Should I put mulch over the soil?

Should I put mulch over the soil? Im planting in the ground and in a pot

If you are going to the trouble of digging a hole and putting it in the soil, take it out of the pot. This will prevent root-restriction and (if soil conditions are good) lessen the chance that the plant will dry out. Mulch is an excellent way to keep the soil moist and soil temps stable. It also makes a good barrier from competing weeds and other vegetation. Simply placing 3"-4" of grass clippings will do all this and provide a low-dose of Nitrogen as it decomposes, just make sure the turfgrass hasn't been treated with any herbicides. Hardwood mulches(Oak, Elm, Maple etc.) are good but can contain some Black Walnut if you are not certain of its source. This a huge potential "no-no" as this tree produces a natural herbicide that can stunt or even kill cannabis. Pine bark mulch, also known as "Pine-fines" is an excellent mulch that decomposes very slowly and, is unlikely to alter the soil pH during the relatively quick growth of a annual such as cannabis. Any mulch that is used should match the surroundings closely to avoid potential detection.

mulch wicks moisture - your choice

Carl has given good advice but I will add this tidbit. I'm going to guess that the reason you wish to keep the pot is for keeping moisture for a longer period. You would be better off using a burlap bag as a container as opposed to a plastic or clay pot. It will breath much better and still help you in between watering and keep the roots from becoming inhibited.


out.

RandomKindness said:

mulch wicks moisture - your choice

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Sorry but this information is just flat wrong. Exposed soil dries out much, much quicker. While bare soil tends to heat up somewhat faster it also cools down at a corresponding rate leading to unstable soil temp. fluctuations. The decomposition of mulch also generates heat (ever see the steam coming off a pile of hardwood mulch?) I mulch all plant material (not just cannabis) with extremely high survival rates. Rely on experience, knowledge, hard data and common sense or pure speculation...your choice.

Carl Spackler said:

Sorry but this information is just flat wrong. Exposed soil dries out much, much quicker. While bare soil tends to heat up somewhat faster it also cools down at a corresponding rate leading to unstable soil temp. fluctuations. The decomposition of mulch also generates heat (ever see the steam coming off a pile of hardwood mulch?) I mulch all plant material (not just cannabis) with extremely high survival rates. Rely on experience, knowledge, hard data and common sense or pure speculation...your choice.

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Hello friend,

flat out wrong is a pretty strong statement, you seem to be reading one source of information on gardening, as I speak from personal experience.

Here are sources to back up my statement

San Diego State University:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/SERG/techniques/mulch.html

Jalota and Prihar(199 reviewed the effects of mulch on soil moisture content and found that mulch may be of little value or detrimental in low rainfall periods. The mulch can intercept moisture from light rains before it reaches the soil. Mulch can also wick moisture from the soil into the air, increasing evaporation. In their own experiments Jalota and Prihar determined that with evaporation rates of 15.4 mm day (common at this site) unmulched soil conserved more moisture than mulched soil (Jalota and Prihar, 1990).

Sustainable Outdoors:
http://www.sustainableoutdoors.com.au/mulching/

Mulch isn’t something that should hold water per se, the water should be able to pass through it down to the soil. Black mulch tends to wick moisture from the soil, causing it to be evaporated.

http://www.advancedgroundcare.com/faq.html
(speaking on rubber vs wood mulch)

Since rubber does not absorb moisture, the plants receive the full benefit of any watering or rain. Unlike wood mulch, the rubber material will not wick moisture from the soil under dry conditions.

The problem with cannabis growers these days is they think they all have the best information. The truth is, each person should do their own research before making posts attacking people for posting truthful facts - they might end up looking foolish

"Rely on experience, knowledge, hard data and common sense or pure speculation...your choice. "

I rely on experience, knowledge, hard data, and common sense - enjoy your pure speculation

mulch wicks moisture from soil

RandomKindness said:

Hello friend,

flat out wrong is a pretty strong statement, you seem to be reading one source of information on gardening, as I speak from personal experience.

Here are sources to back up my statement

San Diego State University:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/SERG/techniques/mulch.html

Jalota and Prihar(199 reviewed the effects of mulch on soil moisture content and found that mulch may be of little value or detrimental in low rainfall periods. The mulch can intercept moisture from light rains before it reaches the soil. Mulch can also wick moisture from the soil into the air, increasing evaporation. In their own experiments Jalota and Prihar determined that with evaporation rates of 15.4 mm day (common at this site) unmulched soil conserved more moisture than mulched soil (Jalota and Prihar, 1990).

Sustainable Outdoors:
http://www.sustainableoutdoors.com.au/mulching/

Mulch isn’t something that should hold water per se, the water should be able to pass through it down to the soil. Black mulch tends to wick moisture from the soil, causing it to be evaporated.

http://www.advancedgroundcare.com/faq.html
(speaking on rubber vs wood mulch)

Since rubber does not absorb moisture, the plants receive the full benefit of any watering or rain. Unlike wood mulch, the rubber material will not wick moisture from the soil under dry conditions.

The problem with cannabis growers these days is they think they all have the best information. The truth is, each person should do their own research before making posts attacking people for posting truthful facts - they might end up looking foolish

"Rely on experience, knowledge, hard data and common sense or pure speculation...your choice. "

I rely on experience, knowledge, hard data, and common sense - enjoy your pure speculation

mulch wicks moisture from soil

Click to expand...

OMG he just destroyed you.

+ plus rep and i learned alot

lol nice job random

Well, these web links can say what they like. I've been gardening for decades and I can tell you that exposed soil loses water in hours and ends up rock hard -- only the nastiest, toughest plants survive it. If you plan to put your weed in the sun, where it will have to be in order to produce decent bud, and you're anywhere south of say, 40 degrees latitude, mulch will help you keep your plants moist without constant watering.

Not talking some rubber bullshit here, or stuff stained blood-red with who-knows-what, just good ole fine shredded bark.

I say rubbish to rubber mulch. Why would I put a petroleum based mulch near my babies anyway? If mulch was so bad then all of my trees are suffering since that's what they do...drop mulch in the form of bark and leaves and pine needles all the time. Ever been out in the woods? What's all that stuff lying around out there? Pixie dust? No, it's a mulch. Mimicking mother nature cannot be a bad thing. If you are going to mulch, use something natural as opposed to something made by Exxon.


out.

trueeee, i think im going to use freshly mowed grass.. that helps right?

yea its high in nitrogen it would be better if you had a pile of grass cliping that sat over a winter lucky me 10 acres of land that needs to be mowed once a week

outdoor master said:

trueeee, i think im going to use freshly mowed grass.. that helps right?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't use them.. they are high in N but worse, they compact significantly when they settle. Bark-based mulches breathe better. Whatever you use, 3 inches is about the maximum thickness you want, and leave a little donut hole about 4-6" across right at the very base of your plant.

I could go on a long diatribe in defense of my position regarding the use of organic mulches, but its benefits and established use in plant-maintenance are lengthy and scarcely requires any vindication. After carefully looking at the link mentioned in the earlier thread from SDSU, I couldn't help but notice that the study was during a year of extreme drought and, the mulch layer used was a "whopping" 2cm deep (.787 inch). Since I've never actually seen anyone put such a thin layer of mulch at the base of plant material I can't with any certainty make any claims (typically 3"-"4 is the norm.) as to its efficacy. I never made any mention as to the use of in-organic "rubber mulch" so I'm not certain were that came from. Here's a helpful link as to the use of mulch out of literally thousands I could select from as to the benefits of this product. http://groups.ucanr.org/CLUH/files/56946.pdf And again, I'm not going to get in a "pissing-match" about something as basic as whether or not this is beneficial.

I did not say at all that mulch is not beneficial, it is very beneficial IF used correctly and caution is taken. Mulch is great if you know how to use it.

its... multch...

I was going to mulch some plants myself this year but after reading RandomKindness' posts, i think I may have to hire a contractor.


out.

CrackerJax, I'm not sure how the contract would read. Maybe a verbal agreement only. Not that I want or need any reps, but I'm curious how others selectively distribute their praise (see earlier peanut gallery). Anyway, I plan on putting a decent layer around mine keeping it well away from the stem to make a shallow bowl to capture rainfall. I've finally prepped my sites and also plan on coming back to see if there is any evidence of curious humans coming around. Any footprints or other signs of interference will quickly signal aborting that area. With my installation date less than a month away I'm getting excited about this years potential yield. I have 4 sites planned with a total of 15 plants (started with 23, 8 were male). Most have been trained to keep a relatively stout, short profile. How is your grow plan going?

Hey Carl (waves). Well, I am up and running as of December. I took a chance and decided to see if i could get a short quick grow in. Despite a few freezes, I got them through.

My spring planting was done yesterday. I received my seeds two days ago, slipped them into some accelerator 32 liners. From there they will go into 3 G's Rootmaker containers. I grow in containers so I don't mulch, but I do fill the top inch with pea pebbles for drainage and wind. For the same reasons you have posted I have usually stayed with smaller strains for concealment, but this year I purchased 1/2 of my seeds which may end up larger. One of the beauties of containers is being able to control the height and also keeping them mobile.

Here's a pic of one of my dec. starts. This was a few weeks ago and she is much fuller today.



out.

lol, before i went organic soil I used recyeld tire mulch as a hydro mediu,. It worked fine. I did not finish with it, went to rockwool. It did smell, but ti was recycled. hehe. jk


Howver rubber mulch around your plats would be cool. It would keep the sun off the soil. Keeping the bacteria and mycrobes alive better. It would prevent soil evap. I would not wick.

the grass clipping sounded like a topdressing scheme. lol. Ise guanos for that, and wow.

IDK, if the rubber does not leech chem then it would be awesome. Also keep bugs out.