Reusing Compost

[oldtimer1]

It did help a lot actually.

One last question?

Would you use a base compost designed for its use ie. seedlings and cutting in a seedling and cutting compost or would you just stick to the multi purpose from start to finish

?

I'm not sure what you mean by a base compost.

Do you mean a base fertiliser, this is the name given to a premade balanced fertiliser made of a mix of ingredients specifically chosen to make the compost fertile, these are chosen to last over a long period providing all the nutrients that plants need to grow and remain healthy.

I explained about John Innes back in the early days of this site, maybe you would like to read what I posted? it will save me explaining again.

In todays world personally I prefer to use a multipurpose compost from the outset, both westlands mp + JI and allmix are multipurpose composts.

I've raised hundreds of thousands of seeds from lettuce, tomatoes to cannabis in both allmix and westlands and never seen one problem. I've seen people say you get nutrient burn with cuttings and seeds in allmix as its to strong, from my own experience I think that is a wrong diagnosis, I suspect the damage comes from something else they have done that was wrong, not that the compost was to strong.

Only when rooting cuttings do I add 50% perlite, this is to give a medium that is more airy and a lower amount of nutrient. As soon as there are roots the plants can go straight into any mp compost.

[Arnold Layne]

Hi OT; as ever, a truly fascinating and informative thread my friend. I really don't know where my grow would be without your postings - probably in the compost heap :wink:

Got to agree about the Allmix, I have never seen "burn" from it, and I used to raise all my seedlings straight in full Allmix, never mind the lightmix. Mind you, I'm not using it any more as there's way better to be had.

Currently, Narnia is doing well on JAB + added JI. I have not tried reusing it yet, as I'm a little fearful of infection etc etc, although I do innoculate. Belt and braces, I suppose

But in these days of escalating costs, this thread is a gem. I agree with whoever said it should be pinned.

[oldtimer1]

Ey up Arnie, to my mind Allmix is not as good as it was in the early days and much more variable, but premix [a base fertiliser] seems just as good as ever, I tend to use my own worm compost, but bb's worm also still seems to be pretty good.

I think reusing compost is pretty good, as long as the grow had been clean. But if there had been any sign of root problems, then it would be a no no.

It is quite a lot of work, I may give whazzup's removing the main root cluster and digging hole a try at some point as that is kind of like replacing the top soil. So whazzup thanks for the concept I've never heard of that idea before.

Finally something else new to me I had not tried before was felix_dzerjinski's idea of using a thick layer of baked clay 'pebbles' with a smooth, dense outer skin with honeycomb interior like hydroleca on the compost surface, this has worked really well for me, I recommend it to every one to try, thank for the idea felix! It does just what you said, ie overcomes the watering problem with plastic mulches, increases the period between watering/feeding and best of all the feeder roots make use of all of the compost. right to the surface.

[Arnold Layne]

Finally something else new to me I had not tried before was felix_dzerjinski's idea of using a thick layer of baked clay 'pebbles' with a smooth, dense outer skin with honeycomb interior like hydroleca on the compost surface, this has worked really well for me, I recommend it to every one to try, thank for the idea felix! It does just what you said, ie overcomes the watering problem with plastic mulches, increases the period between watering/feeding and best of all the feeder roots make use of all of the compost. right to the surface.

Sorry if this is a dim question, but where may these pebbles be obtained?

[Randalizer]

Finally something else new to me I had not tried before was felix_dzerjinski's idea of using a thick layer of baked clay 'pebbles'

Hi OT,

Nice to see you posting again mate! I wanted to mention that what I am trying now is using a thick layer of coco chucks as a mulch. It protects the upper surface of compost nicely and the roots come up to the top now for me. I've been reusing them but I am now thinking I may need to rinse them once in a while.

And again, thanks to everyone making contributions here.

:wink:

[oldtimer1]

Sorry if this is a dim question, but where may these pebbles be obtained?

Put hydroleca in google and it will come up with any number of store selling it, in fact the ones I used were not the make hydroleca but made of white clay from a local garden centre.

[oldtimer1]

Hi OT,

Nice to see you posting again mate! I wanted to mention that what I am trying now is using a thick layer of coco chucks as a mulch. It protects the upper surface of compost nicely and the roots come up to the top now for me. I've been reusing them but I am now thinking I may need to rinse them once in a while.

And again, thanks to everyone making contributions here.

Ey up mate, I post when I can, but time in the real world away with my children and grand children is more important to me at this time of my life, as I told someone the other day every thing people need to grow is here now and there are lots of knowledgeable people on site these days so I'm not really needed any more, its nice to be able to stick my oar in every now and again when I have a bit of time though. Also things move on, I'm still learning as well. I love that.

[Randalizer]

so I'm not really needed any more,

oh I just can't fully agree with that. Your presence is a blessing as I am certain your children and grandchildren know well. But by all means I fully understand and support your family time. It is precious indeed. I have a grown daughter and my gf a two year old. Every moment is precious and dear that I spend with any of them. I feel quite lucky that we get any time with you as I am certain you love your family dearly.

all the best good sir

Edited August 20, 2008 by Randalizer

[smeagol]

please don't ever stop "popping in" OT ..

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

so I'm not really needed any more, its nice to be able to stick my oar in every now and again when I have a bit of time though. Also things move on, I'm still learning as well. I love that.

I wouldn't say that Oldtimer your depth of knowledge far exceeds any of the rest of us, although individually some folk may have a lot of knowledge in particular areas the breadth of your knowledge both inside and outside of canna growing is truly staggering

Hope to pick up many more tricks and tips from you

The idea for the clay pebbles came from Vigor I think so it's not really my idea

[Nausicca]

every thing people need to grow is here now

Yes, and you put most of it here! Your posts are always massively useful, there being less of them almost makes that more true

[beanz]

I'm not sure what you mean by a base compost.

I meant the stuff that comes straight out of the bag with nothing added,whether it be Westlands or any other.

Do you mean a base fertiliser, this is the name given to a premade balanced fertiliser made of a mix of ingredients specifically chosen to make the compost fertile, these are chosen to last over a long period providing all the nutrients that plants need to grow and remain healthy.

I explained about John Innes back in the early days of this site, maybe you would like to read what I posted? it will save me explaining again.

In todays world personally I prefer to use a multipurpose compost from the outset, both westlands mp + JI and allmix are multipurpose composts.

That was the thing that was getting to me,why would you need to add a base fertiliser to fresh compost!!You don't do you,I can understand the rockdust and root grow in the mix(after doing some reading about them) -although both are things that I have never felt the need to add to my own homemade compost-I just think that being as this is my first indoor grow I'd gotten a little side tracked by various threads saying that this or that needs to be added to make a sweet mix.

It really is as simple as opening a bag+rockdust+rootgrow. Grow and take it from there.

I've raised hundreds of thousands of seeds from lettuce, tomatoes to cannabis in both allmix and westlands and never seen one problem. I've seen people say you get nutrient burn with cuttings and seeds in allmix as its to strong, from my own experience I think that is a wrong diagnosis, I suspect the damage comes from something else they have done that was wrong, not that the compost was to strong.

Having no experience of either of the composts I could'nt say, although looking through the sick plant forum I'd hazard a guess that overwatering from the start was the cause of most of the problems?.

Only when rooting cuttings do I add 50% perlite, this is to give a medium that is more airy and a lower amount of nutrient. As soon as there are roots the plants can go straight into any mp compost.

That was the thinking behind using a specific compost for the job.

If I've read you right? large compost producers spend a lot of time and money to formulate the right mix for a specific purpose so cuttings would be better off in a cutting mix,although if I did want to make a lighter, airier mix for my seeds and cuttings using a MP and did not want to use perlite,would you recommend using coir instead?

My reasoning behind this is that the soil I work has never seen anything for the last 20 years that has contained any sort of chemical additive at all, as far as I am aware anyway! and I suppose I'm looking on perlite as some sort of unnatural entity,whereas coir does at least have a natural background.

I'm actually finding it hard to get my head around a MP compost atm,but it seems on here at least,that organic composts are'nt really suitable for the job in hand?

I really appreciate the time that you have taken in answering my queries OT,even more so when I read that you want to step down a bit and spend more time with your family,a very understandable feeling.

I suppose for me at the moment its a case of sensory overload,trying to re-create inside what I do outside!.

A case of do it,observe and see what happens.

[oldtimer1]

beanz, people are taking what I said, wrong, in answer to members saying nice to see you posting again, I said in answer why I am not around as much, ie the family thing.

The added aside that I’m not really need anymore is true!

I used to make all my own potting compost, there used to be several mixes I used and how to posted here, the topic may have got lost or deleted over the years, or it may still be here. I’m too old and not strong enough these days.

If you want to use organic compost only, there is little choice out there.

Perlite alternatives are horticultural sharp sand and grits, I have not done well with coco, but others have, As it happens perlite acts as a home for aerobic bacteria when mixed in soils and peats, years ago I used to steralise my compost/perlite rooting mix with a drench of H2O2, but long since gave it up, it may still be in my old archive on cuttings here, if you are interested.

Things do move on, bish but has put a few links to some old stuff pinned in organic.

Anyhow glad to be of help. Ot1.

[I Zimbra]

Finally something else new to me I had not tried before was felix_dzerjinski's idea of using a thick layer of baked clay 'pebbles'

Hi OT,

Nice to see you posting again mate! I wanted to mention that what I am trying now is using a thick layer of coco chucks as a mulch. It protects the upper surface of compost nicely and the roots come up to the top now for me. I've been reusing them but I am now thinking I may need to rinse them once in a while.

And again, thanks to everyone making contributions here.

i would go with the coco chunks as they will support a great fungal community, generally speaking browns support fungi and greens support bacteria.

i also just skim the top soil and plant strait in, then i add new compo to make the pot back up. also before hand i will have started a brew (i know here he goes) i make it as balanced as i can 50/50 spent mushroom compost and worm casts added to aerated water, for the first 24hrs i will have just added rock dust by chucking a handfull in a sieve and just tapping it so you get a nice fine sprinkling, this feeds fungi and provides a surface for it to grow on giving it a chance before you feed the bacteria, i should add that you can increase the fungi prior to adding it by mixing in soya meal and leaving it a week in a warm dark place. when im happy ill add some molasses or similar to get the bacteria going, a mixture of bacteria and fungal feeds, ie molasses and fruit juice for bacteria and say rock dust with humic/fulvic acids for fungi will feed more of a range....im thinking anyway, which is important as some bacteria, for example, just emit enzymes at will in the hope that a food source is close by, where as others only emit it when they come into contact with their food source. add this on transplant and away they go!

just to add, i think i have some egg on my face as i have what i think is leaf spot i will try and put a picture up for scrutiny

[Guest The Sheriff]

Heya chaps ill try to convey this some seem to have trouble with me welsh linguistics ,

Im at a stage to reuse my compost ie just comming to the end of a clean run in a compost containg westadv plus , inoculated , rock dust in there kept on there toes with seaweed & molasseses etc , the original plan was to sift & compost then reuse but like the idea of leaving the base untouched "cut the square out" I ive had to get bigger pots 11ltr for strain/height issue so leaves me with no hole to fill so to speak my finals were 6.2 .

Ok so i was thinking , sandwich , ie im in 3.6ltr pots now with six warlocks , very soon to 6.2ltr & 11tlr is there final , im wanting to try cutting three of them into my last runs final pots that were in 6.2's then into there final pot with either fresh compost or some reused sifted composted preferring the later , i thinking of running the other three either all the way through in fresh compost or repot into the original planed sifted , thoughts welcomed please to pro cons worthwhile ?

the warlocks are willing trialist btw

Edited August 26, 2008 by The Sheriff