Mixing DWC and living soil

[Smoklahoma]

I'm fixing to start a new grow and was thinking about trying a couple pots of living soil this time. The quality of the last grow in dwc turned out excellent (thanks BU2B), great yields, great flavor and aroma, very strong potency. All the soil people keep saying that they think dirt is better for all the above except yield. My main concern with putting pots of living soil in my grow room with the dwc is introducing bugs like gnats and such into the environment. So I guess my question is how many critters come out of the soil vs coming thru the door. And any other concerns about mixing styles in the same room.

[Ckbrew]

You could sterilize the soil in an oven before bringing it inside.

[Smoklahoma]

If I cook it, would that kill the soil? I will be using DNC "just add water".

[UndergroundFarmer]

Check out Earthboxes and City Pickers/Patio Pickers. They're made by the same company in Pennsylvania and they do combine hydro and soil. I've got eight of the Patio Pickers in two 4x4 tents going right now and the girls love it. You assemble the thing then pack soil in the corners then the rest of the soil goes over a screen covering a reservoir underneath. You add water through a tube that sticks out from one corner of the box. You can't overwater because excess will run out a pair of vents on either end. Water wicks through the soil and a mulch cover or actual mulch on top of the soil keeps moisture in. The plants eventually set down water roots into the reservoir where they have access to all the water they need plus a oxygen in the air gap between the top of the water and the soil screen. Once they set water roots, you can tell the difference in how the plants' growth takes off. I grow in living soil, worms and all, in my pickers. Except for pests, I have no issues. I don't adjust pH (and shouldn't anyway with living soil) and simply add amendments to the surface every three weeks. Plant trimmings can be used as mulch and you can go no-till and simply keep growing new batches in the same soil until you're practically growing in a worm bin.

Back to the main part of your question - Gnats aren't a problem if you use mulch or the mulch covers that come with the pickers. Neem meal as a soil amendment also discourages them. I did have my troubles with hemp russet mites, but that went back to last fall before I starting using living soil. I think they came in with some backyard compost I was experimenting with in coco. I didn't catch the real issue for months and blamed environment, nutrients, etc. and new generations of plants just kept getting infested from the older ones they were mixing with. I'm hoping to score some predator mites when the grow shops around here start stocking them. Check out Clackamas Coot's soil recipe if you want to mix your own so you know no pests are present. Some grow shops have ready-made living soil. I bought several bags of Build-A-Soil 3.0 when I bought the pickers and added it to my homemade soil because I had nowhere near enough.

[Smoklahoma]

Very interesting will take a closer look. Thank you. I haven't done any research yet. I'm just blue dream stoned with thoughts running through my head.

[Smoklahoma]

Should also mention that I will be running co2 at 1200ppm and temps about 93f. Last grow had to up nutes to 75% to keep them happy. Don't know if the living soil would be able to keep up on it's own, probably have to figure out some kind of feed schedule.

[Cali]

Smoklahoma what undergroundfarmer said is how I grow sometimes and it’s the best of both worlds. Except with all the extras that come with hydro grows here you just water and watch the ladies grow. As far as smells go and taste Nebulas has of lately written about organic soil and how they are better for taste and smells not to mention the fact that it’s medicine so why add things to medicine that are not natural? Also she has done side by sides and the testing has shown better terps and THC I believe not sure about that one. I used to grow hydro and buy at dispensary’s it all smelled and taste the same to me finally I found a simple recipe nothing like the tutorial here that only scares most away and the difference has been night and day in my opinion. Yields can be matched with living soil or organic soils to hydro. As far as pest or bugs you have to practice an IPM meaning you have to be proactive instead of reactive so you have to spray your leafs with natural solutions I like using aloe Vera. In organic/living soils the plants are well alive unlike hydro plants that are what I like to say on life support. When you have a well balanced soil and a healthy plant no pest will come they only show up when they see a struggling plant something is not in balance so nature calls them in to clean up the mess you have created lol. Also as far as putting your soil in an oven, all I can say is WOW why would anybody in their right mind do or advice anyone to do that? If you kill everything in it you are killing the life of the soil, what good is a dead soil? Unless you will feed chemical salts off a bottle and keep it on life support you being the machine that keeps it alive don’t do such stupid move. Whatever is in the soil will not go around your house making itself at home, they are soil dwellers and won’t do that or attack your plants. I’ve had infestations of gnats and thrips when I first started because I didn’t know much and the info on here doesn’t help I try to give good advice but many will just say ahh what does he know and just add cal/mag the bro science fix all lol. If you see my post where I had gnats my previous grow you will see that my solution was a hand full of worm castings I covered them in it and no more gnats. Homemade castings. Hope that helps a bit. Best advice is read up on organic/living soils choose a simple recipe that well balanced and stay proactive as far as pest goes and you will do great.

[Puglover1]

I filled my bags, wet the soil, then put them in the closet for a few days with sticky pads, maybe 5 gnats were caught, at most. No problems during the grow, until lack of water happened.

[BU2B]

I have not run across the issue of all buds smelling the same or lack of flavor or even all tasting the same when growing in hydro - I must be doing something wrong. I am however doing a mixed living soil and hydro grow, sort of. I'm growing hydro 3 1/2 hours away from the living soil that TOKABIGONE is growing in. Are you doing Hydro on one end of your grow room and Living Soil on the other? I'll be following along - but not 'bugging' you

Hydroponics Vs. Soil

re: BU2B’s PPP Method. It is medium independent -
Once you get the structure down the concept is the same for soil/coco or hydro. The timeline will be extended to achieve the same growth as in hydro - however; the results will be the same for photo period plants without regard for growing medium.

[Puglover1]

[Smoklahoma]

You guys are the ones that got me thinking about this. Then was given soil so figured what the hell. You can bug me anytime you want.

[Smoklahoma]

I was wanting to do 1 hydro, 1 soil on each side. Keeping the stains separate, cherry pie one side, blueberry other side in case I needed to adjust the nutes. All plants will be trained with the Bu2b ppp method. The only reason I have in trying this is Tommy Szot give me two bags of his Great lakes water only soil. Interested to see if his soil will produce more rosin than the hydro in a squeeze off. I have zero complaints on the quality of our 2nd grow is kinda why I'm on the fence. Both the blue dream and black widow have completely different tastes and smells. It gave us 3 pounds for 3 plants.

[BU2B]

If it turns out that dirt or soil yields a tastier product - you may have found just the ticket. Hydro for oil and soil for smoking. Let me know, I may be going to tx in august - I could swing by your place for a taste test and to work out final arrangements for that grow room you’ll be building me soon 😂. For me- I’m kinda set in my ways at this point and not going to go soil; BUT I will gladly help anyone compare if given the opportunity.

[Smoklahoma]

Deal! Your welcome here anytime.