Do you do 10-15% runoff with organics?

Hollatchaboy

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
kratos015 said:
I'm going based on the assumption the OPs water is hydrophobic due to the question he asked. I very well could be wrong, of course.

Even when I completely soak my peat based soils with water prior to transplant, I still find there are "dry pockets" when I harvest the plants if and when I observe the soil in the pots. I've found that slow watering in multiple steps helps to eliminate these dry spots, but that's just my experience.




Definitely not "life or death" by any means, but I find it helps quite a bit. The majority of the organic inputs we use are in a powdered form, so they tend to clump up on you if you apply them prior to watering. Or worse, the pressure from the water makes a huge mess/waste of the top dress.

I've found that, by doing the first 1/3 of my watering and then applying my top dress, the amendments tend to absorb the water. This prevents the issues I mentioned above from happening while simultaneously allowing for a more even application of said amendments. Neem Meal is the biggest culprit of this.

@Hollatchaboy suggestion of using the spray bottle is definitely a great idea, and something I've done many times in the past when I'm only dealing with a handful of plants at a time. With more than a dozen plants it can become time consuming hitting the amendments with a pump sprayer, which is the only reason I stopped doing that. A pump sprayer will totally work wonders and achieve a similar result.

By applying amendments this way when I'm watering, I've found that I get minimal powder being blown into the air (waste), the water "activates" the amendments, and allows for more even application.

Using a form of mulch will also help even more with both watering and applying dry amendments, especially if you're using wood chips or pine needles as mulch. The first 1/3 of water covers the mulch, and the dry amendments get caught into the mulch. Not only does this prevent the aforementioned issues from occurring but will result in the mulch decomposing faster than normal, translating to free compost. Win win! Just my experience, at least.

Regards.
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Lol yea I only water a couple plants at a time. I could see how watering many with a sprayer, would be a pita. Lol
 
Nutty sKunK

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
Hollatchaboy said:
As said above, no, but are you using bottled organic nutrients, or dry amendments?
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I would add incase anyone else’s reads this.
Bottled organics I’ve found it’s best to get run off ONLY when plant is fully established in the final container.

Also once established you ONLy get run off maybe every 5th 6th watering.

The earth is always draining and never confined like pots.

A classic sign of salt build up is that the leaves claw/droop, especially end of flower. The high sodium media is literally drawing moisture out the plant via osmosis
 
LowRange

LowRange

Well-Known Member
kratos015 said:
Even when I completely soak my peat based soils with water prior to transplant, I still find there are "dry pockets" when I harvest the plants if and when I observe the soil in the pots. I've found that slow watering in multiple steps helps to eliminate these dry spots, but that's just my experience.
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Yes i found the same thing with dry pockets especially with the bigger fabric pots. Trying to water all at once the water takes the path of least resistance and comes out the sides or a void in the bottom. Watering half then 30 minutes later watering the other half definitely helps.

Also last grow once every 10 days or so i would sit the plants in a tub with an inch or two of water for 15 minutes and let it wick up from the bottom and it helped the soil from becoming more hydrophobic and developing dry spots. This grow i'm testing cotton wicks in the bottom of the fabric pot which has been successful.
 
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