container then lined the inside with landscaping fabric.

That way you'd have the stability of your plastic container and also the breath ability and hopefully root pruning of the fabric.

Yeah?

^great idea^ ...gives you the best of both worlds and is practically free.

 

[bicit]

Greengenes has.............it's in his thread

Are you sure it was Greengenes? His most recent posts don't seem to use anything as far as a cover crop or mulch. The search engine isn't really turning anything up either. Google results are all over the board and usually just end up pointing me back to buildasoil... I wish they hadn't taken away the discussion results filter.

He has three large threads, could you narrow it down a bit? Lots of good info about lights, but that's not what's needed right at the moment.

 

[st0wandgrow]

Has anyone on here tried either of the cover crop blends from buildasoil?

Yes

 

[bicit]

Yes

I guess I should have clarified. Who? How were the results? Worthwhile?

 

[a senile fungus]

First two look like calcium to me, last one magnesium. I would hit them with a tbsp of gypsum and a tbsp of rock dust. If your really brave water mix 1 cup of urine to 1 gallon water. Good stuff. Ashes work too.

Thanks!

I added in bone meal and oyster shell meal and Epsom salts and sulpomag and a bunch of rock dusts and hardwood charcoal to my soil mix when I made it. I added other stuff too obviously...

I'm wondering if maybe my soil isn't as balanced as I thought it was?




I have extra glacial rock dust and DE, think that'll do it?

And how much?




Also I have Epsom salts too and I know there's no cal in there but I remember reading somewhere that cal mag and sulfur and maybe fe too are all closely linked and straying from certain ratios of these elements can throw things out of whack. I think it was cal lockout caused by sulfur def or something like that and it was often misdiagnosed but ironically fixed by adding Epsom salts which have sulfur in them... I dunno maybe I'm rambling...

Other than those little spots and leaves everything looks good to me over here...

I have some cal-mag, calimagic, but its not organic and I'm thinking I'd like to solve this another way if possible.

So maybe topdress with the rockdust and DE? Or mix in water and water them in?

Sorry guys I'm new to organics and like to ask questions and ramble sometimes...

 

[Bueno Time]

I guess I should have clarified. Who? How were the results? Worthwhile?

I havent used their blend only tried a little packet of white clover and I liked the results so next is a cover crop blend for me.

From my looking around a little I think that if your ordering a build-a-box kit of amendments from BAS then getting a few cups of cover crop blend wouldnt be a bad purchase @ ~$1 shipped per cup for the various amendments and cover crop blend. However if your just buying the cover crop separate its pretty pricey per lb from BAS, a cheaper and I think probably better cover crop mix with a high nitrogen fixing rate is at groworganic.

I plan to order a buildabox from BAS so I might just get a couple cups of cover crop blend from them but if I dont do that I was going to buy the organic premium soil builder mix from groworganic its $2.19/lb or less in bulk with reasonable shipping (cheaper with shipping for 1lb than BAS and better blend it seems). Groworganic blend is supposed to fix up to 290lb/acre of nitrogen and up to 45tons/acre of organic matter its a blend of "Formulation may vary based on availability. Currently the mix contains: Bell Beans, BioMaster Peas, Frostmaster Peas, Purple Vetch, Hairy Vetch, Common Vetch and Cayuse Oats".

http://www.groworganic.com/organic-soil-builder-mix-raw-lb.html

That is a much different mix than BAS uses but i read a little about vetch and thats good stuff. Maybe someone else can comment on which blend would be better but that blend from groworganic seems promising and they have a whole bunch of other cover crops and other seeds there.

 

[SouthernSoil*]

The most impressive yields I ever saw was this guy cb420 on the Gage forums. Did a lot of 12/12 from seed, got these huge fat solid colas on branchy plants. He reckomed the teick was in big pots, and he forced branching by DEFOLIATING the top node, not topping, but removing the fans as the pop out and lay flat. Been wanting to do it myself but I keep thinking 'what if it is THE keeper in that bean?' So I never do lol

Sounds like a awesome plan bro : ) No harm in trying it seeing as i need some rapid branch growth with this one, i planted two other beans along with this sensi super skunk fem, just thinking what type of root space the 12 12 plant will take cause if i get another fem i could 12 / 12 two plants. Peace ! : )

 

[goodjoint]

I think you'd be better off if you drilled multiple holes (say 2") at the bottom of that container then lined the inside with landscaping fabric.

That way you'd have the stability of your plastic container and also the breath ability and hopefully root pruning of the fabric.

Yeah?

Good idea!!
Would it be worthwhile to drill holes on the sides like an airpot, or just on the bottom?

 

[a senile fungus]

Good idea!!
Would it be worthwhile to drill holes on the sides like an airpot, or just on the bottom?

Maybe you could put holes all over the whole bin, but don't weaken it too much... I think two inch is a good size, what do you guys think?

We know the fabric holds dirt back and let's air in.

The holes at the bottom would double as drain holes. I know those crates get air circulation underneath depending on how they're molded, so maybe fashion open areas while still maintaining structural integrity. Then lay down the fabric and pour some dirt in and let er rip. It'll be a hybrid between the two and really nothing can go wrong. Right?

 

[a senile fungus]

Hahaha while you're at it you may as well just make open wooden troughs and line with fabric and fill with dirt... I was thinking about doing that but I need to be in a more permanent space to make that happen. In my dreams...

Or a huge plot, like 10'x10' or even bigger and maybe 2ft deep, the ultimate no till. I would grow companion crops and top dress like a mofo

 

[goodjoint]

Maybe you could put holes all over the whole bin, but don't weaken it too much... I think two inch is a good size, what do you guys think?

We know the fabric holds dirt back and let's air in.

The holes at the bottom would double as drain holes. I know those crates get air circulation underneath depending on how they're molded, so maybe fashion open areas while still maintaining structural integrity. Then lay down the fabric and pour some dirt in and let er rip. It'll be a hybrid between the two and really nothing can go wrong. Right?

I like the sound of it. Looks like I have a project on my hands!
You rock!!

 

[a senile fungus]

Lol I just realized that I bought two of those containers yesterday to put my extra soil in.

I thought they were a good LxWxH for watering and turning over the soil and have them both around half filled.

 

[Mad Hamish]

I actually did a defoliation experiment on my last batch of Scotts ogs and if you continually strip the fan leaves off of the main tip you will get so many freaking branches. I used cfls to keep the nodes tight and after about a month of vegging while stripping fan leaves and training, I had at least ten main branches within 6inches of growth on the main stem. It actually got to the point where I had to take out branches because it was too crowded to grow properly. This would be a really cool technique to use with a scrog setup

I have used this technique you describe to force bean pole structure plants into nice bushes. Did you also notice a nitrogen deficiency in the nodes where the leaf was cut for a week or so? Because I not only noticed that, but picked up that the branches were not all thick and solid like you would expect from auxins and I still had to pinch a bit to get them nice and fat so they could support bud. Made me think it os a great way to slow down any node if you need to but definitely does stress the plant a little so not for iffy types. I wouldn't do it with an OG cross for example. Overall very nifty trick for the gardener that considers a low profile an advantage.

 

[Mad Hamish]

Thank you for the message bro ! hope you have been well, ive currently got the seed germinating in a smaller pot not sure how wise that is, would it be better just germinating it in the bigger pot ? Or maybe better in the smaller one for now so its roots can stretch when its transplanted ? I havent taken it outdoors but it is sitting on my window sill which receives alot of sun. Much Respect. Peace !

looks like straight in the pot mate, just be very very very careful to not over water her needs are going to be waaaaaaaay less than the bigger ladies.

 

[Mad Hamish]

Sounds like a awesome plan bro : ) No harm in trying it seeing as i need some rapid branch growth with this one, i planted two other beans along with this sensi super skunk fem, just thinking what type of root space the 12 12 plant will take cause if i get another fem i could 12 / 12 two plants. Peace ! : )

then log in to www.gagegreen.org/forum and do a search for threads by cb420 and watch what he does. A master at this style, it will be worth every minute of your time (and show you some insane genetics kicking asssss)EDIT: RIU user Calicat has vast experience with 12/12 from seed runs. He is a good guy to talk to, very helpful has upped my game a few times. He does small plants in small pots and lots of them at a time for 12/12 runs, it is another way to go at it.

 

[SouthernSoil*]

looks like straight in the pot mate, just be very very very careful to not over water her needs are going to be waaaaaaaay less than the bigger ladies.

then log in to www.gagegreen.org/forum and do a search for threads by cb420 and watch what he does. A master at this style, it will be worth every minute of your time (and show you some insane genetics kicking asssss)EDIT: RIU user Calicat has vast experience with 12/12 from seed runs. He is a good guy to talk to, very helpful has upped my game a few times. He does small plants in small pots and lots of them at a time for 12/12 runs, it is another way to go at it.

Thank you bro, i just planted the seed in the small pot last night, you rate its cool to dig out and replant ? WIll make sure she gets way less than the big plants, will definitely log in to gagegreen bro, from the sounds of it the guy has some insane tips ! I just bought a 12 000 BTU portable aircon its kicking nicely ! couldnt take the heat no more man you were 100% right my ladies were sitting at 31-33.5 c which was baking me and them ! Peace bro ! Much respect & thank you once again for your help. much appreciated brother.

 

[st0wandgrow]

I guess I should have clarified. Who? How were the results? Worthwhile?

Yes, it works great. You could put together something cheaper yourself, but it's just fine otherwise

 

[Mad Hamish]

Thank you bro, i just planted the seed in the small pot last night, you rate its cool to dig out and replant ? WIll make sure she gets way less than the big plants, will definitely log in to gagegreen bro, from the sounds of it the guy has some insane tips ! I just bought a 12 000 BTU portable aircon its kicking nicely ! couldnt take the heat no more man you were 100% right my ladies were sitting at 31-33.5 c which was baking me and them ! Peace bro ! Much respect & thank you once again for your help. much appreciated brother.

If you pre soaked then leave it as is, if it was fresh and unpopped then digging it up will be fine, but personally I would just wait fourteen days after germing then transplant with great care. Yup thank gods for AC. I made an outflow for my portable, bastards switch off soon on a humid day. Upgrading to a badass ducted aircon next year

 

[CannaBare]

Thanks!

I added in bone meal and oyster shell meal and Epsom salts and sulpomag and a bunch of rock dusts and hardwood charcoal to my soil mix when I made it. I added other stuff too obviously...

I'm wondering if maybe my soil isn't as balanced as I thought it was?




I have extra glacial rock dust and DE, think that'll do it?

And how much?




Also I have Epsom salts too and I know there's no cal in there but I remember reading somewhere that cal mag and sulfur and maybe fe too are all closely linked and straying from certain ratios of these elements can throw things out of whack. I think it was cal lockout caused by sulfur def or something like that and it was often misdiagnosed but ironically fixed by adding Epsom salts which have sulfur in them... I dunno maybe I'm rambling...

Other than those little spots and leaves everything looks good to me over here...

I have some cal-mag, calimagic, but its not organic and I'm thinking I'd like to solve this another way if possible.

So maybe topdress with the rockdust and DE? Or mix in water and water them in?

Sorry guys I'm new to organics and like to ask questions and ramble sometimes...

After reading this I can't be sure why your plants are experiencing a deficiency. It could come down to the soil not being alive or sulfur as you say. I have never considered how balanced my soil was when I started organics. I ran with cootz recipe and after initially making the soil, I only topdress if I see the start of a deficiency (usually calcium, and I just topdress with gypsum). I topdress at 1 tbsp per 5 gallons because I feel less is more and I can always add more later, and If I see an abundance (rarely, mostly nitrogen) I can switch to a different organic substance.

Based on my growing style I would still go with the rockdust and gypsum. I'm not sure why you are thinking of adding DE? care to share?

I have never experienced a sulfur abundance but I have had a deficiency once (no more thanks to gypsum ). I only have alfalfa, kelp. neem, crab, and gypsum/rockdust in my grow room arsenal. Get rid of the epsom and cal-mag, Bad juju lol

 

[CannaBare]

Hahaha while you're at it you may as well just make open wooden troughs and line with fabric and fill with dirt... I was thinking about doing that but I need to be in a more permanent space to make that happen. In my dreams...

Or a huge plot, like 10'x10' or even bigger and maybe 2ft deep, the ultimate no till. I would grow companion crops and top dress like a mofo

I'm building 35 gallons on wheels as we speak. I'm hoping to keep down compaction and give the soil enough volume to be completely alive and thriving. If I may say to all who grow in fabric pots, It is the future! My back feels amazing hahaha