Living soil dry back dilemma...

[lakesidegrower]

Ya that thread and that article have alot of valuable info.
Norwood is still around, last I saw he is growing a bunch of hot peppers in his 4x4 no till bed instead of cannabis this last round. Don't see him around much anymore though.

As far as dialing in blumats, I use smaller pots anywhere from 1-5 gallon pots so I just follow the instructions and make small adjustments if I don't like the moisture level of each pot. But generally they are good for the most part after setting up.
When I top water something in I don't even touch the blumats, just water it in, if I see anything run off I stop. But I usually just give small top waters when I do so I see zero runoff. I only top water a couple time thru the life of the plant.
Could you use the blusoak line with 1 blumat? Instead of a whole bunch in 1 pot. I've heard the drippers can clog easily.
I've only ever used 1 carrot per pot.

It seems as though 3 carrots per 20 gal is, or at least, should just be enough - I think what I really need are the deeper/longer carrots for these pots; I have to shove these little guys in pretty good to get then into the base soil under the mulch etc.

I'd like to try the Blusoak line, i've heard very good things. My droppers can get clogged, but I just do a little line maintenance and flush them out once in a while, seems to do the trick. I have tried different things in my 5 gal res, liquid potassium silicate does just fine, I've also fed enzymes through is as well, but anything that grows/has/feeds microbes with make a biofilm and clog, I clean the res once a week typically.
The Blusoak would probably be a heck of a lot easier to run because you just need to make one adjustment instead of an adjustment at each and every carrot.

I'm going to be running 12 x 3 gals next, will be trying 1 carrot in each and see how that goes.

A tensiometer man.... I need a tensiomer

 

[mudballs]

that was my take as well; it seemed as though one dry back every one in a while (year?) might not be such a bad idea in no-till
I'm not totally sold on no-till yet, I really like a fresh mix aerated up and into a pot, trying to keep my pots no-till is giving me anxiety lol

Idk enough about no-till or bacterial populations in situ to give a timeframe. I just know areas in no-till will develop spots of zero food for the colonies, so they have to replenish their soil, and by default, renew and revive their microbiome.

 

[lakesidegrower]

I

Sustainable Village for anything blumat

In Canada it seems the go to is Black Swallow - they have pretty well the entire line up of fittings in broken out packages for reasonable prices

 

[lakesidegrower]

I like to use them for my outdoor tomatoes. The fruits crack because of fluctuating hydration cycles. Since starting them in sips years ago I don't have anymore split open ripe cherry tomatoes.
I grew some casablanca lillies in a sip and I shit you not, the opened flowers were as wide as my head. The unopened buds were as big as a banana. Organic soil with FF grow big 1x per week and a 3" cocao bean shell much layer. I have pictures around somewhere.

Killer! I should run some veg SIP this summer, that's a good idea, a good way to figure it out first

 

[lakesidegrower]

I have carrots for small pots. 2 Maxi's in my 4x8 fabric bed and they're controlling the double-end blusoak manifold. Works great!!

noice - that's what they're called, maxi's - I'm curious about that manifold, do you mean a manifold of drippers connects to one Maxi? sounds very cool

 

[JustBlazin]

It seems as though 3 carrots per 20 gal is, or at least, should just be enough - I think what I really need are the deeper/longer carrots for these pots; I have to shove these little guys in pretty good to get then into the base soil under the mulch etc.

I'd like to try the Blusoak line, i've heard very good things. My droppers can get clogged, but I just do a little line maintenance and flush them out once in a while, seems to do the trick. I have tried different things in my 5 gal res, liquid potassium silicate does just fine, I've also fed enzymes through is as well, but anything that grows/has/feeds microbes with make a biofilm and clog, I clean the res once a week typically.
The Blusoak would probably be a heck of a lot easier to run because you just need to make one adjustment instead of an adjustment at each and every carrot.

I'm going to be running 12 x 3 gals next, will be trying 1 carrot in each and see how that goes.

A tensiometer man.... I need a tensiomer

I read on another blumat thread at icmag you can stick your drip line in a long straw and stick the straw down into the middle of the pot/rootball now when it drips the water flows down into the middle of the pot giving you a more even water wicking starting from the middle of your pot.

 

[JustBlazin]

I

In Canada it seems the go to is Black Swallow - they have pretty well the entire line up of fittings in broken out packages for reasonable prices

Ya I got most of my stuff from black swallow but I had to buy my filters and the bigger roll of flextube from sustainable village

 

[McShnutz]

I

In Canada it seems the go to is Black Swallow - they have pretty well the entire line up of fittings in broken out packages for reasonable prices

Good to know. I'm not to far from Canada.

 

[McShnutz]

It seems as though 3 carrots per 20 gal is, or at least, should just be enough - I think what I really need are the deeper/longer carrots for these pots; I have to shove these little guys in pretty good to get then into the base soil under the mulch etc.

I'd like to try the Blusoak line, i've heard very good things. My droppers can get clogged, but I just do a little line maintenance and flush them out once in a while, seems to do the trick. I have tried different things in my 5 gal res, liquid potassium silicate does just fine, I've also fed enzymes through is as well, but anything that grows/has/feeds microbes with make a biofilm and clog, I clean the res once a week typically.
The Blusoak would probably be a heck of a lot easier to run because you just need to make one adjustment instead of an adjustment at each and every carrot.

I'm going to be running 12 x 3 gals next, will be trying 1 carrot in each and see how that goes.

A tensiometer man.... I need a tensiomer

I'll go snap some pictures for you as a reference. But yes, the blusoak makes things so much easier. And there's only 2 blumats to dial in or make adjustments to. No need for multiple carrots or maxis in a pot. Just 1, and which one depends on the containers depth.

 

[McShnutz]

I read on another blumat thread at icmag you can stick your drip line in a long straw and stick the straw down into the middle of the pot/rootball now when it drips the water flows down into the middle of the pot giving you a more even water wicking starting from the middle of your pot.

Possibly for fertigation uses, I have a few spikes I use. They're for 1/8" feeder lines back when I did Rockwood blocks, but the 3mm distribution lines are soft enough where you can get them to work.

 

[myke]

The soil in my SIPS is soaking wet for 3 months straight,works well.

A no till bed/sip should be easy enough to build.Plenty outdoor ones on u tube
I have one in planning stages,shouldn't be too hard.

 

[McShnutz]

noice - that's what they're called, maxi's - I'm curious about that manifold, do you mean a manifold of drippers connects to one Maxi? sounds very cool

 

[McShnutz]

The double ended manifold is for the sole purpose of eliminating a run-out. 8mm Supply lines go to each end. If one malfunctions, the other will still supply needed irrigation. l have a pumps system so a run-out for me could mean 100's of gallons on the floor.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

that was my take as well; it seemed as though one dry back every one in a while (year?) might not be such a bad idea in no-till
I'm not totally sold on no-till yet, I really like a fresh mix aerated up and into a pot, trying to keep my pots no-till is giving me anxiety lol

After harvest, cover crop planted.

Cover crop growing

Cover crop chopped


Transplant

and grow.

 

[myke]

After harvest, cover crop planted.
View attachment 5089437
Cover crop growing
View attachment 5089438
Cover crop chopped
View attachment 5089439
View attachment 5089440
Transplant
View attachment 5089469
and grow.
View attachment 5089470

What was time frame from planting to chopping ?

 

[Hollatchaboy]

What was time frame from planting to chopping ?

I let it grow out a month or so, but I believe if you let it go shorter, the enzymes are more prevalent.

 

[McShnutz]

I let it grow out a month or so, but I believe if you let it go shorter, the enzymes are more prevalent.

The further from germination the less enzymatic activity. Production is at its highest when the radical is 1-2" long on any species. Some have higher values, mung beans for example. I make a mung bean sprout tea on occasion. If I remember correctly it also has a fair amount of growth hormone that the canna garden greatly benefits from.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

The further from germination the less enzymatic activity. Production is at its highest when the radical is 1-2" long on any species. Some have higher values, mung beans for example. I make a mung bean sprout tea on occasion. If I remember correctly it also has a fair amount of growth hormone that the canna garden greatly benefits from.

I bring up some gnarly barley and throw some on with my top dressings. The plants seem to like it when I do. I'm thinking it's from the enzymes.

 

[JustBlazin]

I bring up some gnarly barley and throw some on with my top dressings. The plants seem to like it when I do. I'm thinking it's from the enzymes.

I mix malted barley with my top dress and when I reamend my soil

ended up with a companion plant this grow. I'm assuming it's barley, figured I'd just let it be.
It's the only thing still growing in there as I just harvested and am still keeping my pots moist to keep the soil nice and alive before I reamed it.

So what do I do just mix this in when I make my new batch of soil? Never had any cover crops before

 

[myke]

I mix malted barley with my top dress and when I reamend my soil

ended up with a companion plant this grow. I'm assuming it's barley, figured I'd just let it be.
It's the only thing still growing in there as I just harvested and am still keeping my pots moist to keep the soil nice and alive before I reamed it.
View attachment 5089674View attachment 5089675
So what do I do just mix this in when I make my new batch of soil? Never had any cover crops before

Thats not barely.