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ganja_fan
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Registered: 09/13/09
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Last seen: 14 years, 10 months
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Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks?
#313967 - 11/11/09 01:54 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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I've heard that you should cover the drain hole of a pot with rocks before you fill it with soil, or else the drain hole will get clogged as the soil settles over time and becomes compacted at the bottom. Is this good advice?
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Magash
The Feminizer
Registered: 04/21/08
Posts: 6,634
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: ganja_fan]
#313970 - 11/11/09 02:00 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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It does help but if you have good soil it's not needed.
-------------------- All creatures tremble when faced with violence. All creatures fear death, all love life. If we can only see ourselves in others, then how could we possibly hurt another creature?
Join us at the Growery!
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drumma
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: Magash]
#314006 - 11/11/09 08:28 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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you'll probably find a lot of mixed feelings on this one.
I don't add anyting to the bottom of my pots but I do use a soil that is mixed with a lot of perlite and vermiculite. i find that provides a nice loose mix and allows a lot of air to the roots and provide good drainage.
when you water if you can see water come out of the bottom them you're ok. if you never see water come out of the bottom and the soil doesn't get dry between waterings you might need to put a few extra holes in the pot.
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slimDUTCHES
Current Grow: 2 Bageed babes
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: drumma]
#314075 - 11/11/09 12:01 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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I use Foxfarm ocean forest soil and layered rocks at the bottom of a couple 3 gallon pots. From my experience this combination works very well as my pots never get water logged. Even if its just a small layer of rocks its not going to hurt in any way u kno??
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tophernotsocool
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: slimDUTCHES]
#314165 - 11/11/09 01:25 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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i use good sized rocks at the bottom of my pots about 3 inches worth, prevents water log. but i do it with the last set of pots only, because the transplanting procedure sucks when rocks are falling everywhere, messy. and well its still messy when harvest is over and you try to get all your rocks back if your cheap, and they get embedded in the dirt and roots bound to them. up to you.
-------------------- "and take me disappearing, through the smoke rings of my mind,
down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
the haunted frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
far from the twisted reach, of crazy sorrow.
yes the dance, beneath the diamond sky, with one hand waving free,
silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
with all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves,
let me forget about today, until tomorrow."~bob dylan
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: Magash]
#314283 - 11/11/09 04:30 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Magash said: It does help but if you have good soil it's not needed.
I bought miracle-gro organic choice potting mix. I opened a bag and to be honest, it doesn't look that good. But I don't really know anything about soil. I bought it because it said organic, lol. Do you think rocks at the bottom of the pot would be necessary for this kind of soil?
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: drumma]
#314284 - 11/11/09 04:31 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
drumma said: you'll probably find a lot of mixed feelings on this one.
I don't add anyting to the bottom of my pots but I do use a soil that is mixed with a lot of perlite and vermiculite. i find that provides a nice loose mix and allows a lot of air to the roots and provide good drainage.
when you water if you can see water come out of the bottom them you're ok. if you never see water come out of the bottom and the soil doesn't get dry between waterings you might need to put a few extra holes in the pot.
Thank you, I will keep this in mind.
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: tophernotsocool]
#314285 - 11/11/09 04:42 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
tophernotsocool said: i use good sized rocks at the bottom of my pots about 3 inches worth, prevents water log. but i do it with the last set of pots only, because the transplanting procedure sucks when rocks are falling everywhere, messy. and well its still messy when harvest is over and you try to get all your rocks back if your cheap, and they get embedded in the dirt and roots bound to them. up to you.
I'm about to transfer sprouts of a plant I'm growing (lol) from their little plastic cups into clay pots with an 8-inch diameter. So I guess you wouldn't recommend using rocks with these since they won't be the last set of pots?
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tophernotsocool
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: ganja_fan]
#314287 - 11/11/09 04:48 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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if your just trying to prevent over watering or something related, it would be easier to make your soil airy, i use vermiculite in my soil, 80% soil 20% verm, always drains and dries out in a set amount of time no matter how much water i pour down, works for me, plenty of ways to make your soil drain.
and experiment, use diverse methods without too many adverse effects and keep it around the standard guidelines for growing. if you keep fine tuning you can find and balance what will be easiest for you as well as what the best is for the plants.
-------------------- "and take me disappearing, through the smoke rings of my mind,
down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
the haunted frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
far from the twisted reach, of crazy sorrow.
yes the dance, beneath the diamond sky, with one hand waving free,
silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
with all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves,
let me forget about today, until tomorrow."~bob dylan
Edited by tophernotsocool (11/11/09 04:53 PM)
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: tophernotsocool]
#314442 - 11/11/09 09:47 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
I bought miracle-gro organic choice potting mix.
any chance you can get better soil? Miracle gro is crap for cannabis cultivation.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: tophernotsocool]
#314546 - 11/12/09 02:50 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
tophernotsocool said: if your just trying to prevent over watering or something related, it would be easier to make your soil airy, i use vermiculite in my soil, 80% soil 20% verm, always drains and dries out in a set amount of time no matter how much water i pour down, works for me, plenty of ways to make your soil drain.
and experiment, use diverse methods without too many adverse effects and keep it around the standard guidelines for growing. if you keep fine tuning you can find and balance what will be easiest for you as well as what the best is for the plants.
Thanks, sounds like a good idea.
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: coda]
#314552 - 11/12/09 02:58 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
coda said:
Quote:
I bought miracle-gro organic choice potting mix.
any chance you can get better soil? Miracle gro is crap for cannabis cultivation.
Well this kind is a lot more basic than the regular miracle gro soil. On the package it says:
This product is formulated from 50-55% composted bark, sphagnum peat moss, pasteurized poultry litter (ew) and an organic wetting agent.
I was thinking just now that if I added in the vermiculite and just used the right plant food, this wouldn't be that bad. What do you think?
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SpaceMonkey
Mind Pilot
Registered: 02/09/09
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Loc: Hawaiian Islands
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: ganja_fan]
#314671 - 11/12/09 11:00 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Miracle grow soils are usually to hot for cannabis!
They ad to much of there fertilizers in the soils. While it will work, you will end up with plant burns and is hard to really judge when to start a feeding regimen of your own.
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jwes420
Support Legalization!
Registered: 05/13/09
Posts: 258
Loc: NE Great Lake Region
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: SpaceMonkey]
#314701 - 11/12/09 11:38 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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I used 1/2 MG 1/4 SphagPeat 1/4 Perlite. W/ 2" scattered rock on bottem, in 1 gallon pots until they were brought outdoors. +FoxFarm nutes the whole life of the greenery. No problems }=)~
-------------------- ______________________________
.........."And You Will Come to Find, that WE are ALL, ONE MIND.....
.....Capable of ALL that's IMAGINED, and ALL That's CONCIEVABLE.....
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ganja_fan
Stranger
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: SpaceMonkey]
#314858 - 11/12/09 05:54 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
SpaceMonkey said: Miracle grow soils are usually to hot for cannabis!
They ad to much of there fertilizers in the soils. While it will work, you will end up with plant burns and is hard to really judge when to start a feeding regimen of your own.
You are right. I have been realizing this as most of my sprouts have burns to some extent, though some of them are quite beautiful.
However, they have been growing in regular miracle gro soil and are about to be transplanted into the organic miracle gro soil I mentioned above. This soil contains no fertilizer and seems pretty basic. I could customize the plant food for it and also start figuring out how to do that ph and ppm stuff I've been reading about everywhere.
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ganja_fan
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: jwes420]
#314864 - 11/12/09 06:06 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
jwes420 said: I used 1/2 MG 1/4 SphagPeat 1/4 Perlite. W/ 2" scattered rock on bottem, in 1 gallon pots until they were brought outdoors. +FoxFarm nutes the whole life of the greenery. No problems }=)~
Idk what "nutes" means =( lol, but it must be good because foxfarm seems to be the favorite around here. I'll have to hunt it down and try it sometime. But it has bat poop in it, lol...creepy...it must be extra effective. Is it?
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ganja_fan
Stranger
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: ganja_fan]
#314893 - 11/12/09 07:23 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
ganja_fan said:
Quote:
SpaceMonkey said: Miracle grow soils are usually to hot for cannabis!
They ad to much of there fertilizers in the soils. While it will work, you will end up with plant burns and is hard to really judge when to start a feeding regimen of your own.
You are right. I have been realizing this as most of my sprouts have burns to some extent, though some of them are quite beautiful.
However, they have been growing in regular miracle gro soil and are about to be transplanted into the organic miracle gro soil I mentioned above. This soil contains no fertilizer and seems pretty basic. I could customize the plant food for it and also start figuring out how to do that ph and ppm stuff I've been reading about everywhere.
Oh wait, I guess "poultry litter" is fertilizer...sorry, I'm new to this haha. I'm confused now...w/e, I'll figure it out.
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jwes420
Support Legalization!
Registered: 05/13/09
Posts: 258
Loc: NE Great Lake Region
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Re: Should you cover the bottom of a pot with rocks? [Re: ganja_fan]
#315060 - 11/13/09 07:45 AM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jwes420 said: I used 1/2 MG 1/4 SphagPeat 1/4 Perlite. W/ 2" scattered rock on bottem, in 1 gallon pots until they were brought outdoors. +FoxFarm nutes the whole life of the greenery. No problems }=)~
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Quote:
Idk what "nutes" means =( lol, but it must be good because foxfarm seems to be the favorite around here. I'll have to hunt it down and try it sometime. But it has bat poop in it, lol...creepy...it must be extra effective. Is it?
Nutes = Nutrients = NPK value(Nitrogen, Phospherous, Potassium. There are many other as well. Check these under Diagnosis->Must read, there are good descriptions of what each does, and what might be happening if imbalanced. Amazon has fair deals on Fox Farm Nutes, 100% Organic, made by good people who know WHAT you are really growing. There is even a feedng schedule to follow that really helps out, as Fox sells a six-step regimen. It costs about 100 dollars but you can use it for quite a few grows, just double up on the "Grow Big", and make sure you select either Soil or hydro for all of them.
-------------------- ______________________________
.........."And You Will Come to Find, that WE are ALL, ONE MIND.....
.....Capable of ALL that's IMAGINED, and ALL That's CONCIEVABLE.....
Edited by jwes420 (11/13/09 07:50 AM)
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