I took an old dinner fork and used a pair of pliers to bend the individual tines over 90 degrees to make a tiny rake. I use it a couple times a week to break up the top inch or so before I water as the dry amendments I use form a crust on the surface and like to get hydrophobic if I don't. Sometimes you'll snag a surface root but as long as you don't yank them out and you are moving slowly and gently I've only seen good results. I also use a bamboo chopstick to poke down into the soil all the way in several places to aerate the media several times a week. I do this after I've watered and it hasn't hurt the roots or caused any problems for them. They really seem to like it since I started doing it about a year ago. My plants tend to get to really root bound in 3 and 5 gallon pots so aerating the rootball seems to help keep them healthier.How do I do this without damaging the roots? I got a sort of hard top surface from adding that fertilizer, I was considering breaking it up a bit, but I don't know how close the roots are to the top of the soil.
I use bamboo barbecue skewers long enough to reach the bottom. Anything long enough including a screwdriver. You will not hurt the roots. In fact they’ll be thanking you. I do this after feeding. Usually a day or two after. From seedlings to full bloomHow do I do this without damaging the roots? I got a sort of hard top surface from adding that fertilizer, I was considering breaking it up a bit, but I don't know how close the roots are to the top of the soil.
For rootbound in buckets way back when I had a long butcher knife. Insert between the plant and the container side 5 or 6 times every week. In different spots. Severed roots heal and divide.I got a serving fork from the thrift store and use it to till the surface before watering and even after once it dries out a bit so air can get in easier. Dig around a bit without being too aggressive and the roots won't get hurt. Any near the top are thicker and tougher too. Basically pipelines to feed the plant with what the fine roots send up.
At each transplant I saw the bottom off the rootball to get rid of the stringy roots in the bottom and even shave down the sides to get rid of ones wrapped around the pot.
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Without shaving the side roots they all grow out the bottom and the sides of the rootball never really connect with the new soil and grow into it. I just kicked apart some rootballs into my garden patch and the old rootballs were totally separate around the sides because I didn't prune the side roots. Can just slash randomly around the outside of the ball too instead of shaving them down. When roots are cut off/pruned they branch out like the plant does when you top it or the branches.
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I caught hell the other day in another thread from an internet grower that was certain this causes hermis. He just wouldn't let it go so I dropped it. I haven't seen one hermi or negative effect since I've started doing it and my roots have been thicker at the edges of the pots and just in general when I've looked at them after chop.I use bamboo barbecue skewers long enough to reach the bottom. Anything long enough including a screed. You will not hurt the roots. In fact they’ll be thanking you. I do this after feeding. Usually a day or two after. From seedlings to full bloom
You seem to have it down bro.. Remember, that ignore button is your friend!!!I caught hell the other day in another thread from an internet grower that was certain this causes hermis. He just wouldn't let it go so I dropped it. I haven't seen one hermi or negative effect since I've started doing it and my roots have been thicker at the edges of the pots and just in general when I've looked at them after chop.
I used to score my transplanted vegetable plants that way when they were rootbound really bad with a serrated knife. Really freaked people out to see me cutting on the roots sometimes but it helped em in the long run. It's just how I was taught how to garden as a kid.For rootbound in buckets way back when I had a long butcher knife. Insert between the plant and the container side 5 or 6 times every week. In different spots. Severed roots heal and divide.
I have thicker skin than that, it's just a minor annoyance and I hate seeing people get bad information more than anything.You seem to have it down bro.. Remember, that ignore button is your friend!!!
Great mind set! Some people give wrong advise and won't quit. I put them on ignore in the hopes they will put their little troll shoes back on, and go away. At any rate, they are gone from me!.I have thicker skin than that, it's just a minor annoyance and I hate seeing people get bad information more than anything.
Is there any chance I might do irreversible damage by doing this? I'm a first time grower, but I have noticed the hardened top soil to be a problem, as water tends to pool near the top when watering.I use bamboo barbecue skewers long enough to reach the bottom. Anything long enough including a screed. You will not hurt the roots. In fact they’ll be thanking you. I do this after feeding. Usually a day or two after. From seedlings to full bloom
I hate perlite.Is there any chance I might do irreversible damage by doing this? I'm a first time grower, but I have noticed the hardened top soil to be a problem, as water tends to pool near the top when watering.
I'll stab the soil EVERYWHERE using a chopstick. Is that okay? Also is this the reason why people love Perlite so much?
Why?I hate perlite.
Chopsticks are perfect.Is there any chance I might do irreversible damage by doing this? I'm a first time grower, but I have noticed the hardened top soil to be a problem, as water tends to pool near the top when watering.
I'll stab the soil EVERYWHERE using a chopstick. Is that okay? Also is this the reason why people love Perlite so much?
Why do you need to rinse it? When I use perlite right out of a bag I just measure out what I need and mix it in. With ProMix HP you don't need to add any perlite to it and can use the HP right out of the bale, water in nutes, and it's good to go. Easiest growing I've done in pots is with straight HP and AN 3-part nutes. With RO water there's never a concern about pH and if you don't constantly overfeed no need for runoff either.I hated adding it as it was a pain to rinse before using, but I like having a heavy amount in my soil. That's why I like Roots Organic original soil. It has a ton of perlite and drains really fast so I can water really frequently.
I’m OCD on certain things. Topping, supercropping and tearing up the medium. I’ve done all for years and who knows how many crops. Then I have guy’s tell others I advise doing any or all to not do it or it will hurt something. I just laugh. I put a skewer in every single container when I do final transplant.I caught hell the other day in another thread from an internet grower that was certain this causes hermis. He just wouldn't let it go so I dropped it. I haven't seen one hermi or negative effect since I've started doing it and my roots have been thicker at the edges of the pots and just in general when I've looked at them after chop.