Over the past week, we've had quite a heat wave (temps up to 101 yesterday) and some of the potted plants that I am growing are starting to look a little weak. I assume that many of the nutrients were washed out with so much watering. I'm planning on top dressing with some homemade compost, a little worm castings and some Espoma garden-tone, but I'm considering using forest leaf mulch to boost the mycos and micros. I have read about JMS and am going to wait to go that route until I do a little more research. In short, my sticking point is adding anaerobic bacteria to an aerobic system. What I was thinking was to get a few handfuls of forest leaf mulch (with visible mycos) and some watermelon rind from a melon that came out of the garden (for a little extra carbs) and soak them for just a few hours, then apply directly to the compost/soil. I figure a few hours is not enough time for things to start going anaerobic, but enough to get -some- of the benefits of the leaf mulch for the garden. What are your thoughts on this? Worthwhile, or a waste of time?
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nutrients Opinions on this Forest Leaf Mold Approach?
- Thread starter NJChilehead
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Don't forget you may also bring disease with you. I had that experience when I gathered wood in the local parks and woods to make trellises. Also, installing a forest microbiome into your garden is not necessarily adventageous for your garden. I'd add compost on top and cover with (clean) mulch, and let Nature do the rest.
For my containers, I use zingiberaceous leaves as mulch and there is some kind of weed - I forgot its name but it's common even in the Southern US - that I allow to grow as ground cover. Of course, I'm thinking for my climate.
For my containers, I use zingiberaceous leaves as mulch and there is some kind of weed - I forgot its name but it's common even in the Southern US - that I allow to grow as ground cover. Of course, I'm thinking for my climate.
@ahayastani that's an excellent point about the forest biome vs. the garden biome. Makes me think twice.
@Marturo would you take a different approach (i.e. use homemade compost instead of forest mulch, etc.) or do you say it's a waste of time for another reason? If you think it would be of value to try something different I'd definitely consider it.
@Marturo would you take a different approach (i.e. use homemade compost instead of forest mulch, etc.) or do you say it's a waste of time for another reason? If you think it would be of value to try something different I'd definitely consider it.
Of course as an organic grower I am all in for proper soil health.
I use manure Chicken/cow manure for compost as well as adding certain Espoma amendments that impart good bacteria.
We also water with a Bio fungicide that help colonize the roots with Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens a good bacteria to fight bad bacteria.
CaneDog
eXtreme
I like tinkering around with things and strategizing and much of what you're doing sounds great. I doubt you've depleted the soil yet, but there's nothing wrong with a boost. I'd echo the concern over the leaves and add slugs and other pests to the mix of considerations. As to myco, it's a very particular kind that creates root symbiosis and I don't think that would be found living in leaf litter.
Hope it cools down a bit for you soon if it hasn't already. It's been non-stop hot here too, but not that hot!
Hope it cools down a bit for you soon if it hasn't already. It's been non-stop hot here too, but not that hot!
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You don't say what your growing medium is.
I always recommend and use some of my own garden soil in my mixes. Nothing in my garden suffers from any sort of deficiency so it's not crap.
I mix (by volume) 1 part garden soil: 2 parts compost: 1 part mixture of equal parts vermiculite, perlite and polystyrene bubbles and 3 parts sand - preferably of various grain sizes (river sandbanks and the edges of dirt roads are a great source).
I don't need to supplement anything during the first season. During the second and third I supplement with an organic fertiliser made from chicken litter and seaweed.
I prune back after fruiting and just before the growing season I grip the main stem and jiggle and raise the plant in the container (5 gallon polythene grow bags) so that I can add some fresh growing medium around the roots as during the year the compost will have decomposed and the soil level will have dropped. Once the plants are in strong growth I add the fertiliser (usually about a month after sprouting).
I always recommend and use some of my own garden soil in my mixes. Nothing in my garden suffers from any sort of deficiency so it's not crap.
I mix (by volume) 1 part garden soil: 2 parts compost: 1 part mixture of equal parts vermiculite, perlite and polystyrene bubbles and 3 parts sand - preferably of various grain sizes (river sandbanks and the edges of dirt roads are a great source).
I don't need to supplement anything during the first season. During the second and third I supplement with an organic fertiliser made from chicken litter and seaweed.
I prune back after fruiting and just before the growing season I grip the main stem and jiggle and raise the plant in the container (5 gallon polythene grow bags) so that I can add some fresh growing medium around the roots as during the year the compost will have decomposed and the soil level will have dropped. Once the plants are in strong growth I add the fertiliser (usually about a month after sprouting).
The problem is the porosity of your growing medium. Those media would be great indoors (for plants with vigorous or fleshy roots such as Hoya or Araceae) or in a tunnel where the humidity is high.
Outdoors it dries too fast and the pores between the particles fill with dry air - resulting in severe root pruning and stunted growth.
One way of avoiding this - and I forgot to mention this in my post - is to cap the pot. I cap the growing medium with pure sand - the root collar sits in two inches of sand. This prevents the medium from drying out too quickly and also stops the perlite and other bouyant material from floating to the top every time you water.
An improvement on your recipe would be 1 part Promix: 1 part Espoma: 1 part garden soil and 2 parts sand. This will be "fluffy" enough to allow for root proliferation and also firm enough to provide support for the roots.
Outdoors it dries too fast and the pores between the particles fill with dry air - resulting in severe root pruning and stunted growth.
One way of avoiding this - and I forgot to mention this in my post - is to cap the pot. I cap the growing medium with pure sand - the root collar sits in two inches of sand. This prevents the medium from drying out too quickly and also stops the perlite and other bouyant material from floating to the top every time you water.
An improvement on your recipe would be 1 part Promix: 1 part Espoma: 1 part garden soil and 2 parts sand. This will be "fluffy" enough to allow for root proliferation and also firm enough to provide support for the roots.
Interesting-do you think that the severe root pruning and stunted growth that you're referencing is exacerbated by them being in grow-bags? The plants in the grow bags are smaller than the ones in the pots, despite the pots being 5 gallon and the grow bags being 7 gallon.
Yes definitely! The roots are going to be concentrated in a small central area that remains moist - hence small plants.
An important fact is root to shoot ratio (root: shoot). A tiny root system can't support a large plant - both physically and physiologically. Therefore what you see above ground is generally concomitant with what is below ground (except in the case of suffrutices but that's a whole 'nother other story!).
Textile grow bags are for high humidity wet zones. Rather use plastic and provide some light shade from midday.
An important fact is root to shoot ratio (root: shoot). A tiny root system can't support a large plant - both physically and physiologically. Therefore what you see above ground is generally concomitant with what is below ground (except in the case of suffrutices but that's a whole 'nother other story!).
Textile grow bags are for high humidity wet zones. Rather use plastic and provide some light shade from midday.