To Top Dress Over or Under That Mulch Layer, That Is the Question...

I top dress dry ammendments 3 times a grow cycle, before planting, before flipping, and one more 4 weeks into flower. I took out all the (straw) mulch layer on the 2nd laying of ammendments, and that ws a chore. But I could sleep at night knowing it was rubbed into the top layer of the soil. Now I'm thinking after some time, some kind of bioactivity has to be going on between the mulch layer and the soil..would I be disturnbing it on this 3rd go around of dry topping?

Is it a mulch layer any longer if you cover it with a top dress?

Week4@inCharge said:

I top dress dry ammendments 3 times a grow cycle, before planting, before flipping, and one more 4 weeks into flower. I took out all the (straw) mulch layer on the 2nd laying of ammendments, and that ws a chore. But I could sleep at night knowing it was rubbed into the top layer of the soil. Now I'm thinking after some time, some kind of bioactivity has to be going on between the mulch layer and the soil..would I be disturnbing it on this 3rd go around of dry topping?
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I top dress every two weeks starting at flip and the big reason I haven't gone with a mulch layer is exactly what you're talking about. I like to rake in the new top dressing and having to move all the mulch around seems like a huge mess. I think I'm missing out by not having the mulch though.

FirstCavApache64 said:

I top dress every two weeks starting at flip and the big reason I haven't gone with a mulch layer is exactly what you're talking about. I like to rake in the new top dressing and having to move all the mulch around seems like a huge mess. I think I'm missing out by not having the mulch though.

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There's scepticism on recreating the forest in a tent, I get that. And there's positive attitudes towards the use of a mulch layer in a tent. For one it helps in moisture retention at the top layer preventing any hydrophobic soil. Then there's the potential growth of positive bioactivity that aids in nutrient absorption for the root system. Because of the aided water retention at the top, the feeder roots go up a little higher closer to the broken down amendments. I'm not a scientist or have a degree in Agriculture field. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn the other night.

I think I'll get there, it's just a process to get me to change. I've been reading about different types of mulch and cover crops for the last little bit and just need to give one a try to see if it works for me.

I’ve been playing with mulch. I had rice hulls so I used that.

lots of benefits, my soil seems way more alive. My soil doesn’t fully dry out and kill my bene’s. My soil is also really spongey now.

downside is I can’t do slurry tests for my soil since it never dries out. I bottle feed my plants so I don’t need to move the mulch. However, I’ve been thinking I might just use a shop vac or something to just suck up the hulls if I wanted to top dress.

hulls cost $30 for a 50# so I’m not concerned about waste.

pahpah-cee said:

I’ve been playing with mulch. I had rice hulls so I used that.

lots of benefits, my soil seems way more alive. My soil doesn’t fully dry out and kill my bene’s. My soil is also really spongey now.

downside is I can’t do slurry tests for my soil since it never dries out. I bottle feed my plants so I don’t need to move the mulch. However, I’ve been thinking I might just use a shop vac or something to just suck up the hulls if I wanted to top dress.

hulls cost $30 for a 50# so I’m not concerned about waste.

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I use rice hulls. I just push them all to one side of the pot, topdress that side, then move the hulls over to the other side, and topdress the remaining side. Then push some back to even the mulch back out. Rice hulls will also eventually break down and add silica too.

Topdress and then it’s covered in leaves watered in and worms eat whatever I drop in a week can’t keep straw well either they pull it down the soil

Moving the mulch layer around the pot in order to top dress is a drag but I'm new and already bought the darn mulch so will be doing it this way for the foreseeable future

PadawanWarrior said:

I use rice hulls. I just push them all to one side of the pot, topdress that side, then move the hulls over to the other side, and topdress the remaining side. Then push some back to even the mulch back out. Rice hulls will also eventually break down and add silica too.

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I've been thinking about rice hulls, too. Thanks Padawan, hearing this has pushed me to get off my lazy butt and get some. I don't see any down side thus far.

I top dress on top of the mulch layer and then kinda rough it up a bit so that it can fall down deeper into the mulch layer. Then I water it down in some more and the worms tend to do the rest of the work.

Cynister said:

I've been thinking about rice hulls, too. Thanks Padawan, hearing this has pushed me to get off my lazy butt and get some. I don't see any down side thus far.

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I'm thinking of doing the rice hulls, currently doing a grow with some cheap (pet store) wood dust.