How to reuse soil? Recharge? Earth Dust? Other?

[OlderNOTwiser]

Apparently many of you are leaning towards a more organic style grow, as am I. Doing my due diligence before posting I kept coming across Earth Dust and I see some of you are using it now. Are you having success? How far do these little bags get you? And they never seem to say how to store the stuff. I guess it's dry so cool and dark location?

I also see Recharge come up in various discussions. I was under the impression, probably mistakenly, that this was used on old soil to bring back or introduce new nutrients as well as various fungi and the lot. Hence the name! What I didn't quite grasp is the need for continuous use during the grow like any fertilizer. Is it one or the other or both?

Do either of those compare favorably to buying fresh soil each go 'round from a financial standpoint?

I'd like to get to the "coot" style in baby steps I guess. But all the recipes I see have so many parts to get and store and I only need 20 gallons at a time for my 3 x 3 tent. With the 'rona making life difficult to source things I can't get my hands on the stuff I'd like to start with. At least economically anyway. It doesn't make sense to me to be buying fancy bagged dirt for 20 - 30 bucks and then spend double that on freight.

So, what do you experienced dirt farmers do with old soil? And those of you who have gone the living soil route, how do you manage all of the moving parts to the recipe?

[SoOrbudgal]

I have a new soil tote and old soil tote. I start my pots with new soil that i make. I will empty what i can off into the old soil tote. I will reuse that soil for 2 grows and add 1/2 new soil to my pots mix it in. After about 2 grows i need to make new soil in my new tote which is 32gal. After the 2nd use i toss in my raised beds. I know nothing about the earth dust or recharge mixes. Sorry but i do organic soils mostly i buy a 40lb sack at farmers co op every spring and mix other mediums in it .

[HobbitGDF]

Ok so I use earth dust. I started my grow in fox farms ocean forest soil. I didn't add earth dust- base. So I'm seeing issues,
besides that its awesome.
I started some new soil with base. Let it cook 3 weeks in a tote. 16gals of soil.
Well I had it too wet and lid on tote. So now its smells like compost. I'm trying to let it dry and maybe redo the base .

Anyway. So far earth dust is really good. Only water (from carbon filter). Easy peasy.

I havent reused soil yet because I was using nutes that weren't organic on them grows. But I will try when I finish this grow for my next one after next.
good luck.
Oh out of the 5lb bags I am doing probally 5 plants this time and 5 again. Idk it should get me thru. I'm using 4gal fabric pots.

[MeEasy]

Hey OlderNOTwiser
I'm on my second round with earth dust it's sold in 2 4lb bags, using it full strength there's enough for 10 5gal potted plants start to finish. It's $60 US divided by the 10 is $6 per plant. I've only finished one round with E D it was a nice turnout between 11-13 weeks from napkin to harvest on 6 plants under a good 200w and 2 113w blurples i dried 587g of top quality buds. I did water only not once did I check the ph in the water or soil. Soil was used happy frog which I'm still using in this grow I did mix in a bag of fresh because I didn't have enough not that I didn't trust it.

I have added aloe flakes and potassium silicate to my water every other time now. Not because of any deficiency but to support health and fend off evil bugs, just something I've read about and was told will benefit my plants. All I can say so far is it hasn't killed em lol

Anything I missed just ask

[OlderNOTwiser]

Thanks for this MeEasy. I have a full tent right now with 3 autos going that should finish around Valentine's Day and a fourth that popped a taproot yesterday that is a long haul auto said to be 85 days. Which means either 75 or 100! This last one will replace the Northern Lights Auto that was listed as a 60 day strain that is on Day 77 today. But I have a couple 3 gallon bags with used OF now and the NLA will give me a third. I'd like to start "cooking" mid-February and roll from there. How do you store this? With the pandemic effing up shipping I'll likely need to order ASAP to be sure I have it in time.

[OlderNOTwiser]

Do you use a filter on the water? I understand the need to reduce or eliminate chlorine/chloramine but does it also filter out any minerals like calcium that I'd like to have in there?

[MeEasy]

I store it in a plastic coffee container and taped the labels on them because it's two different mixes of nutrients I'm sure you've read the website and seen the instructions on the use. Here's a pic of my tub with a standard RV hose in-line filter I water directly from. I can't remember the name but there is a chemical some water companies use that a filter can't remove. I'll look through my saved sites and try to find the name of it. As for shipping I've bought some from them twice now first time took around a month to get here but they had told me up front that one of their machines had broken down and they were waiting on a part but the second one came in like 6 or 8 days I just placed an order yesterday don't need it for a couple months but I'm a little OCD lol

Edit = I don't know about some the filter taking out the needed materials but on the E D site they actually recommend a filter. I can't remember if I got the one they said but it's close if not. You definitely don't want to use RO or distilled unless you plan on adding something to add back in the stuff you are paying extra to have taken ota.lol

[OlderNOTwiser]

Looks like I have a little plumbing to do before I can hook up a hose adapter in the basement.My utility sink has a dual purpose spigot and can't adapt it there. No problem, I can do it with a few scrounged parts. I think I'm in.

[Cali]

To offhand chlorine just leave the water sitting out over night and for the chloramine just grab a handful of compost and throw it in the water you are going to use that will neutralize the chloramine. That’s it done easy peasy. I also use the boogie blue plus hose filter.

[OlderNOTwiser]

I've been awaiting your input here. Thanks for stopping by. Not that I'll understand it but...how does a handful of compost neutralize the chloramine?

[HobbitGDF]

Vitamin c also kills the chlorine and chloramine

[Rwise]

Learn something new every day! I had no idea that C could kill these chems. I'll have to give it a try!

[Cali]

OlderNOTwiser its my understanding that the microbes simply compact the chloramine. It’s restricts it from doing what it does in the soil and bacteria eats it up. Kind of like it gets put in a microbiology jail. Some people just dump the water in the soil and let it get taken care of there but best if you grab a hand full or 2 of compost and dump it in the water before adding to your soil, so the microbiology compacts it before it hits the soil. Also ascorbic acid also known as vitamin c will doit. In facts that’s what I do now I use my boogie blue plus filter then I let my water sit plus I add the tiniest amount of the powder as I possibly can because I use 1 gallon jugs. It takes 40mg of the powder to clean a 55 gallon barrel so what I have to use is almost nothing really for the 1 gallon. Go on YouTube a channel named Plant Abundance he explains the process of using vitamin c and how much. I learned that here from a fellow GWE grower. The microbe man also said some people use Tang.

[OldManGrower]

I have never heard of Earth Dust, but I'm not surprised. I am not particularly interested in "the best lights or other gear" or exact dosing for nutrients. I have always grown in soil. I mix about 1/3 Black Cow composted manure, 1/3 composted garden soil and 1/3 soil from a previous grow. I use all nutrients at about 1/2 strength. My grows are always organic and pesticide free and hand trimmed (is there another way?). Most of what I need is found at any garden store in the country. In this endeavor, more of anything usually winds up equaling less of everything. A lot of what I read on this forum revolves around either PH issues or loving your plants to death. Patience is paramount.

My old soil is used in my garden, around trees and shrubs, or to fill low spots in my yard. I also use it on my potted annual flowers.

[SoOrbudgal]

I'm with you OldManGrower ( but i don't use the black cow ) If we could just get the cure for impatience half the issues would go away.

[Farmall]

This is exactly the plan I have used and my yard has enjoyed the fill. The dogs keep finding the old root clusters and bringing them back to the house though.. SoOrbudgal ...perfect statement!

[MeEasy]

It costs me 6 bucks per plant I mix it in my same old soil and add water I can't think of an easier way to do it. I mean hell it's even delivered to my house. I haven't checked the ph of anything in months. I grow for fun so once they get to flower I could just throw em out and start new my fun is setting up, popping seeds, training, so waiting on them to finish is definitely a test of my patience.

[vern]

i made a 4 x 4 x4 box put all my last years soil in it , with 500 red worms & 500 night crawlers , and all lift overs , but no meat leave it to let the worms do the work , never tested the soil , but grows good plants , and saved me about 125 bucks , from buying new soil ,my cost table scraps ,,and about 40 bucks for 1000 worms ,, plants love it ,,lol

[Rwise]

I hope for those worms sake there is no perlite in that soil, if there is they are dead.

[Cali]

What? What? What?

[vern]

yes there is perlite in it , and every time i dig down in to dump table scraps , every shovel full has a lot of worms ,on it , and have been doing this for a year now ,?

[Rwise]

It certainly killed my worms, maybe I had more perlite than you, but the sharp edges cut them up and slowly kill them.