Has anyone ever used water only soil?

[Knowhowitis]

I grew this one with just water and soil
To be fair it turned out just fine just not the best yield

 

[Groff]

PK can get depleted later in the grow, at the time when demand is highest so a bit of occasional boosting makes more and better product...

What is you choice for organic PK boost?

Other than that, the best advice I can give is keep the soil evenly moist. That keeps the microbes happy and cycling nutrients for your plant!

Love your podcast !

To add to the discussion... worms!

I started in soil but quickly moved over to hydro. After a decade I recently went back to full organics, my current grow is using only Fishmix and AACT.
I started feeling guilty for using salts, and taste/quality simply doesn't compare. I can tell already at day 58 the world of difference in the terpene profile alone. So I'll be dedicating my efforts to learning to grow 100% sustainable and without bottled nutrients whatsoever.

This is with fresh 25% Lightmix, 25% Allmix and 50% coco. From here on I'll be attempting perpetual not-till living soil with KNF techniques (Korean Natural Farming) - so I wont be feeding the plant, I'll be feeding the soil. Will be adding Red Wiggler worms right after harvest and a N fixing cover crop of clover.

After dialling it in this should allow for a perpetual water only soil, with minimal maintenance.Just make sure there is enough mulch for worms to compost, and they will in turn go all around the soil making it super aerated, healthy, and nutrient rich. No-till will allow consequent crops to grow faster and bigger, as previous roots make for excellent tunnels for new roots to grow quickly in, with an added bonus of already in place mycorrhizae and bacteria.

Can't wait to get my hands on them worms!
_

 

[Waira]

This is Tad, figured I'd chime in. I would like to put a caveat on the "Water Only" claim. It does require that you use a large enough container, we recommend a 7 gal as a minimum for a full cycle plant. You can't grow like you might have in hydro with a 1 gal or a 3 gal pot and make it with just water.

Other than that, the best advice I can give is keep the soil evenly moist. That keeps the microbes happy and cycling nutrients for your plant!

Best of luck with your grow and please post your thoughts and results!

hey Tad! Thanks for your help here,... My nute pack soil is cooking away... ...photo babies up and going!

What is you choice for organic PK boost?

it's in my reply already, the Roots Organic Terp Tea Bloom... I don't think it's OMRI certified, but close enough for me! A couple local grow mates recommended it to me, and I know how picky they are... I like it because of the very fine grind it has, waters in readily- ...Last year I was happy with the results I got, plants finished nicely, great terps and bud quality...

 

[Groff]

@Waira ...ah!! I get it now ..."terp tea" ... I saw "tea" and assumed it was just a carb/sugar based product. Wow, just checked them out and it is quite impressive mix. Nothing there that is not OMRI, maybe they have yet to get certified? Will give it a try, thanks for the tip!
_

 

[KIS]

What is you choice for organic PK boost?



Love your podcast !

To add to the discussion... worms!

I started in soil but quickly moved over to hydro. After a decade I recently went back to full organics, my current grow is using only Fishmix and AACT.
I started feeling guilty for using salts, and taste/quality simply doesn't compare. I can tell already at day 58 the world of difference in the terpene profile alone. So I'll be dedicating my efforts to learning to grow 100% sustainable and without bottled nutrients whatsoever.

This is with fresh 25% Lightmix, 25% Allmix and 50% coco. From here on I'll be attempting perpetual not-till living soil with KNF techniques (Korean Natural Farming) - so I wont be feeding the plant, I'll be feeding the soil. Will be adding Red Wiggler worms right after harvest and a N fixing cover crop of clover.

After dialling it in this should allow for a perpetual water only soil, with minimal maintenance.Just make sure there is enough mulch for worms to compost, and they will in turn go all around the soil making it super aerated, healthy, and nutrient rich. No-till will allow consequent crops to grow faster and bigger, as previous roots make for excellent tunnels for new roots to grow quickly in, with an added bonus of already in place mycorrhizae and bacteria.

Can't wait to get my hands on them worms!
_

If you're in a large enough container and and keep the moisture right and use earthworm castings, the worms should show up. We see worms in all our commercial facilities that are using Blumats. You can check out @jmagilla on IG to see what I'm talking about. The worms will congregate around the soaker tape.

 

[Waira]

It can be made as a tea, watered in, top dressed too,... I think most tea's are about microbes and lighter nutrient content, the sugars/carb's are for them to eat and help in multiplying, not for the plant per se,....

 

[Waira]

If you're in a large enough container and and keep the moisture right and use earthworm castings, the worms should show up. We see worms in all our commercial facilities that are using Blumats. You can check out @jmagilla on IG to see what I'm talking about. The worms will congregate around the soaker tape.

I'll do that for mine too, maybe I can source some worms as well....
On another different matter.... KIS, would you be willing to chime is elsewhere for me? I got this clown in Sick Bay insisting that "CaMg" is it's own defc. syndrome, separate from Ca and/or Mg defc.'s, which is BS..... I'll link you if you like,.. or avoid the smack down, no worries!

 

[Groff]

@jmagilla

Wow, impressive setup indeed! I wonder why people keep recommending to only use very large pots when folk have small kitchen composting buckets in the kitchen or balcony. I understand it will take a fair bit more of attention, but surely it can be done, say in a 15L (4 gal) pots?
_

 

[Proph]

I've been using water only for about a year now. Two 15gal fabric pots using build a soil Malibu mix. About 100 worms in each pot. The soil has been reused multiple times. I use teas every now and then and use a top dress at the end of every grow to re-amend it. I simply chop a plant and plant another. This is my current MB15 clone in one of the 15gal pots. About a week before harvest. Not a speck on the leaves. The plant takes what it needs as it needs it. I just keep it moist. I've never checked the ph of anything, lol. Growing in soils and/or using water only isn't really about yield. It's more about quality and flavor/taste. Im definitely the quality over quantity type.

 

[BCBudlady]

Had to chime in here. I’ve been growing in a super soil water only set up for years with mixed results. The successful runs without deficiencies are when I use a minimum of 5 gallons and the plants finish under 80 days. Longer running plants need top dress and @Waira recommended Roots Terp Tea Bloom. It has bailed me out big time.
Here is a Spiritwalker at 59 days, fed only water. She will go another 10 ish days to finish without anything else.