Do I absolutely need to let my soil sit/cook?

Been seeing a lot of talk about letting new soil mixes sit or cook for 4 weeks prior to planting? I understand that's best practice, but I got 3 plants that are looking a little droopy and need to be transplanted ASAP! The root ball was massive already when I got the clones about 3 weeks ago and I don't have four weeks! I was gonna whip up 6 cu ft of a soil mix with amendments this weekend and plant the girls right into it. Maybe brew up a nice tea to water in for good measure. I read the rationale is to let let it cook so the microbes/fungi could get going. Wouldn't they do that regardless, even with a plant in there? My compost/teas are high quality enough to last the plants the theoretical 4 weeks.

My base mix is 33% compost, 33% lava rock, 33% peat or coir. Various amendments gonna be added. Thoughts? Thanks RIU!

I'm sorry but you definitely will have to cook the soil or it will burn your plants. The microbes are needed to break down the amendments into a usable form. Your best option would be to go ahead and transplant your girls into bigger pots with just your base mix and top dress to feed until your new soil has had time to cook. Then transplant again into your final mix.

MjMama said:

I'm sorry but you definitely will have to cook the soil or it will burn your plants. The microbes are needed to break down the amendments into a usable form. Your best option would be to go ahead and transplant your girls into bigger pots with just your base mix and top dress to feed until your new soil has had time to cook. Then transplant again into your final mix.

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I'm sorry and no disrespect, really, but I'm not following the logic here. if the microbes are needed to break down the soil, then wouldn't the nutrients just be slowly released over time as the microbes multiplied and broke them down? And if those same nutrients are not available/usable until they're broken down, how can they burn? And wouldn't top dressing be the same thing as mixing it in? Maybe you meant to take it easy on the amendments? Again I'm really not trying to be rude, I just want to understand

Let it cook.
It's more of a chemistry that takes place between soil and microbes.

This is what happened to me when I couldnt wait.
A few plants survived but I lost more than half.

You don't necesarily have to let it sit. Depends what all is in your soil mix. I've mixed and planted that day with no negative effects.

P-

Cooking soil is generally for insect removal. Larva hide in soil and eat plants when watered.

I've found large ph swings during cooking process. Cool it ! I do 60 days personally.

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

I'm sorry and no disrespect, really, but I'm not following the logic here. if the microbes are needed to break down the soil, then wouldn't the nutrients just be slowly released over time as the microbes multiplied and broke them down? And if those same nutrients are not available/usable until they're broken down, how can they burn? And wouldn't top dressing be the same thing as mixing it in? Maybe you meant to take it easy on the amendments? Again I'm really not trying to be rude, I just want to understand

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It really depends what you have in your soil. You can absolutely burn a plant though if you don't allow it to sit. The main reason this happens is due to mineralization. In short, the microbes in your soil mix will be processing the organic inputs in to their inorganic, ionic form at a frenetic pace. While this is happening (the first couple weeks) there is a substantial amount of amonia gas released from high N inputs. Anyone that has built an organic soil has smelled that amonia smell. There can also be some pretty major PH swings during this process too until the microbes have buffered the soil. If you have a bunch of blood meal, alfalfa meal, etc in your soil you will most likely burn the plants during this mineralization process.

Alright guys, thanks for all the input. My compost and amendments are as follows:

The ingredients for the Master Nursery Bumper Crop compost I use are: Forest Humus, Chicken Manure, Bark Fines, Rice Hulls, Oyster Shell, Worm Castings, Bat Guano, Kelp Meal, and Endo- & Ecto-mycorrhizae. This is all fully composted and ready to use.

The ingredients for the EB Stone Organics Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer are: Blood meal, feather meal, bone meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, chicken manure (dry), bat guano, and potassium sulfate. I was maybe gonna put a tbsp or two per cubic foot of soil I mix up. Only other amendments would be Azomite and then weekly application of a fish emulsion/molasses/compost tea. Heard a lot about aloe foliar spray and coconut water applications too, currently researching further into that but that's about it.

I think imma just do what MJmama said and get them some more room in slightly larger pots for now in my base mix (equal parts compost listed above, peat or coir, and lava rock) without amendments. I'll just feed them with the fish emulsion and maybe a sprinkle of the meal mix until the main mix is ready. With the rest of my mix (mixing up about 6-8 cu ft) I'll amend the shit out of it and let sit for 2-3 weeks. Guess that'll give me some time to get that neem cake and crab meal everyone loves. I'm big on IPM and hear they work wonders!

I'll keep you all updated! Thanks again! Anyone know why I can't give +rep or like replies in my posts? I'm on an iPhone 5. Do I need a desktop to use those features?

Something like 2 tbl/gallon bone and blood doesn't burn in my opinion

Also find it easier to load up on organics in big pots vs smaller. I just recently put a large mix of organics into a big planter and the plant took right off. Small pot they would have burned..

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

I'm sorry and no disrespect, really, but I'm not following the logic here. if the microbes are needed to break down the soil, then wouldn't the nutrients just be slowly released over time as the microbes multiplied and broke them down? And if those same nutrients are not available/usable until they're broken down, how can they burn? And wouldn't top dressing be the same thing as mixing it in? Maybe you meant to take it easy on the amendments? Again I'm really not trying to be rude, I just want to understand

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Read the sticky thread "something people ought to know"
It explains it a lil more.
You can do a soil that isn't super amended immediately, but I don't recommend it, if you are dead set on planting now, go get some "good" bagged organic mixes, I have had good luck with vermifire and roots, however I did get a bag of roots that literally killed my plant within hours.
vermifire is good stuff, not nearly as good as a homemade mix, but it works well and is ready right out of the bag
---edit--- you posted when was writing this, go with your most recent plan, just use the mix you have, and teas if you want, I would however highly suggest NOT feeding nutrient teas every week, especially molasses.

greasemonkeymann said:

Read the sticky thread "something people ought to know"
It explains it a lil more.
You can do a soil that isn't super amended immediately, but I don't recommend it, if you are dead set on planting now, go get some "good" bagged organic mixes, I have had good luck with vermifire and roots, however I did get a bag of roots that literally killed my plant within hours.
vermifire is good stuff, not nearly as good as a homemade mix, but it works well and is ready right out of the bag
---edit--- you posted when was writing this, go with your most recent plan, just use the mix you have, and teas if you want, I would however highly suggest NOT feeding nutrient teas every week, especially molasses.

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Nah man I actually like your idea better. I'm going to buy a bag of FF Happy Frog and get the girls in those ASAP. I got a few 2 gal smart pots lying around somewhere. Then gonna get my mix going and let it cook for a couple weeks. 10-4 on the teas too. Biweekly maybe? I'll def be checking out that sticky. Thanks Grease! You the man!

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

Nah man I actually like your idea better. I'm going to buy a bag of FF Happy Frog and get the girls in those ASAP. I got a few 2 gal smart pots lying around somewhere. Then gonna get my mix going and let it cook for a couple weeks. 10-4 on the teas too. Biweekly maybe? I'll def be checking out that sticky. Thanks Grease! You the man!

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no problem, and if it were me , i'd go with vermifire over FF.
It's a much better soil, lasts longer (without additional nutrients), has volcanic rock (if you want to re-use) and I have personally done a water only test with vermifire and it did great, it was about 15% less yield than if I gave it teas, but it was just an experiment..
moot point if you give them teas, one thing though, don't give them teas for at least a month after transplanting, the vermifire has a good amount of nutrients in it.
I would give them no more than maybe three dosages of teas, probably two weeks apart too.
I like to give them an alfalfa tea a week after flipping 12/12, and two weeks after that a tea of kelp, teensy bit of molasses and either alfalfa or fish hydrosylate.
I am a very light feeder though.
OH, and don't use the 2 gallon smarts, that's too small, and transplanting out of them (unless you simply cut the smart pot open) is a bitch.
I'd get them at least ten gallons, more is better, you'll see a difference from a 12 to a 15 gallon smartpots, in organics they like to stretch their legs a lil

greasemonkeymann said:

no problem, and if it were me , i'd go with vermifire over FF.
It's a much better soil, lasts longer (without additional nutrients), has volcanic rock (if you want to re-use) and I have personally done a water only test with vermifire and it did great, it was about 15% less yield than if I gave it teas, but it was just an experiment..
moot point if you give them teas, one thing though, don't give them teas for at least a month after transplanting, the vermifire has a good amount of nutrients in it.
I would give them no more than maybe three dosages of teas, probably two weeks apart too.
I like to give them an alfalfa tea a week after flipping 12/12, and two weeks after that a tea of kelp, teensy bit of molasses and either alfalfa or fish hydrosylate.
I am a very light feeder though.
OH, and don't use the 2 gallon smarts, that's too small, and transplanting out of them (unless you simply cut the smart pot open) is a bitch.
I'd get them at least ten gallons, more is better, you'll see a difference from a 12 to a 15 gallon smartpots, in organics they like to stretch their legs a lil

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I definitely feel you bro, and I appreciate and respect the advice, but the Vermifire is almost $50 for 1.5cf. Didn't see it any cheaper or smaller on Amazon. That's a little out of my price range. Especially since this is just a quick fix until I can get them into the 15gal with my custom mix, hopefully by the end of May. They are in 16oz solo cups atm and I don't plan on having them in the secondary pots for more than 3 weeks, so a .5cf, $8 bag of FFHF for a few small containers it is for now. Lol See where I'm going on this? you made a great point tho and I'll def keep that in mind for the future. 10-4 on the smart pots too! I only found 1 anyway so Imma just get some cheap plastic ones, probably 2-3 gal, just to give the girls some breathing room for the next few weeks until the soil is ready!

Thanks again though man and your advice is always welcome and appreciated!

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

I definitely feel you bro, and I appreciate and respect the advice, but the Vermifire is almost $50 for 1.5cf. Didn't see it any cheaper or smaller on Amazon. That's a little out of my price range. Especially since this is just a quick fix until I can get them into the 15gal with my custom mix, hopefully by the end of May. They are in 16oz solo cups atm and I don't plan on having them in the secondary pots for more than 3 weeks, so a .5cf, $8 bag of FFHF for a few small containers it is for now. Lol See where I'm going on this? you made a great point tho and I'll def keep that in mind for the future. 10-4 on the smart pots too! I only found 1 anyway so Imma just get some cheap plastic ones, probably 2-3 gal, just to give the girls some breathing room for the next few weeks until the soil is ready!

Thanks again though man and your advice is always welcome and appreciated!

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holy crap!
50 bucks for 1.5 cubic feet?!
it's I think 18 bucks on sale, around here, but I haven't bought any in a while.
Damn... for 50 bucks it better come with a blonde and trimmers..
Didn't you say you're in L.A. ?
or is my stoner memory messin with me...

greasemonkeymann said:

holy crap!
50 bucks for 1.5 cubic feet?!
it's I think 18 bucks on sale, around here, but I haven't bought any in a while.
Damn... for 50 bucks it better come with a blonde and trimmers..
Didn't you say you're in L.A. ?
or is my stoner memory messin with me...

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Yea $50, not even prime delivery, that was just a quick Amazon check tho. Imma see on Friday what they got at the local nursery. You think a hydro store would have it? And nah you're stoner memory is perfect man lol I live in LA county, bout 15 miles from downtown. I could go into LA if need be, I'm just talking for sake of convenience. haha I'm also actually hoping the roots won't fill the secondary middle pot fully at all so I can do a double transplant without shocking them too much. That might be wishful thinking but I'm just stringing it all together with all your guys help and hoping for the best haha I really didn't account for a cook time

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

Yea $50, not even prime delivery, that was just a quick Amazon check tho. Imma see on Friday what they got at the local nursery. You think a hydro store would have it? And nah you're stoner memory is perfect man lol I live in LA county, bout 15 miles from downtown. I could go into LA if need be, I'm just talking for sake of convenience. haha I'm also actually hoping the roots won't fill the secondary middle pot fully at all so I can do a double transplant without shocking them too much. That might be wishful thinking but I'm just stringing it all together with all your guys help and hoping for the best haha I really didn't account for a cook time

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my girlfriend lives in Tustin, so I go down there often, any and all good garden stores should have it though, especially hydro shops.
I'd do a lil extra driving to ensure you get a good soil mix, I bet you can find some locally.

I was also looking for the details regarding all this. Thanks for helping me out by sharing this post. I also want to know about the type of pest control method that I should use in my farms. I consulted a Pest control Port Macquarie firm regarding this and they have suggested using organic pesticides. Please share your opinion on that!

dude, just use your base mix with no NPK amendments, you'd be surprised at how little they need when they're still vegging. this is what I do. water only, they'll be fine. you can make an alfalfa, kelp meal, and compost tea for them in a couple weeks. i read your clones are not that old right? 1gal of soil = ~1month of growth. so just plant accordingly... so no more than 1.5-2gal container per plant of the base mix with no NPK amendments added. they will do great!

OrganicSmokeOnly77 said:

Nah man I actually like your idea better. I'm going to buy a bag of FF Happy Frog and get the girls in those ASAP. I got a few 2 gal smart pots lying around somewhere. Then gonna get my mix going and let it cook for a couple weeks. 10-4 on the teas too. Biweekly maybe? I'll def be checking out that sticky. Thanks Grease! You the man!

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I had a similar situation not long ago & to get around it I used non amended recycled soil & just added a bag of ffof soil to it directly. Then give an EWC tea to get things going. I recycle my soils in 2 huge tote bins so that one is cooking while the other lays dormant awaiting amendments. If you add nothing to it there's nothing to break down but keep in mind the un-amended soil is weak- it will not support a plant through bloom phase but if you later add a top dressing to keep the microbial party rocking you could get away with it until your amended soil is at the proper ph- 6.5 or higher on a soil meter should be ok to use & it does take a month or so in my experience.