I'm still a little bit confused on how moist the soil should be when cycling. Is there supposed to be runoff or would I be better off using a spray bottle? Also, when the soil is done cycling. When it comes time for me to water the ladies, how much should I use? Do I water until there's a good amount of runoff or should I aim for 0 runoff? Thanks!
Define "cycling" as it pertains to growing cannabis. I personally add water to the pots until there is slight runoff coming out the bottom (I use 7 gallon Smart Pots) and then let them dry out until the pots feel nice and light when lifted. Then water again.
What I meant by cycling is when you mix the amendments with the soil and wait a month for the bacteria to break down the nutrients from the amendments to make them readily available to the plant. When explaining your water runoff are the plants already in the soil?
I'll let Skunk tackle this one, but I don't think its necessary to water your soil while its cooking. Just make sure its moist (but not soaked) when you mix everything together and you should be fine. But S.P. has much more experience with cooking soils than I do so lets see what she has to say!
yes, you need to moisten the soil when the soil is cycling. i add about 2 gallons of water to 1 cubic foot (I use pro mix bx peat). don't water to where u have a lot of saturation and run off. a good rule of thumb is to have enough water As to when you squeeze a handful of the soil 2-3 drops come out. turn the soil every other day (more if u like) to help oxygenate the soil to help maintain an aerobic atmosphere for the microbes to thrive in.
Thanks for the reply lawschool2012. That's the type of answer I was looking for. I was originally just using small amounts of water and would then mix the soil again so the water would spread.
[quote name='"lawschool2012"']yes, you need to moisten the soil when the soil is cycling. i add about 2 gallons of water to 1 cubic foot (I use pro mix bx peat). don't water to where u have a lot of saturation and run off. a good rule of thumb is to have enough water As to when you squeeze a handful of the soil 2-3 drops come out. turn the soil every other day (more if u like) to help oxygenate the soil to help maintain an aerobic atmosphere for the microbes to thrive in.[/quote] I meant to say 1-2 drops of water drip out when I squeeze mine
