Question about flowering clones and super soil

[Johnny-carcinogen]

So let’s say someone were to want a perpetual SOG grow where every two weeks they would take 4 clones and let those root for 14 day, then veg those for another 2 weeks then take those and put them in the flowering tent for 8 weeks (8 week strains) so that every two weeks they were harvesting 4 plant and adding 4 plants, would a normal super soil mix work? Or would they want to use a auto flower super soil mix? Or would they want to make a custom mix with low N and high K? Would they also want to use a base soil like happy frog that has higher K? My assumption would be that a normal super soil mix would have too much N in it that it would slow flowering down. Thoughts?

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Learn to use dry amendments. If you can catch a plant when its just barely starting to show signs of hunger, or even better, predict what it needs and when it needs it, you can do great things with dry amendment top dressings.

 

[Johnny-carcinogen]

I appreciate that, I do have a grasp on using dry amendments and I’ve made my own super soil in the past but I’ve never make it for a perpetual grow like I listed above so that’s why I was wondering which way to go.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

I appreciate that, I do have a grasp on using dry amendments and I’ve made my own super soil in the past but I’ve never make it for a perpetual grow like I listed above so that’s why I was wondering which way to go.

Pretty easy to add amendments once you get the hang of it.

 

[Johnny-carcinogen]

Well do you have a recipe or mix you had in mind as a starting point?

 

[Johnny-carcinogen]

The whole point would be to have a water only mix so when I recycle my soil after each harvest I can add some dry amendments to tweak it so it’s exactly what I would need.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

The whole point would be to have a water only mix so when I recycle my soil after each harvest I can add some dry amendments to tweak it so it’s exactly what I would need.

Usually you will have to add some sort of amendment during grow/flower unless you are outdoors in hundred gallon raised beds..... The people that pull it off indoors are geniuses.

 

[kratos015]

Pretty easy to add amendments once you get the hang of it.

This man speaks the truth.

Since my dry amendments are light (not hot, won't burn, etc.) I can actually top dress every 1-2 weeks and the only negative side of that is potential diminishing returns.

I prefer to apply dry amendments with light NPK ratios every 1-2 weeks as opposed to high NPK ratios once a month. Less chance for burn, and this ensures your plants (soil, more specifically) will always have everything it needs.

I use a 5-5-5 mix, plus Neem Meal (6-1-2) for veg, then I use a 3-8-4 mix with Karanja Meal (zero NPK, but same benefits as Neem) for my top dress in flower.

The whole point would be to have a water only mix so when I recycle my soil after each harvest I can add some dry amendments to tweak it so it’s exactly what I would need.

Look into No-till. You'll have to account for soil compaction, but no-till will always provide better results than ROLS because you aren't destroying the web of microbes that developed over time.

Picture microbes as a town. When you dump the pots, the microbes have to start all over again and "rebuild" their town essentially.

If you run no-till, that town not only doesn't get destroyed but will grow into a full blown metropolis.

Just cut the plant at the base of the stem come harvest, then pop a new clone/seedling in the pot immediately. If you don't plan on using the pot again immediately, that's fine too. Simply keep it watered/moist and top dressed so the microbes can survive and keep doing their thing.

No need to dump and mix, unless that's what you'd like to do. You can just as easily plant a new clone/seedling in the pot and simply top dress with the amendments you were going to mix back into the soil.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

I prefer to apply dry amendments with light NPK ratios every 1-2 weeks as opposed to high NPK ratios once a month. Less chance for burn, and this ensures your plants (soil, more specifically) will always have everything it needs.

or use less of the hot stuff more frequently.

 

[Johnny-carcinogen]

This man speaks the truth.

Since my dry amendments are light (not hot, won't burn, etc.) I can actually top dress every 1-2 weeks and the only negative side of that is potential diminishing returns.

I prefer to apply dry amendments with light NPK ratios every 1-2 weeks as opposed to high NPK ratios once a month. Less chance for burn, and this ensures your plants (soil, more specifically) will always have everything it needs.

I use a 5-5-5 mix, plus Neem Meal (6-1-2) for veg, then I use a 3-8-4 mix with Karanja Meal (zero NPK, but same benefits as Neem) for my top dress in flower.





Look into No-till. You'll have to account for soil compaction, but no-till will always provide better results than ROLS because you aren't destroying the web of microbes that developed over time.

Picture microbes as a town. When you dump the pots, the microbes have to start all over again and "rebuild" their town essentially.

If you run no-till, that town not only doesn't get destroyed but will grow into a full blown metropolis.

Just cut the plant at the base of the stem come harvest, then pop a new clone/seedling in the pot immediately. If you don't plan on using the pot again immediately, that's fine too. Simply keep it watered/moist and top dressed so the microbes can survive and keep doing their thing.

No need to dump and mix, unless that's what you'd like to do. You can just as easily plant a new clone/seedling in the pot and simply top dress with the amendments you were going to mix back into the soil.

Hey I super appreciate that! Would you say if I’m running 1 gallon or 3 gallon smart pots, that a no till wouldn’t be ideal? My thought was to have a container that I would keep atleast half the total amount of soil of my flowering pots that I could keep with perhaps a cover crop like clover, as well as keeping it active and alive so that after a harvest I can remove the root mass or atleast most from the smart pot and mix the potted soil in with the stored soil so all I’d have to do is refill the smart pot and it already has a mostly active microbe colony. Or would the act of turning in the potted soil and refilling a smart pot destroy the colony?

 

[kratos015]

Hey I super appreciate that! Would you say if I’m running 1 gallon or 3 gallon smart pots, that a no till wouldn’t be ideal? My thought was to have a container that I would keep atleast half the total amount of soil of my flowering pots that I could keep with perhaps a cover crop like clover, as well as keeping it active and alive so that after a harvest I can remove the root mass or atleast most from the smart pot and mix the potted soil in with the stored soil so all I’d have to do is refill the smart pot and it already has a mostly active microbe colony. Or would the act of turning in the potted soil and refilling a smart pot destroy the colony?

Happy to be of service. No-till is doable in any size pot, its just that you'll be emptying a 3g pot sooner than you would a 25g pot. 3g will fully decompose in no time compared to a larger pot.

No-till can be run in any size pot, but naturally no-till does best in the ground. This is because certain species of bacteria and fungi will only grow 10-12 inches below the surface. Certainly not a deal breaker though.

Clover idea is absolutely perfect, especially since they're nitrogen fixators and will help replenish your soil with nitrogen.

The microbiology in your soil will still be very much alive, even without clovers/cover crop. Just needs food and water.

Turning in the pot and dumping it will in fact destroy the colony. Again, think of it as a web. You'll still have microbes, but the web will be broken and will have to begin anew. You can just plant new clones/seedlings straight into the pot after you've cut your old plant down.

 

[Johnny-carcinogen]

Happy to be of service. No-till is doable in any size pot, its just that you'll be emptying a 3g pot sooner than you would a 25g pot. 3g will fully decompose in no time compared to a larger pot.

No-till can be run in any size pot, but naturally no-till does best in the ground. This is because certain species of bacteria and fungi will only grow 10-12 inches below the surface. Certainly not a deal breaker though.

Clover idea is absolutely perfect, especially since they're nitrogen fixators and will help replenish your soil with nitrogen.

The microbiology in your soil will still be very much alive, even without clovers/cover crop. Just needs food and water.

Turning in the pot and dumping it will in fact destroy the colony. Again, think of it as a web. You'll still have microbes, but the web will be broken and will have to begin anew. You can just plant new clones/seedlings straight into the pot after you've cut your old plant down.

Thanks!