Is no till worth it?

[Hazeytones]

I grow in clover mpc and have done for a while, using fish mix, bloom and a bit of cal mag.... Went off the hydro set ups a long time ago and back to soil.

 

I really like the idea of going fully organic but theres a couple of things put me off. 

 

Firstly the initial cost of the soil. I have a 1.5m x 1m tent so was thinking 4x2 grassroots bed. Also planning to get a smaller tent for a single plant scrog so possibly a 15 - 20 gallon pot... So I may try a pot in there first before going all out in my big tent. 

 

Secondly I like to top and train my plants for a few weeks in a smaller veg tent... I know the idea with no till is to disturb the soil bed as little as possible...so does this mean I would have to plant clones in the bed when they are small or is there a way I could grow them out a bit then plant into the bed? 

 

Finally I would be a bit concerned about pests... I very rarely have pest problems and don't really want to start and seems to be more of a problem with living soil setups. 

 

With these concerns is the end result that much better for it to be worth the change? 

 

Thanks for your help 

 

 

 

 

[KC]

I thought a big concern for a lot of people would be when they need to hide their tent for landlord inspections etc 

[Hazeytones]

Just now, KC said:

I thought a big concern for a lot of people would be when they need to hide their tent for landlord inspections etc 

Thankfully I don't have to be worried about that... Although I could see how it could be a problem.

[Exhale]

Hi @Hazeytones I've done a run in the ecolife soil and enjoyed the ease so much and the result I've gone all in with my 1m tent thanks to the recent sale at the site sponsor ledgrowlights.co.uk I know they are in the process of moving maybe see if they have any bags left they want getting rid of? @Ledgrowlights-Adam?

 

My diary is here if you want to take a look you can answer some of your questions with a quick skim

 

 

[MindSoup]

Short answer yes. 

 

Long answer, unless you have the afformentioned landlord issue then there isn't much of a downside. The initial cost is reasonably significant but there's many a way to bring the cost down with a bit of thrift and once it's done it becomes progressively cheaper with each run. 

 

With a big bed you can transplant fairly big plants, watch Build a Soil on YT and you'll see what I mean. Ideally I think 2 separate spaces is best, so instead of a mother tent, veg tent and flower tent, you have a mother tent and 2 veg/flower spaces. That way you can transplant rooted clones/seedlings and top/train as you like and then flip the lights. 

 

The potential yields and quality are as good and as high as any other method, but reaching that standard requires a lot less work and has far fewer pitfalls. 

 

Try it. I'm a tight bastard but I'm that confident you'll like it that I'll buy you a sub if you don't. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by MindSoup

[BilgePump]

1 hour ago, MindSoup said:

Try it. I'm a tight bastard but I'm that confident you'll like it that I'll buy you a sub if you don't. 

 

@Hazeytoneswe will hold him to that for you bro

 

[Hazeytones]

3 hours ago, KC said:

I thought a big concern for a lot of people would be when they need to hide their tent for landlord inspections etc 

 

1 hour ago, MindSoup said:

 

 Ideally I think 2 separate spaces is best, so instead of a mother tent, veg tent and flower tent, you have a mother tent and 2 veg/flower spaces. That way you can transplant rooted clones/seedlings and top/train as you like and then flip the lights. 

 

 

Try it. I'm a tight bastard but I'm that confident you'll like it that I'll buy you a sub if you don't. 

This is sort of what I was thinking... Basically have my 80x80 tiered mother and veg tent to keep my mother's and take clones and grow them out a bit. A 4x2 bed in my 1.5mx1m tent for 3 plants and a large pot in another 80x80 for one plant... And just work between the two tents. 

 

You might have me tempted with a free sub @mindsoup but I've a funny feeling ill like it .

 

Is the ecolife soil the best way to go to get started? I've seen indoor organics do a mix aswell. 

 

I don't know if @ledgrowlights have any left I say it on the site on offer a while ago. 

 

Cheers for the help

[Exhale]

Just now, Hazeytones said:

Is the ecolife soil the best way to go to get started?

 

It's certainly the least hassle option, I have a 80x40cm bed and 2 45L pots.

 

You might be tempted to add something at the end of the cycle, don't.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Exhale

[Hazeytones]

2 minutes ago, Exhale said:

 

It's certainly the least hassle option, I have a 80x40cm bed and 2 45L pots.

 

You might be tempted to add something at the end of the cycle, don't.

And what about watering? Are blumats necessary or would I get away with hand water with a moisture meter? 

[SkyRider]

15 minutes ago, Hazeytones said:

Is the ecolife soil the best way to go to get started? I've seen indoor organics do a mix aswell.

 

Ecolife is by Indoor organics.

 

Quote

Ecothrive & Indoor Organics have teamed up to bring you Eco-Life, a new supercharged potting soil for growers that want the very best for their plants. 100% organic living soil, crafted from natural ingredients in small batches to enable growers of all abilities to grow healthy and productive plants.

 

[Exhale]

@Hazeytones I've been hand watering up to 10% volume in a day by pumping the water and manually watering by hand, they are much easier to manage than what a bigger bed must bed.

 

10% water volume can be a lot or a little it's quite free draining so I wouldn't go dumping it all in one go as it will run through which you don't want.

 

[Hazeytones]

I assume you don't want much run off and just want to maintain a steady moisture? As in no wet dry cycle? 

[Exhale]

@Hazeytones

[MindSoup]

17 hours ago, BilgePump said:

 

@Hazeytoneswe will hold him to that for you bro

 

 

You won't need to . But yeah it's a pinky promise. 

 

16 hours ago, Hazeytones said:

Is the ecolife soil the best way to go to get started? I've seen indoor organics do a mix aswell. 

 

 

Making your own mix can be a lot more cost effective @blackpoolbouncer knows a thing or 2 about DIY soil mixes. 

 

Ecothrive is certainly not the be all and end all of no till, they're not bad by any means, they make some good products and I use them from time to time, you might even find their pre mixed soil is the more cost effective option if site sponsor sells it for a discount, big roots is another good base for a mix. Neither of the afformentioned seem to have any Biochar in them though which I would wholeheartedly recommend you incorporate, say 10% of total volume.

 

But to me part of the appeal of no till is braking free from all the brands and magic potions and doing things yourself. Other than the odd scoop of some all in one slow release mix (Dr Forest at the moment because it was on offer) all I do is keep my mulch layer going, with everything from House plant trimmings to wild comfrey (and of course anything you trim from your ladies). Sometimes I give the worms a treat like an over ripe banana or some carrot peelings tucked under the mulch layer.

Edited November 6, 2022 by MindSoup

[MindSoup]

16 hours ago, Hazeytones said:

Are blumats necessary or would I get away with hand water with a moisture meter? 

Not necessary but very handy, also have a look at blusaok never bothered with the moisture meter myself, I have a very well calibrated finger though  

 

 TBH hand watering is probably preferable if you have the time, I still water mine by hand (Lance sprayer like you use for weedkiller etc) from time to time, just to wet the mulch layer down.  If I didn't regularly go away for days at a time I wouldn't bother with Blumats myself. There's so little work involved that it's actually nice to hand water and spend some time with your plants, helps you get in tune with them and you'll spot issues earlier as well.

 

Get watching those build a soil series,  he does go a bit overboard on the additives (he's a salesman after all) and in reality you don't need half of what he uses to be successful but all the basic principles are in those videos. Charles Dowding is a good one to watch to see how simply things can be done. 

Edited November 6, 2022 by MindSoup