ok heres a little debate..
in your post you state that we should use low nute soils so that we can feed the plant exactly what it needs when we water...
i have done a bit of research of my own on organic growing and im going the other way completely im going to use a really healthy soil full of nutes and high carbon and all trace elements so all i will have to do is add water and perhaps a top up with organic fertilizers a little later.
im interested to see if if people can come up with the pros and cons of each method. also i was just thinking if your going to feed your plants with nute solution each feed why bother with soil at all. i would have thought that using nute solution in soil could really effect the ph of the soil. if this is the case then i would think that u would be better off using some kind of hydroponic style growing medium?
that said i am a complete noob and really all i am offering is my theory based on my very minimal nowledge but it would be nice if this sparked some form of conversation which i could then learn more from
You make a good point - if you start off with a media with very low nutrients, and add your own, then why bother with soil, why not just grow hydroponically?
My reason for using low nute soil instead of growing hydroponically is that the soil medium is extremely cheaper than buying a hydro set up. Not only that, but it's an aesthetic issue for me: I've been growing all kinds of plants all my life, both indoor and outdoor, and they just look more natural in soil. Plus, the best yields I've seen from plants grown hydroponically are about the same as the best yields I've seen from plants grown in soil.
But either way, soilless or soil, I think being able to add your own nutes in your own ratios is the best way to go - gives you more control, and you can respond to the plants needs quicker than if the soil is packed with it's own nutrients.
