My soil mix is cooking right now, i just mixed everything on the 28th. I have my seeds and want to start the process as soon as possible. I have seed starter mix and i was going to start them off in a jiffy cup, then transplant to a medium size pot, then transplant into their final pot. at what point should i introduce the soil im cooking (i was thinking during the last transplant)? also, is 4 weeks a good length of time to cook the soil or should i try for more or less? should i be mixing the soil daily while it's cooking? basically, im hoping that i can germinate the seeds soon and in four weeks they can go into their final pot with the cooked soil. does that seems realistic or should i let the soil cook a little longer before germinating? sorry for all the questions edit: another questions that's not really organic later but someone may be able to answer, how many seeds should i pop if i want to get 2 girls? i was thinking 5 or 6 based on natures 50/50 odds with a little safeguard in case nature wants create males thanks in advance
How cool is it where your soil is stored? That plays a big part in how long you need to let it cook. As for the mixing, do it once or twice the first week or so then leave it be. That gives the fungal hyphae time to grow. That transplant schedule sounds fairly common. Figure at least two weeks before the first transplant, probably three. (I use solo cups.) Depends on the strain and your starting mix really. I just planted six beans in hopes of getting two. Only four sprouted, so I'm really pulling for even odds. :O (Gonna drop two more tomorrow.)
thanks a lot for the help. the soil is in my closet so its about 70 degrees, its already starting to stink more and more so i might be moving it. what temp is optimal? maybe i should go with more than six. thanks again
*I* plant 3 for every one I want. Some might not sprout, you might get all males, or, all females. It's a crap shoot, so plan that way. Wet
Define "stinking". It shouldn't smell bad, just earthy. How wet did you get it to begin with? At those temps, it should be ready in about 4 weeks. But it shouldn't "stink".
lol it smells like all the minerals and fertilizer i poured in there were sitting around for a few days. i thought compost was to supposed to smell no? i used a little less than a gallon of water for two cubic feet of soil. how much water per 2 cubic feet? ive read to make it feel like a wrung out sponge, moist but not wet.
That sounds right. To me, good compost smells like I just dug away the leaves and sticks in the bottom of a hollow and grabbed up a handful of the soil. Rich, pungent and alive. I can see where some fertilizers can stink though. I was just making sure it wasn't the putrid smell of anaerobic bacteria at work.
lol i really dont know as its my first time. thanks for all the help so far. i water the soil every 4-5 days kinda like if there was a plant correct?
Eh...not that much. I drizzle a little water over mine whenever I think about it. Any leftover ACT goes in them for sure. And the mush I had left over after a malted barley tea really kicked things up. You just want it to stay moist. Are your storage containers covered?
Yeah, they need air, or the good aerobic bacteria will die off, and the anaerobic bacteria take over. Things get seriously stinky then. Like make you puke stinky.